The Quest for Immortality

Having crossed the deep mountains, there were still hundreds of miles to go before reaching Qingzhou City.

Arriving at Qingzhou City was tantamount to stepping halfway into the Qian Xue State Boundary.

The Qian Xue State Boundary boasted a vibrant scholastic atmosphere and was relatively safer.

After that, he would follow the Map to find the Qian Taoist Sect and, with the Sect-Entering Order, he could formally join the Sect.

"Joining the Sect..."

Mo Hua’s face was filled with anticipation.

On this journey, his spirits were lifted, his step light, as he followed Boss Jiang and the others without any guard up.

He freeloaded meals and drinks along the way.

At night, they would stay in dilapidated temples or abandoned houses in the wilderness; Mo Hua would wrap himself in his small blanket after a full meal and sleep soundly.

One of them cast a glance at Mo Hua and scoffed, "This kid’s such a dreamer, dumb as a doorknob, clueless about everything..."

Boss Jiang gave him a stern look, "Watch your mouth!"

The man was reprimanded and lowered his head, but he still muttered, "The dumb kid can’t hear us anyway..."

Another shook his head, "This child seems clever enough, but he lacks street smarts..."

"What street smarts? Even at your age, you’re probably no better than him..."

"If he was really wily, wouldn’t that spell trouble for us?"

"Enough!" Boss Jiang frowned.

The others fell silent.

All around, there was stillness, only the crackling of the campfire breaking the silence.

As the night grew colder with the mountain wind, the men huddled around the fire to drink and keep warm.

Someone stood guard at the perimeter, their Divine Sense sweeping the area from time to time, wary of any disturbances.

As midnight approached, the quiet deepened.

Mo Hua slept even more soundly, occasionally smacking his lips, as if savoring something delicious in his dreams.

A burly man glanced at Mo Hua and said to Boss Jiang:

"It’s good that this kid is a bit simple. Having him with us makes us less suspicious on the road."

Boss Jiang nodded slightly.

After some thought, the man’s face showed a trace of doubt, "Boss, do you think we can pull it off without a hitch?"

Boss Jiang’s brow furrowed, and he lowered his voice, "We’re all that’s left; we have to make it work..."

The man pressed on, "But with our current state..."

Boss Jiang glanced at Mo Hua out of the corner of his eye and saw that he was sleeping soundly. Only then did he say:

"The darkest place is right under the lamp..."

"This time, several groups of us, including the strongest team with eight cultivators at the latter stage of Foundation Establishment wielding Evil Artifacts and practicing Demon Path Skills, were sniffed out by the Taoist Court Officials and got slaughtered without a survivor."

"The remaining groups either got caught by the Gu Family or have been put on the wanted list by the Taoist Court Officials..."

"Now, the Taoist Court Officials are on our heels, and if we’re not careful, we could all end up dead..."

The man exploded in anger, "Damn Taoist Court Officials!"

Then, puzzled, he asked, "Those Taoist Court Officials, with their bloated ranks and idleness, why have they become such a thorn in our side this time?"

Boss Jiang gave him a look, "Anyone who rises to the Taoist Court Officials isn’t a true ’good-for-nothing.’ It’s just that without benefits, they’re unwilling to take action..."

"Once their own interests are at stake, if there’s profit to be made, they become the real ’Hawk Dogs’..."

"The stakes for this deal are high. Since the Taoist Court Officials are involved and there’s plenty to gain, they naturally put in all their effort..."

The man spoke quietly, "Our group is only at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. We’re no match for the Taoist Court Officials or the Gu Family..."

Boss Jiang looked at him coldly, "Even if you were at the initial stage of Golden Core, you still wouldn’t stand a chance against them."

The man was at a loss for words.

Boss Jiang sighed, "That’s why we picked the Second Grade state boundary and traveled this difficult path..."

"Thank goodness, we’re merely at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. If our cultivation were any higher, it would attract attention, and we might get exposed and slaughtered by the Taoist Court Officials or the Gu Family halfway through our journey..."

The man shuddered at the thought.

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The path of cultivation truly depended on fate.

Sometimes, higher cultivation isn’t better. The higher your cultivation, the quicker you might die...

"Boss, can we really make it on this trip?"

Boss Jiang spoke gravely, "Mr. Tu has calculated everything. As long as we follow his instructions, this journey will be startling but not dangerous..."

The name "Mr. Tu" seemed to carry significant weight.

The man was somewhat reassured.

Boss Jiang continued, "After this deal is closed, we will earn a large sum of Spirit Stones. Then, the brothers can buy some Pills and Spiritual Objects to cultivate in seclusion. At the very least, they could increase their realm by one or two levels."

"Once the heat dies down, we can resume our old business..."

The man’s eyes lit up at the mention, but he grinned sheepishly, "With so many Spirit Stones, cultivating in seclusion seems painfully tedious..."

Boss Jiang saw through his thoughts and kicked him, scolding, "Spend less time in the brothels, you worthless lot..."

The man grinned sheepishly, somewhat unconvinced, then glanced at Mo Hua and asked:

"So what about this kid? Are we selling him too?"

Boss Jiang nodded, "I’ve got it figured out. There are a few rendezvous points outside Qingzhou City. We’ll sell him there along with the others. We’ll take whatever we can get..."

...

The two talked until the deep of the night beckoned them with fatigue, and they both closed their eyes to rest.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, Mo Hua, who was practicing the Formation while secretly eavesdropping on the "story," furrowed his brow.

"Several groups..."

"Mr. Tu..."

"The deal..."

It seemed these human traffickers were not just from one group but perhaps part of a larger gang.

And there were even Demon Cultivators involved...

He just didn’t know if the groups of Demon Cultivators he had encountered on his journey were also engaged in "abducting Cultivators."

And this "Mr. Tu"...

Who was this person?

"Calculated" a journey that’s startling but not dangerous?

How did he calculate it?

Did he also know the Calculation Method akin to the Heavenly Secret, or did he possess treasures like the Heavenly Secret Lock?

Mo Hua was troubled:

"What should I do now?"

"Shall I bust this ring of human traffickers who ’trade Cultivators’ in one fell swoop?"