[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-quest-for-immortality":3,"chapter-the-quest-for-immortality-the-quest-for-immortality-chapter-446":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Quest for Immortality",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},737293,975,"Chapter 446: Corpse Walking Stronghold (1)","the-quest-for-immortality-chapter-446",446,"\u003Cp>Mo Hua took out the map of the wilderness surrounding South Yue City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was called a map, but it was crudely made, the lines were simple, and it only roughly outlined some mountain terrains; nothing else was included.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wilderness was rarely visited, so there was no detailed map available.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one Mo Hua held was previously obtained from Situ Fang. It was a map of the mountainous terrain recorded by the Taoist Court Official of South Yue City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua recalled the trajectory of the light spots on the Compass Disk and traced Zhang Quan’s path on the map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Quan’s movements seemed chaotic, but all his routes were concentrated within the forest between two peaks to the east of the wilderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He came here to return to his lair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the place where he refined and hid the corpses had to be nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to avoid being tracked, he would certainly not linger near his lair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two places were separated by a large mountain and faced each other from a distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua shared his deductions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng asked doubtfully,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do you know this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua said, \"I am a Monster Hunter. I often track Monster Beasts in the mountains; this is the basics for a Monster Hunter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Zhang Quan is not a Monster Beast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Close enough. Anyway, he can hardly be considered human anymore, I suspect his habits are very similar to those of Monster Beasts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng nodded, then asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What if you guessed wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong. It doesn’t really affect anything,\" Mo Hua said indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng sighed, \"Alright then...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they needed to search, and having a direction was better than having none.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting aside Zhang Quan for the moment, Mo Hua and the other two crossed over a mountain range to the west of the wilderness to look for Zhang Quan’s hiding place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua was not worried about Zhang Quan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, with the Compass Disk, Zhang Quan couldn’t escape from his grasp. He could be left to his own devices, letting him play a game of hide-and-seek with himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as long as they found Zhang Quan’s hiding place, they could even turn the situation around and lie in wait to catch him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the west of the South Yue wilderness, there was nothing special.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still the same withered grass, low trees, dry rocks, and steep mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three searched together for a while, then split up to continue the search, but still came up empty-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least on the surface, there was only barren grass and rocky hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further out, there were more continuous wilderness hills, but the distance was much greater, and with such a wide range, it was not easy to search.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng questioned doubtfully, \"There’s nothing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua shook his head, \"Not necessarily, we’ve only searched once.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Monster Hunter won’t just search the mountains once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first time is just to get a rough look at the terrain, to have an overall impression of the land in the Sea of Consciousness. Then, by comparing it with the map, one would have a clearer sense of the paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, based on experience, one would choose a route and search carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua recalled the terrain and speculated which places could be used for Corpse Refinement or as hiding spots, which locations had special terrain, and which places had a suspicious aura...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then took out a pen and marked a route on the map before continuing the search.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Mo Hua searched very meticulously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At every place, he would sit cross-legged, release his Divine Sense, and sense the sparse flow of Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, as well as the circulation of various auras in the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he had to calculate in his mind to see if there were any traces of a Formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi protected him from any Cultivator or Monster Beast that might attempt an ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Mo Hua finished searching, he opened his eyes and got up to move to the next location, searching one place after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of search was rather tedious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s more, Calculation consumed a lot of Divine Sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, Mo Hua was patient enough, his Divine Sense was strong, and he had mastered the Meditation Technique, so his Divine Sense recovered quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stop and go, Mo Hua suddenly uttered a \"huh\" next to a cluster of bald rocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng’s eyes lit up, \"Did you find it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua nodded slightly, \"There’s a Formation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng released his Divine Sense and swept around, then said helplessly, \"Where is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t find anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua pointed to the group of bald rocks in front of them, \"All these are part of a Formation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng looked at the rocks, which were shiny and bald, massive in size, and numerous. They were piled up together, completely blocking off one side of the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of Formation is this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua shook his head, \"I don’t know. It looks like... some kind of Earth Series Illusion Technique. Just wait...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying that, Mo Hua sat down cross-legged on the ground again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes in contemplation, focused in thought, and found a tree branch to draw something on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, Mo Hua opened his eyes and pointed to the pattern on the ground, saying,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Formation Patterns are like this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng’s mouth fell open, \"You even figured out the Formation Patterns?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua corrected him, \"It’s ’Calculation,’ not ’guess.’\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Calculation\" made it seem professional, like something a proficient Junior Formation Master should do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guess\" seemed too amateurish and hinted at a guesswork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng clicked his tongue in wonder and asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did your master teach you the Divine Sense Calculation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng couldn’t help but feel envious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one learned Divine Sense Calculation, one could see through Formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Formation Master in this wilderness had used Formations to hide their tracks, but because they had set up Formations, in Mo Hua’s eyes, it was as clear as day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even through Calculation, they could deduce the specific Formation Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was really shameless...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a pity, his Divine Sense was not sufficient, hence he couldn’t learn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even if he could learn it, he probably wouldn’t be able to use it as well as Mo Hua did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of Formations, his Junior Disciple was always a \"little freak\" in his heart...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Mo Hua’s Divine Sense stirred, and he looked at Bai Zisheng with an unfriendly gaze,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Talking bad about me again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng felt completely helpless, \"I was praising you in my heart...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua snorted, \"Do you think I believe that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng let out a sigh and had no choice but to apologize politely, then quickly changed the subject:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do we break this formation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua replied, \"There’s no need to break it, this is just a decoy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After releasing his Divine Sense and peeking through, he said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Follow me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua walked straight up to a bare rock and then gently reached out, his fingers sinking into the stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua continued to walk forward, his entire body going directly into the rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng was startled, and Bai Zixi was also slightly taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This bare rock was merely an illusion, not a real object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two exchanged glances and followed Mo Hua inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once inside the rock, all was pitch-black, but Mo Hua seemed to know everything like the back of his hand, leading the way with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking for a moment, light appeared before them, revealing a large stone gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gate was gloomy, entwined with a sense of death, and a faint putrid stench lingered at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on the gate, three mottled, crude characters were inscribed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corpse Walking Stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua frowned, Corpse Walking Stronghold?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trio didn’t charge in directly but concealed their forms and found a large rock nearby to squat under, huddled together with their heads close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Another stronghold in the mountains...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A stronghold in the mountains is naturally a mountain stronghold,\" Bai Zixi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Corpse Walking Stronghold... Could this stronghold be used for corpse refinement...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is a bit troublesome...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, \"Since it’s a stronghold, it means that there isn’t just one cultivator inside, there should be many of them...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhang Quan isn’t a loner, he’s likely a leader or at least a householder.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng asked, \"So what do we do now, storm in and slaughter them all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua helplessly replied, \"Can you kill them all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How would we know without trying?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng’s eyes shone excitedly, eager to rush in immediately and eradicate the stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zixi silently twisted his arm, which made him behave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua said, \"We must take precautions before it happens; we cannot act rashly. I’ll go in first using concealment to check the situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re going in alone?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" Mo Hua nodded, \"I’m familiar with this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, he had infiltrated Black Mountain Stronghold completely unnoticed, all by himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, sneaking into Black Mountain Stronghold was somewhat dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now things were different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now his Divine Sense was deeper, his Concealment Technique stronger, and his knowledge of formations was far beyond that of an ordinary first-grade Formation Master. He did not fear even Foundation Establishment cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Mo Hua couldn’t defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could hide from them thanks to his skill at concealment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zixi disagreed, \"We should go together!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng nodded in agreement as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua shook his head and said, \"Your ability to conceal isn’t good enough; you would be detected by Foundation Establishment cultivators.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zixi was still somewhat worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Mo Hua said, \"I’ll go in, and you two stay here as backup. If something goes wrong, I’ll set off fireworks, and you come in to help me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he said this, it was very unlikely that such a situation would occur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some thought, Bai Zixi had no better solution and could only nod in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng was a little disappointed and quickly reminded him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If there’s trouble, don’t be afraid. Just set off the fireworks, and I, your senior brother, will charge in and slay them… no, I mean protect you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zisheng was still thinking about fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua was somewhat exasperated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, without saying anything more, Mo Hua concealed his form and quietly sneaked into Corpse Walking Stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before entering Corpse Walking Stronghold, he released his Divine Sense to ascertain the positions of several cultivators at the gate, then quietly avoided them and slipped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he found a hidden place and pushed his Divine Sense to the limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time he only released it briefly, then quickly withdrew it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a dragonfly skimming the water, leaving no trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, he released his Divine Sense again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After probing with his Divine Sense three or four times without noticing anything unusual, Mo Hua finally let out a slight sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed there were no Foundation Establishment cultivators in Corpse Walking Stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or even if there were, their Divine Sense was not strong enough to detect Mo Hua’s surveillance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua felt much more at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began to scrutinize the layout of Corpse Walking Stronghold and the cultivators within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Corpse Walking Stronghold was built against a mountain, its layout simple, with constructed wooden houses and carved out caves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What wasn’t simple, was the dense Corpse Qi and the numerous deathly auras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just a light scan, Mo Hua could detect many coffins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of these coffins were wooden, but there were a few that had an even heavier presence of Corpse Qi, crafted from refined iron and preserved with Evil Formations – iron coffins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpses harbored within were likely the stronger Iron Corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the entire stronghold, there were more dead people than living ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the living cultivators, not all of them seemed to be Corpse cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who could control corpses were few, donned in gray robes, with pallid skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest looked more like bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Hua was surprised by this discovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond this, there were the formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, there were numerous formations laid out around Corpse Walking Stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The standards of these formations were mostly below the first grade, ranging from seven to eight Patterns, with the most complex having up to nine Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dismantling a few formations and examining them closely, Mo Hua suddenly paused in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recognized the style of these Formation Patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neat and meticulous, yet somewhat rigid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was learning about Formation Patterns at Tongxian Gate, it was with such Patterns as the template.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were...Formation Patterns drawn by Instructor Yan...\u003C\u002Fp>",2170,"2026-06-02T11:30:32.993Z",1,"novelbin.me","d00bb7a7595626d079e76a48abac9da14dd934e75891ba1c2b4c79135e186937","the-quest-for-immortality-chapter-447","the-quest-for-immortality-chapter-445",2429,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-quest-for-immortality-cover.jpg"]