The Quest for Immortality Chapter 2388: Eerie Smiling Face (4)

~3 minute read · 798 words
Previously on The Quest for Immortality...
Mr. Tu realizes he is in a race against time as a countdown formation threatens to destroy a millennium of work. He must dismantle a complex 'Reversed Spirit Formation' before it triggers. Despite his own advanced skills, Mr. Tu discovers the formation was created by Mo Hua, a terrifyingly talented young prodigy, forcing Mr. Tu to confront the depth of his opponent's mastery.

The wonders displayed here are beyond the reach of even the most naturally gifted Formation masters.

For the very first time in his existence, Mr. Tu experienced genuine 'fear' directed at a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.

This monstrous talent exerted an immense, indescribable pressure upon Mr. Tu, igniting an instinctual thought: 'This child must not be allowed to live, or my own life will surely end.'

If such a prodigy were permitted to mature, with his cultivation soaring and his mastery of formations advancing at an incredible pace, who else in this world could possibly stand against him?

Who would dare to contend with him?

Who could even afford to vie for supremacy?

Mr. Tu clenched his jaw, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

And now, the obstacle before Mr. Tu was precisely the lingering 'exam question' left by such a prodigy.

Yet, Mr. Tu found himself with no alternative.

Under the crushing weight of pressure, and the 'fear' inspired by Mo Hua's terrifying aptitude, he forced himself to maintain composure, earnestly dealing with each intricate problem Mo Hua had presented.

However, the sands of time were rapidly depleting.

Mo Hua, that insidious 'Instructor,' deserved every condemnation for his utter lack of shame. The questions were concealed with malicious depth, and the 'answering' time allotted to Mr. Tu was woefully inadequate.

The perilous nature of the Reversed Spirit Formation.

The profound mystery shrouding the Mystery Sky Formation.

The intricate complexity inherent in the Large Formation's structure.

Mo Hua's litany of daunting titles – Formation Leader, Divine Thought Formation, Ultimate Formation Master, Formation Demon, Large Formation Main Formation Master...

Most notably, the relentlessly spinning, ticking Sun Dial Formation, perpetually counting down...

These elements combined to inflict a suffocating sensation upon Mr. Tu, akin to drowning in the deepest abyss.

His internal pressure escalated exponentially.

His mental defenses teetered on the brink of utter collapse.

Soon, the Sun Dial Formation's countdown would inexorably reach its conclusion. That single pointer, after completing its endless revolutions, notch by agonizing notch, was approaching the final line of doom.

Time was on the verge of expiring.

Yet, before him lay vast sections of the Reversed Spirit Formation, completely untouched.

Mr. Tu's 'exam paper' remained scarcely one-third completed.

'It's over!'

Consumed by a furious despair, Mr. Tu's mental equilibrium finally shattered.

Observing the Sun Dial poised to strike its final tick, he unleashed a direct punch, obliterating the Sun Dial Formation.

The Sun Dial Formation abruptly ceased its motion.

But no immediate consequence followed.

Mr. Tu stood momentarily stunned, his mental state slowly stabilizing, before his brows furrowed in confusion.

'Nothing?'

Could this Sun Dial Formation have been a facade?

However, in the very next instant, a drastic transformation occurred.

The fragments of the circular Sun Dial Formation began to morph and shift, lines rearranging themselves to form a small, disturbingly smiling face.

The grin seemed to sneer directly at Mr. Tu.

Nestled within that spectral smile was a pattern belonging to the Reversed Spirit Formation.

Mr. Tu's pupils dilated in sudden, dawning comprehension.

This Sun Dial Formation was a deception!

From its very inception, this Sun Dial Formation had been merely a placeholder!

Its countdown held no intrinsic significance!

Even if the timer had reached its end, no explosion would have occurred.

The reason being, Mo Hua could not perfectly predict his own departure time. Should he miscalculate the moment or encounter any unforeseen issue, he himself would face the blast.

Consequently, he would never implement a genuine countdown; this Sun Dial Formation served only as a deceptive 'formality'.

However, interference with this Sun Dial Formation was strictly forbidden. For this very Sun Dial Formation acted as the detonator for the Reversed Spirit Formation's catastrophic self-destruction.

The moment the Sun Dial Formation was destroyed, it was equivalent to preemptively 'igniting the fuse' for the Reversed Spirit Formation!

Thus, this 'examination' contained no true 'exam questions' in the conventional sense. The actual 'question' was solely this mentally destabilizing Sun Dial Formation.

Do not interact with it!

Otherwise, it would 'tear up the paper,' forcefully initiating a self-immolation!

Mr. Tu's face instantly drained of color, his heart turning to cold ash.

He had been manipulated...

Every subsequent event was a meticulously crafted scheme by Mo Hua.

Everything lay within his incomprehensible calculations.

From the very outset until this very moment, Mr. Tu had been subjected to the merciless mockery of this despicable, shameless, and manipulative young brat...

The peculiar little visage atop the Sun Dial Formation continued its laughter directed at Mr. Tu.

Then, a tendril of dark, reversed Spiritual Power snaked forth from that eerie smile, permeating the Blood Sacrifice Array.

The Desolate Heaven Blood Sacrifice Formation commenced its inevitable disintegration...