Chapter 156: The Offensive (Part 5)_1
The Earthfire Compound Formation repeatedly exploded, dazzling like fireworks. Mixed with the wailing and chaotic scrambling of the Qian Family Cultivators, it was incredibly lively.
Having had his fill, Mo Hua nodded in approval, very satisfied.
At the entrance of the mine, other Monster Hunters watched, and seeing the pitiful state of the Qian Family Cultivators, they all cheered.
“Make it even louder!”
The frustration that had accumulated over days of being harassed and ambushed by the Qian Family was swept away.
Elder Yu also felt a great sense of relief and cursed the Qian Family from top to bottom once more.
Now with the Monster Hunters’ tension eased, the pressure fell upon the Qian Family Cultivators.
To fight or not to fight?
If they charged in, they would be blown away miserably, but if they didn’t, it would mean surrendering the spiritual mines without a fight.
Either option was unacceptable to the Qian Family.
The next day, the Qian Family tidied up the battlefield and carried their injured back for treatment.
Originally, there were many injured but few dead.
However, some of the wounded Cultivators were ambushed by Monster Beasts on their way back.
The Monster Beasts, drawn by the scent of blood, found them; the severely injured Qian Family Cultivators had just left the battlefield only to end up in the bellies of the beasts.
The Family Head of the Qian Family, Qian Hong, was furious and ordered that no matter what, they must take over the spiritual mines!
The burly men from the Qian Family, burdened with this command, could only ponder deeply in a camp outside Nameless Peak.
The burly man’s name was Qian Zhuang, a direct descendant of the Qian Family, but not from Qian Hong’s line, which was why he was tasked with this life-threatening mission.
This also suited his intentions perfectly. Although he was a direct descendant, he wasn’t regarded highly in the clan, and his future prospects were uncertain.
If he could capture the spiritual mines this time, the clan would surely regard him with new respect, and if they rewarded him with Spirit Stones and Pills, then his hopes of Foundation Establishment would be within reach.
Once he became a Foundation Building Cultivator, he could aspire to become an Elder and have significant influence within the Qian Family.
The power of a Qian Family Elder was great, but the promotion criteria were strict.
You either needed to have the Cultivation of Foundation Establishment, or you needed to have extremely high attainments in formations, alchemy, or artifact refining, or you held an important position in a Sect or the Taoist Court, or you made an outstanding contribution to the Clan.
Qian Zhuang met none of these conditions, so the only path to becoming an Elder was to achieve the status of a Foundation Building Cultivator.
Therefore, he absolutely had to capture the spiritual mines, or else not only would he achieve nothing, he would also be held accountable for a major error!
Within the clan, Cultivators were all considered family, so essentially, none of them were truly family.
If you couldn’t bring benefits to the clan, you were useless.
Qian Zhuang didn’t want to be seen as useless; he wanted to capture the spiritual mines and climb to a higher position within the Qian Family by stepping over these Monster Hunters.
After a while, a Qian Family Disciple came in to report,
“Brother, the brothers have checked it out. The explosions last night were caused by a formation!”
Qian Zhuang frowned, “A formation? These bumpkins actually know how to use formations?”
Qian Zhuang’s frown deepened.
He couldn’t help thinking, when they attacked previously, were there Formation Patterns on those indestructible rattan armors as well?
“Some disciples went back to the clan to ask Master Qian, and Master Qian said that it looked like the Earth Fire Formation.”
Master Qian was a Formation Master of the Qian Family. Although he was not yet ranked first-grade, it was only a matter of time. So, out of respect, people called him “Master.”
“Earth Fire Formation? What rank?”
“Seven Pattern Lines.”
Qian Zhuang’s expression turned cold, “To think it had seven Pattern Lines, no wonder.”
Seven Pattern Lines could injure Cultivators in the late phase of Qi Refinement, and if several were superimposed, their power would be even stronger.
Filled with resentment, Qian Zhuang sneered, “To think that a Formation Master would help these paupers!”
He did not believe that these impoverished Loose Cultivators could afford the price to hire a Formation Master.
Most likely, the Formation Master had signed a Spirit Pact with them, which would allow them to share in the Spirit Stones from the mine upon success.
The world was filled with movement for the sake of profit, and this Formation Master was no exception.
That disciple then asked, “Big brother, what should we do next?”
Qian Zhuang said, “No matter, a Seven-Pattern Formation Master is nothing to be concerned about.”
How many formations could a single Formation Master possibly draw?
Last night, there was an explosion, presumably using quite a number of Earth Fire Formations; he refused to believe that there could be any more Earth Fire Formations to blast them tonight.
Indeed, Mo Hua couldn’t draw too many, only seven or eight pairs of Earthfire Compound Formations in one day.
But for simple Earth Fire Formations, Mo Hua still had quite a stockpile, all from previous savings.
These Earth Fire Formations were originally set aside to lay traps for the Qi Refinement Middle Phase Monster Hunters, to hunt Monster Beasts.
Since the Monster Hunters fell out with the Qian Family, Elder Yu no longer allowed the Monster Hunters to enter Big Black Mountain to hunt monsters, so Mo Hua had accumulated quite a lot of Earth Fire Formations, which now could be used to clear out the inventory.
As a result, the disciples of the Qian Family really suffered.
The Qian Family was blasted on the first night.
The next evening when they went up, they were blasted again.
The third day and the fourth day, still blasted.
Qian Zhuang was furious, followed by arrogance; he was curious to know exactly how many pairs of Earth Fire Formations these group of Monster Hunters had.
But the disciples of the Qian Family had had enough.
Stepping into an Earth Fire Formation didn’t necessarily mean death, but injury was guaranteed. Moreover, descending the mountain made them easy targets for Monster Beasts, risking their lives in beast bellies.
Therefore, many Qian Family Cultivators started to consider retreating, hovering at the perimeter, not daring to venture into the Earth Fire Formation area.
Qian Zhuang sensed the ominous signs and thus spoke inspiringly:
“Brothers, we have been attacking for four days; they can’t possibly have so many formations left. They must be depleted by now…”
“We are only one step away; we must not fail at the last hurdle! Otherwise, all our sacrifices will be wasted!”
“Once we take over the spiritual mines, the Family Head will surely reward us generously!”
Inspired by Qian Zhuang’s words, the Qian Family Cultivators’ blood boiled anew, and they set foot on the mountain path once again.
Then, once more, they fled in a sorry state amidst the firelight of the Earth Fire Formations, returning in complete disarray.
Mo Hua stood on the mountainside, watching the scene unfold before him, and couldn’t help but respect the commanding Qian Family Cultivators.
It took a ruthless person to use human lives to wear down his stockpile of formations!
Watching this scene, Qian Zhuang almost coughed up blood.
How the hell are there still formations left?
Do you have ten hands to draw so many formations?
Looking at the rugged mountain stretch before him, filled with lush vegetation.
Qian Zhuang was quite traumatized.
But in a short time, morale had dissipated and another attack was unfeasible; the Qian Family had to call a temporary halt once again.
Without losing a single fighter, the Monster Hunters repelled the Qian Family’s offensive.
Elder Yu’s expression softened when he looked at Mo Hua, which made his son, Yu Chengyi, feel bitter inside.
His father had never shown him any warmth, always sullen and unyielding, like a rock for salting pickles.
After resting for several days, the Monster Hunters’ conditions improved significantly, and their expressions lightened up a bit.
But then Mo Hua suddenly remembered a problem and, with concern, asked Elder Yu:
“What will we do if the Qian Family sends Foundation Building Cultivators?”
“We will do what must be done,” was the reply.
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback, “Aren’t Foundation Building Cultivators supposed to be very powerful?”
Elder Yu nodded, “Foundation Building is indeed formidable, but it’s not absolutely invincible.”
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, not quite understanding.
Elder Yu looked at Mo Hua and explained further:
“A Foundation Building Cultivator’s power is roughly equivalent to that of ten Cultivators at the later stages of Qi Refinement. If it’s only one, even five or six Qi Refinement late-stage Cultivators would have no chance against a Foundation Building Cultivator, as they wouldn’t last many moves…”
“But if there are more than ten, especially seasoned late-stage Qi Refinement Cultivators with rich fighting experience, facing off against a Foundation Building Cultivator, the outcome becomes uncertain. Likely, it would end with trading injury for injury, life for life, ten lives for one. By the time all the Qi Refinement Cultivators have perished, the Foundation Building Cultivator, if not dead, would be left gravely wounded and on the brink of death.”
“If there are several dozen or even a hundred Qi Refinement late-stage Cultivators, the Foundation Building Cultivator is bound to die if they can’t escape.”
“As the saying goes, even a fierce tiger fears a pack of wolves; that’s the idea.”
Understanding dawned on Mo Hua.