Chapter 260: The Cave
Chapter 260: The Cave
There were generally two approaches a cultivator could take when facing a formation: breaking it or unraveling it.
Breaking a formation involved forcibly destroying its core, medium, pivot, or lines using one's cultivation or martial arts prowess.
Unraveling a formation, on the other hand, was a technique that only a few formation masters with extensive knowledge and high attainment could employ.
By manipulating the interrelations of the formation lines, the opening and closing of the pivot structure, or the flow of spiritual energy in the core, one could disable a formation.
At the moment, Mo Hua only knew one method of unraveling formations, which was through the interrelations of the formation lines.
After observing the formation hidden behind the stone wall with his spiritual sense for a while, Mo Hua had a general idea of what it entailed. Inside the wall was predominantly a Five Elements Earth and Stone Formation, interspersed with several other minor formations.
For Sin Cultivators, this was already considered a formidable formation.
However, in Mo Hua's eyes, it wasn't that impressive.
Mo Hua took out his brush and ink from his storage bag and began drawing formation lines on the stone wall.
When unraveling a formation through the interrelations of its lines, there were two scenarios: unraveling from within the formation or unraveling from outside of it.
When unraveling from within, one could see the formation lines, and the lines one drew would be on the same side as the formation's medium.
Mo Hua's usual practice of creating and then unraveling his own formations fell into this category, making it relatively easier.
When unraveling from outside the formation, one couldn't see the formation lines as they were on the opposite side of the medium.
One had to rely on their experience, understanding of formations, and spiritual sense to deduce the type of formation and the location of its lines. Then, by drawing opposing lines in the corresponding positions, one could neutralize the formation lines and disable the formation.
The current situation called for unraveling the formation from the outside.
Mo Hua had never attempted this method before.
Fortunately, the formation on the stone wall wasn't overly complex, and with Mo Hua's extensive knowledge and strong spiritual sense, he was able to pinpoint the exact locations of the formation lines.
All that remained was to draw the opposing lines, which was a simple task.
Within the time it took to drink two cups of tea, Mo Hua had finished drawing the unraveling formation lines on the stone wall.
These lines resembled the structure of the original formation but were imbued with opposing principles, appearing like a mirror image of the formation—bizarre and profound.
Zhang Lan watched in awe.
As Mo Hua's last stroke fell, the unraveling was complete.
The formation lines on the stone wall shimmered, and spiritual energy seeped into them. The stones within the wall rattled, as if the bark were drying and peeling away, causing the entire wall to crack and turn a grayish-brown, resembling dried clay.
Zhang Lan was astonished. "He actually succeeded..."
Moreover, from Mo Hua's confident demeanor, it was clear that he wasn't just guessing; he truly possessed a profound skill in unraveling formations. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to disable the formation in one attempt.
Zhang Lan sighed, realizing that he had once again underestimated Mo Hua's talent for formations.
At this point, it wasn't just talent; Mo Hua had actual attainment in formations.
If he hadn't witnessed it himself, Zhang Lan wouldn't have believed that a cultivator in his early teens had already mastered the art of unraveling formations.
Zhang Lan's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
With the formation on the stone wall neutralized, its protective function was lost.
Now, they needed to break through the wall.
Mo Hua glanced at Zhang Lan, who said quietly, "I'm not a Body Cultivator."
Mo Hua looked at him with a hint of disdain and called out, "Father."
Mo Shan, who was standing at a distance, walked over and asked, "What is it?"
Mo Hua pointed at the stone wall and said, "Father, break through this."
Mo Shan nodded and channeled his spiritual energy to enhance his physical strength. With one punch, he shattered the stone wall into pieces. As the dust settled, the contents of the cave were revealed.
It was a large cave, dark and dry.
The cave was filled with spirit stones and various spiritual tools, and in one corner were piles of bottles and jars, mostly containing pills and some fine wine.
Mo Hua looked on in shock, his heart sinking as he realized the implications.
The more cultivation resources there were, the more cultivators had been robbed and killed by these Sin Cultivators.
"What should we do with all these items?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan pondered briefly before replying, "We should categorize and register them."
He then explained, "There are quite a few missing merchant groups and cultivators whose whereabouts remain unknown. The items here can help identify who these sinners robbed and which cultivators they killed."
"The families of those missing cultivators are still waiting for their return. They deserve to know whether their loved ones are alive or dead."
Speaking of this, Zhang Lan sighed.
The path of cultivation was treacherous. If one's strength was insufficient and they encountered danger, their fate hung in the balance.
Mo Hua nodded in agreement.
Zhang Lan glanced at Mo Hua and continued, "If you see something you like, feel free to take it. The Court will surely bestow a generous reward for your accomplishments. It's only right that you take something as well."
Mo Hua thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Never mind. Most of these items belonged to innocent people who died unjustly. Let's register them first so that we can identify their owners and provide some closure to their families."
Zhang Lan nodded approvingly at Mo Hua's words.
Mo Hua surveyed the cave once more and suddenly felt puzzled. "It seems like there's nothing here that belongs to Kong Sheng's merchant group."
"What about those pills?"
Kong Sheng's merchant group dealt in the business of selling pills.
As Zhang Lan spoke, a realization struck him, and he quickly added, "That's not right."
He walked to the corner, picked up a few bottles of pills, and uncorked them. After taking a whiff, his brows furrowed. "These are aged pills; the scent is faint. They weren't robbed recently."
If one was in the business of selling pills, they wouldn't deal in aged pills. Even if they tried to pass them off as higher quality, it would only be a small portion.
Most of the pills would be freshly made, usually within the last six months.
Freshly made pills had a strong aroma, while aged pills gradually lost their scent over time.
All the pills in this cave were aged pills with a faint fragrance.
This implied that the sinful cultivators hadn't robbed any merchant groups dealing in pills recently.
"That's impossible..." Zhang Lan muttered, perplexed. "Could they have consumed all these pills themselves?"
He thought for a moment before dismissing the idea.
"There are two or three dozen of them. Even if they treated the pills as meals, they couldn't finish this many in such a short time."
Upon hearing this, Mo Shan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "There wasn't any scent of blood when we arrived in this valley."
This implied that the group of sinners didn't bring their victims to the valley to kill them.
Furthermore, based on what Bald Tuo had said, they usually killed their victims on the spot and then looted their possessions.
When Kong Sheng's merchant group was attacked, there weren't many bloodstains at the scene, only those left from the fight. There were no traces of a massacre.
If they had been devoured by beasts, the scene would have been much bloodier.
For a moment, the three of them were filled with doubts.
Logically, Bald Tuo should have robbed the merchant group, taken the pills, and killed the cultivators on the spot.
Kong Sheng should have died along with the merchants.
However, it now appeared that Bald Tuo and his group hadn't robbed that particular merchant group, which meant they hadn't killed Kong Sheng either.
So, where had that merchant group gone?
And what about Kong Sheng? Was he dead or alive?
(End of Chapter)
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