Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2020 Chapter 969: Mountain Lord (Part 3)

Mo Hua stood frozen in surprise. Looking up, he observed the Evil Embryo standing a short distance away, completely motionless.

Simultaneously, thick black blood surged across its form while Demonic Qi coiled around it. Its entire frame shuddered slightly, as if locked in a fierce internal struggle.

Every so often, a glimmer of golden light would flicker across its features, appearing and disappearing rhythmically.

A familiar aura began to drift in and out of perception.

Mo Hua’s pupils narrowed sharply.

"Could this be... Lord Yellow Mountain's consciousness?"

"Is it possible it hasn't been entirely corrupted yet?"

He watched as the golden radiance on the Evil Embryo's face started to dim, while the crimson light grew more intense.

In a flash of insight, Mo Hua seized the opportunity and cried out urgently: "Mountain Lord, are you still in there?"

"Lord Yellow Mountain!"

The shout seemed to strike a chord within the Evil Embryo, stirring a dormant spark of its original mind.

The creature's face began to fracture, splitting into a duality of black-red and dark gold.

The dark golden side slowly peeled open its eye, revealing a gaze filled with moments of clarity mixed with threads of evil qi and a profound, heavy sense of majesty.

"You..."

It appeared as though it hadn't used its voice in ages; the sound was guttural and raspy.

This marked the very first time the Evil Embryo had uttered a word.

"You... who are you..."

"How... do you know... my name..."

It was true!

A surge of excitement rushed through Mo Hua’s heart.

The will of the Mountain Lord had not been totally snuffed out!

Even Mo Hua found it hard to believe.

To retain a sliver of self-awareness after being steeped in pollution for so many years—just how powerful must Lord Yellow Mountain have been at his peak?

However, there was no time for idle wonder.

Clinging to this lifeline, Mo Hua spoke quickly: "Mountain Lord, we are good friends!"

The corrupted Lord Yellow Mountain fell silent for a beat, his eyes scanning Mo Hua with deep suspicion.

He had no memory of the little rascal standing before him.

As the exalted deity of Guhuang Mountain, once a mere step away from ascending to the Fourth-grade True God Realm, how could he possibly be companions with such a child?

Noticing the doubt in his eyes, Mo Hua insisted with confidence: "It’s the truth!"

Lord Yellow Mountain opened his mouth to respond, but his head suddenly jerked. His expression twisted back into a mask of cruelty and savagery, the brief clarity replaced by ferocity.

The consciousness vanished once more.

The Evil Embryo glared at Mo Hua with blood-soaked eyes. Raising the fallen Long Halberd, it began its relentless advance again.

Mo Hua was forced to raise his golden sword to parry the assault, but even as they clashed, a plan began to crystallize in his mind.

"I’ve found the opening!"

Everything in existence possesses internal contradictions.

No matter how invincible an enemy looks from the outside, there must be a conflict within.

That conflict is the weakness.

By exploiting the flaw, one can use the weak to topple the strong and defeat the most terrifying of adversaries.

This powerful Evil Embryo at the peak of the Third Grade existed because of the Mountain Lord; therefore, its defeat would surely come through Lord Yellow Mountain.

The Mountain Lord was the only path to victory.

Mo Hua poured every ounce of his spirit into the fight. Ignoring the pain, he battled the Evil Embryo fiercely. Though he knew he couldn't win through strength alone, he used every exchange to slowly wear the creature down.

As expected, after some time, the Evil Embryo’s aura began to flag, and a faint golden light shimmered briefly.

Lord Yellow Mountain's consciousness was showing signs of returning.

Unfortunately, those signs lasted only a heartbeat before fading away.

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up; his theory was being proven.

The battle between righteousness and evil was a see-saw; as one side weakened, the other would rise.

If he kept depleting the Evil Embryo and piling on the pressure, the internal cracks would widen. The Evil Embryo’s control would be stripped away, allowing Lord Yellow Mountain to wake up again.

This was the sole hope for overcoming such a monstrous foe.

Mo Hua did not dare to slow down for a second, nor did he allow himself a moment's rest.

Having been consumed by the Evil Embryo for untold years, Lord Yellow Mountain's mind was as fragile as a candle flickering in a storm. There was no telling how much longer it could hold on.

If that light went out, everything would be over.

Because the gap in their Cultivation realms was so vast, Mo Hua had no other way to truly destroy this entity.

Despite being covered in wounds, Mo Hua gritted his teeth and continued to circle the Evil Embryo in combat.

As he fought, he never stopped talking, his words constantly jarring the Evil Embryo’s Divine Thought.

"Mountain Lord, wake up..."

"Mountain Lord, don't give up..."

"If you die, I really won't be able to win..."

"Mountain Lord!"

Even after shouting for a long time, the Yellow Mountain Lord within the creature seemed to show little response.

Mo Hua shifted his tactics, trying a different approach:

"Mountain Lord, I truly am your friend..."

"There is another 'you' who escaped from Solitary Mountain City. He is hiding in a ruined temple on a small hill, surviving against the elements."

"The roof is broken, and the wind whistles through the walls..."

"He drinks rain, eats stale bread, and protects a few clay statues while fearing wolves and wandering cultivators..."

"I brought you offerings, fed you meat, and shared drinks with you..."

"You were the one who taught me the ways of the Divine Way..."

"Mountain Lord..."

...

Mo Hua kept speaking even as he took blow after blow.

The struggle was grueling and long.

Eventually, the description of that miserable, desolate life seemed to reach the Lord Yellow Mountain who had once ruled Guhuang Mountain and received the worship of thousands.

The Evil Embryo halted once more. This time, the evil qi roiled more violently than ever before.

The two opposing forces twisted around one another frantically.

Red and gold light flashed in rapid succession.

The creature's distorted flesh writhed like a nest of snakes.

With a tortured scream that blended madness with sanity, the grim face of the Evil Embryo finally radiated a golden brilliance, projecting an aura of divine authority.

Lord Yellow Mountain's consciousness had finally seized control.

His divine nature and memories returned to him, allowing him to suppress the "dead embryo" of the Evil God.

His golden eyes fixed silently on Mo Hua, and he spoke in a voice like grinding stone:

"You truly... know me?"

"My... other half, is it... still living?"

With several bones broken and his body soaked in blood, the battered Mo Hua finally exhaled a long breath and nodded vigorously.

"I know him! He’s still alive!"

He was living a hard life, but he was indeed alive.

The quiet mountains provided a peaceful existence, far from the chaos of the world.

Lord Yellow Mountain looked deeply into Mo Hua's eyes, detecting a faint thread of karma connecting them.

This soul-level connection could not be faked.

His other self was indeed bound to this youth by a significant destiny and relationship.

And yet...

As Lord Yellow Mountain observed Mo Hua further, he found the boy's nature to be incredibly peculiar.

He looked like a human, yet possessed a strength far beyond them.

He felt like a deity, yet his aura lacked purity, and he was far too human—and far too talkative.

He even resembled a Demon Creature, with a hidden karma that carried an Evil Qi nearly like a Demon Monster’s, stained with the weight of slaughter, yet he remained fundamentally righteous and noble...

"An existence like this... it is no wonder you could be 'friends' with me..."

Lord Yellow Mountain felt a quiet sense of respect for the boy's talent. He said to Mo Hua:

"The Evil God's embryo is immortal and cannot be truly slain..."

"I will use what remains of my will to harness the Evil God's power and pull you out of this nightmare. It is the final act I can perform..."

Consider this the repayment for the karma shared between us...