Chapter 275: Visualization
Chapter 275: Visualization
Mo Hua was startled and immediately flattened himself on the rafters, remaining absolutely still.
At that moment, a spiritual sense swept over him, but it only skimmed the surface and failed to detect his concealment.
The burly man retracted his spiritual sense, having sensed nothing, and his anger rose. "Who's there? Stop lurking in the shadows!"
The middle-aged cultivator frowned and released his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings.
A noticeably stronger spiritual sense passed through the rafters and converged on Mo Hua, penetrating the concealment array he had cast over himself.
However, beneath the concealment array was another layer of stealth technique.
It was already night, and the rafters were shadowy. Even a half-baked stealth technique would be difficult to detect in such conditions.
The middle-aged cultivator saw through one layer of concealment but still didn't notice Mo Hua. After a moment's hesitation, he retracted his spiritual sense and said indifferently, "There's no one here. No need to be paranoid."
The burly man said, "Impossible. Someone is watching me!"
The middle-aged cultivator glanced at him. "What nonsense. I'm looking at you, aren't I?"
The burly man remained unconvinced, his expression still carrying a hint of aggression. "No, someone is definitely spying on us!"
Mo Hua's heart sank, and he felt a sense of foreboding.
The middle-aged cultivator asked, "Are you suggesting that someone has infiltrated our ranks?"
"It's not impossible," the burly man replied.
The middle-aged cultivator sneered. "And do you know where you are? This is the depths of Great Black Mountain, our sect's stronghold, where we heretic cultivators make our home!"
"I've set up a concealment array at the entrance, and a reinforcing array on the high walls. Every brick and tile in this place is inscribed with a formation.
"How could an ordinary cultivator discover this stronghold, much less dare to enter it, or spy on us under our very noses?"
Mo Hua was secretly astonished.
So this middle-aged cultivator was the formation master, and he had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage!
Despite the middle-aged cultivator's assurances, the burly man was still not satisfied and insisted on trusting his instincts.
"There really is someone spying on us!"
The middle-aged cultivator's expression gradually turned cold. "Are you implying that my formations are inadequate, or are you belittling my spiritual sense?"
The burly man fell silent.
In terms of seniority, he was one rank below the middle-aged cultivator. When it came to formations, he was clueless, and his spiritual sense was far inferior.
If the middle-aged cultivator said there was no one, then there probably wasn't.
The bloodshot look in the burly man's eyes gradually faded, and his aggressive demeanor softened. He cupped his hands and apologized, "Please forgive me, brother. I was rash."
The middle-aged formation master's expression eased slightly, and he nodded in acceptance, no longer holding a grudge. Instead, he asked, "Didn't you drink blood tonight?"
The burly man nodded. "No, I drank some wine, and now my heart is restless."
As he spoke, the bloodshot look returned to his eyes.
His thirst for blood, coupled with the wine, made him suspicious and agitated.
The middle-aged formation master understood and said with a solemn voice, "Make time to drink some blood. Don't let it affect your state of mind and jeopardize our plans."
The burly man nodded. His throat felt even drier, and the more wine he drank, the thirstier he became. His restlessness grew, and he felt as if someone was secretly watching him.
It was an extremely unpleasant feeling.
The burly man's eyes became even more bloodshot, almost entirely red. He stood up and bowed. "I'll take my leave now."
The middle-aged formation master asked, "Human blood might not be enough. Do you want to drink some demonic beast blood? Shall I make arrangements?"
"No need," the burly man replied. "Brother, you are busy with important matters. I won't disturb you further."
After saying goodbye, the burly man left. The middle-aged formation master sat for a while longer, finishing his wine, before retiring to the depths of the inner sect.
Mo Hua waited another two hours to confirm that they were truly gone and not just pretending to leave. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Elder Yu was right. As long as I remain still, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to detect me with these two layers of concealment."
Especially that middle-aged cultivator, who was a formation master himself, had failed to notice Mo Hua's presence.
This truly demonstrated the effectiveness of Mo Hua's stealth methods.
However, Mo Hua did not dare to be complacent.
Eavesdropping under the noses of Foundation Establishment heretic cultivators was extremely dangerous, and even if they couldn't detect him, he didn't want to take such a risk again.
Mo Hua reminded himself to be more cautious in the future.
If his stealth technique was seen through, even with his Swift Flow Step, he might not be able to escape a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It would be best to avoid coming to the inner sect from now on.
Especially those two Foundation Establishment heretic cultivators—it would be wise to stay away from them.
Mo Hua spent the next two days studying the behavior patterns of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.
During the day, the burly man usually cultivated in the inner sect, but at night, he would leave the stronghold alone, his destination unknown.
Mo Hua guessed that he was probably going to drink blood.
The burly man cultivated a heretic art that required him to drink human blood, but having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, human blood was no longer sufficient, so he had to resort to drinking the blood of demonic beasts.
Some demonic beasts fed on human flesh and blood.
Thus, drinking their blood was not much different from drinking human blood.
As for the formation master, he was likely a heretic formation master, remaining in the depths of the inner sect every day, working on some unknown project.
Mo Hua speculated that he was probably going into the deep mountains to draw some kind of formation.
But it was just a guess; he dared not follow, for that would surely mean death.
Gradually, Mo Hua figured out the daily routines of these two Foundation Establishment heretic cultivators.
From then on, as long as he avoided bumping into them, there was nothing to fear within the Black Mountain stronghold.
After all, if the Foundation Establishment formation master and the burly man couldn't detect him, then the other Qi Refining heretic cultivators certainly wouldn't be able to.
Moreover, the formation master himself had said that it was impossible for someone to infiltrate the Black Mountain stronghold and eavesdrop right under their noses.
The other heretics probably trusted even less in the possibility of an intruder.
Mo Hua thought it over and decided to stay in the Black Mountain stronghold for a few more days.
First, he wanted to draw a complete map of the stronghold, and second, he wanted to gather more intelligence.
Knowing oneself and one's enemy, one will never be endangered in a hundred battles.
The Black Mountain sect was too powerful; without understanding their internal situation, they were not a force to be reckoned with.
However, he had to minimize risks and avoid encountering Foundation Establishment heretics.
The formation master had strong spiritual sense, and the burly man had keen instincts; neither was easy to deal with.
Soon, Mo Hua's curiosity got the better of him.
Just how many Foundation Establishment heretics were there in the Black Mountain stronghold?
Mo Hua began eavesdropping everywhere, trying to find out the answer.
Finally, one evening, while two heretics were guarding the mountain gate and chatting over drinks, they mentioned the "leaders" of the Black Mountain stronghold.
One of the heretics had a sturdy build and a vicious knife scar on his face, so Mo Hua nicknamed him "Scarface."
The other had a pale complexion and a slender build, resembling a noodle, so he was dubbed "Pale Face."
Mo Hua didn't know their real names, so these nicknames would have to do.
As for the mountain gate guard duty, Mo Hua now understood what it entailed.
In the middle of the night, they would stand guard at the mountain gate of the Black Mountain stronghold.
If a guilty cultivator brought in a human head as a token of goodwill, they would open the gate and welcome the cultivator in.
If there was an accident or a cultivator tried to escape, they would also be there to raise the alarm.
Guard duty was boring and monotonous.
The mountain winds were chilly at night, and the two heretics huddled around a bonfire, eating dry, hard jerky and drinking cheap wine as they chatted.
Mo Hua sat on the roof behind them, listening intently.
Pale Face, warming himself by the fire, muttered, "There's a curfew in the Black Mountain stronghold, but the Fourth Leader still goes out every night."
Mo Hua's expression stirred at these words.
The Fourth Leader?
That must be the burly man with bloodshot eyes who liked to drink blood.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
The "leaders" were probably the various heads of the Black Mountain sect.
Since the burly man was a Foundation Establishment cultivator ranked fourth, that meant there were at least four Foundation Establishment heretics in the Black Mountain stronghold!
Mo Hua broke out in a cold sweat as he listened.
Four Foundation Establishment heretics, plus hundreds of other heretics who killed without blinking an eye.
Even if all the demon hunters and officials from the Taoist Court of the City of Immortals were to join forces, they would still be completely outmatched.
The old chief magistrate of the Taoist Court was elderly and frail, not skilled in martial arts, and although Elder Yu was powerful, he was no match for four Foundation Establishment heretics.
Once they lost at the Foundation Establishment level, the rest would be a one-sided slaughter.
Mo Hua broke out in a cold sweat, but he calmed himself and continued to listen, eager to gather more information.
Scarface, hearing Pale Face's words, merely replied coldly, "If you were the leader, you wouldn't have to follow these rules either."
Pale Face forced a smile, somewhat dissatisfied.
Then his curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "What do you think the Third Leader is doing, hiding in the rear stronghold every day?"
"What else could he be doing? He's a formation master," Scarface replied.
Pale Face didn't believe it. "Formations are so boring. What's the point of practicing them? How can the Third Leader not be bored?"
"That's why he's the formation master and one of the leaders, while you can only guard the door and keep watch," Scarface said disdainfully.
Pale Face sneered, "Then aren't you just a door guard as well? Aren't we both on guard duty together?"
Scarface's expression turned cold, "Are you asking for death?"
Pale Face was displeased, and for a moment, the tension between them escalated, but they didn't actually come to blows.
Heretic cultivators had violent tempers, but they also knew how to restrain themselves.
After a moment, their emotions calmed, and Pale Face, feeling bored, suddenly leered, "Do you think the Third Leader is hiding a woman in the rear stronghold, enjoying himself every night?"
Scarface glanced at him indifferently and snorted, "Nonsense."
"How do you know?" Pale Face asked, his interest waning.
"I've seen it."
"You've been to the rear stronghold?"
"I've delivered things to the Third Leader a few times."
"What did you see?"
Scarface frowned, thinking for a moment before replying, "The Third Leader is either drawing formations or studying a diagram..."
Mo Hua, who had been listening intently, suddenly had a thought.
A diagram?
What kind of diagram?
Since the Third Leader was a formation master and spent his evenings drawing formations, could it be some kind of rare formation diagram?
"It's not impossible..."
Mo Hua nodded, then paused as a term suddenly popped into his mind.
"Could it be... a visualization diagram?!"
(End of Chapter)
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