Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2288 Chapter 1055: Mr. Tu

Beyond Yanluo Mountain.

The surviving Heavenly Pride Disciples from the trial readied themselves to depart.

Cheng Mo glanced around left and right before abruptly inquiring, "Where is Junior Brother?" Situ Jian replied, "Junior Brother instructed us to head out first; he'll catch up soon." Linghu Xiao furrowed his brows, "Is Junior Brother okay?"

Situ Jian assured them, "Junior Brother told us to feel at ease—he'll be alright."

Linghu Xiao gave a nod, "We'll wait here a bit longer for Junior Brother."

"Fine."

"Once Junior Brother emerges, we'll head back to the Sect as one."

Taixu Gate disciples clustered near the Taoist Court's camp, eager to link up with Mo Hua, yet no matter where they looked, that recognizable silhouette was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, a deep rumble echoed from afar as the mountain summit crumbled, evil qi billowed outward, and the gateway to Yanluo Mountain's Evil Path Great Formation sealed shut once more.

Still, their Junior Brother had not appeared.

Every face paled in alarm.

"Junior Brother hasn't emerged!"

"Is he trapped inside that demonic mountain still?"

The group traded uneasy glances, their moods turning gravely somber.

Situ Jian creased his brow in thought, then raised his gaze to spot Gu Changhuai standing solemnly in the distance. He hurried over and questioned:

"Supervisor Gu, what happened to our Junior Brother?"

Linghu Xiao, Cheng Mo, and the rest of the Taixu Gate disciples fixed their hopeful stares on Gu Changhuai.

Gu Changhuai abruptly grasped just how special a place Mo Hua occupied in the hearts of these Taixu Gate disciples.

Gu Changhuai let out a sigh, "Mo Hua... remained within the formation."

Shock rippled through the group, "Supervisor Gu..."

"Mo Hua... he's trying to rescue someone."

"Rescue who?"

Gu Changhuai merely shook his head.

Situ Jian and the others dimly sensed this involved a Taoist Court secret unfit for revelation, so they held back from pressing further.

Yet their Junior Brother had vanished...

"Should we... turn back to aid Junior Brother?"

Situ Jian shook his head steadily, "The entrance has caved in, the formation's sealed tight—we can't return."

"Demonic beasts swarm the place too..."

"Besides, rushing back wouldn't assist Junior Brother; we don't grasp formation affairs and would just drag him down..."

The Taixu Gate disciples wore dejected looks.

Gu Changhuai added, "Head back to the Sect ahead. Mo Hua's well-being falls under Taoist Court's watch."

They'd barely extracted these Heavenly Pride Disciples and couldn't risk further peril.

Linghu Xiao shook his head firmly, "I'll stay put here. The moment Mo Hua appears, we'll return to the Sect together."

The other Taixu Gate disciples nodded with grave resolve:

"No Junior Brother, no leaving!"

"Back to the Sect? Only as a group!"

Gu Changhuai's features softened with emotion; he ceased urging them.

Meanwhile, disciples from various major sects began departing sequentially, but midway, a voice piped up:

"Why aren't Taixu Gate folks moving?"

"Looks like they're hanging back for Mo Hua..."

"Where's Mo Hua at?"

"Word is, he's lingering inside the formation?"

Faces shifted in surprise, "Trapped in the formation still?"

"I caught wind of their chat with the Taoist Court Supervisor—Mo Hua stayed behind to save somebody, that's why he hasn't exited..."

All the Sect Heavenly Pride disciples halted abruptly.

Mo Hua had already pulled them from peril.

Now safe outside, while Mo Hua braved the sinister, terrifying Evil Path Great Formation alone to preserve lives...

The image of Mo Hua in their minds grew hazy and complex.

His sharp tongue grated, his arrogance chafed, his cunning tactics irked, his deeds provoked fury—but he had rallied disciples across sects single-handedly, guiding their escape from the Demon's Lair, and now sacrificed himself in its depths, "selflessly aiding others" to rescue even more...

This Mo Hua—was he truly a "villain"?

Maybe the very reverse?

Silence fell over their expressions.

Residual fury, loathing, thanks, respect, guilt, and a tangle of feelings churned within, too profound to voice.

Longding Sect's Ao Zheng broke the stillness first, declaring resolutely, "I'll remain as well."

Shen Cangfeng knitted his brows yet held his tongue.

Xiao Ruohan stood frigid and rooted, clearly refusing to abandon the scene solo.

As Heavenly Pride from the Four Great Sects, their pride ran deeper still.

The Mo Hua they'd scorned had aided them, and fleeing now would breed self-contempt deep in their cores.

Thus they lingered—not for Mo Hua per se, but to safeguard their "Taoist Heart," their cultivation convictions, their upright dignity.

They refused to become "cowards fleeing strife."

From the Eight Great Gates, Vajra Sect's Shi Tiangang intoned slowly:

"Mo Hua aided our Vajra Sect; we'll wait too."

The Vajra Sect Heavenly Pride group affirmed with nods.

In other sects, Sever Gold Sect's Qin Cangliu, Purple Mist Sect's Lu Zhenlong, Carefree Sect's Feng Zichen—all chose to stay.

Sever Gold Sect's Song Jian fretted over Mo Hua sincerely, though he masked it with a faint smirk, feigning reluctant conformity.

Daluo Sect's Ye Zhiyuan, mocked by Mo Hua's "flying sword can't fly far" jab, had sulked the entire trek.

He too refused to depart now.

Mo Hua was his rival; he intended one day to soar on the Daluo Flying Sword and crush Mo Hua, washing away his humiliation.

Until then, he wouldn't let Mo Hua perish prematurely.

With leading Heavenly Pride holding firm, rank-and-file disciples from sects naturally stayed behind.

Thus, the Heavenly Pride from Four Sects, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams—fresh from the Blood Sacrifice Array—converged outside Yanluo Mountain, waiting in hushed vigil.

Motives varied: profound bonds among comrades for some, Heavenly Pride arrogance for others, gratitude or grudge, or mere herd mentality...

Regardless of why, in this instant, Qian Learning State Boundary's sect prodigies all gazed toward Yanluo Mountain, quietly awaiting that one silhouette...