Chapter 328: Interrogation
Chapter 328: Interrogation
The cave was in disarray, with some of the formations destroyed and books and talismans crushed by spiritual energy. There were several new holes in the walls, and pots of blood were spilled across the floor.
The third master had a spear piercing his shoulder, pinning him to the wall, and his hands and feet were locked in silver shackles.
These were special shackles used by the Dao Soldier Division, a second-grade spiritual artifact engraved with a spirit-locking formation to restrain criminals.
Commander Yang, a scion of a prestigious family and a seasoned commander who had led many battles, far surpassed the third master in both individual strength and combat experience.
The only thing the third master excelled at was formations.
But now with Mo Hua's help, his expertise in formations was useless, and he stood no chance against Commander Yang.
After exchanging blows for a dozen rounds, he was quickly subdued by the commander.
Mo Hua walked into the cave.
The third master's eyes widened in shock as he recognized him, exclaiming, "It's you?!"
Mo Hua nodded, "Yes, it's me."
The third master struggled to get up, but Commander Yang pressed him against the wall with a palm, immobilizing him.
Feeling the pain, the third master gave up struggling and asked incredulously, "You're really... a formation master?"
"You've guessed it," Mo Hua did not deny.
The third master's eyelids twitched as a chill ran down his spine.
He had figured everything out.
Who had infiltrated Heishan Stockade? Who had undone his formations and destroyed his visualization charts?
Indeed, it was all this little brat's doing! But he found it hard to believe, "How is that possible? How can you possess such powerful spiritual sense at your cultivation level?"
At just the Qi Refining Realm, his spiritual sense rivaled that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
This was far beyond his understanding of cultivation.
Mo Hua smiled faintly, choosing not to answer.
He had no intention of revealing his secrets.
If the third master wanted to guess, he could keep guessing.
The third master's expression shifted, and finally, driven by disbelief, he asked again, "Did you really undo my formations?"
"Something like that," Mo Hua replied nonchalantly.
Unexpectedly, these words caused the third master's face to turn ashen, and he fell into a daze, his spirit seemingly broken.
Strong spiritual sense might be attributed to the boy's talent, but being able to undo his formations indicated that the boy's mastery far surpassed his own.
For a cultivator as young as ten years old to possess such superior formation skills...
The third master's Dao heart began to waver...
This was impossible!
Even if such a person existed in this world, they should be the pride of ancient sects or noble clans of the Daoist orthodoxy. How could it be this boy from a humble background in such a remote place?
The third master's gaze at Mo Hua shifted from disbelief to despair and then to jealousy and resentment.
"You, you lucky little..."
Before he could finish his curse, Mo Hua withdrew the Thousand-catty Stick and struck him on the face.
Mo Hua coldly humphed, "You still don't seem to understand your situation."
Commander Yang also frowned, driving the spear deeper, causing the violent spiritual energy to erode the third master's physical body.
The pain from the wound helped the third master regain some clarity.
He suddenly realized that the young boy before him was not one to be trifled with.
This boy had the audacity to infiltrate Heishan Stockade, and even when discovered, he remained calm and deceived him with clever schemes, taking advantage of the situation to eliminate a few evil cultivators.
Such courage and cunning were extraordinary.
This boy was either an old demon who had stolen someone's body or a young monster with a cunning intellect.
Offending him was indeed unwise.
Suppressing the jealousy and resentment in his heart, the third master forced himself to calm down.
Seeing that the third master had learned his lesson, Mo Hua stopped beating him.
Of course, with his weak physical body, even if he swung the Thousand-catty Stick with all his might, dislocating his own arm, he wouldn't be able to inflict much harm on the third master. It was more to express his dissatisfaction.
Mo Hua asked the question that was on his mind, "Why didn't you tell your chief about me?"
"I didn't," the third master replied.
"Why?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
The third master was reluctant to answer.
Mo Hua coldly humphed again, "Don't push your luck!"
He raised the Thousand-catty Stick again, intending to strike the third master's face, not to injure him but to humiliate him.
Gritting his teeth, the third master said, "I'll talk!"
He couldn't bear to be humiliated by a cultivator as young as ten years old.
Mo Hua put down the stick, "Speak."
After a brief hesitation, the third master said, "I discovered that the formations of Heishan Stockade had been tampered with and suspected it was your doing, but I wasn't sure. After all, undoing formations is not something an ordinary formation master can learn."
"You're too young to have achieved such a high level of mastery in formations.
The third master let out a cold laugh. "If I had, and you ended up in the chief's hands, then all your secrets would belong to him..."
"But if I didn't capture you and find out the secrets of your spiritual sense, forcing you to teach me how to undo formations, I could enhance my own spiritual sense and improve my formation skills tremendously." The third master countered.
"What would you choose if you were in my position?"
Mo Hua stroked his chin, considering the third master's words.
What he said did make some sense...
After all, self-preservation was a fundamental instinct, especially for someone like the third master who followed the path of evil cultivation.
"There's also another reason..." The third master's gaze intensified as he looked at Mo Hua. "I was afraid you would join the chief."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "Join the chief?"
The third master's voice turned cold. "I've seen your skill in undoing formations, and to be honest, it made me feel ashamed and fearful. Your spiritual sense is so powerful, and your understanding of formations so deep, despite your young age."
"If the chief found out, he would do whatever it takes to get you to join the Black Mountain Sect. If you refused, he would resort to coercion and enticement. He would stop at nothing to make you one of his evil cultivators."
"And once you're part of the Black Mountain Sect, there would be two formation masters. The saying goes that two tigers cannot share a mountain, and I think you understand what that means."
"Moreover, you're so young, and your future potential in formations is limitless. Even if you wanted to kill me, the chief would probably take action on your behalf."
"It's not that exaggerated..." Mo Hua was surprised. He had no idea he was held in such high regard.
The third master scoffed. "I've followed the chief for many years, and I know him well. As long as you have talent, you can have whatever you want. But if you become useless, he'll discard you without a second thought."
Mo Hua nodded slightly, as this aligned with his own impression of the Old Ancestor of the Qian Family.
As the third master spoke, he suddenly paused, his expression changing as he asked, "Wait, how did you know that the Black Mountain Sect has a chief?"
Mo Hua was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to respond.
This third master was indeed slow on the uptake...
However, from his reaction, it seemed that he was unaware that the Old Ancestor of the Qian Family's identity had been exposed, nor did he know that the Old Ancestor was severely injured and had fled from the pursuit of the Dao Soldiers.
In other words, he had been hiding here without any contact with the Old Ancestor.
"Your chief has already been killed!" Mo Hua bluffed.
The third master was struck as if by lightning, but he quickly calmed himself and let out a disdainful laugh. "Impossible."
"Why?" Mo Hua asked, intrigued.
The third master scoffed again but refused to elaborate.
"What were these evil formations you drew meant for?" Mo Hua asked, changing the subject.
The third master closed his eyes, remaining silent despite Yang Commander pushing the spear deeper and channeling his spiritual energy to twist the wound. He endured the pain without uttering a word.
It seemed that these matters were highly confidential, and the third master was not going to divulge any information easily.
"Take him back and lock him up in the Dao prison. We'll interrogate him further under torture." Yang Commander ordered.
Mo Hua nodded in agreement, as it seemed that was the only option at the moment.
As Yang Commander withdrew his spear, preparing to escort the third master back to Tongxian City, the captive suddenly asked, "What really happened to the chief?"
After a moment's thought, Mo Hua decided to tell him the truth. "His identity was exposed, and he was severely injured during the pursuit. I don't think he'll be causing any more trouble."
Disappointment flashed across the third master's face.
He had probably been hoping that the Old Ancestor of the Qian Family would find him so they could regroup and rebuild, starting anew with another Black Mountain Sect.
How naive!
Mo Hua scoffed inwardly.
As the third master was led away by Yang Commander, his face wore an expression of dejection. However, as he turned to leave, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a strange, cold smile.
It was such a subtle smile that Mo Hua might have missed it if not for his keen spiritual sense.
Why was the third master, this 'Old Six', smiling?
Mo Hua furrowed his brows in confusion.
He inspected the cave once more, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
He had already searched the third master's storage bag along with Yang Commander, finding only some spirit stones, blood ink, pills for extending life, and a partially damaged visualization chart.
The visualization chart was missing the part where the green-faced little demon transformed into a Daoist disciple—because that little demon had been devoured by Mo Hua.
Among all the items, the only thing that caught Mo Hua's attention and seemed somewhat special was the evil formation drawn by the third master.
What was this evil formation for?
(End of Chapter)
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