The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua's spirits lifted, and he pointed decisively to the west towards Canglang Mountain, saying,

"He fled into the mountain!"

Everyone was startled.

Senior Sister Murong looked at Mo Hua with a puzzled face and asked, "How do you know?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and made up a reason, saying earnestly,

"If I were the murderer, I would also run that way!"

"..."

Everyone was momentarily at a loss for words.

Ouyang Feng chuckled and said gently,

Senior Sister Murong said helplessly,

"That's the only thing we can do."

Since there were no other clues for now, they might as well follow Mo Hua's suggestion and go check out Canglang Mountain to the west.

Moreover, she also felt that her junior brother had a keen intuition in such "inexplicable" matters…

Senior Sister Murong and a few others then set off, heading west towards Canglang Mountain.

Mo Hua walked at the back, turning his head to look again at the bloodstains on the ground and the traces of Spiritual Power that lingered above the stains.

This kind of trace was derived through Heavenly Secret Calculation, deducing a hint of Spiritual Power causality—a "vital breath"—rather than the real "Heavenly Secret."

However, this "vital breath" should be an indication of the "Heavenly Secret."

His Divine Thought was limited; he could only discern the "vital breath."

But as long as he continued to work hard and kept calculating, one day when his calculations were complete and his Divine Thought advanced, he would be able to discern the Spiritual Power vital breath, and thus deduce the truly grand Heavenly Secret, encompassing all causality and the life charts of all beings.

Mo Hua's eyes sparkled brilliantly, showing slight traces of Heavenly Secret patterns, as resplendent as the stars.

When he turned to leave, the luster in his eyes was completely concealed, settling deep at the bottom of his eyes.

His gaze became clearer and more profound.

...

To the west of Luopan Mountain Road was the deep part of Canglang Mountain.

The terrain here was complex, full of rugged rocks, streams, swamps, thick soil mixed with fallen leaves, and dense, fog-wrapped woods.

After walking for dozens of miles, the group finally discovered unusual traces.

A Snake Demon, as thick as a forearm, was chopped in half, with a smooth wound indicating that the Spiritual Artifact used was extremely sharp—probably a dagger.

The Snake Demon was a Second Grade Realm, albeit in its early stage, yet its death was clean and swift, without any sign of struggle; obviously, it didn't notice anything before its death…

"Hidden Elder-Second..."

The group's gaze sharpened, turning involuntarily towards Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded and said,

"I guessed accurately!"

Senior Sister Murong gave a slight smile with a profound meaning and praised,

"Indeed, it's very precise..."

Then her expression turned serious as she looked at the skeleton of the Snake Demon and said softly,

"The snake blood is half-dry; it obviously didn't die long ago. That Hidden Elder-Second is very likely still in the mountain."

"According to Supervisor Gu, this person is proficient in concealment, cunning in nature, and ruthless. Everyone must be very careful."

The group nodded solemnly.

Then they began to hunt down Hidden Elder-Second in the deep mountains.

Capture if possible, kill if not.

This was the guideline previously agreed by everyone, applicable to all Sin Cultivators.

As to how to capture, following Mo Hua's suggestion, they had already established a plan…

Mo Hua prepared many Small Yuan Magnetic Formations, searching the mountain while laying the formations.

Canglang Mountain was quite large, and the deep mountains here were even more dangerous and complex.

These Small Yuan Magnetic Formations might not fully control all movements in the mountains, but at least they could provide a location.

They were useful for identifying directions, searching for people, pursuing, or even mutual rescue.

The only problem was that they were somewhat expensive.

A single Small Yuan Magnetic Formation wasn't too costly, but the cost added up when many were used.

Fortunately, Senior Sister Murong said she could "reimburse" him.

She would convert these formations into Spirit Stones and pay Mo Hua.

For children of noble families, Spirit Stones were not in short supply; earning Merit Points made it worthwhile.

With Senior Sister Murong's "reimbursement," Mo Hua thus became even more "unrestrained," scattering Small Yuan Magnetic Formations as he went, weaving almost half of Canglang Mountain into a "Yuan Magnetic Net."

For Hidden Elder-Second, this "moth," it would be fine if he stayed out of the net, but once he entered, he would be "unable to fly away"...

Qianqian watched as Mo Hua laid formations all along the way and held several compasses, checking them as he went, and could not help but express her concern,

"Junior Brother Mo, can you manage all these formations with your Divine Thought?"

The more Small Yuan Magnetic Formations he set up and spread, the more taxing it was to monitor them…

"It's alright."

Mo Hua humbly said, "My Divine Thought is quite strong, not weak..."

Qianqian was still a bit worried.

Moments later, Mo Hua suddenly paused and pointed to a spot on one of the compasses, saying,

"There's someone here!"

Everyone was startled, then their faces showed joy.

In the deep mountains of Canglang, where no one should be, those present were highly likely to be Hidden Elder-Second.

"Let's check it out!" Senior Sister Murong said.

"Hmm," Mo Hua nodded.

Then, Mo Hua and others arrived at the spot indicated by the compass.

This was a small grove, and at the foot of a large tree in the grove, Mo Hua buried a Small Yuan Magnetic Formation.

Currently, near the Small Yuan Magnetic Formation, there was another Monster Beast's corpse.

It was a Monkey Monster, lying on the ground, its throat slashed and its belly split open, its inner core removed, its blood soaking the rotting mud and fallen leaves.

Monkey Monsters were humanoid.

Its manner of death... was almost identical to that of those three disciples.

It was indeed Hidden Elder-Second!

Senior Sister Murong released her Divine Sense and saw that the area around was silent, with no cultivator in sight, then asked Mo Hua, "Do you know where the person is?"