Chapter 1108: Ink Immortal Child

Late spring of the 20,037th year of the Dao Calendar.

Lizhou Prefecture, Yundu City, north of the Third-Rank Cangyun Prefecture.

An aged Yundu Boat, after months of travel, slowly docked at the pier.

Cultivators of all kinds, forming a long line, successively disembarked from the Yundu.

Among the crowd was the unassuming figure of a young man with a subtle presence.

This young man was Mohua, who had been away from home for a long time.

At fifteen, he journeyed alone to Qianzhou for his studies. After ten years of trials and tribulations, he had finally returned to Lizhou, to the homeland he had been away from for so long.

Ten years of study, nine years of cultivation.

Now twenty-five years old, he had reached late Foundation Establishment cultivation and possessed a twenty-pattern Golden Core consciousness.

He was the Taixu Sect's unique junior senior brother, a Second-Rank High-tier Formation Master, and the dual top talent in Qianzhou's formation arts.

Today's Mohua was a far cry from his former self.

Yet, with his capabilities concealed and having returned to a state of simplicity, no one could discern his extraordinary identities.

At this very moment, he was simply a wanderer returning home.

Mohua raised his head and gazed at Lizhou's vast sky and the distant, undulating reddish-brown mountain ranges.

The sky in Lizhou was different from that in Qianzhou.

Qianzhou's sky was high, boundless, and vibrantly alive.

Lizhou's sky, in contrast, was mottled and dry, with reddish clouds flickering on the horizon like flowing embers.

And this was the familiar ambiance of his homeland.

Mohua took a deep breath, his heart stirred with emotion, and then followed the crowd off the Yundu.

After delivering Mohua to Lizhou, the Yundu set off again, parting clouds and slicing through the air amidst the whistling of its cloud-flute, continuing its journey to the next destination.

At this point, the path he had traveled was completely severed.

Mohua's karmic ties with Qianzhou's academy were also temporarily separated.

Mohua watched the Yundu recede into the distance, bidding a complete farewell to all his experiences in Qianzhou. Then, he turned around, composed himself, and started walking towards home.

"I'm home..."

Mohua walked on Lizhou's soil, with Lizhou's sky above him. After a few steps, a wave of heat washed over him.

Lizhou's spiritual energy swept over Mohua's entire body, as if performing a "welcoming ritual" to cleanse him of the road's dust.

Mohua had traveled a long distance on the Yundu, and the lingering aura of Qianzhou was gradually washed away from him.

It wasn't obvious at first, but soon, a sudden change occurred.

The further Mohua walked, the hotter and drier the surroundings felt.

In contrast, his meridians and blood felt a bone-chilling cold.

This cold wasn't external; it was a deathly, desolate chill.

It was the chilling cold caused by his monstrous deeds of slaughter.

Mohua's eyes turned black, and a malevolent aura surged from his glabella, spreading across the whites of his eyes like black "bloodshot veins."

A cruel killing intent surged into his mind.

Mohua suddenly wanted to kill, desperately wanted to kill...

Only by killing, by killing many, by continuously extinguishing lives and slaughtering beings, could he dissipate the malevolence in his heart, relieve his vexation, and bring clarity to his thoughts.

Gritting his teeth, Mohua desperately mobilized his Dao-transformed divinity to guard his original human nature. He even inversely utilized the Heavenly Demon Emotion-Severing Dao to sever all his emotions, his ego, his "killing intent," and the vexation brought by the malevolence, then meditated calmly.

"I cannot kill, I cannot kill..."

Mohua silently repeated these words to himself. He didn't know how long it took, but he gradually calmed down and suppressed his killing intent.

With his mood calmed, his killing intent reined in, and the malevolent aura dissipated, Mohua took a deep breath and then frowned.

"Is this the malevolent aura... rebounding?"

Because he had left Qianzhou, the blessing of Qianzhou Academy's destiny had weakened, breaking the subtle balance between good and evil karma. Had the fierce malevolence and karmic debt from death begun to rebound, triggering a reversal in his destiny?

Mohua's gaze became solemn.

Mr. Xun had told him all about these matters.

True Lord Situ had also specifically warned him.

Both of them had repeatedly cautioned him to remain absolutely calm, not to act impulsively, and under no circumstances to kill after leaving Qianzhou.

Before this, Mohua had thought Mr. Xun and the others were making a mountain out of a molehill.

How could such an upright and kind young man like himself possibly kill someone over a minor disagreement?

But now it seemed, something was indeed amiss.

"I won't actually become... a bloodthirsty arch-demon, will I?"

Mohua frowned deeply, then sighed softly. He concealed his presence and moved away from the crowd.

Since the malevolent aura was rebounding, he couldn't continue walking among the noisy crowd, lest he accidentally twisted his original nature and wantonly killed innocents.

On the streets of Yundu City, after Mohua's figure vanished,

the surrounding cultivators belatedly realized that a terrifying chill had just enveloped them.

But this chill came and went quickly, soon vanishing without a trace, leaving only a lingering sense of dread in their hearts.

Outside Yundu City, in Cangyun Prefecture.

In the quiet and desolate mountain forests.

Mohua walked alone, traveling while reconnecting with the Dao essence of Lizhou's earth. He sensed Lizhou's Heavenly Dao aura, adapting to this new world, and simultaneously continuously adjusted his mindset to suppress the killing intent within him.

The quiet mountain forests allowed Mohua's heart to calm.

And a calm heart also pacified the killing intent within him.

When killing intent didn't arise, the malevolent aura would quietly converge in his destiny.

Far from Qianzhou, with the weakening of the destiny blessed by Qianzhou Academy, Mohua could only attempt, by his own power, to neutralize the rebound caused by the endless deadly malevolence.

In other words, he would have to slowly endure this path of "deadly malevolence" on his own.

After walking alone in the mountain forests for most of the day, the malevolent aura completely subsided, and the killing intent was buried deep in his heart.

Mohua then silently recited in his heart:

"I want to kill, I want to kill..."

After reciting this twice, although he harbored killing thoughts, his mindset remained peaceful, signifying that the deadly malevolence was indeed temporarily suppressed. Only then did Mohua truly feel relieved.

He then left the desolate mountains and entered the nearest immortal city, where he joined a caravan by offering some spirit stones, traveling together to Tongxian City.

This saved him from having to walk alone.

It was also to gradually accustom himself to being with others without wantonly giving in to killing intent.

Mohua concealed his aura and walked for a distance with the caravan.

Sensing the aura of the living people around him and introspecting his true nature, he found that he genuinely harbored no killing thoughts. Only then did he truly feel at ease.

Mohua let out a slight sigh of relief.

Only at this moment did he have the leisure to observe the caravan traveling with him.

It was a very ordinary caravan.

There were about a dozen cultivators in the team, of varying identities and ages.

The highest cultivated was at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, an eighty or ninety-year-old man who was the leader.

The lowest was at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, around thirty years old.

The cultivation of the others ranged from mid to late Qi Condensation, and their ages varied from thirty to eighty.

At this age and cultivation level, it might seem quite low, but in reality, it was the norm for the vast majority of lower-tier cultivators in this world.

Lower-tier cultivators lacked resources, making cultivation difficult. Even Qi Condensation was arduous, and Foundation Establishment was even more challenging.

Loose cultivators, dozens, even nearing a hundred years old, still stuck in Qi Condensation and unable to advance further, were everywhere.

They could only rely on their meager cultivation and a bit of physical strength to make a living, trying their best to survive.

The chance for them to break through to Foundation Establishment and defy fate in this lifetime was almost impossible.

A wave of emotion suddenly welled up in Mohua's heart.

Having returned from the Fifth-Rank Qianzhou Academy's grand prefecture, where he had seen Cavern Void, Feathered Ascent, Golden Core, and countless Foundation Establishment cultivators,

now returning to Lizhou, he saw these small places and lower-tier cultivators whose cultivation was as low as Qi Condensation, destined to be stuck there for life.

The disparity between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

For a moment, Mohua felt an intense sense of disconnection.

He even wondered if these two prefectures, these two types of cultivators, truly existed in the same cultivation world.

Both were humans, living between heaven and earth, yet merely because of different origins, could the difference between people truly be such an enormous chasm?

Mohua's gaze deepened.

Afterward, the group of about ten continued along the mountain path.

Along the way, the caravan members were all cautious.

They were engaged in small-scale trade; even calling it "small-scale" was somewhat flattering.

They merely took discarded, unwanted, and overlooked scraps of monster hide and bone, re-sorted and cleaned them, then melted them into raw materials for novice artificers to practice with.

The profit from this was pitifully meager.

But that's how it was for the lower-tiers—too many people, too few resources.

Jobs that could earn spirit stones were few and far between; any with significant profit had long been divided up by others, leaving nothing for them.

This was almost their only reliable way to earn a few small spirit stones to supplement their cultivation and household expenses.

Even so, the job wasn't easy.

They had to transport goods from a small Second-Rank immortal city north of Cangyun Prefecture to Dahaeishan Prefecture, earning a tiny profit margin.

Along the way, there were monsters, robbers, and wanted vicious criminal cultivators.

Robbers and criminal cultivators were not so bad because they were human and sought wealth; knowing the caravan was poor, they might not act.

Monsters, however, were different. In their eyes, there was no rich or poor; everyone was just a mass of flesh and blood.

Therefore, the bloodthirsty monsters along the way were the most fatal threat to these poor Qi Condensation cultivators traveling for trade.

The first half of the journey was fine, as it was the desolate range of Cangyun Mountain, where monsters were few.

But later, especially after entering the Dahaeishan mountain range, the monsters along the way became more numerous.

And every monster, even if only an early First-Rank, would make the caravan feel like they were facing a formidable enemy.

After all, they were all loose cultivators with poor spiritual roots and low cultivation. The cultivation methods and Dao arts they learned were substandard, and they weren't professional monster hunters. Therefore, fighting every monster required their utmost attention.

Their goal wasn't even to hunt monsters; simply being able to successfully drive them away was already a great fortune.

Yet, whether by luck or ill fortune, since entering the Dahaeishan mountain range, monsters frequently jumped out to attack the caravan, baring their crimson fangs, seeking someone to devour.

And each time, the Qi Condensation cultivators of the caravan were on tenterhooks, dealing with the threats with great difficulty.

Their struggles with the monsters were also extremely perilous.

Mohua watched with a touch of pity and, without a sound, secretly intervened. From his fingertips, he condensed several subtle Water Blade arts, quietly shooting them out to cripple the monsters' limbs.

With his late Foundation Establishment cultivation, he was already powerful enough to crush these First-Rank monsters.

But Mohua didn't make it too obvious, merely employing slight techniques to cripple the monsters' claws or heart meridians, leaving the rest for the caravan's Qi Condensation cultivators to handle themselves.

After killing three or four monsters in this manner, the cultivators in the caravan also noticed something was amiss.

"Big Brother, are we really this strong?"

"Normally, none of these First-Rank monsters are pushovers. How did they all become 'soft-legged shrimps' today, allowing us to butcher them?"

"Isn't this... suspicious?"

The one called "Big Brother" was the caravan leader and the only Qi Condensation ninth-level cultivator in the team.

He frowned. "Indeed, something's not right..."

"Could it be... a master secretly helping us?" someone whispered.

"Really?"

"The key is... who is the master? And why would a master help people like us?"

The caravan leader's gaze swept through the crowd, finding no "master," and his frown deepened.

A moment later, his expression suddenly shifted, and he realized with enlightenment:

"I know!"

Everyone stared blankly at him, somewhat puzzled.

"It's Immortal Child Mo!" the caravan leader said with a devout expression. "Dahaeishan is Immortal Child Mo's territory; it must be Immortal Child Mo protecting us!"

Mohua: "..."

A burly man frowned and said, "Big Brother, are you muddled? What does this have to do with Immortal Child Mo? What's it to him? Is he so idle?"

The caravan leader coldly reprimanded, "Do not be rude to the Immortal Child!"

The burly man dared not retort.

The caravan leader said solemnly, "Immortal Child Mo is an immortal descended to the mortal world, an immortal child who saves from suffering. He was exceptionally gifted from birth, possessing heaven-reaching power. Legend has it that when a great monster descended upon Tongxian City, threatening to devastate all life, it was Immortal Child Mo who built a grand formation and battled the monster. In the end, he even summoned wind and rain, controlled thunder, and drew down a terrifying heavenly tribulation that utterly annihilated the great monster..."

"That battle was truly earth-shattering, causing momentous changes, and even the landscape of Dahaeishan was deformed by the impact."

"To be able to change heaven and earth at the Qi Condensation stage fully shows that Immortal Child Mo is an immortal descended to the mortal world..."

Mohua was incredibly embarrassed but couldn't help but want to listen.

Someone said, "Big Brother, what you're saying is wrong. I heard that this 'Immortal Child Mo' isn't an immortal child, but a prodigy. He isn't an immortal descended from the heavens; he was just amazingly gifted from a young age, a formation prodigy rarely seen in a hundred, no, a thousand years."

"The great monster of Tongxian City was killed by him after he mobilized the entire city's strength to build a grand formation; it wasn't as mystical as rumored..."

Someone else retorted, "What do you know? Do you even understand formations? A Qi Condensation cultivator building a grand formation to kill a great monster—isn't that mystical enough?"

"Honestly, I'd rather believe he's an immortal descended from the heavens, naturally possessing amazing power. That sounds far more reliable than him building a grand formation and suppressing a great monster while still only at the Qi Condensation stage..."

"No, wait, how did I hear that this 'Immortal Child Mo' is actually dead? That he perished together with the great monster in the heavenly tribulation? That's why a large stele was erected outside Tongxian City to commemorate him."

"You're all wrong. I heard that this 'Immortal Child Mo' is actually a fictional character. In reality, no such outrageous person exists. Tongxian City merely fabricated such a legendary young cultivator to gain fame..."

For a while, various opinions were exchanged, and no consensus was reached.

Mohua, on the other hand, listened with great interest.

Finally, the caravan leader waved his hand:

"You're all talking nonsense. I'm the Big Brother, and what I say goes. Immortal Child Mo is an immortal child, an immortal descended to the mortal world, and must never be offended. Furthermore..."

The caravan leader continued with a solemn expression, "...I heard that since Immortal Child Mo suppressed and killed the great monster and transformed Dahaeishan, he became the mountain god of Dahaeishan."

"Once you enter Dahaeishan, it's all his territory. If you wish to make a living here in Dahaeishan, you must be devout in your hearts, worship the Immortal Child, and never speak disrespectfully again. Otherwise, if you displease the Immortal Child, both you and I will suffer disaster..."

As he said this, everyone's expression turned solemn.

Someone had a sudden realization and exclaimed, "In that case, the monsters we killed along the way were actually 'blessings' from Immortal Child Mo! That venerable one is greatly compassionate; seeing us live such a hard life, he bestowed some monsters upon us so we could exchange them for more spirit stones and continue our cultivation and lives..."

This explanation gained everyone's approval.

The caravan leader then led the team to kneel towards the depths of Dahaeishan, bowed three times, and said:

"Immortal Child above, may your boundless prosperity be eternal. We pray for your protection, that we may be safe and smooth, free from misfortune and disaster."

The others also followed, bowing three times and shouting, "Immortal Child, may your boundless prosperity be eternal!"

Mohua, standing bewildered among the crowd, felt somewhat helpless.

With these people begging him like this, he would feel somewhat remiss if he didn't "bless" them a little...

Afterwards, along the way, Mohua secretly intervened, killing a few more monsters and helping the caravan acquire their materials. He also secretly guided them, allowing them to successfully pass through Dahaeishan and arrive outside Tongxian City.

Upon arriving outside Tongxian City, the majestic Monster Suppression Stele was visible from afar, and at its very top were two hot-stamped golden characters: MOHUA.

The caravan group walked to the Monster Suppression Stele, bowing with cupped hands and saying:

"Thank you, Immortal Child, for protecting us and ensuring our safe journey."

"May Immortal Child's immortal blessings be eternal, and your lifespan be as long as heaven's..."

Mohua, in the midst of the crowd, had a subtle expression.

After respectfully completing their bows, the caravan leader said, "Let's go," and then led the team towards Tongxian City.

Mohua followed behind the others, walking towards Tongxian City.

After walking a few more *li*, the massive Tongxian City appeared before everyone.

Mohua looked up, feeling a slight surprise.

In just ten years, Tongxian City had changed from the immortal city he remembered.

The city walls were considerably taller than before.

Inside the city, human voices buzzed. Gigantic artificer and alchemist guilds stood towering, with white smoke rising from them in the distance.

The flames of artificing flickered brightly.

The rich alchemical aroma wafted for ten *li*.

The road leading to Tongxian City was crowded with various loose cultivators.

All the loose cultivators were neatly lined up, converging on Tongxian City from all directions like a tide.

Tongxian City was like a "colossus," breathing in and absorbing millions of loose cultivators from the entire Dahaeishan Prefecture...

The rest of the caravan members also showed expressions of shock:

"As expected of Tongxian City..."

"It's the most prosperous central immortal city in the hundreds of *li* surrounding Dahaeishan Prefecture. No matter how many times one sees it, it's still so captivating..."

"An immortal city protected by an Immortal Child is truly different; its destiny flourishes, and its blessings are endless..."

"Compared to this, our Hundred Families City in Cangyun Prefecture is truly shabby; there's no hope in sight."

Someone said enviously, "If only one day we could settle down and make a home in this Tongxian City..."

"Alas, it's difficult..."

"It's no use talking like this; let's quickly enter the city and get things done..."

"Alright..."

The cultivators in the caravan all nodded, saying nothing more.

Only Mohua's gaze subtly shifted, as if lost in thought.

Many loose cultivators were entering the city, and Mohua made no exception. He queued with everyone from early morning until the afternoon, and then entered the immortal city with the caravan.

Once inside Tongxian City, they would part ways.

The caravan leader cupped his hands to Mohua and said:

"Little brother, we still have business to do, so we can only accompany you this far. Do you have a place to stay in Tongxian City?"

Mohua nodded. "Yes."

The caravan leader was relieved. "I'm glad to hear that. Oh, I almost forgot..." he said with a touch of apology, "We traveled together, which I suppose is a kind of fate. I haven't even asked your name yet, little brother..."

Mohua smiled. "My surname is Mo, and my given name is Hua."

"Surname Mo, given name..." The caravan leader nodded, but halfway through speaking, he suddenly froze, his heart trembling.

Mo... Hua?!

The caravan leader suddenly looked up, only to find that the young man who had just been standing before him had eerily vanished.

People came and went all around him, yet there was no trace.

The caravan leader stood alone, dumbfounded, with a look of disbelief, muttering:

"It truly was... the Immortal Child's protection..."