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Chapter 169: Sealing the Cave
Chapter 169: Sealing the Cave
By the time Qian Hong felt that he had a foolproof plan, the demon hunters had already sealed off the cave entrance.
Piles of rubble formed a wall, and Mo Hua drew an array on it. More rubble was piled on, and he drew the array again. This process was repeated three times, resulting in three walls and three arrays.
Mo Hua obtained several hundred spirit stones from Elder Yu, crushed them, and infused them with spiritual energy to activate the Earth Restoration Array.
The array's earthen gray and pale green patterns intertwined, and spiritual power seeped into the rubble, fusing the earth and stone together to form an impenetrable barrier.
"Will this array hold?" Elder Yu still felt uneasy.
Mo Hua was confident that it would.
The Earthfire Array used paper as a medium and could only be used once, whereas the current Earth Restoration Array used earth and stone as its medium, making it durable and long-lasting. Breaking it would be time-consuming and challenging.
After all, it was a first-grade restoration array, and it should be sufficient to deal with Qi Refining cultivators—unless Qian Hong and Qian Zhongxuan, who were at the Foundation Establishment stage, decided to intervene.
However, without testing it, one couldn't be too sure.
So Mo Hua could only vaguely reply, "It should be fine."
At this point, Elder Yu didn't hesitate anymore and ordered all the cultivators to focus on digging an escape tunnel, abandoning any further plans to mine for spirit stones.
The demon hunters' activities didn't go unnoticed by the Qian family.
Qian Hong coldly smirked, "As expected, Elder Yu of the Long family has sealed the entrance and is digging a tunnel."
He immediately ordered the Qian family cultivators to investigate. Upon their return, they reported that the cave entrance was indeed blocked by a wall of earth and stone.
Qian Hong wasn't concerned. He knew that a wall made of dirt and rocks, even if it blocked the entrance, wouldn't hold up for more than a couple of days before they could break through it.
However, after attempting to break through the entrance for some time, the Qian family cultivators returned, reporting, "We can't break it, Master Qian."
Qian Hong frowned, "What do you mean you can't break it?"
The disciple lowered his head and explained, "The cave entrance is sealed with earth and stone, and we can't seem to make a dent in it..."
Qian Hong's frown deepened.
Upon hearing this, Qian Zhongxuan was taken aback, a guess forming in his mind. A smile of glee appeared on his face.
Qian Hong said, "I'll go take a look myself."
When Qian Hong arrived at the cave entrance sealed with earth and stone, he immediately sensed the fluctuations of the array on the surface.
An array had been drawn on these stones? Qian Hong had a bad feeling about this. He instructed, "Try attacking it."
Several Qian family cultivators stepped forward, some with knives, some with swords, and others using their bare hands or spells.
While they managed to chip away at the stones and create some gaps, the rubble soon seemed to come alive, merging back together.
The stones seemed to have a life of their own, as if they were bound together like wood and earth, and could even self-repair.
The Qian family cultivators attacked relentlessly, but their efforts yielded minimal results, leaving them exhausted.
Qian Hong couldn't hold back anymore. He drew his sword and slashed at the stones with the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
His sword strike, empowered by spiritual energy, seemed to take on a solid form, and with its might, it cleaved away a layer of the rubble.
But Qian Hong was astonished, "A first-grade array?"
Had Qian Zhongxuan spoken the truth? There really was someone among the demon hunters who could draw a first-grade array!
Qian Hong's shocked expression brought great satisfaction to Qian Zhongxuan.
"In the end, an array with seven array patterns is nothing more than this. I'm sure you'll be able to break it soon, Master Qian, and capture these demon hunters all at once!"
Qian Zhongxuan maintained a serious expression on the surface, but his tone carried a hint of mockery.
Qian Hong's face remained calm, but he felt a flash of anger inside, unable to refute the statement.
The array master among the demon hunters was just an ordinary array master capable of drawing seven array patterns.
Since he had said those words himself, refuting them now would be like slapping his own face.
For now, he had no choice but to endure Qian Zhongxuan's ridicule, planning to settle the score with him later.
The most pressing issue at hand was how to break through the cave entrance, invade the mine, kill these demon hunters, seize the spirit stones, and claim the spirit vein for themselves.
Just as Qian Hong was about to take matters into his own hands, a voice rang out from above:
"We agreed that those at the Foundation Establishment stage wouldn't intervene. Don't be shameless."
Qian Hong looked up and saw Elder Yu standing at the only cave entrance that hadn't been sealed, on the mountainside, looking down at them with a mocking expression.
Qian Hong's brow furrowed, and ironically, he hesitated to make a move.
What if he broke through the cave entrance and exhausted too much spiritual power, only to be ambushed by Elder Yu? He might not even be able to defeat him.
If this matter reached the Dao Court, Elder Yu could also argue that it was the Qian family's Foundation Establishment cultivator who had made the first move.
After all, the Qian family's cultivator had taken the initiative by attempting to break the demon hunters' formation.
Moreover, with Qian Zhongxuan standing by, taking action himself might only play into his hands.
After a moment of hesitation, Qian Hong waved his hand, signaling for his cultivators to stop.
"Very well, I'll stick to our agreement and only let the Qi Refining cultivators take action."
Elder Yu heaved a sigh of relief, but his disdain for Qian Hong only grew stronger.
"Then don't hog the spotlight. Scram and make way for your underlings, those little bastards at the Qi Refining stage, and let's see if they can break through this mine entrance."
Qian Hong shot a venomous glance at Elder Yu and gestured with his hand.
The Qian family cultivators then took turns attacking the cave entrance, some with knives and swords, others with martial arts techniques or spells, chipping away at the earthen wall.
As one cultivator tired, another would take their place.
However, the entrance where Elder Yu stood guard was impenetrable, making it impossible for them to break through.
They needed to create multiple entrances and attack simultaneously with a large group of cultivators to have any chance of defeating these demon hunters.
Although the First-Grade Earth Restoration Array was powerful, its effectiveness also relied on the support of the spirit stones' spiritual energy.
Each time the array was damaged, a portion of spiritual energy was consumed.
The Qian family cultivators relentlessly attacked day and night for several days until they finally managed to break through one of the Earth Restoration Arrays.
With a thunderous crash, the first wall of rubble collapsed, no longer bolstered by the array.
The Qian family cultivators' spirits soared, and their faces lit up with joy.
However, their happiness was short-lived as they soon realized something was amiss. Behind the first wall, there was another wall of stone.
They tested it by swinging their blades, but the wall remained unyielding, indicating that this wall, too, was inscribed with an array.
Despair washed over the faces of the Qian family cultivators, and Qian Hong's eyes twitched uncontrollably.
He never expected Elder Yu to be so ruthless, setting up two stone walls and inscribing two sets of arrays.
Wait, could there be more than just two...?
Qian Hong gritted his teeth and ordered his cultivators to take a break and rest before resuming their attack.
At this point, there was no turning back.
As the Qian family began their assault on the mine, Elder Yu remained inside, listening intently. But soon, he noticed that the Qian family had suddenly stopped their attack, and he couldn't help but wonder, "Why have they stopped?"
"Perhaps they're exhausted," came the reply.
After several days, Mo Hua finally confirmed the effectiveness of the First-Grade Earth Restoration Array. For Qi Refining cultivators, this array was incredibly challenging to breach.
Moreover, Mo Hua had layered three arrays on top of each other.
Elder Yu still didn't quite understand. "How is it that they can't break through?"
"This is a First-Grade Restoration Array. Breaking through three layers will exhaust them to death!"
"Restoration Array?" Elder Yu hadn't heard of it before and was perplexed.
"It's an array that's even more powerful than a First-Grade array by a slight margin," Mo Hua explained.
Elder Yu's eyes widened in surprise. More powerful than a First-Grade array?
He then asked, "Doesn't that mean this array can hold them off for a long time?"
Mo Hua made some calculations and nodded. "Indeed, if the Foundation Establishment cultivators don't intervene, we can hold them off for a very long time."
"As long as we don't run out of food and water," he added.
Elder Yu froze, suddenly filled with deep regret.
If only he had known how effective Mo Hua's array was, he wouldn't have rushed to dig the tunnel.
There were still plenty of spirit stones untouched within the mine...
They were all precious spiritual stones!
Elder Yu, who was always frugal, wore an expression of pained reluctance.
Mo Hua noticed Elder Yu's inner conflict and, after some thought, suggested, "Why don't we take more drastic measures? We won't even give them a drop of water to drink!"
Elder Yu's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and after a moment of contemplation, he nodded in agreement. "You're right. Wastefulness will bring divine retribution!"
(End of Chapter)
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