Both sides agreed that Foundation Building cultivators would not take part in the fight.
The next day, the Qian family cultivators began their operation, their ranks extending from the base of Nameless Peak all the way to the mine halfway up the mountain.
Their numbers were roughly twice that of the demon hunters.
From the entrance of the highest mine, Mo Hua looked down and saw a dense crowd of Qian family cultivators. He estimated there were over a thousand people.
How could they possibly win this fight?
Mo Hua turned to Elder Yu.
Elder Yu nonchalantly said, "They may look numerous, but they are all useless."
Thus, the two sides began to engage.
At first, it was just tentative strikes, testing each other's strength.
The Qian family cultivators, despite their higher cultivation, were used to a life of leisure and their Dao techniques were mediocre. They didn't dare to risk their lives, fighting timidly.
After a brief chaotic battle, the situation became clear.
The demon hunters could advance or retreat as needed, appearing to fight individually but supporting each other. Despite their numerical disadvantage, they managed to make the Qian family cultivators retreat step by step.
Demon hunters made their living by hunting demonic beasts; defeating these unskilled cultivators was no difficult task.
The Qian family cultivators gradually began to lose ground.
Qian Zhongxuan watched, his expression indifferent, and signaled for the Qian family cultivators to retreat.
He probably wanted to avoid being berated by Elder Yu for being slow.
The first day ended abruptly, with both sides resting and recuperating. The next day, they faced off again.
This time, the Qian family cultivators had about twenty new members.
These twenty cultivators stood together, heavily protected by the other Qian family cultivators.
Elder Yu frowned, "So this is Qian Zhongxuan's plan."
He said this while chewing on a piece of beef.
The beef belonged to Mo Hua.
Elder Yu had been observing the battle from above and spotted Mo Hua peeking out from a cave, with wild fruits, pine nuts, beef, and fruit wine laid out before him.
Worried about Mo Hua's safety, Elder Yu joined him.
The two watched and ate together.
Mo Hua initially thought today would be like the previous day—a victory with some setbacks but ultimately one-sided.
So he prepared snacks and drinks, ready to watch the show.
But now, seeing Elder Yu frowning and looking uneasy, Mo Hua asked, "Is something wrong?"
Elder Yu pointed at the twenty Qian family cultivators standing alone and said, "Look at those people."
Mo Hua observed them. They seemed weak, not particularly strong, but the Qian family had isolated and heavily protected them, which was puzzling.
"Elder, who are they?"
"You'll see soon enough," Elder Yu replied.
Before long, the battle resumed, with the demon hunters charging forward.
The Qian family cultivators didn't advance but formed a defensive formation around those twenty cultivators.
At the same time, those twenty cultivators began casting spells in unison.
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
They were spiritual cultivators!
Within a few breaths, the spiritual cultivators completed their spells. Fireballs, ice arrows, and wind blades flew out, hitting the demon hunters.
In the chaos, the spells didn't need to be accurately aimed; they hit targets regardless.
Those struck by the spells either spat blood from the impact or collapsed from severe injuries, losing their combat capability.
Meanwhile, the Qian family's body cultivators pressed forward, pushing back the demon hunters.
The spiritual cultivators continued casting spells.
Soon, another wave of fireballs and ice arrows rained down.
The demon hunters were in agony.
If they charged, they would be blocked by the Qian family's body cultivators.
If they didn't charge, they would become live targets for the spiritual cultivators' spells.
Elder Yu frowned even deeper.
Twenty spiritual cultivators, most in the late stages of Qi Refinement, some even at the ninth level!
Qian Zhongxuan had planned this all along.
He was taking advantage of the demon hunters' lack of spiritual cultivators!
Qi Refinement stage demon hunters were indeed unsuitable for becoming spiritual cultivators.
Casting spells took time, and in the life-and-death battles with demonic beasts, a slight delay could be fatal.
Thus, demon hunters generally focused on martial arts and Dao techniques, using spiritual energy to enhance their physical abilities in combat.
Moreover, spiritual cultivators were physically weaker. A light scratch from a demonic beast could be fatal. Body cultivators, with their tough bodies, could withstand more attacks.
But now, fighting against the Qian family cultivators, the Qian family knew the demon hunters had no spiritual cultivators, or at least none that could make a difference.
Taking advantage of this, the Qian family used their spiritual cultivators to gradually wear down the demon hunters.
There were a few spiritual cultivators among the demon hunters, but not enough to turn the tide.
Elder Yu's anger simmered.
No wonder Qian Zhongxuan insisted on excluding Foundation Building cultivators from the fight.
If he could participate, he would have immediately slaughtered those twenty spiritual cultivators, saving a lot of trouble.
But now, he couldn't intervene. The demon hunters, with only their Qi Refinement stage body cultivators, couldn't break through and could only endure the spiritual cultivators' spells.
Elder Yu sighed, realizing the unfavorable situation, and ordered the demon hunters to retreat, holding only the entrance of the mine.
Qian Zhongxuan sneered and did not pursue.
He wasn't in a hurry. Without dealing with the spiritual cultivators, the demon hunters would be slowly worn down.
Chasing recklessly could fall into Elder Yu's trap.
Over the years, he had dealt with Elder Yu many times and knew the man was shameless to the extreme.
He had rarely gained the upper hand against Elder Yu, but now it was his turn to revel in victory.
The Qian family withdrew, and Elder Yu frowned, pondering how to deal with their spiritual cultivators.
Yu Chengyi suggested, "Father, why don't you secretly kill those spiritual cultivators?"
Elder Yu glared at him. "What nonsense! Didn't you hear what that old scoundrel said? The Dao Court's director is overseeing this. If I act rashly, it would be a slap in the Dao Court's face. How would I explain it to the director?"
Yu Chengyi whispered, "Secretly…"
Elder Yu raised an eyebrow, "Do you think everyone is stupid and won't notice it was me?"
Yu Chengyi had no response. After a while, he suggested, "We could charge in wearing iron armor?"
Mo Shan shook his head, "Wearing iron armor would slow us down, making us easier targets."
Yu Chengyi proposed, "Then let's send a few with agile movement techniques to bypass the Qian family's body cultivators and assassinate their spiritual cultivators from behind!"
Mo Shan nodded, "That's the best option for now, but it's risky. Extreme caution is needed, or they could be surrounded and trapped."
"The risk is too high. If they fail, it will be hard to escape," Elder Yu sighed.
He didn't want the demon hunters to take such a risk unless absolutely necessary.
"Should we find spiritual cultivators to counter them?" Yu Chengyi tentatively asked.
Elder Yu thought for a moment and shook his head, "Our spiritual cultivators aren't strong enough or numerous enough to change the situation."
The group fell silent.
Elder Yu suddenly remembered something, "Do we have any spiritual cultivators among the demon hunters?"
Yu Chengyi and Mo Shan were stunned, unable to recall anyone.
A proper demon hunter wouldn't be a spiritual cultivator, right?
They looked at each other.
Mo Hua timidly raised his hand, "I am."