Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2016 Chapter 968: Childlike Heart_2

The malevolent spirits continued their relentless assault, tearing and clawing at them.

A deep, biting chill began to settle within their hearts.

Just as they were on the verge of total despair, the surrounding evil ghosts suddenly shrieked in terror, scattering in every direction like startled birds and beasts.

Master Gu and Fan Jin froze, exchanging bewildered glances. They were utterly confused by the sudden retreat but felt a profound sense of relief at having narrowly escaped death.

However, the very next moment, a realization hit them, and they were instantly struck by a new sense of alarm.

These evil ghosts craved their flesh; there was no reason for them to withdraw so abruptly.

If they had fled, it could only mean they had encountered something far more terrifying than themselves.

Something truly monstrous...

From a short distance away, an obscure yet formidable presence, saturated with an eerie pressure, began to draw near...

“Is it coming?!”

Their limbs turned to ice, and the hearts they had just allowed to settle were gripped by fear once more. Trembling, they turned their heads, only to see a young child waving at them with a bright smile.

“Master Gu, Supervisor Fan, I’ve found you.”

Master Gu and Supervisor Fan stood there, completely dumbstruck. It took a long time for them to process the sight before they finally stammered, “...Young Master Mo?”

“Indeed,” Mo Hua nodded.

“Why do you... look like this?” Supervisor Fan asked, his voice shaking slightly.

Mo Hua let out a soft sigh. “It’s a long story...”

He was growing weary of the question, as every person he encountered asked the exact same thing.

Besides, the truth was something he couldn't reveal.

He certainly couldn't explain that his Divine Thought had mutated because of his cultivation of the "Heaven Yan Jue," causing him to never age in this form...

Fortunately, Master Gu and Supervisor Fan were tactful enough to drop the subject.

“Young Master Mo, do you happen to know where we are...?” Master Gu inquired.

He remained utterly disoriented by their current predicament.

Mo Hua gave a brief explanation. “We are in the Dreamland—specifically, a nightmare. A powerful, dormant evil entity resides within Solitary Mountain City; it has awakened and pulled us all into this nightmare realm.”

Master Gu nodded, though he seemed only to partially grasp the situation.

“In that case, what is our next move?”

“We must locate Elder Xun first,” Mo Hua stated.

“Understood.” Master Gu and Supervisor Fan nodded in agreement.

They were subconsciously becoming accustomed to following Mo Hua’s lead.

In the waking world, Mo Hua’s strength wasn't as visually apparent. However, within this dream, despite his shrunken appearance, his entire being radiated a magnificent and overwhelming aura that made Master Gu and Supervisor Fan follow him instinctively.

With Mo Hua leading the way, the trio ventured deeper into the Divine Temple.

He could sense a faint disturbance further inside, and after walking for a time, they indeed discovered Elder Xun Ziyou nearby.

Elder Xun Ziyou’s circumstances were dire.

He was locked in combat with a massive, grotesque fierce ghost, a creature wreathed in resentment with a truly horrifying visage.

Such a fierce ghost was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.

As a Sword Dao Elder from the Taixu Gate, Elder Xun was highly proficient in Sword Intent. Even though he had not mastered the orthodox Taixu Mind Transforming Sword True Jue, he could still hold his own against this Third Grade fierce ghost by relying on the pure Tai Xu Sword Intent of his lineage.

Nevertheless, he was clearly struggling, and the tide of battle was turning against him.

The Third Grade fierce ghost was becoming increasingly violent and arrogant.

Elder Xun Ziyou gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure, but it was obvious he couldn't hold out for much longer.

It was at this critical juncture that Mo Hua and the others arrived.

Elder Xun Ziyou noticed them immediately. His heart sank, and he shouted anxiously:

“Don’t come any closer! Run away!”

He was terrified that if he fell to the fierce ghost, Mo Hua and the others would be slaughtered. His only hope was to desperately stall the monster to give the others a chance to flee.

But before Mo Hua’s group could even respond to the warning, the fierce ghost suddenly shuddered. It collapsed to the ground, tucked its tail between its legs, and bolted into the distance in a state of pure panic.

Elder Xun Ziyou stood there in a daze, unable to comprehend the scene.

He had told Mo Hua and the others to run.

Yet the fierce ghost... why had it run away? It was as if the creature had seen a "ghost" of its own...

Mo Hua approached him and asked, “Elder Xun, are you injured?”

After the grueling struggle, Elder Xun Ziyou finally let out a long, slow breath. “I’m alright.”

Regardless of the reason, the enemy had fled. He had already begun to suspect they were trapped in a nightmare; in a dream, strange occurrences were to be expected.

At least the danger had passed. This was a Third Grade Golden Core level fierce ghost; if it hadn't retreated, their lives would have been in grave peril.

Elder Xun Ziyou then turned his attention to Mo Hua, looking him up and down. Finding the boy's appearance both novel and strange, yet strangely endearing, he couldn't help but ask:

“Why have you shrunk so much?”

Mo Hua sighed, answering with a look of helplessness, “That’s just how things are in this dream.”

“But why would a dream cause this?” Elder Xun Ziyou was genuinely puzzled.

Mo Hua was about to fabricate an excuse, but he quickly remembered that Elder Xun was no ordinary person; he was an elder of the Taixu Gate and an old acquaintance. If word reached the Taixu Gate that his Divine Thought couldn't grow back, he would be utterly humiliated.

“It is a form of mindset cultivation,” Mo Hua said with a solemn face.

“A cultivation of the mindset?” Elder Xun Ziyou frowned, considering the words.

Mo Hua nodded with great seriousness. “A cultivator must never lose their childlike simplicity. That is why my Divine Thought manifests in this way.”

“A cultivator must never lose... their childlike simplicity...”

As Elder Xun Ziyou repeated the phrase, his pupils quivered. He suddenly recalled the ancient teachings of the Taixu Gate ancestors, and a surge of emotion washed over him.

He gave Mo Hua a deep, meaningful look and nodded slowly.

Mo Hua found the Elder's reaction a bit strange, but he didn't have the luxury to dwell on it. They were still inside the Divine Temple beneath the evil embryo—not a place to loiter.

“Since this is all a dream, how do we wake up?” Fan Jin asked.