"Is the Qian family's Foundation Building cultivators not making a move because they fear being exhausted and then besieged to death?" Mo Hua asked.
"Yes, but not entirely," Elder Yu said. "On one hand, the Qian family’s Foundation Building cultivators indeed fear being exhausted. If I hold him down, he won't be able to escape and will inevitably be killed."
"In such chaotic battles, Foundation Building cultivators usually balance each other out and don’t make a move lightly. When they do, it either decisively determines the outcome or serves another significant purpose that can sway the battle."
"On the other hand, the Qian family has more than one Foundation Building cultivator..." Elder Yu chuckled lightly.
Mo Hua was puzzled, "Isn't this an advantage for the Qian family?"
Elder Yu did not answer directly but said, "One monk drinks water, two monks carry water, three monks have no water to drink."
"Oh," Mo Hua understood, "They all want others to take the risk and sacrifice, so they can reap the benefits."
Elder Yu nodded approvingly.
"The Qian family has such internal strife?"
Mo Hua nodded.
No wonder Elder Yu always scolded the Qian family as a heartless pack of wolves.
If they treat their own family’s cultivators this way, let alone other cultivators.
"What if all the Qian family's Foundation Building cultivators come together?" Mo Hua asked.
"I hope they do," Elder Yu raised an eyebrow. "If they all come, their family and industries will be unguarded. If their enemies find out and plunder their industries and slaughter their direct descendants, it would be amusing."
Elder Yu's expression was quite schadenfreude.
Mo Hua's mouth gaped, "Does that kind of thing happen?"
"Of course, it does. You're still young. When you've lived for hundreds of years, you'll know that in this world, there's nothing people won't do, only things you can't imagine."
Mo Hua was deeply shocked. "Won't the Dao Court intervene?"
"After the plundering and killing, what use is the Dao Court?"
Elder Yu wanted to curse but restrained himself in front of Mo Hua.
"If the direct disciples are all dead, leaving only the Foundation Building cultivators, it’s just an empty shell that will soon be squeezed out of existence."
"Also, the important industries of the Qian family outside, if not guarded by Foundation Building cultivators, any mishap would be a significant blow..."
"A large family business is hard to protect, so they dare not let their Foundation Building cultivators join the battle early."
"I see..."
Mo Hua realized.
Seeing Mo Hua deep in thought, Elder Yu reassured, "Don’t worry, the Qian family's Foundation Building cultivators seem fierce but are actually cowards. If one comes, I'll deal with him easily. Even if two or three come, I have ways to handle them."
Mo Hua was astonished by Elder Yu’s confidence.
"Elder, are you very powerful?" Mo Hua asked.
"It's not that I'm powerful," Elder Yu sighed, smiling bitterly, "It's just that I dare to risk my life, and they don’t."
Mo Hua looked at Elder Yu.
Elder Yu's lean arms and neck bore various light scars, barely noticeable on his dark skin.
These scars must have been left from desperate battles...
Mo Hua thought silently.
The Qian family didn’t attack, so the demon hunters concentrated on mining spirit mines. But Elder Yu knew the Qian family wouldn’t let it go.
A few days later, the Qian family came again at night.
This time they had reinforcements: several robust earth-attribute spirit root cultivators, fully armed in iron armor.
This was Qian Zhuang's strategy after much deliberation.
The Earth Fire Array’s power wasn't too strong, so he found some tough earth-attribute body cultivators in iron armor to walk through the array.
Without the Earth Fire Array, the path would be clear.
So he used his connections, requesting and pleading to gather several earth-attribute cultivators who practiced earth techniques and had strong bodies.
He also nearly exhausted his savings to buy or borrow a few sets of iron armor and some fire-resistant spirit tools.
Tonight, he must break the Earth Fire Array!
As he expected.
The earth-attribute cultivators in iron armor, equipped with fire-resistant spirit tools, walked through the Earth Fire Array, sparking explosions.
The mountains echoed with explosions and were illuminated by flames.
The fiery spirit energy impacted the iron armor, but most of the force was neutralized. The fire-resistant spirit tools dissolved some of the fire energy, and the remaining power only caused minor injuries to the earth-attribute cultivators in iron armor.
After several passes, the earth-attribute cultivators in iron armor cleared the Earth Fire Array in the mountains.
Some iron armor was damaged, with one set even ruined.
Qian Zhuang felt heartache, but these costs were worth it!
He finally broke the Earth Fire Array!
Qian Zhuang felt triumphant and elated.
He led the Qian family cultivators across the mountain pass, which had previously frustrated him due to the Earth Fire Array.
The Qian family cultivators reached the mine entrance, confronting the demon hunters.
Then Qian Zhuang suddenly realized he had forgotten a crucial point:
Their original tactic seemed to be a sneak attack...
Now, the demon hunters, fully armored and well-prepared, had been watching them for a long time.
After the ordeal of the Earth Fire Array, they finally faced the demon hunters.
But... could this be called a sneak attack?
The demon hunters looked at them with mocking eyes, as if watching fools.
Qian Zhuang's face flashed with anger, but his heart grew cold.
What to do next, he suddenly didn’t know...
Fight?
They probably couldn't win.
Escape?
Then why did they come, and why go through the Earth Fire Array?
As Qian Zhuang doubted himself, Yu Chengyi drew his sword.
Immediately, the demon hunters drew their swords in response.
The night was dark, the demon hunters' swords gleamed white.
"Kill!"
Yu Chengyi roared, and the demon hunters charged at the Qian family cultivators with overwhelming momentum.
Thus, the Qian family cultivators, who had painstakingly crossed the Earth Fire Array, were quickly driven back.
Qian Hong struggled back to the camp, summarizing the battle with a dirty face.
The disciples' casualties were inevitable, and several sets of iron armor were seized.
No wonder, as the demon hunters' primary target was the iron armor, with the people being secondary.
The demon hunters, experienced and cooperative, quickly took down the Qian family cultivators in iron armor.
Then, in a few swift moves, they stripped off and took the iron armor.
For demon hunters skilled in skinning demon beasts, iron armor was no challenge.
Qian Zhuang felt heart-wrenching pain and absurdity.
If he hadn't been so focused on breaking the Earth Fire Array, he wouldn't have forgotten their original intention.
Turning a sneak attack into an open assault.
And getting caught off guard, attacked by an enemy prepared and waiting.
Qian Zhuang was furious.
Who the hell designed this Earth Fire Array?!