Chapter 344: A Difficult Decision
Chapter 344: A Difficult Decision
"Where should I go now?" Mo Hua asked himself, undecided. He sat in a restaurant, observing the constant flow of cultivators coming and going and taking in the entirety of Tongxian City.
The once bustling Tongxian City now exuded a somber atmosphere, as if a storm was about to break. The streets were less crowded, and among the cultivators who remained, a sense of foreboding hung heavy in the air.
Those who could find a way out were already making their escape. For the scattered cultivators who remained, there was only one path left: to join the mass migration of cultivators leaving the city, heading towards the barren and impoverished lands of the wilderness, and starting anew to carve out a place to settle.
With the appearance of the great demon, even the powerful cultivation sects lacked the strength to resist, let alone the scattered cultivators. They had no choice.
They had no status, no connections, and no backing. No one was willing to take them in. If they wanted to survive, they had to find another way and endure the hardships that lay ahead.
Mo Hua sighed. Such was the way of the world, perhaps since time immemorial. In any disaster, the upper-level cultivators always found a way to extricate themselves, leaving the lower-level cultivators to face the brunt of the challenges and bear the burden of suffering. Even in the face of senseless calamities, it was always the same.
Mo Hua paid another visit to Elder Yu.
Elder Yu was preparing to leave with the migrating scattered cultivators. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could have easily extricated himself from this situation. However, precisely because he was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator among the scattered cultivators, he felt a responsibility to protect them during their journey.
Without a cultivator of his level leading the way, countless cultivators might perish along the treacherous path.
"You don't need to go," Elder Yu said without preamble, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue from the nonstop work he had undertaken in recent days.
Before Mo Hua could respond, Elder Yu continued, "We are relocating, not building a new city. Even when we get there, it will be nothing but wilderness, and your array formation skills won't be needed for the time being."
Mo Hua understood Elder Yu's intention, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Elder Yu looked at him gently and said, "You deserve a better future. You should learn more array formations and strive to do greater things. There's no need for you to endure the hardships that lie ahead with us."
"The journey will be dangerous, won't it…?" Mo Hua asked softly.
"There's danger in everything we do," Elder Yu sighed. "But we can't let that stop us, especially when the lives of an entire city of scattered cultivators are at stake."
"Then… I'll go too," Mo Hua declared.
Elder Yu glared at him, clearly annoyed. "What are you trying to accomplish by tagging along? Even if you come, it won't change anything. Your priority should be to focus on studying array formations, not sharing in our struggles."
Elder Yu was stubborn, and Mo Hua knew it was pointless to argue with him. Turning his head, Mo Hua gazed at the expansive alchemy and artifact forges, a sense of loss washing over him.
"Are these going to be abandoned as well?" he asked.
Elder Yu sighed helplessly and nodded. "We can't possibly take such large alchemy and artifact forges with us…"
"Are we going to sell them?" Mo Hua inquired.
Elder Yu nodded. "I've already contacted Zhou Zhangsi. The alchemy and artifact furnaces here are enhanced with your array formations, making them valuable items. The Court of Daoism will compensate us with spirit stones, considering the upcoming city relocation and the need for resources to cultivate new lands."
"Oh, right," Elder Yu added, remembering something. He handed Mo Hua a jade token. "This is an identity token for the storage room. There are over ten thousand spirit stones inside, all for you. Go and collect them when you have time."
Mo Hua was stunned. "Over ten thousand… all for me?"
Elder Yu nodded. "These are meant to help you reach the Foundation Establishment stage."
A hint of apology appeared on Elder Yu's face as he looked at Mo Hua. "I should have given you more. Without your array formations, the scattered cultivators of Tongxian City would not have had it so good, and we wouldn't have been able to eliminate the Black Mountain Fortress. But with the city relocation, our spirit stone expenditure has increased, so I can only give you this much…"
Mo Hua shook his head. "This is already a lot."
As Mo Hua took the jade token, he felt its weight and was about to say something, but Elder Yu interrupted him.
"Don't feed me some nonsense about not wanting these spirit stones," Elder Yu said bluntly. "No matter who it is, if someone gives you spirit stones, you take them. Anyone who refuses spirit stones is a fool."
Holding the jade token, Mo Hua felt a strange sense of guilt for reasons he couldn't quite explain.
Elder Yu patted him on the shoulder. "No matter what you choose, always hold your head high and act with integrity. You owe no one anything!"
Mo Hua nodded slightly, his heart heavy with thoughts, and walked away.
Watching Mo Hua's departing figure, Elder Yu felt a twinge of reluctance, but he could only sigh helplessly.
Mo Hua had already helped them a lot, and they couldn't burden this young man any further. He deserved to explore broader horizons, learn more profound array formations, and seek a deeper understanding of the Dao.
Staying with them, the impoverished scattered cultivators, would only hinder his path. The great demon's appearance provided a timely opportunity for Mo Hua to part ways with them.
Elder Yu turned his head to glance at the empty alchemy and artifact forges, his heart filled with a sense of loss.
The eradication of Black Mountain Fortress, the elimination of the evil cultivators, and the uprooting of the threat, including the exposure of the Qian family's ancestor, felt like another dream.
Everything had been progressing for the better, and their lives were supposed to get easier...
But now, it had all turned into bubbles.
Just like waking up from a dream.
As they left their homes, Tongxian City would likely cease to exist.
Elder Yu sighed deeply, his expression bitter.
The life of a Lone Cultivator was filled with bitterness...
These lone cultivators dared not aspire for longevity; they only wished to live peacefully for a mere century or two. Why was that so difficult?
...
Mo Hua walked around, visiting familiar faces, and upon returning home, he sat silently in the courtyard.
Everyone was leaving.
Elder Yu, Uncle Yu Chengyi, and Uncle Yu Chenwu, as well as other familiar hunter uncles;
Ji Uncle's family, Meng Uncle's family, and Chu Uncle;
Master Chen from the Artifact shop, who had no children, would also join the migration;
Old Mr. Feng, being elderly and highly respected, had saved countless lives with his elixirs over the years, and naturally, he had other options; but concerned about the lack of an alchemist to tend to the migrating cultivators, he decided to join them as well, and no one dared to dissuade him.
Dahu, Xiao Hu's childhood friend, along with Dahuz, and Daxinz, who had once stood up for him, would also be leaving with their parents...
His parents would likely accompany him, but everyone else, all the familiar faces, those who had grown up with Mo Hua or watched him grow up, those he had helped and protected, would be leaving Tongxian City, embarking on an unknown path to a strange place, starting anew with a life of hardship.
Perhaps they would be exposed to the elements, hungry and cold, or perhaps they would face oppression from unknown families, sects, or even the Dao Court.
And Mo Hua would most likely not be going with them.
He would walk a path completely different from theirs.
Mo Hua pondered silently.
With his spirit sense unblocked and ample spirit stones, he would soon be able to build his foundation.
He could choose to join a family or sect, or even the Dao Court or the Dao Military Court, and cultivate peacefully until he reached the foundation stage, and then aim for the Golden Core, gradually learning more profound formations and seeking higher realms...
The path of a lone cultivator was full of thorns, but his path was blooming with flowers.
...
But was this really what he wanted? Mo Hua couldn't help but ask himself.
Why did he study formations? What was the point of it all if, in the end, nothing seemed to change?
They could escape this disaster, but what about the next one?
Would they always turn a blind eye and save themselves?
"Will I become numb and indifferent if this continues?"
"Will I forget my initial intentions, lose my sense of self, and erase my Dao heart, becoming a completely selfish person?"
Could someone like him truly achieve immortality? Could he truly seek the Dao? Could he truly grasp the true essence of formations and comprehend the ultimate Dao? If he lost his Dao heart, even with success and fame, could he find true longevity?
Mo Hua couldn't figure it out, so he lay in the courtyard, staring up at the sky.
"What is my Dao heart?"
"What is the Dao that I seek?"
"What should I do?"
...
The sky was vast, and the clouds seemed to stretch infinitely, as if containing endless vitality and principles.
If there was a Dao, then the sky was its manifestation.
If there was a grand formation, then the heavenly Dao formation was the ultimate one.
And this was what a formation master should strive for!
Mo Hua's eyes gradually lit up.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
"I may not be able to set up this heavenly formation that connects heaven and earth, using the laws of heaven to balance the cultivators of the world and ensure the prosperity and continuity of the cultivation world."
"But I can start with the simplest first-grade grand formation, figure out how to learn and set it up, and then eradicate evil and protect the peace of a city of immortals!"
Mo Hua's mind cleared, and his expression gradually became firm, his eyes shining like stars.
He lay in the courtyard, his hand reaching for the sky.
His small palm seemed to want to grasp the entire sky.
(End of Chapter)
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