Chapter 167 Earth-Wood Formation_1
A First Grade Earth-Wood Compound Formation?
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, and he immediately began to flip through the pages.
The so-called First Grade Earth-Wood Compound Formation is a complex formation that includes the First Grade Nine Pattern Earth Stone Formation and the Five Formation Patterns Wood Qi Formation.
As the highest single formation within the compound formation reached the first grade, it could indeed be considered a First Grade Compound Formation.
This set of Earth-Wood Compound Formation contained only two single formations and didn’t have a separate Spirit Gathering Array as the formation eye. Instead, it relied on the Spirit Gathering Formation Patterns within the single formations to gather spiritual power, which meant its power would be somewhat weaker, but its effects were still much stronger than a First Grade Earth Stone Formation.
After all, even if weaker, it was still considered a compound formation.
Moreover, because the structure was relatively simple, it wouldn’t be too difficult to learn.
If it included three or more single formations and used a Spirit Gathering Array as the formation eye, the formation pivot’s structure would be completely different. With Mo Hua’s current level of formation skills, it would be very difficult to learn.
The two single formations included in this set of compound formations consisted of the Wood Qi Formation with only five formation patterns, which Mo Hua knew, and he had just learned the First Grade Earth Stone Formation as well.
To learn this compound formation, all he needed to do was master its formation pivot.
Mo Hua decided he would practice this compound formation on the Taoist Stele that night!
By 1 a.m., Mo Hua had firmly memorized the formation pivot of the Earth-Wood Compound Formation, and then he closed his eyes to sleep, his divine sense sinking into his sea of consciousness, with the Taoist Stele emerging within it.
Mo Hua began to practice the formation on the Taoist Stele.
It didn’t start off smoothly, but learning formations was a process that required practice makes perfect. If once didn’t work, he’d try twice; if twice didn’t work, then three times.
Mo Hua drew it over and over again.
However, after all, he was only at the sixth level of Qi Refinement. His divine sense was sufficient to draw out a First Grade Nine Pattern Formation, but drawing a First Grade Compound Formation was still a bit of a stretch.
Mo Hua drew all night but still didn’t master the First Grade Earth-Wood Compound Formation.
The next day, Elder Yu looked eagerly at Mo Hua.
Although he didn’t ask, his eyes were full of anticipation.
Mo Hua thought for a moment.
Sealing the cave entrance with a First Grade Earth Stone Formation should be enough, but using the Earth-Wood Compound Formation would likely be better.
Since he wasn’t in a hurry for just a day or two, Mo Hua asked Elder Yu to wait a little longer.
Mo Hua practiced throughout the day, exhausting his divine sense, and then meditated to recover.
He practiced on the Taoist Stele again all night and finally managed to draw out the First Grade Earth-Wood Compound Formation at last.
Mo Hua informed Elder Yu, who was overjoyed, and immediately ordered the Monster Hunters to start sealing the cave.
But sealing this cave wouldn’t be so easy. Taking such an overt action would undoubtedly alert the Qian Family. If they harassed them daily, the cave entrance wouldn’t be sealed after all.
Mo Hua asked Elder Yu if there was a way to deal with it.
Elder Yu chuckled, not answering, but rather told Mo Hua just to watch closely.
Elder Yu still started with a verbal tirade.
He stood at the mouth of the mine, portraying himself as outraged, cursing the Qian Family, Qian Hong, and Qian Zhongxuan, and he seemed so frustrated by being trapped that it appeared unbearable.
Then, Elder Yu ordered all the Monster Hunters to charge out, showing the resolve and momentum of a fight to the death, as if they had their backs against the wall and regarded death with indifference.
Qian Hong didn’t want a head-on confrontation, so he retreated.
At this point, in Qian Hong’s eyes, these Monster Hunters were like fish trapped in a jar, easy prey, unworthy of him taking casualties or engaging them in a desperate fight.
The Monster Hunters were engaging in a struggle of despair, and if pushed too far, they might take a desperate and destructive stand that would be more than the Qian Family could afford.
The Qian Family had already suffered great losses, and they couldn’t afford to increase these losses any further, at least not during his command.
Therefore, when the Monster Hunters showed a determination to fight to the death, the Qian Family immediately retreated.
For three consecutive days, the Monster Hunters did the same, giving the impression they were ready to fight to the last.
For Qian Hong, Elder Yu was clearly at his wits’ end, and so he became even less anxious, instructing the Qian Family’s cultivators to retreat far away and avoid direct confrontation with the Monster Hunters.
A swift success, followed by decline, and ultimately exhaustion.
Qian Hong didn’t believe the Monster Hunters could last long with their fighting spirit alone.
Once their morale dissipated, it would be his time to reap the benefits, so he was in no rush.
This was exactly what Elder Yu had hoped for. He cursed Qian Hong inwardly, “Truly an old turtle,” and then ordered the sealing of the cave’s entrance.
The Monster Hunters used discarded stones from mining to block the entrance while Mo Hua painted an Earth-Wood Compound Formation on the stone walls on either side.
After the painting was complete, the Monster Hunters would use more broken stones to fill in another layer, Mo Hua would paint another Earth-Wood Compound Formation, and then they blocked it again while Mo Hua painted yet another one.
All the other entrances were being sealed, with only one at the highest point of the mountainside left open.
This entrance was left open for Elder Yu to curse through.
Elder Yu would sit there when he had nothing else to do, hurling insults, calling Qian Hong a cowardly turtle, lacking guts, afraid to face a real challenge.
In reality, it was a diversion to tie up the Qian Family’s attention, making them hesitant to launch a reckless attack.
The more furiously Elder Yu cursed, the more at ease Qian Hong felt.
However, as time went on, Qian Hong began to sense that something was amiss.
He felt that Yu Changlin’s cursing lacked its previous satisfaction and seemed deliberate, as if trying to hide something.
Qian Hong was on alert, but also dared not act rashly. He merely dispatched a small group of people to probe the mine’s entrance under the cover of night.
This group of Qian Family Cultivators had just arrived at the mine’s entrance when they were ambushed by the Monster Hunters.
Mo Shan, Yu Chengyi, and a few other Qi Refining Ninth Level Monster Hunters were not inside the mine but had been lying in wait outside, ready to pounce on any probing Qian Family Cultivators.
Clad in iron armor and wielding large sabers, and with Spiritual Power surging, the Qian Family Cultivators didn’t stand a chance and fled in disarray.
Qian Hong, however, was relieved, thinking to himself,
“Yu Changlin, that old rogue, as expected, his sealing of the cave was a feint, and the ambush was real. Lucky for me, I anticipated this and only sent a few Cultivators to scout. Otherwise, I would have suffered a major setback!”
The ambushers, including Mo Shan and others, returned to the Spiritual mines through the entrance in the middle of the mountain.
This ambush was a one-time tactic, but it was primarily meant as a distraction, and one time was sufficient for its purpose.
Qian Hong’s hesitance bought time for everyone to seal the cave and allowed Mo Hua to draw Formation Patterns without much interference.
As time dragged on, Qian Zhongxuan felt something was not right. He approached Qian Hong and said,
“It seems like Yu Changlin wants to seal off the entrance.”
Qian Hong replied indifferently, “I know.”
Qian Zhongxuan frowned. “Are we just going to let him seal it?”
Qian Hong looked unconcerned, “The sealing of the entrance is a ruse, the ambush is the reality.”
“But what if they really seal off the entrance? What do we do then?” Qian Zhongxuan asked.
Qian Hong said, “It’s mere earth and stone. If they seal the entrance, breaking through it will be easy!”
“What if they dig another mine tunnel and escape?” Qian Zhongxuan pressed on.
“They won’t get away,” Qian Hong sneered. “We’ve been dealing with Yu Changlin for more than a day or two. We can guess all the tactics he might employ without even thinking. He’ll either defend the entrance or dig another tunnel to flee.”
“If we can break through the entrance, it will be like catching turtles in a jar. If we find the tunnel, we can ambush them halfway. Then, the Spiritual mines they’ve painstakingly mined will all belong to us.”
Qian Hong’s eyes were cold, and he sneered mockingly, “We’ll kill them, take the Spirit Stones as our own, and without lifting a finger, we gain doubly.”
Qian Zhongxuan said out loud, “The Family Head is wise.”
But inwardly, he cursed, truly a dog can’t change its habit of eating shit, always looking for a bargain in everything.
Would that old curmudgeon Yu Changlin let you take advantage of him so easily?
And the Formation Master among the Monster Hunters hasn’t made a move yet.
In a situation where Cultivators are at odds, Formations can be very problematic, and he had suffered from it before.
Qian Zhongxuan knew the stakes, yet he kept silent!
He was actually looking forward to seeing whether Qian Hong’s bargain hunting this time would bring him benefits or setbacks.
His own foundation had been depleted anyway, and his position in the Clan was gone, so he was delighted to watch from the sidelines.
If there’s misfortune to be had, let everyone suffer together; no one would get away scot-free!
Qian Zhongxuan thought bitterly.