Chapter 444: Attack on the Zombie Fort
Chapter 444: Attack on the Zombie Fort
Instructor Yan examined the array Mo Hua had drawn, a look of surprise on his face.
Mo Hua, in turn, looked at Instructor Yan, equally astonished.
Instructor Yan, with his square jaw and honest features, could tell a lie without so much as batting an eye.
Not only had he lied to Zhang Quan and covered for himself, but he had also alleviated Zhang Quan's concerns.
Truly, one could not judge a book by its cover.
Mo Hua realized he had underestimated Instructor Yan.
But would Instructor Yan really help Zhang Quan with the Visibility Array?
Mo Hua was curious.
If the Visibility Array was indeed set up within the Zombie Fort, it would be much more difficult for him to sneak in, though not impossible.
Instructor Yan returned to prepare the so-called "Visibility Array."
Mo Hua followed him and immediately understood his true intentions.
Instead of the Visibility Array, Instructor Yan was preparing a rather obscure and not particularly useful earth-based array with five patterns.
When activated, this array would also stir up some dust, but it had no invisibility effects whatsoever.
It only appeared similar, but in reality, it was completely different.
Instructor Yan was taking advantage of the fact that most cultivators in the Zombie Fort were "array blind," boldly deceiving them...
Mo Hua's face turned serious as he concluded to himself, "It's true that one needs to read more, gain more knowledge, and learn more about cultivation."
Only then could one boldly deceive others without them realizing it.
Otherwise, one might be tricked into looking like a fool, unaware of the deception.
Mo Hua then became a little worried.
Instructor Yan's actions were risky.
If he were discovered, suspected, or even resented by Zhang Quan, it would be difficult for him to extricate himself from the situation, and he might even face danger to his life.
Instructor Yan was taking this risk to cover for him...
He had to rescue Instructor Yan as soon as possible, destroy the Zombie Fort, capture Zhang Quan, and take back his bell.
Mo Hua nodded, then disappeared without a trace and quietly left the Zombie Fort.
After leaving, Mo Hua found Bai Zixi nearby.
Bai Zixi was sitting on a stone, hugging her knees, with a twig in her delicate hand, drawing something on the ground. Occasionally, she would lift her head to glance towards the Zombie Fort.
As Mo Hua approached invisibly, Bai Zixi suddenly looked up, towards the empty space, and said in a melodious voice, "Junior Brother?"
Mo Hua revealed himself and asked in confusion, "Little Senior Sister, can you see through my invisibility technique now?"
Bai Zixi shook her head. "I guessed."
Mo Hua obviously didn't believe her, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the ground.
He remembered that Little Senior Sister had been drawing something on the ground earlier.
The ground was covered with a layer of fine, soft soil.
Bai Zixi had been drawing a pile of smiling little faces, one next to the other, with eyes but no eyebrows, and a mouth but no nose.
"Little Senior Sister, what are you drawing?" Mo Hua asked curiously.
Bai Zixi pointed at Mo Hua and said, "You."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "Me?"
"Mhm." Bai Zixi nodded slightly. "I drew one every hour. I wanted to see how long you would keep me waiting."
Mo Hua blushed a little. He had been eavesdropping inside, and the time had passed by unnoticed, causing him to forget that Little Senior Sister was still waiting for him outside.
Then Mo Hua looked at the little faces on the ground and murmured, "I'm not that ugly, am I..."
Bai Zixi's eyebrows knitted slightly, a hint of annoyance in her voice as she asked, "Are you saying my drawing is ugly?"
Mo Hua shook his head repeatedly. "No, it's not ugly."
Only then did Bai Zixi nod in satisfaction and ask, "Have you found out what you needed to know?"
Mo Hua thought for a moment and replied, "I found out some things, but I was discovered. We'll have to take the initiative and strike first."
"Alright."
Bai Zixi glanced at Mo Hua, then erased all the little faces on the ground and said, "Let's go."
"Mhm."
Mo Hua nodded and, before leaving, glanced at the ground once more.
There was one smiling face left, simple in its lines, naturally drawn, with a smile in the corner of its mouth that was pure and innocent.
It brought a smile to one's heart just by looking at it.
Mo Hua couldn't help but wonder what Little Senior Sister had been thinking about as she drew these little faces.
What kind of expression did she have on her face as she drew them?
Was she also smiling like these little faces?
What did Little Senior Sister look like when she smiled?
Mo Hua was lost in thought.
"Junior Brother?"
Bai Zixi turned her head and, seeing that Mo Hua wasn't moving, called out to him.
"Oh."
Mo Hua snapped out of his daze, smiled, and, using his body technique, immediately caught up with her.
After leaving the Zombie Fort, Mo Hua found Situ Fang.
Bai Zisheng had already informed Situ Fang about the situation.
Situ Fang said, "I've written a letter to my family, and I've also informed Elder Jin about this matter. The clan has agreed to help destroy the Zombie Fort..."
"This matter will be done under the name of the Dao Court, but the people we will be using are actually from my Situ family."
Mo Hua nodded.
Using the Dao Court's resources was not a reliable option, and to destroy the Zombie Fort, they would definitely need more manpower than the Dao Court could provide.
But the Situ family...
Mo Hua asked, "How many cultivators will the Situ family deploy?"
"Over two hundred," replied Situ Fang.
Mo Hua was surprised. "That many?"
South Mountain City was just a small immortal city, and Situ Fang was only there for training. Yet, she could mobilize so many cultivators.
Moreover, these were not ordinary cultivators but those skilled in combat and proficient in the Dao techniques necessary for such an operation.
Situ Fang explained, "I used my father's connections."
Mo Hua asked, "Won't this be a bit too much...?"
"Two hundred cultivators should be fine," Situ Fang replied.
"No, it's not that," Mo Hua hesitated, then spoke bluntly, "this matter doesn't really benefit the Situ family, does it?"
Different families had different values and ways of doing things.
Some families were indeed greedy, oppressive, and bullies who relied on their power to intimidate others.
However, even if the Sima family conducts themselves with utmost integrity, it is unlikely that they would expend so many resources on an unrelated matter like the Zombie Fort in South Mountain City.
Situo Fang hesitated, feeling no need to hide the truth, and explained to Mo Hua:
"It may not benefit the Sima family greatly, but it is advantageous for me personally."
Mo Hua was a little puzzled.
Situo Fang elaborated, "The status of a family disciple is not solely based on their cultivation and talent."
"The trials and tribulations faced by family disciples are also a form of assessment."
"Those who perform well, achieve remarkable feats, and make significant contributions during their trials are valued more highly, and their future standing within the clan will be elevated accordingly."
"In this instance, my father is considering my future prospects and has utilized his connections to mobilize some of the family's resources."
"If we can successfully eradicate the Zombie Fort, the Sima family will bypass the Dao Court of South Mountain City and report directly to the Dao Court."
Of course, this was only part of the reason.
Situo Fang glanced at Mo Hua and his companions.
Her father's agreement to help was also, to some extent, a gesture of goodwill towards them.
A promising formation master and two scions of prominent families—these were people worth cultivating good relationships with, even without any deliberate scheming.
Situo Fang felt a twinge of guilt as she admitted, "So, in this matter, I do have my own motives..."
Mo Hua nodded in understanding, unfazed by her confession, and responded resolutely, "As long as we can destroy the Zombie Fort, we're doing a good deed. And it's only right to gain some benefit from doing good."
"Uncle Zhang once told me that in this world, there are those who do evil and reap rewards, admired by all, while others do good and gain benefits only to be criticized..."
"This is definitely wrong."
"Everyone has their own motives, so Sister Situo, you need not dwell on this matter."
Situo Fang was taken aback by his words, feeling a sense of relief, and then asked in surprise,
"Uncle Zhang actually said such things to you?"
Mo Hua nodded vigorously, trying to salvage Zhang Quan's image, "Uncle Zhang isn't always idle and frivolous, acting capriciously..."
Situo Fang paused, unsure if he was praising or mocking Zhang Quan.
Then, as if remembering something, she frowned and asked,
"But what about the strength of the Zombie Fort? I'm not sure if our Sima family's two hundred cultivators will be sufficient to eliminate them."
Mo Hua considered for a moment before replying, "It might be a bit of a stretch."
Situo Fang inquired, "How do you know?"
"I've been inside," Mo Hua stated matter-of-factly. "I even counted the number of coffins."
Situo Fang was stunned, hesitating before finally sighing in exasperation, "You're incredibly brave."
Not to mention his considerable skills.
To be able to sneak into a mountain fortress of corpse cultivators and gather intelligence was no small feat.
Situo Fang's eyes widened in disbelief as she regarded the youthful Mo Hua.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Mo Hua counted off on his fingers, revealing everything he knew about the Zombie Fort:
"I've figured it all out..."
"There's only one Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Zombie Fort, Zhang Quan."
"But there are four or five Iron Corpses."
"These Iron Corpses are slightly weaker than Foundation Establishment cultivators, but their skin is as tough as iron, so they won't be at a disadvantage in close combat."
"Additionally, there aren't many living people in the Zombie Fort, only about two hundred."
"Some of them are bandits who prey on the weak and fear the strong, so they won't be difficult to deal with."
"The rest are corpse cultivators..."
"These corpse cultivators themselves have mediocre cultivation and techniques, similar to Zhang Quan, but the tricky part is that they can control corpses..."
"Once the corpse cultivators start controlling corpses, even if each person controls only two or three zombies, the strength of the Zombie Fort will double or even triple, making our task much more challenging."
"Moreover, there are also formations within the fort. These formations, although..."
Mo Hua had wanted to say "not very sophisticated," but then he remembered that these formations were designed by Yan Jiaoxie.
As a formation master of the first rank, Yan Jiaoxie's expertise was already impressive in a second-rank state like theirs.
So, Mo Hua changed his words, "...although they are also quite troublesome. With the support of these formations, the entire fortress is easy to defend but hard to attack, and a forceful assault will undoubtedly result in significant casualties..."
...
Mo Hua laid bare all the secrets of the Zombie Fort.
Situo Fang's mouth hung open, unsure how to respond.
If she hadn't known Mo Hua personally, she might have thought he was the leader of the Zombie Fort.
What had this child done to gain such detailed knowledge about the Zombie Fort?
However, Situo Fang realized that this likely involved Mo Hua's cultivation technique or mystical arts, and she felt it was best not to inquire further.
Out of concern for Mo Hua's safety, the fewer people who knew about this, the better, including herself.
Soon, Situo Fang's brow furrowed again as she calculated their chances of success.
With this information, it seemed that eradicating the Zombie Fort would be more than just a "stretch." Their odds of victory were slim.
Even with the support of the Dao Court of South Mountain City, it wouldn't be enough.
And even if they won, it would likely be a pyrrhic victory, with countless casualties among the Sima family cultivators.
Situo Fang felt a twinge of reluctance.
These cultivators had been mobilized thanks to her father's connections.
Although they were only at the Qi Refining stage, their lives were still precious.
In the future, they might even reach Foundation Establishment or form golden cores, becoming valuable assets to the family.
If they were all lost in this battle against the Zombie Fort...
Situo Fang frowned, deep in thought, when she noticed Mo Hua's relaxed expression and asked, "Do you have another plan?"
Mo Hua's big eyes sparkled as he nodded and smiled brightly, "Yes!"
(End of Chapter)
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