Chapter 151: Picking Up Bargains (Five More)_1
Mo Shan’s expression grew tense as he brought Mo Hua to Elder Yu.
Pointing to a location on the map, Mo Hua said, “There has been a fight here.”
It couldn’t be Monster Hunters, because everyone had agreed: if a fight started, they would set off fireworks to warn each other.
Besides that, it was a small chance that the fluctuation was due to Monster Beasts fighting each other.
More likely, it was a Qian Family Cultivator who had encountered Monster Beasts and therefore had engaged in battle.
Anyway, it was necessary to go and investigate.
Elder Yu said directly, “Gather everyone. We’re heading out.”
Though the Monster Hunters were scattered, they weren’t far from each other, and information passed quickly. In no time, several hundred Qi Refinement stage Monster Hunters had assembled.
Elder Yu briefly explained the situation, then with a wave of his hand, commanded, “Let’s move out!”
All the Monster Hunters crouched down, concealed their presence, stopped talking, and moved stealthily towards the peak marked by Mo Hua.
Half an hour later, they arrived.
This was a rarely visited small mountain, desolate and remote. Because few people came here, the Monster Hunters were disinclined to name it, commonly referring to the place as “Nameless Peak.”
The group discovered the remains and bloodstains of Monster Beasts on a patch of scattered rocks among the trees.
Mo Shan approached, wiped the bloodstains with his hand, and said, “A Cultivator killed this, but the technique was crude; it wasn’t the work of a Monster Hunter.”
Elder Yu’s eyes sharpened as he released his Divine Sense.
Mo Hua could only faintly sense a ripple before losing all perception.
Those with powerful Divine Sense are not easily spied upon.
But those being watched by someone with a powerful Divine Sense often don’t realize it.
Mo Hua’s mind grew tense, understanding that the Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment stage Cultivator was indeed extraordinary.
Mo Hua also tried to emulate Elder Yu, releasing his Divine Sense to search for any traces in the mountains.
After a while, Elder Yu retracted his Divine Sense and fixed his gaze on Mo Hua with a look of surprise.
A few moments later, Mo Hua also withdrew his Divine Sense.
“Did you notice anything?” Elder Yu asked.
Mo Hua nodded, “There are mines hidden in the mountains, concealed with wood and stone.”
Elder Yu’s eyes brightened slightly, “Mark them for me to see.”
Mo Hua took out the map and circled several areas near the peak of Nameless Peak.
These were the spots where Mo Hua’s Divine Sense had detected the mines.
Elder Yu nodded and added a few more markings on it.
Looking at those, Mo Hua had a realization.
He had overlooked these spots. Some were too far away and beyond the reach of his Divine Sense, some were hidden too deeply beyond his Sense’s strength, and some were simply due to a lack of experience or negligence.
Mo Hua silently reflected on and summarized the use of Divine Sense in his mind.
Elder Yu, appearing pleased, patted Mo Hua’s shoulder and said, “Not bad.”
Then he grew serious, his gaze sharp as a sword, and instructed:
“All Monster Hunters, remember these locations!”
“Split into teams and enter from these mines. Be as stealthy as possible.”
“If you encounter Qian Family Cultivators, incapacitate them. If it comes to it, kill them. I’ll handle the Taoist Court officials.”
The Monster Hunters acknowledged the orders, their eyes alight with the will to fight.
Dark figures leaped up, converging toward the mine entrances along the mountainside.
Mo Shan cautioned Mo Hua, “You stay out of the way and don’t go in. If any Cultivators come out, don’t engage. Take care of yourself!”
Mo Hua nodded and also said, “Dad, make sure you wear that set of Rattan Armor.”
Painted on the Rattan Armor was the first-rank Golden Armor Formation.
Mo Shan’s heart warmed as he touched Mo Hua’s head, then with a swift motion, he too closed in on the mines along the mountainside.
Mo Hua scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense and found a large pit that was safe and easy to hide in, and took cover there.
Soon, there was movement in the mountains, as if a battle had begun.
Mo Hua could hear the rumbling sound outside, the shouting and cursing of cultivators, and the aftereffects of spiritual power in a myriad of colors.
Then there was a loud boom.
The spiritual pressure Mo Hua could sense became even stronger.
It must be Elder Yu and the Foundation Building Cultivators of the Qian Family fighting each other.
After the intense fluctuations lasted for a while, a figure suddenly shot out from a mine shaft on the mountainside.
The figure didn’t look back after coming out of the mine, and ran straight down the mountain, leaving a trail of afterimages behind.
Seeing the speed of this desperate escape, there was no doubt it was a Foundation Building Cultivator!
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.
With the Foundation Building Cultivator fleeing, the remaining cultivators of the Qian Family were like monkeys scattered when the tree falls, and their defeat was only a matter of time.
As expected, in less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, cultivators of the Qian Family began to flee from the mouth of the mine in a state of disarray.
Most of them were bedraggled and bleeding, either clutching their arms or limping, running down the mountain in a panic.
Mo Hua didn’t want to act rashly, after all, he was alone, and it was better to be cautious.
Mo Hua stayed put in the pit as he had been.
After a while, Mo Hua suddenly heard footsteps getting closer and closer. Looking up, he saw two Qian Family cultivators coming his way as they fled for their lives.
They looked like they had been through a tough fight, were in a sorry state, and the fluctuations in their spiritual power were weak, clearly at the end of their tether.
Not following the other Qian Family cultivators, they chose to be alone, and of the many paths available, they chose to limp right past the bushes where he was hiding.
Mo Hua felt that not making a move would be somewhat of a disservice to them.
One of the Qian Family cultivators was cursing as he went:
“These bastards, where did they get the intel…”
“When we get back, we’ll report to the Family Head, and they’ll pay for this!”
As he was cursing, suddenly a Fireball Technique exploded on his face.
He was struck by a burst of intense pain as the exploding flames made his head swim and his ears ring, and his face burned with pain.
He hadn’t recovered yet, when another fireball hit him in the face, and he fell straight to the ground.
The other Qian Family cultivator was shocked and tried to flee, ignoring his companion, but after only a few steps, a fireball struck him in the back of the head.
He fell flat on the ground, his face hitting a rock, and he too was knocked unconscious.
Mo Hua didn’t rush to come out.
He first used his Divine Sense to scan the area and found that the spiritual power of the two men was circulating erratically.
This indicated that they had fainted; their senses were unclear, and they couldn’t control the flow of their own spiritual power.
Still not at ease, Mo Hua hit each of them with another fireball to make sure, and seeing no response, climbed out of the pit.
After thinking for a while, Mo Hua searched them and took away their Storage Bags.
The Taoist Law prohibits looting.
Mo Hua wanted to be a law-abiding good cultivator, but with the Qian Family bringing the fight to him, he couldn’t just stand by and be bullied.
“It seems cultivators truly can’t help themselves…”
Mo Hua sighed, his expression slightly melancholic as he tucked the Storage Bags into his own bosom.
Then he ran back into the pit to see if there were any more Qian Family cultivators coming his way to make him “act against his will.”
Before long, more Qian Family cultivators came his way as anticipated.
If there were many, Mo Hua let them go.
If there were few, Mo Hua did the same as before.
When dawn was breaking and the battle inside the mine was coming to an end,
Mo Hua’s bosom was already bulging…