Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2441 Chapter 1104: Zixi (Part 4)

The little Bai Ze was currently sprawled on the ground, listlessly gnawing on a bone.

Bai Zixi observed the bone and calmly inquired, "Bai Ze… gnawing on a bone?"

The Taixu Sect Master let out a slightly helpless chuckle. "Mo Hua gave it that. It still couldn't bear to discard it after finishing…"

Bai Zixi’s body stiffened with a tremor. She stared blankly, "Mo… Hua?"

The Taixu Sect Master nodded and continued:

"Mo Hua, the Junior Brother of the previous generation in my Taixu Gate, and the Qianxue Formation Path Leader. He was an exceptionally kind and clever Formation Master, possessing outstanding talent. Strictly speaking, the current standing of Taixu Gate is largely attributed to…"

As the Taixu Sect Master spoke, he suddenly perceived something amiss. Bai Zixi’s aura was undergoing a noticeable shift, as if her mental state had been profoundly disturbed.

The Taixu Sect Master’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his head, only to see that Bai Zixi had already retracted her aura entirely. Her expression and demeanor remained unchanged, appearing as usual.

The Taixu Sect Master frowned but then found relief.

"It must have been my imagination…"

The name Mo Hua held particular significance only within Taixu Gate.

However, for Zixi, a direct descendant of the Bai Family’s Sixth Guard, raised under the Old Matriarch's care, it held no special meaning…

Furthermore, the two of them—their birth, Spiritual Root, aptitude, Bloodline, and even their destinies—were entirely dissimilar, with no common threads.

Even their "styles" were divergent.

Zixi was ethereally beautiful, aloof, and chillingly cold, exuding an aura of unattainable elegance.

Mo Hua, on the other hand, was gentle, easygoing, amiable, and inherently righteous. He could connect with anyone; he even treated the Exotic Beast Bai Ze as a "dog" to be fed…

The two individuals were fundamentally different.

Their paths were also almost impossible to intersect.

The Taixu Sect Master proceeded to lead Zixi onward, retracing their prior path. The surrounding scenery remained unchanged—every mountain and stone, each blade of grass and tree, every pavilion and tower—all as it had always been.

Yet, this time, Zixi walked with deliberate slowness, observing with great care.

For reasons unknown, this once-unfamiliar scenery of Taixu Mountain suddenly appeared remarkably vivid in her eyes, imbued with a subtle sense of familiarity.

All these years, her Junior Brother had resided here, within these mountains, these pavilions and towers—eating and sleeping, Cultivating, studying Spells, practicing Formation Painting, sparring with fellow Disciples, and gradually honing his Cultivation step by step as he grew…

Her initially indifferent heart was momentarily overcome with a blend of warmth and a bittersweet ache.

"My… Junior Brother…"

Bai Zixi stood frozen, lost in contemplation.

...

Discussions between the Taoist Court and Qianxue were ongoing, and following considerable deliberation, a resolution was gradually taking shape.

The Qianxue Four Talents were to be dispatched to the Taoist Court.

The Taoist Court would undertake their "reformation and guidance," guiding them to acknowledge their errors, rectify their ways, and once more render service to the Taoist Court and the world's populace.

This matter was thus definitively settled.

In Wanxiao City, at the Duanmu Mansion.

Within a lavish boudoir adorned in pale violet hues, Duanmu Qing sat before her vanity, her mind burdened with thought.

Beside her, an Elder of the Duanmu family, possessing gentle features, spoke softly.

"Miss, we depart today. In two months, you will reach the Taoist State. The Old Ancestor has made all arrangements. Once you arrive, you need not concern yourself with anything else—simply focus on your Cultivation. After you condense your Bloodline Golden Core, then you may contemplate other matters…"

Duanmu Qing responded with a soft "mm," but whenever she closed her eyes, her mind was flooded with the image of that breathtaking silhouette haunting her soul—searing her heart, untouched by the mundane world.

"She…"

"Is mine…"

Duanmu Qing murmured under her breath. Subsequently, her previously listless gaze gradually hardened into resolute determination.

Her fractured Taoist Heart was being reforged by the fervent desire within her.

Facing the mirror case, she wiped away the rouge, gathered her long tresses, secured them with a jade hairpin, and fashioned them into a neat, dashing topknot.

Then, she draped a young man's Taoist Robe over her shoulders.

With features akin to carved jade and an elegant bearing, she resembled a refined and distinguished noble young master in a tumultuous world.

For a woman, Duanmu Qing was tall and slender.

However, once clad in male attire, she appeared somewhat slender; her height was comparable to Mo Hua's, and even her outline and figure bore a subtle resemblance.

The identity she had once resisted was now truly embraced by her.

"Let's depart," Duanmu Qing commanded.

"Yes, Young Miss."

"No," Duanmu Qing's expression turned chilling. "Henceforth, refer to me as... 'Young Master.'"

...

Duanmu Qing embarked on her journey to Taoist State.

Bai Zixi, conversely, was heading towards Kun State.

After bidding farewell to the Taixu Sect Master, Bai Zixi cast a final glance at Taixu Mountain, the Disciple's Residence, the grand Taoist Field, and the Tao Cultivation chambers... before departing with a heart full of complex emotions.

The journey from Qian State to Kun State was extensive, necessitating passage through numerous states, both large and small.

Below a Fourth-grade state boundary, aerial travel via escape light was prohibited, and the Nine Heavens Gilded Carriage could not be utilized. Travel was restricted to Cloud Ferry.

The Bai Family possessed its own Cloud Ferry.

This vessel was a grand ship, its frame crafted from white jade, its sails fashioned from luan feathers. It was not only exceptionally beautiful but also remarkably swift.

Bai Zixi boarded the Cloud Ferry.

Following a brief respite, the Bai Family's Cloud Ferry sliced through the sky, resembling a dragon woven from clouds, navigating the cloud veins with great speed.

...

At this juncture, tens of thousands of li ahead within the cloud veins.

An aged, somewhat weathered Cloud Ferry drifted along at a leisurely pace.

Mo Hua reclined on the deck, sighing with a muttered, "Why am I enduring this?"

The provisions were poor, the sleeping quarters uncomfortable, and the ship lumbered sluggishly.

To occupy his time, he had even exhausted all the Formation Paper typically reserved for Drawing Formations.

Furthermore, the journey had been uneventful, with no peculiar occurrences.

Apart from the prolonged boredom, the monotony, and the incessant drone of the Cloud Ferry cutting through the wind, there had been virtually no peril whatsoever.

"Such is life; sometimes fate deceives you..."

Mo Hua mused silently.

For approximately the next ten days, Mo Hua's existence continued in this manner.

Then came the twelfth day—as they neared the junction where the cloud veins diverged and the Cloud Ferry was obliged to alter its course—Mo Hua's heart suddenly began to race inexplicably, as though a matter of profound importance was imminent.

Mo Hua could not fully comprehend the reason behind this sudden premonition.

However, the internal disquiet only intensified; even dedicated seated meditation failed to quell his agitation.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow.

He formed a hand seal, performing a calculation, his heart giving a sudden, sharp jolt. A contemplative expression settled upon his features, after which he proceeded to the deck, directing his gaze towards the distant confluence of cloud veins.

He observed for an extended period. Aside from the boundless expanse of clouds, nothing else was visible.

Yet, Mo Hua remained stationary, unmoving.

As the sun reached its zenith at noon, bathing everything in bright light.

From a great distance, a sound akin to a dragon's roar, produced by a cloud flute, mingled with the sharp whistle of something cleaving the air. As the sea of clouds roiled violently, an exquisite Cloud Ferry, constructed of white jade, emerged from the swirling mists, its form finally revealed.

This Cloud Ferry was of an exceptionally high grade and possessed astonishing speed, rendering it normally difficult to discern clearly.

However, due to the impending convergence point of the cloud veins, where courses were renegotiated, even this remarkably swift Cloud Ferry was compelled to momentarily halt its progress.

In that precise instant, Mo Hua obtained a clear view of the Cloud Ferry's details, causing his pupils to dilate in shock.

Subsequently, his Divine Sense extended outwards, his focus settling upon the uppermost section of the Cloud Ferry. There, standing upon its deck, was a figure cloaked in white, seemingly ethereal and almost spectral in appearance.

And that figure also observed Mo Hua.

Caught completely off guard by the abrupt and startling encounter, their gazes locked.

One pair of eyes, clear and profoundly deep; the other, resembling flawless glass—illusory and captivating—each reflecting the image of the other.

A countenance as artfully rendered as a painting, eyes that twinkled like distant stars.

There stood the Junior Brother who had blossomed into adulthood.

A beauty of celestial grace and unparalleled allure, transcending all conventional measures.

There stood the Senior Sister who had come of age.

Separated by the vast ocean of clouds, the two exchanged a single, significant glance—this moment, and only this moment.

Within the immense and unpredictable tapestry of Heavenly secrets, there existed only this fleeting instant where their destinies converged.

Then, the sea of clouds churned anew, the cloud veins diverged, and the Cloud Ferries, each resuming their course, carried them onward toward their separate predetermined paths.

The two figures, enveloped by the swirling clouds, progressively drifted further apart.

Leaving behind, within each other's memory, an indelible silhouette, destined to be cherished...

(End of Qianxue Scroll)