https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-132-The-Heart-of-the-Formation-Part-Five-/12540797/
Chapter 133: Disappearance (Part One)
Chapter 133: Disappearance (Part One)
Mo Hua prepared to draw the formal Si Nan child-mother array.
He sought out Master Chen and refined a simple compass, as well as several dozen stone needles.
For the Si Nan child-mother array, there was only one set of mother arrays, drawn on the compass. There could be many child arrays, inscribed on the stone needles.
The child arrays were independent of each other and only interacted with the mother array. Although it seemed like there were many child arrays, in reality, there was still only a single pair of simple arrays controlled by the array pivot.
Thus, the Si Nan child-mother array could only be considered a composite array containing two simple arrays.
After half a day of drawing, Mo Hua completed the array.
Next, he prepared to test its effectiveness.
Mo Hua ventured into the Great Black Mountain, setting up traps and arrays. He then inserted a stone needle about ten zhang away from where he had set up his arrays. Leaving Da Hu and the others to keep watch, Mo Hua ran off with the Si Nan mother array in hand.
He ran for over half an hour before finally stopping to hide in a patch of grass, keeping his eyes fixed on the compass in his hand.
Mo Hua waited, and as he did, he began to feel drowsy.
Suddenly, one of the dots on the compass lit up.
The lit-up dot corresponded precisely to the stone needle Mo Hua had inserted earlier.
Mo Hua's spirits lifted, and he immediately ran back.
By the time he returned, the demonic beast had been killed by Da Hu and the others, lying on the ground with its blood not yet dried.
Mo Hua walked over, placed his finger on the demon beast's heart meridian, and found that its blood still retained vitality; with his spiritual sense, he could manipulate it. So, he took out a jade bottle and, using the blood-drawing technique, began to draw the demon blood.
After filling eight or nine bottles with blood, Mo Hua stopped.
He then ran over to check on the stone needle, which was also intact and undamaged, causing a smile to appear on his face.
"Mo Hua, are you done?"
"Yep, all done!"
Da Hu and the others didn't know what Mo Hua was doing with the compass, but they guessed it had something to do with arrays.
As they didn't understand arrays, they didn't ask. However, seeing that Mo Hua had successfully completed his task, they couldn't help but smile along with him.
As usual, the group skinned and gutted the demonic beast, which now had its blood drained, and placed it into their storage bags.
They would sell the spirit stones later that night and deliver them to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua waved goodbye to Da Hu and the others and continued wandering around the Great Black Mountain, placing stone needles inscribed with the Si Nan child array in various locations.
The places where the stone needles were placed were mostly intersections, mountain paths, and forests that demonic beasts or demon hunters had to pass through—ideal spots for setting up traps.
It took Mo Hua three to four days to place all several dozen stone needles.
With this, the outer mountain was basically under Mo Hua's control.
While he might not be aware of every minor detail, at the very least, if there was any spiritual energy disturbance caused by cultivators fighting, or demonic beasts clashing, Mo Hua would be able to know about it immediately just by looking at his compass.
In the following days, Mo Hua busied himself running around the outer mountain with his compass.
Whenever a dot on the compass lit up, it meant a battle was taking place.
Most of the time, the disturbances were caused by the explosion of Earthfire Arrays as novice demon hunters ganged up on demonic beasts.
By the time Mo Hua arrived, the battle would usually be nearing its end, and he would wait until the demonic beast breathed its last before going to draw its blood.
On some occasions, other demon hunters would be the ones besieging a demonic beast.
Normally, it wouldn't be permissible for others to lay claim to a demonic beast that a demon hunter team was hunting.
But Mo Hua was a familiar face, a very familiar one at that.
Most demon hunter teams had either requested Mo Hua's help with arrays in the past or wanted to be on good terms with him so that they could ask for his assistance in the future.
As such, most teams didn't mind Mo Hua drawing some blood from the demonic beasts they had killed.
After all, they had no use for the demon blood anyway.
And then there were the disturbances caused by demonic beasts fighting each other, their clashing demonic energies creating fluctuations.
Demonic beasts fought for many reasons: courtship, foraging, hunting, and vying for territory.
It was too risky to approach them during these times, so Mo Hua could only watch from a distance, gaining knowledge about their behaviors and characteristics while also taking note of any unique demonic abilities or enraged states.
His collection of demon blood also grew, amounting to several hundred bottles.
Well-prepared, Mo Hua intended to break through to the next realm and then strive to become a first-rate, nine-patterned formation master.
In the following days, Mo Hua focused on cultivating and studying formations with a peaceful mind.
Several days later, as evening approached, Mo Hua and Liu Ruhua were at home, waiting for Mo Shan to return for dinner.
Suddenly, a torrential downpour drenched the land, lasting for half a mark.
After the rain subsided, Mo Shan returned, his expression solemn. He ate a few quick bites, packed some dry rations, and prepared to head out again.
Mo Hua couldn't help but ask, "Father, what's wrong?"
Mo Shan hadn't intended to say anything, but thinking of Mo Hua's ability to survive independently in the Great Black Mountain and how he was no longer the frail child he once was, he replied gravely, "Lao Zhao is missing."
Mo Hua paused slightly, "The one with a medium build, thick eyebrows, and who practices the Mountain Splitting Palm, that Uncle Zhao?"
Mo Shan was taken aback, "You know him?"
"En." Mo Hua nodded.
That day, when he had asked Elder Yu to borrow some people, Elder Yu had called out "Lao Zhao" and asked him to look after the Qi Refining cultivator who was at the late stage.
Mo Shan nodded, "That's right."
"Where did he go missing?"
"In the Great Black Mountain."
"I'll go take a look as well."
Mo Shan was about to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he said, "Follow me and don't wander off."
"En."
Liu Ruhua prepared some more food for them to take along, her face filled with worry as she instructed, "Be careful on the way."
Mo Shan and Mo Hua left the house, but instead of heading directly into the Great Black Mountain, they first went to Elder Yu's residence.
Elder Yu's home was a bit more spacious, though simply furnished. Several demon hunters were standing inside.
Elder Yu's gaze swept over Mo Shan and landed on Mo Hua, who was by his side. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he nodded and offered Mo Hua a kind smile.
Then, his expression turned solemn as he said, "Lao Zhao has gone missing. I've already sent Cheng Yi with a group to look for him, but we haven't received any news yet."
"Could he have just been blocked by the heavy rain and taken shelter somewhere in the mountains? Maybe he'll descend the mountain tomorrow at daybreak," one of the demon hunters speculated.
Elder Yu shook his head. "Lao Zhao's wife came by. She said her husband is missing."
Elder Yu proceeded to explain the situation.
Lao Zhao's wife was pregnant, already five or six months along.
Lao Zhao had heard from an alchemist about a medicinal herb called White Herb Ginseng, which could nourish qi and stabilize the fetus. So, he went up the mountain, found the herb, and picked it with the intention of bringing it down the mountain for his wife.
However, the demonic beast they hunted that day was particularly tricky, which delayed them. Later, as he was descending the mountain, he discovered that his storage bag was torn, and the White Herb Ginseng was missing.
Lao Zhao guessed that he must have lost it while fighting the demonic beast, so he told his wife that he would go back into the mountain to look for it and that he would return soon.
As soon as Lao Zhao entered the mountain, a torrential rain began to pour. After the rain stopped, he still hadn't returned.
Usually, it wasn't uncommon for demon hunters to spend a night in the mountains due to unforeseen circumstances.
However, Lao Zhao's wife was gripped by a sudden sense of panic and unease, as if she would never see her husband again.
She couldn't explain this feeling of foreboding, but it was so strong that she felt compelled to seek help from Elder Yu, begging him to send people to look for her husband in the mountains.
Elder Yu sighed, "It's better to be safe than sorry. It's better for everyone to endure a little hardship than for Lao Zhao to lose his life, leaving behind a widow and orphan to struggle."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
