Chapter 654: The Water Poison - The Quest for Immortality

Chapter 654: The Water Poison (Thank you to the venerable Mu Bai Jin Yu for your support~) Mo Hua calculated silently in his mind. Firstly, he couldn't kill the Fire Buddha by himself. Unless there was a Grade One Formation here that could unravel itself, with the Fire Buddha caught within it, and then he could complete the Reverse Spirit Formation to shatter him... Otherwise, even if the Fire Buddha stood still and let him attack, he might not be able to kill him before his spiritual power was exhausted. After all, the difference in their cultivation levels was too vast... Given this, the only option was to "borrow another's blade to kill" the enemy. To borrow Uncle Gu's "blade" to kill the demonic cultivator Fire Buddha. As long as Fire Buddha could be killed, Uncle Gu probably wouldn't mind being used as that "blade"... He'd be helping him anyway! Mo Hua glanced again at the two engaged in fierce battle. Uncle Gu's cultivation was higher than Fire Buddha's, but he had to suppress his power, making him fight with his hands tied. Fire Buddha, on the other hand, could fully unleash his power, casting his spells with reckless abandon. Flames blazed fiercely, consuming mountains and valleys. Fire Buddha's cultivation was at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, seemingly just a step away from reaching the Golden Core stage. And his spiritual power, enhanced by the two flaming hearts at his chest, didn't seem much weaker than Uncle Gu's... He had just consumed a Blood Pill, restoring both blood vitality and spiritual power. His malevolent aura, while not enough to instill fear in Uncle Gu, subtly affected his mindset. At this rate, the outcome remained uncertain... Mo Hua pondered for a moment, making some quick calculations, then continued to mask his presence as he edged closer to the battling Gu Chang Huai and Fire Buddha. "I should break his malevolent aura first..." Mo Hua considered silently. Such aura seemed to have little effect on him personally. With his transformed spiritual sense, after countless battles in mind and spirit, having devoured many ghosts and demons, he was naturally immune to its influence. But Uncle Gu was different. He wasn't a formation master, and while strong in spiritual sense, he lacked the tempering to resist such aura, leaving him susceptible to its invasiveness and making him agitated. His combat effectiveness was affected. Breaking that aura would weaken Fire Buddha and strengthen Uncle Gu. The key to breaking the aura... lay in the eyes. This was Mo Hua's hypothesis. He still didn't fully understand what malevolent aura was. But based on his studies of spiritual sense, thoughts, and various karmic energies... Since this aura could instill fear, it must be a form of energy existing between "heaven and earth's energy" and "the mind's thoughts." To transform murderous intent into such aura hinted at a rule of karma within it. In Mo Hua's perception, all of Fire Buddha's flame spells bore this aura, likely what Fire Buddha described as "turning killing into malevolence, refining malevolence through spells..." Yet, he needed to rely on Buddhist cultivation to keep the aura in check, lest it backfire and unsettle his mind. This suggested the aura itself was related to "mind's thoughts." Spiritual sense resides in the sea of consciousness. The eyes are the windows to these thoughts. Therefore, where the aura most converges, arising strongest, is in the eyes. Mo Hua took another stealthy look at Fire Buddha's eyes. Within those eyes burned fierce flames, and amidst the fire swirled an intense, murky grayfulness that was intimidating to behold. An ordinary cultivator catching his gaze might immediately fall prey to fear, rendered a helpless "lamb to slaughter"... During their battle, Uncle Gu also avoided looking directly at Fire Buddha's eyes for extended periods, showing considerable caution towards those fiery, malevolent eyes. Mo Hua waited patiently for an opportunity. Meanwhile, the battle between Gu Chang Huai and Fire Buddha drew on, with flaming rains and blades of wind flying chaotically. Gu Chang Huai wielded the Ling Feng Transforming Feather Art, conjuring blades of wind with each swish of his folding fan, aiming them at Fire Buddha. Every wind blade, once within a single meter of Fire Buddha, would meet a blocking "fire wall." This fire wall, with fire as its "bricks," was laced with strands of gold, resembling a giant fiery kasaya. This must be the defensive spell of Fire Buddha's kasaya. The fire wall neutralized most of the wind blades. The remaining ones, Fire Buddha dodged using his body technique. Yet, his movements were not particularly nimble. And there were gaps in his kasaya’s defenses. After a dozen more exchanges, Mo Hua finally spotted a flaw. As Fire Buddha just used the fire wall to dissipate dozens of wind feathers and then attempted to dodge some wind blades, a moment arose when his spiritual power hadn't fully circulated and his movement paused. Mo Hua extended his hand, pointing. An exceedingly brilliant ray of golden light shot forth immediately, striking Fire Buddha's eyes. This was a basic spell: Golden Sparkle Technique. Mo Hua had acquired it while scavenging knowledge from the sinner cultivators, learned it because it wasn't difficult. He recalled Elder Yi from the Tai Xu Sect, who guided him. Myriad spells embodying oneself. The mastery lies within one's heart. This is the insight into "all spells interconnect." Spells are not judged solely by their power but also by their utility. This Golden Sparkle Technique isn’t powerful, but it bears pure gold-element spiritual energy that is blindingly dazzling and extremely harmful to a cultivator's eyes. Hit elsewhere, it’s akin to tickling. But on the eyes, it's incredibly painful. An insidious spell with a strong "target-area" effect. Fire Buddha never anticipated there'd be others within the altar, nor did he expect an ambush. Even if he had anticipated it, in a stalled moment of spiritual circulation and bodily pause, he could not dodge. And Mo Hua's spell was exceedingly swift. Fire Buddha's eyes were pierced by the golden light, resulting in trails of blood tears and blurred vision that hurt with every blink. The menacing aura around him dissipated significantly. Fire Buddha felt a surge of both shock and anger. "Who dares to cowardly ambush me?" Unable to see properly, he scanned with spiritual sense, finding no traces of other cultivators other than Gu Chang Huai’s tornado-like spiritual power. "No one?" Fire Buddha's heart trembled. Gu Chang Huai’s gaze sharpened in vigilance. That spell just now was... Golden Sparkle Technique? Mo Hua? Gu Chang Huai swept his spiritual sense and indeed found a vague, sneaky little figure in the corner. Even with Golden Core level spiritual sense, he could only discern a rough outline. Gu Chang Huai was somewhat incredulous. This child... Could use the Golden Sparkle Technique too? And his timing was impeccable... Gu Chang Huai, realizing the aura around Fire Buddha was fading, understood Mo Hua's intention. With a steely gaze, he immediately deployed further spells, pressing on towards Fire Buddha. In such a closely matched duel, any slight variable might shift the tide. Mo Hua’s assistance broke the equilibrium; with a seasoned fighter like Gu Chang Huai, it was clear what needed doing next. Moreover, only by fully subduing Fire Buddha would Mo Hua’s safety be ensured. Otherwise, with Mo Hua’s small stature, if Fire Buddha were to discover him, getting caught in spell crossfire could end disastrously... With this thought, Gu Chang Huai’s aura surged, releasing a storm of razor-sharp wind blades. Fire Buddha felt the pressure mounting. Extending his spiritual sense, he attempted to pinpoint the “vile attacker,” but couldn’t spare any focus as Gu Chang Huai’s relentless assault demanded all his attention to defend, leaving no opportunity to pursue Mo Hua. Mo Hua nodded approvingly. Truly, Uncle Gu needed no words to act appropriately. Fire Buddha’s eyes ached terribly. Although, with his profound cultivation and vigorous life force, he soon regained sight, he couldn't channel the malevolent aura through his eyes any further. Every attempt to do so subjected his eyes to a searing pain akin to a needle stitch. And... It was met with another ambush! "Damn it!" Fire Buddha’s heart burned with fury. Sans the malevolent aura, Gu Chang Huai felt relieved of a burden, while Fire Buddha was disadvantaged. Yet the fight continued... In life-and-death combat, everything can change in a heartbeat; until the last moment, the victor remains undetermined. With renewed killing intent, Fire Buddha sought to take Gu Chang Huai down. Even if he couldn’t slay Gu Chang Huai, he vowed to eliminate the "sneaky villain" lurking in the shadows. This person’s spell power isn’t significant, likely only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He wasn't sure how the individual managed to hide, but if he dared reveal himself, he would be incinerated by falling fire, sealing his fate! Fire Buddha sneered coldly. Then he resumed his deadly confrontation with Gu Chang Huai. However, as the battle wore on, Fire Buddha noticed something amiss. There were other spells... It wasn't just the Golden Sparkle Technique; there were also Water Prison and Quicksand spells, among other elemental techniques, quick and precise, taking shots at him like stealthy arrows. These spells weren’t powerful, their lower grade restricting their effects. Yet, even limited, their effects would still take hold. Whenever he tried to evade or fend off Gu Chang Huai's spells, these bothersome tricks would catch him. Fire Buddha was endlessly irritated, cursing internally. What manner of despicable person could this be? Instead of learning proper spells, he's learned an assortment of nuisance tricks... "Thankfully, these spells are of low grade, posing minimal threat, or else..." Just as Fire Buddha had this thought, the ground beneath him suddenly tremored, the rocks shaking. Glancing down, his eyes widened. Beneath his feet had appeared a patch of ink, seeping into the ground, etching greyish-brown lines, forming... A formation?! Fire Buddha was incredulous. Where did this formation come from?! The ground had been bare moments ago, yet a formation abruptly appeared as if a ghost had drawn it... Judging by the formation lines... it was a mid-tier Grade Two formation? Fire Buddha’s heart sank. A mid-tier Grade Two formation could threaten a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. He attempted to use his body movement technique to escape the formation but saw the grey light below flicker, rapidly activating the formation. Stone pillars emerged, forming a cage that imprisoned Fire Buddha on the spot. The Bagua Mountain Trap Formation! This trap could restrain a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, though only for five or six breaths of time. At that instant, Gu Chang Huai seized the opportunity, unleashing a torrent of spiritual power to cast hundreds of wind blades, attacking Fire Buddha like a storm. Fire Buddha could only grit his teeth, deploying his kasaya to form a "fire wall." Wind blades collided with the fire wall, spiritual power exploded in succession, reverberating. But there were too many wind blades, overwhelming the fire wall. Moments later, the relentless wind blades shattered the fire wall, engulfing Fire Buddha completely. Rocks were pulverized where the wind blades struck, dust billowing heavily. As the dust settled, Fire Buddha’s figure emerged. He appeared extremely disheveled, his kasaya covered in more scratches, a trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, though his aura hadn’t diminished greatly. Seeing this, Mo Hua couldn't help but sigh internally. "This Fire Buddha’s quite the tank..." His dark power was profound, and the kasaya’s defense sturdy... After all this effort, he still wasn’t completely down. Fire Buddha spat out a mouthful of blood, sneering coldly: "Gu, didn’t expect you’d have help, did you?" Gu Chang Huai offered no reply. Fire Buddha’s eyes were cold, with a hint of perplexity, "When did you set up this formation..." Gu Chang Huai kept a stoic expression but couldn't help thinking: "I have no idea..." The formation wasn’t his doing. He hadn’t even seen how Mo Hua managed to place the formation under Fire Buddha’s feet. This kid's formation technique was truly bizarre... Fire Buddha wanted to say more, but Gu Chang Huai, with fan in hand, continued to press the attack. Fire Buddha was forced to continue fighting. Yet the situation was increasingly unfavorable for him. Not only did he have to contend with Gu Chang Huai, a Golden Core expert, he also had to be vigilant against various unscrupulous spells. Worse still, he needed to watch his footing, lest he step into another inexplicable formation... "Defeat is inevitable..." Fire Buddha quickly judged. In prolonged duels, any unforeseen change could become the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Here, the straws were multiplying rapidly. At this rate, he would be doomed by that unseen "despicable person" and fall to Gu Chang Huai. "It's better to retreat while I still have the strength..." Gathering malevolent energy, Fire Buddha unleashed a torrent of blood rain at Gu Chang Huai in a frenzy. Gu Chang Huai frowned, retreating under the assault. Seizing the opening, Fire Buddha transformed into a fiery streak, rushing to the altar. He reached for the hidden scroll within the bricks, yet his spiritual sense detected emptiness... Fire Buddha was shocked. "Missing?!" Looking up again, his pupils quivered. Sometime during the chaos, a complex formation had been drawn nearby with blue and green spiritual ink. This formation, unlike the others, was evidently more advanced. Moreover, its ambient water energy subtly suppressed his fire-aligned power. Fire Buddha’s face turned pale. Mo Hua, however, smiled with bright eyes, a victorious glint. A sixteen-patterned, Grade Two Wood-Water Poison Array. This was a formation Mo Hua had carefully chosen and prepared for Fire Buddha, intending to catch him by surprise at such a crucial moment. He had exchanged this array from the Tai Xu Merit Pavilion. It was the most effective formation Mo Hua could master against Fire Buddha. Water-Wood Poison combines water and wood elements, merging for an elemental advantage, using water as poison, infused within the wood element energy. Water counters fire, while wood fuels fire. The "water poison" isn’t literal poison; it refers to frigid water energy, akin to a persistent wraith, hard to eradicate, behaving similarly to "poison." By infusing "water poison" into "wood energy," it not only counters Fire Buddha’s demonic fire but also allows this infused energy to sustain itself within his fire power. Thus, the water poison repeatedly renews. Water and fire are incompatible, repelling each other. Fire Buddha would be tormented by the simultaneous chill and heat, unable to rid himself of the poison quickly. The sole drawback of this formation was its sluggish drawing process. A sixteen-patterned, Grade Two array slightly exceeded Mo Hua’s spiritual sense capacity. Fortunately, Mo Hua, with his transformed spiritual sense, though challenging, managed to draw it. The intricacy of the array made the process slow. Drawing slowly gave Fire Buddha ample chance to detect and evade it. Additionally, Mo Hua’s spiritual sense allowed for only one perfect attempt. A misstep would render the formation useless. Mo Hua decided to "gamble." He anticipated that Fire Buddha would return to fetch the spell manual at the altar. Thus, he preemptively drew this array near the location of the hidden cache. Fire Buddha didn’t "disappoint," coming back for the manual Mo Hua had already pocketed. The storage space was empty, holding nothing but this ambush of a formation. In Fire Buddha’s stunned confusion, Mo Hua pointed a finger, activating the Wood-Water Poison Array. Blue and green spiritual energy exploded. The wood energy roiled, water poison weaved like twin serpents, fiercely biting at Fire Buddha trapped within. Facing imminent danger, Fire Buddha quickly activated his kasaya barrier. Yet, his kasaya was already torn in numerous spots. The water and wood energy bit into his flesh, injecting "spiritual poison" into his bloodstream. Fire Buddha felt a shiver of cold. The dual torment of water and fire was excruciating. Meanwhile, the demonic fire within him, spurred by the wood energy, surged more intensely. But this wood energy carried the water poison. Thus, the more his demonic fire blazed, the deeper the water poison embedded. Fire Buddha’s complexion fluctuated green, blue, and occasionally red, appearing bizarre. Despite his late Foundation Establishment cultivation and potent dark energy, he forcibly suppressed the water poison with his spiritual might. Though the poison was suppressed, his movements slowed, his reactions lagged, and the poison slowly consumed his energy. Fire Buddha felt both frightened and panicked. "Five elements, cyclical formations..." "This is an exceedingly advanced application of formations..." "Who are you?!" Fire Buddha's gaze turned fierce, finally sensing someone nearby, revealing traces due to excessive spiritual depletion. Gritting his teeth, Fire Buddha swung his hand, casting a fire towards the presence. Earlier, Mo Hua had used his spiritual sense to paint several formations. After completing the Wood-Water Poison Array, his spiritual focus became somewhat sluggish, revealing a flaw in his concealment technique, allowing Fire Buddha to catch sight of him. As things stood, Mo Hua decided there was no need to remain hidden. The flames struck a rock, but Mo Hua had already used the Water Step technique to evade, landing lightly and revealing himself. Fire Buddha frowned upon seeing the small figure. "A dwarf cultivator?" As Mo Hua's form became clear, Fire Buddha’s eyes widened in shock. "It's not a dwarf, it's a... child?!" Moreover... He recognized this child?! Fire Buddha immediately recalled. It was the young cultivator from the tea house outside Bi Shan City who had seen through their disguises! Fire Buddha’s mind went blank, mumbling to himself: "This can't be..." How could it be that the one who pushed him to the brink with all manner of vexing spells and advanced formations was... That inconspicuous little Foundation Establishment brat from before?! What kind of cruel joke was this? His heart trembled. He stared hard at Mo Hua. "Your concealment technique, is it Elder Yin’s Five Elements Stealth Technique? Was Elder Yin also felled by you?" Mo Hua chuckled, "Take a guess." Fire Buddha’s brow furrowed. Then, suddenly, he glanced downward, seeing spiritual ink flowing near his foot, a formation beginning to take shape... Rage surged uncontrollably through Fire Buddha, his face turned ashen with fury, almost shattering his Buddhist calm. "This little brat... takes it too far?!" Not even sparing a moment’s conversation without scheming another ambush?! Indeed, Mo Hua was preparing another formation. His spiritual sense recovered quickly, and in the brief interlude, it replenished somewhat. With nothing else to do, he aimed to silently draw another formation while Fire Buddha spoke. Unfortunately, Fire Buddha spotted him... That Fire Buddha was indeed astutely vigilant. Suppressing the water poison within, Fire Buddha took a deep breath and darted away. Mo Hua sighed, calling out, "Uncle Gu!" Even before he finished speaking, Gu Chang Huai's wind blades struck again. Gu Chang Huai himself felt conflicted. He had no idea what formation Mo Hua had been creating. But with Fire Buddha’s complexion shifting from blue to green, something seemed amiss. It was the perfect opportunity to strike him down while he was weakened. Reengaging in battle with Fire Buddha, Gu Chang Huai pressed the attack. Mo Hua watched from the side, calculating his moves. The Wood-Water Poison Array alone wouldn’t kill Fire Buddha. However, the poison would slow him down, delay his reflexes, and inflict pain by setting fire and water against one another, thereby disrupting Fire Buddha’s energy flow. Thus, it became much easier for Uncle Gu to overpower Fire Buddha. Mo Hua merely had to stay back and watch until Fire Buddha fell. There was no need to intervene and risk provoking a desperate counterattack. The situation indeed unfolded just as planned. Fire Buddha struggled to breathe under Gu Chang Huai’s suppression. His heart burned with resentment, yet he was helpless. Never did he imagine falling into the trap laid by a mere acquaintance, that insignificant brat... Without him, even if he couldn't defeat Gu Chang Huai, he had means prepared for escape. But now he was cornered at the altar, beset by vicious spells, trapped by cunning formations, and worst of all, poisoned... "Damn brat!!" Fire Buddha seethed with murderous intent. Yet anger was useless; with Mo Hua lurking "like a tiger eyeing its prey," he couldn’t escape the altar, and his injuries were worsening, unable to fend off the water poison... Fire Buddha could only rely on his abundant dark power to stubbornly withstand. Seeing that in half an hour, he would reach exhaustion and perish on the altar. At that moment, a powerful tremor surged from above the demonic temple. This was accompanied by countless clashing formation patterns and the aura of explosive formations. Mo Hua's expression shifted. Had the demonic temple’s self-destruct formations been activated? He turned to Fire Buddha and saw a deathly calm expression on his face. Wounded and barely breathing, Fire Buddha, his face bloodied, grinned chillingly: "You will accompany me to the grave here..." Thank you to the esteemed Mu Bai Jin Yu for your support~ (.) I've worked hard today, but I'm still not finished... I'll add more tomorrow~ (.) (Chapter end)