The affairs of Black Mountain Stronghold had essentially co to a close.
The identity of the Patriarch of the Qian Family had been exposed, and the Qian Family could no longer rely on Black Mountain Stronghold to commit evil acts.
Without the support of the Qian Family, Black Mountain Stronghold could not develop further;
without the backing of Black Mountain Stronghold, the Qian Family could not continue to grow.
Even though the instigator, the Patriarch of the Qian Family, was still in hiding within Big Black Mountain, it was unlikely he could stir up any trouble in the short term.
No matter how strong a Foundation Building Cultivator is, without the support of a clan or power, he is just a Foundation Building Cultivator, with great cultivation but nowhere to apply it.
Besides, the seriously injured Patriarch of the Qian Family wouldn’t have much strength left.
But to completely wrap up the matter of Black Mountain Stronghold, there were two things left to do:
First was to find the third householder.
He was an Evil Formation Master who could draw Evil Formations and could not be left unattended, or he would undoubtedly bring endless disasters.
Formation Masters were extraordinary to begin with, let alone the third householder who was an Evil Formation Master at the Foundation Establishnt Stage.
Even if his talent was subpar and he was unwilling to put in effort, still being a first-grade Formation Master, he should not be underestimated.
After all, without those Formations he drew, Black Mountain Stronghold might have been discovered long ago, and it wouldn’t have been able to remain hidden in Big Black Mountain for so long.
The second thing was to hunt down the Patriarch of the Qian Family.
Mo Hua always felt that the Patriarch of the Qian Family wasn’t so simple.
The Patriarch of the Qian Family was very calculating, with more twists and turns in his mind than a rat’s burrows.
The day he was besieged, even though he seed to be at his wit’s end, the Patriarch of the Qian Family remained too calm.
Mo Hua couldn’t understand.
Did he truly have sothing to rely on, or was it rely that he was very calculating, with emotions that never showed on his face, even if death was imminent, never exposing the desperate or cornered ugliness?
Mo Hua didn’t know if he still had any conspiracies or sches.
However, as long as they caught or killed the Patriarch of the Qian Family, all these matters would ultimately settle.
Even if he had any sches, as long as he took them to his grave, Mo Hua wouldn’t mind.
The first clue Mo Hua found was that of the third householder.
The main householder, hiding within the Qian Family, had already been executed.
And the third householder was very likely still hiding in the depths of the mountains.
Taoist Soldiers were still searching the mountain, and for several days in a row, there had been no news of the third householder or the Patriarch of the Qian Family.
So, Mo Hua volunteered to help with the search.
Ever since he learned the Calculation thod of Divine Sense, his perception of the spiritual power trajectories of formations beca even more sensitive.
If the third householder were hiding in the mountains, he would definitely set up formations, and as long as he deployed formations, the running of the formations would generate spiritual power trajectories, shining like bright fires in the dark night, unable to escape the detection of Mo Hua’s Divine Sense.
Leader Yang, worried, decided to accompany Mo Hua into the deep mountains.
The mountains were vast, and Black Mountain Stronghold was only a part of them; besides, there were many desolate, overgrown, and miasmic places without a soul in sight.
Under Leader Yang’s protection, Mo Hua observed his surroundings while extending his Divine Sense, searching for traces of formations.
A Formation Master who does not deploy formations is not a good Formation Master.
As long as a formation is deployed, it can’t hide from Mo Hua’s Divine Sense.
Half a day later, Mo Hua finally spotted traces of a formation on a cliff.
And it was the familiar Concealnt Formation!
In the area near Tongxian City, other than himself, probably only the third householder could draw a Concealnt Formation.
"Found it?"
Seeing Mo Hua suddenly standing still with a glint in his eyes, Leader Yang asked.
Mo Hua nodded and pointed to the cliff, "It’s nearby."
Leader Yang looked in the direction Mo Hua pointed, seeing the cliff adorned with either strange rocks or bushes, no different from the other cliffs he had seen along the way.
How on earth did he locate that...
"Is it here?" Leader Yang asked for confirmation.
"Yes, a Concealnt Formation is deployed here, hiding the traces."
Leader Yang released his Divine Sense again, but he still couldn’t detect anything; the spiritual power of the formation patterns blended with the mountain mists, obscure and elusive; he was not a Formation Master and could not distinguish it.
But he felt embarrassed to let Mo Hua know he couldn’t see anything and so he nodded gravely in agreent, "Indeed so."
"I’ll go in first to take a look," Mo Hua said.
Leader Yang promptly stopped him, "I’ll go with you."
The third householder was an Evil Formation Master, and his hideout in the cave was concealed and filled with unknown dangers, so he feared for Mo Hua’s safety.
Mo Hua shook his head, "I’ll use my Concealnt Technique to go in; he won’t see ."
Leader Yang still disagreed.
Mo Hua added, "Uncle Yang, you don’t know what formations are deployed inside. If you rush in recklessly, you’ll either fall into a trap or startle the snake, allowing him to escape."
"Do you know what formation is inside?" Leader Yang asked doubtfully.
"I just need to take a quick look, and I’ll know," Mo Hua said.
Leader Yang hesitated.
He couldn’t recall other Formation Masters having such ability...
To know the deployed formation just by looking?
However, seeing Mo Hua’s confident deanor, he should have been sure of himself.
"Alright then," Leader Yang nodded, "I’ll wait here. If you run into danger, just shout, and I’ll rush in to save you!"
"Okay!" Mo Hua nodded.
Afterwards, Mo Hua employed the Concealnt Technique and disappeared from before Leader Yang’s eyes.
Leader Yang sighed. Although he had seen the Concealnt Technique many tis, he still found it unbelievable.
He was only in the Qi Refinent Realm, yet he could already evade the perception of Foundation Building Cultivators...
"I’ll have to go back and see if there’s a suitable, beautiful, and gentle young lady in the clan; I need to find a way to lure Mo Hua to my Yang Family..."
The straight-browed Leader Yang couldn’t help but co up with so sneaky ideas...
With his figure concealed, Mo Hua stepped along the hidden stairs beside the cliff and entered the concealed cave.
The cave was surrounded by Formations, including the Concealnt Formation, as well as so early warning, trap, and defense formations.
Using Divine Sense Calculation, Mo Hua knew the range of the Formations and the types of Formation Patterns, and he deftly avoided each one without leaving a trace.
The process was much easier than Mo Hua had anticipated.
Mo Hua couldn’t help but praise the Calculation thod that Mr. Zhuang had taught him for its effectiveness.
Especially against Formation Masters, he could see through the details of their Formations at a glance.
The cave was rather spacious and dim, lit only by the faint Bright Fire Formation.
In the dim firelight, one could see Formation Books, Array Plates, brushes, and ink scattered around; there were also materials for Alchemy Furnaces and several large vats filled with human blood.
And there, that third Householder was sitting before a stone table, concentrating on drawing sothing.
Mo Hua quietly executed the Water Passing Step, making as little sound as possible, and tiptoed closer, just enough to see the tabletop without drawing the third Householder’s attention.
The engrossed third Householder had no idea that despite hiding in such a secluded cave, he still couldn’t escape Mo Hua’s "prying eyes."
Mo Hua craned his neck curiously to take a closer look at the third Householder, hoping to find out what he was actually doing.
After a while, he understood.
The third Householder was drawing a Formation, and it was an Evil Formation at that!
It was an Evil Formation again...
Mo Hua’s heart grew cautious, and he beca more alert, wanting to see what the Evil Formation actually looked like.
After a while, Mo Hua felt sowhat disappointed.
Indeed, as Bai Zixi had said, the Evil Formation belonged to the dubious and unorthodox practices but wasn’t any profound knowledge of Formation art.
The Evil Formation derived from orthodox Formations. In the pursuit of quick success, it changed the Formation dia, brushes, ink, and so Formation Pivot structures.
Using flesh and blood as the Formation dia could save on Divine Sense; using human blood as ink could enhance the power of the Formation. However, the essence of the Formation Patterns were oversimplified, cutting corners and thus shallow.
The so-called Evil Formation was more like a "shortcut" in the practice of Formations,
a "quick-fix" approach to Formation arts.
Though they seed profound and terrifying, the true "Dao" behind them was crude, superficial, and scarcely comndable.
Whether in the practice of Tao Cultivation or in Formation arts, seeking quick success may lead to a faster start, but ultimately, it is impossible to go far or to comprehend the ultimate Great Dao.
Mo Hua tried to perform the Calculation in his mind again, and the patterns of the Evil Formation clearly erged in his thoughts.
No wonder Bai Zixi said he might "learn it in one go."
Mo Hua lost interest.
The insidious, evil tricks of the Evil Formation might look fierce, but in reality were not very interesting.
The technical content was too low...
Mo Hua didn’t bother to continue watching and tiptoed out.
Outside the cave, Leader Yang was on full alert, staring intently at the cave entrance.
Suddenly Mo Hua appeared beside him, giving him a start.
"When did you co out?"
"Just now..."
Leader Yang coughed to cover his embarrassnt and asked with feigned composure, "Is the third Householder inside?"
Mo Hua nodded, "He is inside. There’s a secret passageway. You go in and catch him; don’t let him escape!"
Mo Hua took out so paper and a pen and drew a rough map of the cave, marking everything clearly.
Where the Formations were, what they were, their function, the safest way to go to avoid traps and not alarm anyone, what chanisms were inside the cave, and where the secret passageway was...
Mo Hua told Leader Yang all of it.
Leader Yang couldn’t help but be impressed.
He even wanted to keep Mo Hua like a Magical Treasure on him at all tis.
With him around, conducting military operations would be so much easier!
But Leader Yang knew that this was just wishful thinking.
Such a fanciful notion was utterly impossible.
Having morized the route, Leader Yang followed in Mo Hua’s footsteps, sneaking into the cave. Soon after, the cave echoed with sounds of a scuffle and the third Householder’s cries of alarm and anger.
So ti passed, and the noises subsided.
Inside the cave, Leader Yang called out, "Mo Hua!"
Mo Hua knew then that the third Householder had been subdued. Revitalized, he swaggered back into the cave.
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