Chapter 445: Battle Commences
Chapter 445: Battle Commences
"I'll sneak in first to rescue Teacher Yan. Then, I'll dismantle the formation protecting the Zombie Village. Without their defensive formation, it'll be much easier to launch an attack and overwhelm them."
"As for the regular Corpse Cultivators and zombies, while I can tamper with the formations to some extent, their numbers are simply too great, and we have very little time. It would be best to leave that task to you all."
"However, I will find a way to deal with the Iron Zombies..."
Mo Hua calculated as he spoke.
Hearing this, Si Tu Fang was astonished. "How do you plan to deal with the Iron Zombies?"
Mo Hua held up two fingers. "There are two methods."
"The best way would be to steal Zhang Quan's Corpse Controlling Bell. Without it, he won't be able to control the Iron Zombies, effectively severing his own arms."
"However, the Corpse Controlling Bell is extremely important, and Zhang Quan will definitely keep it on his person at all times, so I might not be able to steal it."
"If I can't steal it, then I'll tamper with the formations on the Iron Zombies, causing them to go berserk. That will create chaos within the village, and then you can all strike. The Zombie Village will definitely be finished." Mo Hua explained his plan clearly.
Si Tu Fang furrowed her brows. It sounded simple, but she knew that the actual execution would be risky and challenging. She couldn't help but worry as she asked, "Will it work?"
Mo Hua replied, "Dismantling the formation will be easy. I'm about ninety percent confident."
In truth, Mo Hua wanted to say he was a hundred percent confident. With his current abilities, dismantling first-grade formations, or even some higher-grade ones, was a simple task.
However, one should never be overly confident and must always leave room for error, so he only claimed ninety percent.
"Stealing Zhang Quan's Corpse Controlling Bell will be very difficult, and I estimate only a slim chance of success, perhaps around ten to twenty percent."
"As for tampering with the formations on the Iron Zombies, I'd say there's a fifty to sixty percent chance. Firstly, I'm not entirely sure what formations they have on their bodies, as I haven't had the chance to study them. Secondly, the Iron Zombies are heavily guarded, and I might not get a chance to get close to them..." Mo Hua explained crisply.
Si Tu Fang felt a bit ashamed.
This young man, Mo Hua, was not only capable of gathering information but also analyzing it and coming up with solutions. His thinking was meticulous, and he acted with calm and precision.
And he was also a formation master...
No wonder Zhang Lan had mentioned that Yang Ji Yong was doing his best to recruit Mo Hua into the Dao Bing Division.
Si Tu Fang nodded, "Alright, let's proceed with your plan."
Afterward, Si Tu Fang invited two elders of the Si Tu family—Si Tu Jin and a skinny, tall Core Formation Cultivator.
They discussed the specifics of the plan, including the timing of the attack, the location of their ambush, the allocation of spiritual tools, the purchase of pills, and the coordination of the Cultivators.
Once everything was settled, two days later, in the dark of night, over two hundred Cultivators from the Si Tu family assembled and set off toward the desolate mountains near Nan Yue City.
The night in the desolate mountains was cold, and the moon cast an eerie light through the deep forest.
The dry grass and strange trees cast bizarre shadows, adding to the uncanny atmosphere.
Occasional low howls of demonic beasts, like mournful cries, echoed through the night, enhancing the sense of loneliness and mystery.
Dressed in black, the group moved swiftly and silently, not uttering a single word. At midnight, guided by Mo Hua, they arrived outside the Zombie Village.
Before them stood the barren stone forest.
Mo Hua lowered his voice, "I'll go in first to take a look. Wait here for my signal."
Without waiting for Si Tu Fang's response, he quietly disappeared into the darkness.
Si Tu Fang was slightly taken aback.
The two elders of the Si Tu family, standing behind her, also froze for a moment before their eyes widened in shock.
He was gone? Just like that, he had vanished without a trace, not even a hint of his aura remaining?
They were Core Formation Cultivators, yet they couldn't detect how Mo Hua had disappeared. Their spiritual senses swept the area, but they found no trace of him.
How could they, as Core Formation Cultivators, fail to detect a mere Qi Refining Cultivator's concealment technique?
Just what kind of concealment technique was this?
As they stood there in surprise, Mo Hua had already stealthily entered the Zombie Village using the Flowing Water Steps.
There were four to five additional guards at the entrance of the Zombie Village compared to the previous day.
It seemed like Zhang Quan was still feeling uneasy.
Moreover, the fake "Visible Dust Formation" created by Teacher Yan was also set up around the entrance.
Mo Hua, keeping himself hidden, strolled casually through the "Visible Dust Formation" and then nimbly climbed onto the roof. From there, he quickly located Teacher Yan's room.
It was already late, but Teacher Yan was still studying formation scrolls.
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense and, seeing that there was no one around, quietly entered the room. He whispered, "Teacher Yan, we're rescuing you tonight. Please get ready."
Teacher Yan, who had been intently studying the scroll, was startled by the sudden low voice from the dark corner of the room. After realizing who it was, he nodded calmly in response.
Teacher Yan began to quietly gather his formation scrolls and maps, readying himself for the escape.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua took the opportunity to start dismantling the defensive formations of the Zombie Village.
Mo Hua worked swiftly.
Since he didn't need to conceal his actions or worry about damaging the formations, he worked with bold and efficient strokes.
Once dawn broke and the battle commenced, these formations would be destroyed anyway.
Thus, Mo Hua didn't hold back.
For the simpler formations, he dismantled them completely.
For the more complex ones, he was too lazy to dismantle them fully, so he drew some Reverse Spirit Formations instead.
Once these formations were activated, the spiritual power would flow in a contradictory manner, causing the formation patterns to become chaotic and eventually leading to the self-destruction of the formation.
However, this self-destruction wouldn't be too powerful and wouldn't reach the level of formation collapse.
Mo Hua's intention was only to destroy the formations, not to use them to harm the Corpse Cultivators in the Zombie Village.
He didn't have the time or energy for that.
Mo Hua, familiar with the layout of the large Zombie Village, moved swiftly and stealthily.
He climbed walls, crawled across roofs, balanced on beams, and even ventured into caves, dismantling or destroying the formations one by one.
This route was something he had planned in advance and had simulated multiple times in his mind.
His goal was to disable as many formations as possible in the shortest amount of time.
After two to three hours, most of the formations in the Zombie Village had been disabled or destroyed by Mo Hua.
Feeling a bit tired, Mo Hua took a short rest before deciding to pay another visit to Zhang Quan's secret chamber.
Zhang Quan was meditating.
His Corpse Controlling Bell was stored in a storage bag, which he kept tied to his waist.
Mo Hua had observed him for several days, and Zhang Quan never separated himself from the storage bag.
The Corpse Controlling Bell was always kept inside the bag, and Zhang Quan had never taken it out.
Unless he knocked Zhang Quan unconscious, there was no way to obtain the storage bag or the bell.
And Mo Hua, being only at the Qi Refining stage, wouldn't stand a chance against Zhang Quan in a direct confrontation.
He didn't possess the same level of talent and cultivation as his senior martial brother and sister.
Even if he tried to knock Zhang Quan out, he wouldn't be able to.
Zhang Quan wasn't a fool; he wouldn't give him that opportunity.
Mo Hua paid another visit to the Corpse Cave.
The Corpse Cave was where the Zombie Village refined and nurtured their zombies.
The coffins of the Iron Zombies were placed deep within the cave.
Mo Hua took a glance and noticed several Corpse Cultivators guarding the area through the night, with warning formations set up nearby, making it impossible to get close.
These Iron Zombies hadn't been guarded previously.
It seemed that Zhang Quan had learned from his mistakes and was now being extremely cautious.
"This is troublesome..." Mo Hua frowned.
With the bell out of reach and no way to tamper with the Iron Zombies, they would be at a severe disadvantage if a fight broke out.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.
It seemed that, for now, he couldn't solve this problem alone.
So, Mo Hua got up and left the Zombie Village.
Outside the village, he met with Si Tu Fang and honestly reported:
"I dismantled the formation, but I couldn't steal the Corpse Controlling Bell, and I couldn't get close to the Iron Zombies."
Si Tu Fang was slightly taken aback.
The fact that he had managed to dismantle the formation already exceeded her expectations.
As for the Corpse Controlling Bell and the Iron Zombies, she hadn't dared to hope for that much.
"It's alright. The fact that you dismantled the formation is already a great achievement." Si Tu Fang said, "Now, let's proceed with our plan."
"Mm." Mo Hua nodded, "But there's no need to launch a full-scale attack. We'll focus on creating chaos and disorder within the village."
"Good." Si Tu Fang agreed.
Mo Hua then looked at Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi and said, "While they're distracted, let's rescue Teacher Yan."
"Mm." Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi nodded.
Thus, under the cover of darkness and while the zombies were at their most sluggish, Si Tu Fang, along with the two Core Formation elders of the Si Tu family, led over two hundred Si Tu family cultivators, clad in black, towards the Zombie Village.
At the entrance of the village, several Corpse Cultivators were huddled around a fire, drinking and chatting indistinctly.
The Core Formation elders, relying on their swift movement techniques, swiftly reached the cultivators and, with overwhelming force, killed them all in an instant!
After confirming that there were no other zombies nearby, they signaled for the rest of the Si Tu family cultivators to catch up.
After a few more waves of attacks, they were discovered by the zombies.
Alarms rang throughout the Zombie Village.
In the pitch-black night, torches were lit, illuminating the village.
The robbers drew their swords, and the Corpse Cultivators rang their Corpse Controlling Bells.
Coffins trembled, and zombies crawled out...
A cold light flashed in Si Tu Fang's eyes as she commanded, "Kill!"
The Si Tu family cultivators no longer hid their presence and brandished their swords and knives, channeling their spiritual power as they shouted, "Kill!"
In an instant, the Zombie Village was filled with murderous intent.
Swords clashed, and spiritual powers clashed.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua, along with Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi, had successfully rescued Teacher Yan.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, take Teacher Yan away first." Mo Hua said.
"What about you?" Bai Zi Sheng asked.
"I still have something to do."
Bai Zi Sheng shook his head, "No, it's too dangerous here. You and Zi Xi take Teacher Yan away, and I'll stay behind to cover your retreat!"
Bai Zi Sheng spoke with determination.
However, Mo Hua saw right through his intentions, "You just want to stay and fight, don't you..."
"Nonsense, am I that kind of person?" Bai Zi Sheng tried to defend himself, but his tone betrayed his eagerness.
Mo Hua persuaded him, "I'll go find Zhang Quan and keep an eye on him so he doesn't escape..."
"Take Teacher Yan away, then come back and find me. We'll join forces and take Zhang Quan down."
Bai Zi Sheng's eyes lit up at the suggestion, "Alright!"
Bai Zi Xi also looked at Mo Hua and quietly reminded him, "Be careful."
"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.
Teacher Yan also looked at Mo Hua with a worried expression and seemed to want to say something, but Bai Zi Sheng pulled him away.
The sooner they left, the sooner they could return.
Bai Zi Sheng also wanted to come back quickly and teach Zhang Quan a lesson.
After they left, Mo Hua looked around and, with a slight shift in his thoughts, reinforced some of the formations inside the room.
That way, even if the Corpse Cultivators noticed something amiss and tried to break in, it would take them a while.
After setting up the formations, Mo Hua hid himself and sneaked back into Zhang Quan's secret chamber.
By now, Zhang Quan's secret chamber was like a free inn for Mo Hua; he could come and go as he pleased.
And Zhang Quan was still completely unaware.
At that moment, he was deep in discussion with several leading Corpse Cultivators:
"...How could there be enemies?"
"...How did they find our village?"
"How many are there?"
"It's too dark to tell."
"At least a hundred or two, maybe even four or five hundred..."
"Which sect are they from? The Dao Ting Si?"
"They don't look like it... They're wearing black, and their identities are unknown."
"They must be from another sect."
"Damn them! They dared to attack us unprovoked! It's intolerable!"
"Are there any Core Formation cultivators among them?"
"Seems like one or two..."
"Boss, what should we do?"
...
Zhang Quan fell silent for a moment, then coldly smiled, "Do they think we're pushovers?"
A hint of darkness flashed in his eyes, "Send out the order to wake up all the zombies and Iron Zombies. Since they're here, don't let them leave. It's been a while since our Zombie Village last restocked, and we could use some fresh 'merchandise'."
One of the Corpse Cultivators hesitated, "Boss, controlling the Iron Zombies might be a bit difficult for us. I'm afraid..."
Zhang Quan remained silent, seemingly pondering something.
After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said,
"It's fine. I'll set up an altar, burn incense, pay respects to the ancestor's portrait, and offer the Corpse Controlling Blood Bell!"
"Let these intruders become the blood feast for the Iron Zombies!"
The Corpse Cultivators were elated, their spirits lifted, "Boss, you're brilliant!"
However, Mo Hua was taken aback by their words.
Set up an altar and offer the bell?
Pay respects to the ancestor's portrait?
What kind of ancestor were they talking about?
What kind of portrait was this?
Could it be...?
(End of Chapter)
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