The Quest for Immortality - Chapter 285 (Patreon)

Chapter 285: Visualization Diagram

Mo Hua’s mind was racing, continuously pondering:

"This Third Boss has a strong spiritual sense, and his array formation skills have reached this level. Could it be due to the visualization diagram?"

"If I obtained the visualization diagram, would my spiritual sense also be enhanced?"

Mo Hua had learned the Heavenly Proliferation Technique, which required a Foundation Building spiritual sense to break through to the Foundation Building stage.

He possessed a Dao Stele, practiced array formations daily, and honed his Sea of Consciousness. His spiritual sense had grown quickly.

But it was still far from enough.

The gap between the Qi Refining stage and Foundation Building spiritual sense was immense, and the further one progressed, the harder it became for spiritual sense to grow.

Mo Hua didn't know how long it would take for him to achieve a Foundation Building spiritual sense and break through to the Foundation Building stage.

He had asked Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang hadn't given a clear answer, but from his expression, it was clear that he was not optimistic.

If comprehending the visualization diagram could enhance his spiritual sense, could he reach Foundation Building faster?

Mo Hua felt a surge of excitement.

If he could achieve Foundation Building sooner, he could learn Second Grade array formations and become a Second Grade Array Master sooner.

The cultivation and abilities of a Foundation Building cultivator and a Second Grade Array Master were far superior to those of a Qi Refining cultivator and a First Grade Array Master.

Mo Hua envisioned this, but soon felt disheartened.

The visualization diagram was in the hands of the Third Boss. He was a Foundation Building demonic cultivator and an evil Array Master. Mo Hua couldn’t possibly take it by force.

Scheming was also useless.

Against Qi Refining cultivators, he could still scheme.

But in front of a Foundation Building cultivator, his schemes were mere petty tricks.

Cultivation was the foundation of a cultivator. In the face of the chasm of realms, small schemes were of little use.

Mo Hua furrowed his brows, not knowing what to do for a while.

He then realized that the biggest problem was not whether he could obtain the visualization diagram, but whether he could get out safely.

If the Third Boss didn't leave, or if he locked the door when he left, Mo Hua would be trapped in this blood-colored pill room.

He hadn't studied demonic arrays and didn't know if he could break them.

If he couldn’t break them, he would be stuck here, keeping company with the bone pill furnace and the foolish pig demon.

Mo Hua thought for a long time but had no solution.

Since there was no solution, he could only patiently wait.

Patience in waiting for an opportunity was also a necessary quality for a Demon Hunter.

Mo Hua was not only a Demon Hunter but also an Array Master.

He could patiently draw array formations for a day, so waiting patiently for a chance to escape was nothing.

Mo Hua lay motionless on the beam, patiently waiting.

He didn't know how much time had passed when someone suddenly approached from outside.

Mo Hua was startled, "Could it be the Fourth Boss coming back…"

If so, it would be troublesome.

The Third Boss had a deep spiritual sense, and the Fourth Boss had keen perception. If they both gathered, the risk of Mo Hua’s Concealment Technique being exposed would greatly increase.

Mo Hua watched intently.

Soon, a figure appeared at the door. It was the old demonic cultivator at the door, not the Fourth Boss.

Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

The old demonic cultivator stood respectfully at the door for a while.

The Third Boss noticed and carefully put away the visualization diagram, then said slowly:

"Come in."

The old demonic cultivator came in and walked briskly to the Third Boss, whispering something.

Mo Hua couldn't hear clearly, only catching vague phrases like “Demon Hunter activity…”, “…inner mountain incident…”, “worry about Fourth Boss causing trouble…”

Mo Hua was surprised and puzzled, "What could happen in the inner mountain?"

After the old demonic cultivator finished speaking, the Third Boss frowned and said:

"Got it, I'll go take a look."

The old demonic cultivator bowed and respectfully retreated.

The Third Boss sat in thought for a moment, then got up to leave.

But halfway out, he turned back, paced in the pill room, seemed to find something amiss, and took the visualization diagram out of his storage bag again.

The Third Boss lifted the meditation mat, pointed to the ground, and with a flash of array patterns, the stone slab sank, revealing a hidden compartment beneath.

He hid the visualization diagram in the compartment, sealed it with an array, and nodded slightly, feeling satisfied.

If there was trouble outside tonight, it might lead to conflicts.

If he accidentally lost the visualization diagram, it would be more painful than losing his life.

This blood-colored pill room, deep in Heishan Stronghold, was a place no one dared to enter.

Even if someone did come, no one would know about the hidden compartment under the meditation mat, let alone the visualization diagram inside.

In Heishan Stronghold, no one could decipher this array.

The Third Boss, feeling confident, finally left.

He exited the pill room, sealed the blood array, and locked the beast door.

With a harsh, grating sound, the bronze blood array beast door shut completely.

The pill room fell into dead silence, the blood color intensifying.

The Third Boss left, unaware that everything he did was observed by Mo Hua from the beam.

After confirming no one was in the pill room and the Third Boss had left completely, Mo Hua silently descended from the beam.

Mo Hua first approached the bronze beast door.

The beast door was sealed, and the array was activated.

Without the key — the white skull — he couldn’t open the door.

Even with the key, it couldn’t be opened from inside.

Mo Hua examined the array with his spiritual sense and sighed.

The door was covered with demonic arrays, which he knew nothing about and didn’t know how to break.

"Looks like I can't get out for now…"

Mo Hua sighed again.

Since he couldn’t get out, he decided to look at the Third Boss’s diagram.

Mo Hua, now focused, returned to the pill room.

In the pill room, the bone pill furnace burned eerily, and the giant pig demon was covered in bloodstains.

Mo Hua found the spot where the Third Boss had meditated and lifted the mat.

Nothing was under the mat.

But with his spiritual sense, Mo Hua could see the interwoven array patterns.

An Array Master's methods might deceive ordinary cultivators, but not a fellow Array Master.

Unless their array skills were vastly different.

Though the Third Boss was a Foundation Building cultivator, he was still a First Grade Array Master.

In terms of array skills, he was on par with Mo Hua. In some areas, he was better, but in others, he fell short.

Mo Hua examined the array sealing the hidden compartment.

It was a concealment array paired with some gold-stone composite arrays.

The concealment array was for hiding, the composite arrays for reinforcement.

"At least it's not a demonic array," Mo Hua thought silently.

The Third Boss probably found demonic arrays too conspicuous for hiding, so he used a concealment array and a composite array to hide and seal the compartment.

Near Tongxian City, First Grade Array Masters capable of drawing concealment and composite arrays were extremely rare.

And those who could break these arrays were even rarer.

But Mo Hua was an exception.

Against demonic arrays, Mo Hua had no solutions, but against proper arrays, especially First Grade Five-Element arrays, he could handle them effortlessly.

Mo Hua quickly dismantled the Third Boss’s carefully arranged arrays, preserving their integrity, without damaging the hidden compartment.

Mo Hua nodded appreciatively, thinking:

"Mr. Zhuang's array-breaking techniques are really effective."

Otherwise, infiltrating Heishan Stronghold wouldn’t have been so easy.

After breaking the array, Mo Hua opened the hidden compartment and carefully took out the visualization diagram.

The visualization diagram was old, made of material resembling both paper and skin, folded so the content couldn’t be seen.

Mo Hua intended to take a quick look but suddenly hesitated.

He remembered Mr. Zhuang’s warning:

"Visualization diagrams are extremely rare and contain hidden dangers. Unless it's an emergency, it's best not to touch them…"

Mo Hua's heart tightened.

If he followed Mr. Zhuang’s advice, opening the diagram recklessly might bring unforeseen dangers.

Mr. Zhuang's words were always taken seriously by Mo Hua.

If Mr. Zhuang said the diagram was dangerous, it was best not to touch it until its nature was understood.

But now that he had the diagram, should he return it?

Mo Hua hesitated.

The Third Boss used the diagram to enhance his spiritual sense, learn more demonic arrays, and commit more evil deeds.

Even if Mo Hua didn’t keep the diagram, it couldn’t fall back into the Third Boss’s hands.

"What should I do?"

Mo Hua pondered for a moment and then brightened up.

If the diagram was dangerous, he wouldn’t look at it now. He would keep it and consult Mr. Zhuang when he returned.

If Mr. Zhuang deemed it safe, he would then study it.

If Mr. Zhuang said it was dangerous, he would throw it into a refining furnace to destroy it.

Mo Hua nodded, finding this the safest approach, and prepared to put the diagram into his storage bag.

However, as he moved the diagram, his peripheral vision inadvertently caught a glimpse of one corner.

It was a moss-covered rock.

The sight puzzled Mo Hua.

He couldn’t help but slowly unfold the diagram bit by bit.

When Mo Hua came to his senses, he was shocked.

"What am I doing?!"

Mo Hua broke out

 in a cold sweat.

He hadn’t intended to do anything, yet it felt as if someone had controlled him to open the diagram.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to close it, but it was too late.

The diagram was fully unfolded.

A complete visualization diagram lay before Mo Hua’s eyes!

Mo Hua saw what was depicted.

It was a landscape with figures.

Distant mountains, nearby streams, moss-covered rocks, and a small Daoist child reciting scriptures atop the rock.

A scene of serene and peaceful celestial beauty.

Mo Hua was stunned.

Was this the visualization diagram?

What did it mean?

As he pondered, the Daoist child in the diagram seemed to come to life and smiled at him.

The smile was innocent and charming.

Mo Hua, though startled, couldn’t help but smile back.

His smile was pure and clear, resembling that of the Daoist child.

But soon, a chill crept into his heart, and his smile faded.

He noticed the Daoist child’s innocent smile had gradually turned sinister.

The sinister look became more eerie.

The more the child smiled, the more terrifying and grotesque it became.

Suddenly, the child’s skin peeled away like paper, revealing a blue-faced, fang-bearing little demon.

The demon's coppery eyes stared intently at Mo Hua, as if seeing a rare treasure, its expression hungry.

Before Mo Hua could react, the demon leaped out of the diagram, shrank to palm-size, and pounced on Mo Hua’s forehead, its claws tearing through his consciousness barrier, burrowing into his Sea of Consciousness.

• Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>