Chapter 350: Changing Fate

“You lied to him?”

“I didn’t lie.” Mister Zhuang said confidently. “I only said the grand formation starts at a first-grade ten-pattern, but I never said the formation I gave him was only ten-pattern.”

“A first-grade eleven-pattern formation still counts as starting at ten patterns!”

Mister Zhuang defended his point firmly.

Old Kui’s face twitched, finding Mister Zhuang’s behavior absurd and hard to believe:

“So, what he actually drew wasn’t a first-grade ten-pattern formation core, but a first-grade eleven-pattern one?”

Mister Zhuang sighed. “That’s why I was shocked.”

“The formation jade slip was given by you. What’s there to be shocked about?”

“Precisely because I gave it, that’s why I’m shocked,” Mister Zhuang said with a sigh. “It’s really difficult to draw. Most second-grade formation masters wouldn’t be able to manage it.”

Yet Mo Hua finished it in just one month…

And judging by his brushwork, it was highly skilled, as if he had practiced countless times…

“Why didn’t you say anything at the start?” Old Kui asked.

“What good would it do if I said?” Mister Zhuang replied lightly.

He turned his gaze to the deep mountains dyed blood-red by night, eyes profound:

“This isn’t an ordinary great demon. A first-grade ten-pattern formation isn’t enough to trap it, so only an eleven-pattern formation can kill it.”

“Whether ten or eleven patterns, once Mo Hua has made up his mind, he will learn it. The exact type of formation isn’t that important.”

“If he can master it and build the eleven-pattern formation, he can trap and kill the great demon. If not, he’ll naturally give up, and we won’t waste manpower or resources on a futile struggle.”

Old Kui frowned. “An eleven-pattern formation can really kill it?”

Mister Zhuang’s smile was faint, almost teasing. “Is there anything certain in this world? Even if a formation collapses, there’s always a slight chance of survival. There’s no such thing as a guaranteed death trap.”

“The eleven-pattern Five Elements Demon-Slaying Formation, in terms of raw destructive power, is already enough to trap a great demon. But a great demon is a Dao-Sin, an anomaly of the Heavenly Dao. Until the end, no one knows what will happen…”

“And if it doesn’t die?” Old Kui asked again.

“Don’t worry,” Mister Zhuang said. “As long as the formation is successfully built, even if the great demon isn’t killed, most of its vital energy will be drained, leaving it severely wounded.”

“No one dares provoke a fully empowered great demon, but a wounded one? Plenty of people would be interested.”

“The Dao Court Division, major clans, and sects will all try to act. After all, it’s a living… Dao-Sin.”

“If all else fails,” Mister Zhuang looked at Old Kui, a faint smile on his face, “you can act yourself. It’ll just be one death.”

“One body swapped for a Dao-Sin? Worth it.”

Old Kui lowered his gaze, arms folded, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Mister Zhuang muttered under his breath, “At this age, still so dishonest… pretending to be profound…”

Old Kui paused, sighed, and asked again:

“You really don’t want to take on a direct disciple?”

This time Mister Zhuang was caught off guard. After hesitating for a long while, he sighed, “I said it. I won’t take another disciple in this lifetime.”

Old Kui said lightly, “I’ve lost count of how many times you broke your word. What’s with acting all solemn?”

Mister Zhuang faltered, sighing:

“Talking to you is pointless… too easy to expose my flaws.”

Old Kui ignored him.

Mister Zhuang thought of Mo Hua, a hint of daze in his heart.

If it were before, he would have taken this disciple without hesitation. But now, times have changed…

He remained silent for a moment, then sighed to himself:

“Just make him a registered disciple. Taking him as a direct disciple would harm him and me both…”

Mister Zhuang stood in the endless night, cloaked in darkness. The desolate moonlight fell on the ground but didn’t reach his face.

“After all, the people who want to kill me are countless…”

…

After returning home, Mo Hua began seriously planning the construction of the grand formation.

He first sought Elder Yu and said:

“Elder, I want to slaughter that pig!”

Elder Yu froze. “Which pig?”

Mo Hua pointed toward the deep mountains, indicating the towering, terrifying blood energy.

Elder Yu was shocked. “Nonsense!”

That was a sealed Boar Demon, a legendary great demon capable of devouring an entire immortal city. It wasn’t something they could kill.

Even if it could be killed, people like them, wandering cultivators, didn’t have the background or strength.

“It can be killed!” Mo Hua insisted.

Elder Yu wanted to argue but paused, seeing Mo Hua’s determined look.

He knew Mo Hua didn’t want to leave Tongxian City or make them leave their homeland.

They didn’t want to leave either, but in the face of disaster, wandering cultivators had no choice but to leave and find a new path.

Elder Yu felt reluctant. Once the city relocated, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever see Mo Hua again.

Though he valued Mo Hua as a formation master, he genuinely liked the boy.

Elder Yu patted Mo Hua’s shoulder and said solemnly:

“Take the spiritual stones, find a safe place in a nearby prefecture, and build your Foundation steadily. With your talent, you will become a revered grand formation master in the future.”

“As for the wandering cultivators of Tongxian City, I’ll take care of them. You can rest easy.”

“Relocating south will be tough, but as long as we are self-reliant, a little hardship isn’t so bad. After all, wandering cultivators fear hardship least of all.”

Elder Yu tried to comfort Mo Hua.

Mo Hua shook his head and said earnestly: “Elder, I really have a way to kill the great demon!”

Elder Yu froze and frowned, scrutinizing Mo Hua’s expression.

Mo Hua’s face was calm, steady, and confident. He wasn’t joking or speaking wishfully.

Elder Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “You… really have a way?”

Mo Hua nodded. “We can build a grand formation to kill the Boar Demon!”

Elder Yu was stunned. “A grand formation…”

He had heard of grand formations before, but this was the first time he had ever heard someone say “build a grand formation.”

He had heard tales of grand formations in wealthy prefectures, sects, or clans—ancient, powerful arrays standing for thousands of years—but only as stories.

They, as wandering cultivators, couldn’t even use ordinary formations, let alone a grand formation.

Even those who spoke of grand formations had likely never seen one activated.

Without a crisis, a sect wouldn’t activate a protective grand formation.

Many wandering cultivators, and even disciples of clans or sects, might never see a grand formation activated in their lifetime.

Let alone build one themselves.

It was almost unimaginable.

Elder Yu was silent for a long moment, then asked hesitantly: “What grand formation?”

“The Five Elements Demon-Slaying Formation!” Mo Hua said boldly.

Elder Yu was shaken. The name alone radiated lethal energy.

It sounded like it could subdue a great demon…

But he still worried, “Can it really kill it?”

Mo Hua replied seriously: “Most likely yes, if nothing goes wrong.”

Since Mister Zhuang gave him the formation, the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Formation was expected to at least suppress the Boar Demon. Even if it didn’t kill it, it could fight on par.

Mo Hua had learned from Mister Zhuang that nothing in this world was ever 100% certain, so he spoke cautiously.

Even so, it shocked Elder Yu.

A great demon, recorded in Tongxian City’s history as unconquerable, and Mo Hua said “most likely it can be killed”…

Elder Yu hesitated.

He paced the hall, hands behind his back, thinking, but could not decide.

Then he stopped and asked: “Who will draw the formation?”

Mo Hua tapped his chest. “Me!”

Elder Yu thought as expected, but still asked in disbelief: “You… can draw a grand formation now?”

Mo Hua didn’t hide anything. “I can do the key parts. The rest can be learned gradually, but the construction must start early, or there won’t be enough time.”

“What’s needed to construct a grand formation?” Elder Yu asked, aware of its difficulty but not the specifics.

Mo Hua listed them so Elder Yu could understand:

“Constructing a grand formation requires massive manpower and resources.”

“Manpower includes formation medium crafters, artisans, the lead formation master who draws the core, other formation masters to help fill arrays, and martial cultivators to assist—the more, the better…”

“Resources primarily mean spiritual stones, plus other cultivation materials like refined iron, construction stone, spiritual ink, etc…”

Elder Yu’s eyes widened.

Constructing a grand formation required such enormous investment and complex procedures. No wonder he had never seen one or anyone daring to build one.

In terms of formation skill, Elder Yu trusted Mo Hua blindly.

If Mo Hua said he could, he could.

The real question was whether they were willing to commit so many people and resources.

Elder Yu frowned. “Even if all demon hunters contribute and use all their spiritual stones, it still won’t be enough, right?”

Mo Hua nodded. “So we’ll need other methods, but I need your agreement first to approach others.”

The Dao Court Division was powerful, the military division strong, but the demon hunters knew Mo Hua best, and this matter was crucial to them, even life-threatening.

Only with Elder Yu’s approval could the foundation for the formation exist.

Elder Yu hesitated, pacing and tugging his beard.

It was a gamble.

Win, and they could live safely in Tongxian City. Industries like refining and alchemy would thrive.

Lose, and they’d be left destitute.

Without the gamble, they were doomed to leave their homeland.

Moving to an unknown, harsh place meant hardship, possible oppression, and only spiritual stones as a small consolation.

Even so, resources might run out, and dangers on the way were uncertain.

Elder Yu looked at Mo Hua.

His gaze was firm and bright, though the boy had grown thin from exhaustion and effort, clearly pouring himself into drawing the formation.

Why? He could have left, lived safely, and cultivated elsewhere with a promising sect.

Yet he chose to work for them.

Elder Yu’s heart wavered, and he made up his mind.

He wanted to gamble.

For wandering cultivators, a little hardship or extreme hardship makes no real difference.

Without striving, minor hardship eventually becomes extreme.

If he won, they could truly change the fate of wandering cultivators.

At least, change the fate of Tongxian City’s wandering cultivators.

Elder Yu nodded solemnly. “Alright, we’ll build the grand formation!”

Mo Hua’s face lit up, though he hesitated: “Are you sure?”

“Indecision leads to chaos. When it’s time to act, you must be decisive,” Elder Yu said. “You’ve thought this through; you know more than I do about the grand formation. Why should I worry further?”

Mo Hua relaxed. “Then I’ll go find others.”

Elder Yu nodded. “Bring them here; we’ll discuss together.”

“Alright,” Mo Hua said.

With Elder Yu’s help persuading others, the process should go smoothly.

Mo Hua got up and left for the Dao Court Division.

Elder Yu watched his back, dazed, then sighed.

Building a grand formation to confront a great demon was a gamble.

He dared to gamble. Past wandering cultivators wouldn’t have dared, simply because they never had the chance.

In thousands of years, no small formation master like Mo Hua had ever drawn a grand formation, willing to fight for them and change their fate…