Chapter 327: The Third Patriarch
Chapter 327: The Third Patriarch
The matter of Black Mountain Fortress had more or less come to a close.
The identity of the Qian family's old ancestor had been exposed, and the Qian family could no longer rely on the fortress for their misdeeds.
Without the support of the Qian family, Black Mountain Fortress would find it difficult to develop, and without the fortress as their base, the Qian family could not continue to expand their influence.
Even the instigator, the Qian family's old ancestor, who was still lurking in the Great Black Mountain, would not be able to stir up any trouble in the short term.
As strong as a Foundation Establishment cultivator may be, without the support of a family or faction, they are just a cultivator with nowhere to exert their abilities.
Moreover, the Qian family's old ancestor was severely injured, so his cultivation level wouldn't have increased by much.
However, to truly put an end to the Black Mountain affair, there were two more things that needed to be done.
First, they had to find the Third Patriarch.
As an evil array master, his ability to create evil arrays meant he couldn't be left unchecked, or he would surely leave endless trouble in his wake.
Array masters were already extraordinary, and the Third Patriarch was a Foundation Establishment cultivator on top of that.
Even if he had mediocre talent and was lazy, only reaching the level of a first-grade array master, he was still a force to be reckoned with.
After all, without the arrays he had set up, Black Mountain Fortress might have been discovered long ago, and they wouldn't have been able to hide in the Great Black Mountain for so long.
The second thing was to pursue and kill the Qian family's old ancestor.
Mo Hua always felt that there was more to the old ancestor than met the eye.
The old ancestor was a deep thinker, and his scheming mind probably had more twists and turns than a maze of mouse holes.
Even when he was surrounded and seemed to be at the end of his rope, the old ancestor remained remarkably calm.
Mo Hua couldn't understand it.
Was he truly relying on something, or was he just so good at hiding his emotions that he wouldn't show any signs of frustration or panic, even when faced with death?
Mo Hua didn't know if the old ancestor had any more tricks up his sleeve.
However, as long as they captured or killed him, everything would come to a close.
Even if the old ancestor had some scheme, as long as it died with him, Mo Hua wouldn't care.
The first clue Mo Hua found was that of the Third Patriarch.
The First Patriarch, who had been hiding in the Qian family, had already been executed.
As for the Third Patriarch, he was most likely still hiding in the depths of the mountains.
The Dao soldiers had been searching the mountains for several consecutive days, but there had been no news of the Third Patriarch or the Qian family's old ancestor.
Mo Hua volunteered to help with the search.
Ever since he learned the Divine Consciousness Calculation Technique, his perception of array spirit power trajectories had become even sharper.
If the Third Patriarch was hiding in the mountains, he would definitely set up arrays, and as long as he activated them, the spirit power trajectories would be like a fire in the night, impossible to hide from Mo Hua's spiritual sense.
Commander Yang was worried, so he accompanied Mo Hua into the deep mountains.
The mountains were vast, and Black Mountain Fortress was only a small part of them. There were also many other desolate, overgrown, and poisonous miasma-filled areas that were uninhabited.
Protected by Commander Yang, Mo Hua observed their surroundings while releasing his spiritual sense to search for traces of arrays.
An array master who didn't set up arrays wasn't a good array master.
As long as an array was activated, it couldn't escape Mo Hua's spiritual sense.
Half a day later, Mo Hua finally discovered traces of an array on a mountain cliff.
Moreover, it was the familiar Concealment Array!
Near Tongxian City, the only array masters who could set up Concealment Arrays besides himself were probably the Third Patriarch.
"You've found something?" Commander Yang asked, seeing that Mo Hua had suddenly stopped and was staring intently, his eyes gleaming.
Mo Hua nodded and pointed to the mountain cliff. "It's nearby."
Commander Yang followed Mo Hua's gaze to the mountain cliff, but all he saw were boulders and shrubs, no different from the other cliffs they had passed.
How did he find it...
"Is it here?" Commander Yang asked for confirmation.
"Yes, there's a Concealment Array here, hiding someone's tracks," Mo Hua replied.
Commander Yang released his spiritual sense as well, but he still couldn't see anything. The array's spirit trajectories were blurred and obscured by the mountain mist, and since he wasn't an array master, he couldn't discern them.
However, he didn't want Mo Hua to know that he hadn't noticed anything, so he nodded solemnly and agreed, "Indeed."
"I'll go in and take a look first," Mo Hua said.
Commander Yang quickly stopped him. "I'll go with you."
The Third Patriarch was an evil array master, and the cave he was hiding in was hidden. Commander Yang didn't know what was inside, and he was worried about Mo Hua's safety.
Mo Hua shook his head. "I can go in invisibly, so he won't see me."
Commander Yang still disagreed.
"Uncle Yang, you don't know what arrays are inside," Mo Hua argued. "If we go in rashly, we might either fall into an ambush or alert him and let him escape."
"Do you know what arrays are inside?" Commander Yang asked, puzzled.
"I'll know as soon as I take a look," Mo Hua replied confidently.
Commander Yang hesitated.
He couldn't remember any other array masters having this ability...
Could one really tell what kind of array had been set up just by looking at it? But seeing Mo Hua's confident expression, he seemed to have a grasp of the situation.
Mo Hua then performed the Invisibility Technique and disappeared from Commander Yang's sight.
Commander Yang sighed. Even though he had witnessed this technique numerous times, he still found it outrageous.
Despite being only at the Qi Refining stage, Mo Hua could actually conceal himself from the perception of a Foundation Establishment cultivator...
"I should go back and see if there's any suitable, beautiful, and gentle young lady in the family. I need to find a way to get Mo Hua to marry into my family..."
The idea popped into the mind of Commander Yang, with his square brows and upright eyes...
Using his Invisibility Technique, Mo Hua made his way along the hidden stairs by the cliff and entered the concealed cave.
The area around the cave was filled with arrays, including concealment arrays, as well as some for early warning, traps, and defense.
With his divine consciousness calculation technique, Mo Hua was able to discern the scope of the arrays and the types of array patterns, skillfully bypassing each one without a trace.
The process was much easier than he had anticipated.
Mo Hua couldn't help but marvel at the effectiveness of the calculation technique taught by Mr. Zhuang.
It was especially useful against array masters, allowing him to see through their array setups at a glance.
The cave was spacious and dimly lit, illuminated only by a faint light from a fire array.
In the faint firelight, Mo Hua could make out array books, array plates, writing tools, and alchemy furnace materials scattered around. There were also several large jars filled with human blood.
The Third Patriarch was currently seated at a stone table, completely engrossed in drawing something.
Mo Hua quietly used the Flowing Water Step to move closer, trying to avoid making any footstep sounds. He tiptoed near enough to see the table's surface without attracting the Third Patriarch's attention.
The Third Patriarch, who was deeply focused, never imagined that even in such a hidden cave, he couldn't escape Mo Hua's "peeping."
Mo Hua craned his neck, curious to see what the Third Patriarch was up to.
After observing for a while, he understood.
The Third Patriarch was drawing arrays, and they were evil arrays!
Once again, it was an evil array...
A chill ran down Mo Hua's spine, and he focused his attention, wanting to see what this evil array looked like.
After watching for a while longer, Mo Hua felt disappointed.
Just as Bai Zixi had said, evil arrays were a deviant and unorthodox practice, but they weren't particularly profound in terms of array knowledge.
Evil arrays were derived from orthodox arrays. To speed up their creation, they altered the array medium, writing tools, and some of the array structure.
Using flesh and blood as the array medium could conserve spiritual sense, and using human blood as ink could enhance the array's power. However, the fundamental array patterns were simplified, with shoddy craftsmanship and crude array pathways.
These so-called evil arrays were more like "taking shortcuts" in array formation.
They were "hasty and greedy" in nature.
While they might seem profound and terrifying, their underlying "principles" were crude, shallow, and unremarkable.
Whether it was cultivation or array formation, taking a hasty and greedy approach might provide a quick start, but it would never lead to long-term success or a true understanding of the ultimate path.
Mo Hua tried to calculate the evil array in his mind, and the array patterns immediately appeared clearly in his thoughts.
No wonder Bai Zixi had said that he might be able to "learn it at first sight."
Mo Hua lost interest.
These deviant and unorthodox evil arrays might seem formidable, but they were actually quite boring.
They had too low a technical requirement...
Mo Hua didn't bother to continue watching and quietly made his way out.
Outside the cave, Commander Yang was on high alert, his eyes fixed on the cave entrance.
Suddenly, Mo Hua reappeared beside him, startling him.
"When did you come out?"
"Just now..."
Commander Yang coughed to cover his embarrassment and asked nonchalantly, "Is the Third Patriarch inside?"
Mo Hua nodded. "Yes, there's a secret passage. Go in and capture him, don't let him escape!"
Mo Hua took out some paper and a brush, drawing a schematic of the cave and clearly marking everything.
He indicated where the arrays were located, what types they were, their functions, the safest route to take to avoid traps and alerting the Third Patriarch, and the locations of any hidden mechanisms and secret passages.
Commander Yang couldn't help but be impressed.
He felt like bringing Mo Hua along was like having a treasure by his side.
Mo Hua was proficient in early warning, searching, detection, and array dismantling—a jack-of-all-trades.
With him around, future military campaigns would be so much more convenient!
However, Commander Yang knew that it was just wishful thinking.
Such a far-fetched idea was simply impossible.
Commander Yang memorized the route and, imitating Mo Hua's actions, stealthily entered the cave. Soon, the sounds of a scuffle and the Third Patriarch's angry shouts echoed from within.
After a while, the noises ceased.
Commander Yang called out from inside the cave, "Mo Hua!"
Hearing this, Mo Hua knew that the Third Patriarch had been subdued, and he felt invigorated. He then confidently strode back into the cave.
(End of Chapter)
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