https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-579-Sending-Big-Brother-on-His-Way/12542640/
Chapter 581: Unboxing
Chapter 581: Unboxing
After expending all his energy on a futile sword technique, Elder Jiang knew his fate was sealed as his spiritual energy was completely depleted.
And Mo Hua, as expected, showed him no mercy and finished him off with a relentless barrage of Fireball Techniques, leaving him breathless.
Thus, the entire group of slave traders met their demise.
The surroundings were in disarray, charred black, with the thatched cottage in ruins, its remains scattered across the ground.
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction and decided it was time to leave.
Based on the conversation between Elder Jiang and the plump shop owner, reinforcements would be arriving in an hour, and it wouldn't be ideal to cross paths with them.
However, with some time to spare, Mo Hua decided to take care of a few more things.
First, he needed to obscure the traces of the array by modifying some of its markings. While he couldn't erase them completely, he could confuse and conceal the techniques of "Spirit Sense Ink Control" and "Drawing Arrays on the Ground."
Not all array masters could use the earth as a medium to set up their arrays.
Such clues must be eliminated.
As for the traces of the spell... he didn't bother too much about those.
The second-grade Fireball Technique was a common spell that anyone with a fire-attributed spirit root could learn and use.
People wouldn't be overly suspicious.
Of course, it was also because the traces of the Fireball Technique were too obvious.
These slave traders were either finished off by Mo Hua's Fireball Technique or badly injured by it.
Even if Mo Hua wanted to cover it up, he couldn't.
After checking and ensuring that no other traces were left behind, Mo Hua proceeded to search through their storage bags.
Just as a horse needs grass to thrive, a person needs unexpected wealth to become rich.
While it wasn't right to rummage through others' belongings, Mo Hua justified it by reminding himself that these slave traders were not good people, and they had essentially delivered themselves to his door. It would be a waste not to take advantage of this opportunity.
Moreover, he had spent second-grade spirit ink and over a hundred spirit stones to kill them, and he needed to recoup those costs.
As a small cultivator, it wasn't easy for him to earn spirit stones.
"I'm not doing this to get rich, just to break even!" Mo Hua nodded to himself as he eagerly searched through the storage bags of the slave traders.
The bags contained a variety of items, including murderous spiritual weapons, talismans for ambushing others, commonly used pills, and some pills that looked rather dubious in purpose.
Mo Hua initially intended to take everything, but then he hesitated.
"Most of these are probably stolen goods, and even if they aren't, they're likely tainted in some way..."
He wondered if taking them would leave evidence that could be used against him...
What if someone used these items to track him down, investigate, or even hunt him?
Moreover, since they were likely stolen, would they even be of any use to him?
Most stolen goods were second-hand, and it would be difficult to sell them in the Qian Xue State.
In Tongxian City, with Zhou the Manager's backing and Elder Yu's support, he could have sold them or kept them for personal use within the hunters' guild.
But in the unfamiliar Qian State, it was a different story.
Greed for small gains could lead to significant losses.
"As a mature cultivator, I must learn to control my desires," Mo Hua reminded himself, and so he left the spiritual weapons, pills, and talismans untouched, resisting the urge to pocket them.
However, the spirit stones were a different matter—they were clean.
It was the cultivators who were dirty.
With many upcoming expenses for his enrollment, he needed those spirit stones. Mo Hua collected the spirit stones from the slave traders and put them into his storage bag. But then he paused again, feeling something was still amiss.
It wouldn't look right...
The spiritual weapons, talismans, and pills were all there, but the spirit stones were gone.
That would make him look like a "greedy little thief."
"There's still a bit of risk..." Mo Hua frowned, deep in thought.
He couldn't take nothing, but taking everything was also unwise.
Finally, with a heavy heart, he decided to leave half of the spirit stones behind.
Taking only half was the safest option.
Even so, the slave traders, being Foundation Establishment cultivators engaged in a dangerous business, carried a substantial amount of spirit stones. Mo Hua's share of half amounted to nearly five thousand spirit stones, a significant sum.
Five thousand spirit stones were not a small amount.
Mo Hua felt slightly better as he pocketed his gains.
Lastly, he turned his attention to Elder Jiang's storage bag, his eyes lighting up with anticipation.
He searched through it thoroughly and found three spiritual swords, five bottles of pills, several secret manuals, and two jade slips.
Spiritual swords...
Mo Hua lusted after them but knew better than to keep them.
They would only bring him trouble.
The pills were of no use to him either.
The secret manuals...
He browsed through them and found they contained body-refining techniques and magical arts that weren't suitable for him. Sadly, he had to leave them behind as well.
Mo Hua felt a twinge of regret mixed with curiosity.
What about the sword art Elder Jiang had used? The one that split the cottage in half with a dazzling display of golden light—where was that sword art? He didn't really want to learn it...
Some sword arts required matching cultivation techniques, profound swordplay skills, and expensive spiritual swords, consuming a large amount of spiritual energy to unleash devastating attacks.
Even if Mo Hua obtained the sword art, he might not be able to learn it, nor could he afford the spiritual sword required.
However, not learning it didn't mean he couldn't study it.
Knowing one's enemy was crucial, and researching the principles and methods of sword arts could prove valuable in the future, especially if he encountered another swordsman.
Mo Hua searched through the bag once more, his eyes finally landing on the two jade slips.
These jade slips were sealed, preventing him from viewing their contents with his spiritual sense, indicating that they contained something extremely valuable.
"I wonder if the sword art that shone with golden light is hidden within these jade slips..."
"To take or not to take..."
Mo Hua was torn.
After some thought, he decided to secretly pocket the two jade slips.
Jade slips were different from spiritual weapons and pills; they were commonplace and often contained confidential information and techniques. No one would bother investigating them.
It was normal for a cultivator to have jade slips in their possession, and it wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
As long as he kept them hidden, there wouldn't be a problem.
He stored the two jade slips in the storage ring his master had given him, which could also conceal their spiritual essence, making them even safer.
Moreover, Mo Hua was genuinely curious to know if the dazzling golden sword art was indeed recorded on those jade slips.
Having made up his mind, Mo Hua used a slight movement of his hand to store the jade slips in his ring.
He then rearranged the miscellaneous items, placed them back into Elder Jiang's storage bag, and returned it to its owner's embrace.
Mo Hua even added a final touch by casting another Fireball Technique to make the storage bag look battle-damaged.
He had earned Spirit Stones.
And he had also obtained two jade slips, which held unknown secrets.
It was time to leave...
Mo Hua checked one more time to ensure nothing was amiss, then released his spiritual sense to scrutinize the scene from an onlooker's perspective.
He confirmed that these people had met their end with absolutely no connection to him.
There was nothing that would lead anyone to him.
Only then did Mo Hua feel relieved, and a sense of gratitude filled his heart.
"All thanks to Uncle Zhang Lan..."
"It was Uncle Zhang Lan from the Daotingsi who taught me how to cover my tracks!"
'I didn't disappoint Uncle Zhang Lan's teachings!'
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
Just as he turned to leave, he paused, a nagging feeling tugging at his mind.
He felt as if he had overlooked something...
Frowning, Mo Hua carefully retraced the events that had transpired, and the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Suddenly, he recalled the group of cultivators pushing a cart with several storage chests on it.
Where were those storage chests? Mo Hua's eyes narrowed as he swept the area with his spiritual sense, only to be surprised by what he found.
"My spiritual sense... can't perceive them?"
"No, it's not that my spiritual sense can't perceive them, but the aura of these chests is being hidden, making it difficult for spiritual sense to detect..."
"Something's not right..."
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed with growing suspicion.
He pushed his spiritual sense to its limits and even employed the derivation technique taught by his master to sense the traces of spiritual energy.
Finally, after a moment of concentration, Mo Hua's spiritual sense stirred, and he located the storage chests hidden in the eatery's corner.
The chests had been left untouched by the explosion of the Earth Fire Array, shielded from the aftermath. When the sword energy had cleaved the eatery, the thatched roof and wooden beams had collapsed, concealing the chests from view.
Mo Hua retrieved the chests with some effort.
These chests, carefully guarded by Jiang Laoda, had their auras concealed through special means, almost escaping Mo Hua's notice.
There was definitely something amiss...
"What's inside these chests?"
Could it be Jiang Laoda's true stash? Mo Hua's curiosity piqued.
The chests were locked and secured with array formations, but they posed no significant challenge, especially not to Mo Hua.
He released his spiritual sense to confirm that the chests held no hidden mechanisms or traps before carefully unraveling the array patterns and opening them.
However, as he opened the first chest, Mo Hua froze in surprise.
"Empty?"
The chest was completely devoid of contents...
What was going on?
Frowning, Mo Hua used his finger to activate his ink art, opening another chest, only to find it equally empty.
His gaze shifted to the third chest.
Just as he prepared to unravel the array patterns on it, he paused, a look of astonishment on his face.
"This... isn't a storage chest..."
Although they appeared identical, the materials and construction were entirely different.
This was an ordinary box sealed with array formations.
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
Storage chests, like storage bags, were based on extremely profound principles but applied in a simple manner, utilizing rudimentary void energy to contain space several times larger than their physical dimensions.
However, this void energy was incompatible with "living souls."
Storage chests could not accommodate people or any other living beings.
Jiang Laoda's strange remarks during their journey suddenly resurfaced in Mo Hua's mind.
"Unexpected complications..."
"One or two, it doesn't matter, they're all for sale..."
"Let's sell that little brat as well..."
Initially, Mo Hua had assumed that they had already abducted other cultivators and that his kidnapping was merely a convenient addition.
But throughout the journey, there had been no sign of any abducted cultivators.
And since storage chests couldn't hold living beings, he hadn't suspected anything.
He had even thought that Jiang Laoda's group was responsible for "receiving the goods."
Other cultivators would do the kidnapping, and they would handle the custody and transportation.
But now, their "luggage" included a box that wasn't a storage chest...
And they had gone to great lengths to disguise it.
Could it be that inside this box was...
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
He examined the box carefully and noticed that it was inscribed with second-grade array formations, and not just one, but several.
There were defensive arrays to prevent damage, concealment arrays to block prying eyes, and locking arrays to secure the box, preventing anyone from opening it...
...
It was all too "professional"...
Was this "box" specially customized for abducting cultivators?
Who were they abducting that warranted such elaborate measures?
Mo Hua frowned and sighed.
This was turning out to be more troublesome than he had anticipated.
What should he do now?
There might be a living cultivator locked inside that box.
The box was sealed with array formations—second-grade ones, which seemed doable to unravel, but it would likely take some time. He wondered if he could make it in time...
If he didn't succeed...
The abducted cultivator would remain trapped inside the box.
The box was heavy and conspicuous, so he couldn't take it with him.
If he left it behind, in less than half an hour, another group of slave traders would arrive and take the box with them...
If they merely demanded a ransom, it would be fine—he could just pay to resolve the issue.
But what if they sold the cultivator to evil cultivators who would refine them into pills, create medicines, or forge demonic artifacts...
The cultivator's family would never see their child again, not knowing if they were alive or dead, left with nothing but slim hopes and despair...
Mo Hua's heart softened at the thought.
"Oh well, let's give it a try..."
If he could unlock the box within two hours, or even three, he would rescue the cultivator. If he couldn't, then there was nothing more he could do...
Mo Hua first meditated to restore some of his spiritual sense before focusing intently on unraveling the array formations on the box.
There were four array formations on the box.
Three of them were the Five Elements Arrays that Mo Hua was familiar with.
However, Mo Hua's familiarity was with first-grade arrays, while these were second-grade.
Nonetheless, with twelve or fewer array patterns, they were still relatively simple.
Combining guesswork with derivation techniques, Mo Hua managed to unravel the three array formations in just one hour.
He admitted that there was an element of luck involved.
But luck was also a part of an array master's skill set.
This was... a type of formation he had never seen before.
He could only rely on his experience, judging from the direction of the formation lines and the hub, that this was a special type of "locking" formation.
However, Mo Hua was completely clueless about the category and system of this formation.
Mo Hua scratched his head.
"What should I do now...?"
Even a skillful cook cannot make a meal without rice.
Without any understanding of this formation's category, its lines, hub, or principles, how could he possibly unlock it? Mo Hua felt anxious, but he tried to calm himself down and proceeded step by step, thinking it through...
To unlock a formation, one must first know how to set it up...
To set up a formation, one must first obtain the formation diagram...
Formation diagram...
Derivation...
Mo Hua paused as an idea struck him. Using the formation's spiritual traces to derive the specific formation lines was the method taught to him by his master, which was also the foundation of...
The Heaven's Secret Derivation Technique.
At this moment, regarding this unknown "locking" formation, his spiritual sense could perceive its traces, so the next step was...
To first derive the formation lines of this formation? To learn and unlock the formation on the spot? Mo Hua was taken aback, "Is this even possible...?"
He glanced at the box in front of him, thinking about the young cultivator trapped inside, whose parents were surely worried sick and anxiously awaiting their child's return.
Mo Hua felt helpless.
"Let's give it a try..."
Mo Hua sat cross-legged, calming his breath and spirit, and began to use the Heaven's Secret Derivation Technique, based on the formation's spiritual traces, to deduce the lines of this unknown "locking" formation...
At first, it felt awkward.
Because the derived formation lines were all unfamiliar.
Mo Hua tried to ignore the external form of the lines and focused on comprehending the internal spiritual energy patterns. Gradually, these lines became vivid and familiar to him.
These lines no longer seemed like mere strokes but rather the traces left by the movement of the Great Dao...
This was true for the Five Elements formations.
It was true for the Ultimate Formation.
Perhaps it was true for all types of formations...
Mo Hua had a sudden realization, but he did not stop his spiritual sense. Instead, he calculated faster and faster, and the formation lines gradually took shape in his sea of consciousness.
However, it was still not fast enough...
He needed to calculate even faster...
Mo Hua frowned, then suddenly had an idea. What if he used the "Heaven's Secret Calculation Technique" to enhance the "Heaven's Secret Derivation Technique," dividing his spiritual sense and simultaneously calculating? Wouldn't that be faster...
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, but the situation was urgent, and he didn't have time to hesitate.
He could only try...
Using his Master Uncle's Heaven's Secret Calculation Technique to enhance his Master's Heaven's Secret Derivation Technique!
Mo Hua's pupils darkened, and his spiritual sense transformed, donning a "robe of the Dao." With the enhancement of the Heaven's Secret Calculation Technique, he applied the Heaven's Secret Derivation Technique to deduce the unknown locking formation.
However, as soon as he started calculating, his sea of consciousness began to ache.
It felt like the two techniques were conflicting, creating friction that pulled and tore at his spiritual sense, shredding it bit by bit.
Fortunately, Mo Hua's spiritual sense had undergone a qualitative change, becoming as refined as mercury. Although the two algorithms were incompatible, causing his spiritual threads to break apart, his spirit remained intact, and the fundamental structure was unharmed.
This intense pain was something Mo Hua could endure.
Compared to the pain, the speed at which the formation lines were being derived had increased significantly, much faster than before.
Mo Hua felt delighted, and the pain in his spiritual sense gradually faded.
After a short while, Mo Hua finally deduced the strange formation lines completely.
But his spiritual sense was once again almost depleted.
There was also residual pain in his sea of consciousness.
The Heaven's Secret Calculation Technique was indeed powerful, but its consumption of spiritual sense was enormous...
At this moment, Mo Hua didn't have time for further contemplation.
He had to hurry and unlock the formation.
Mo Hua canceled the "Heaven's Secret Calculation Technique," and the eerie shadow in his eyes gradually faded, along with the "robe of the Dao" formed by his spiritual sense.
However, as this "robe of the Dao" dissipated, faint cracks appeared on the illusory afterimage...
As if the Great Dao's laws had been torn apart...
But Mo Hua, deep in thought, did not notice these cracks...
His attention was focused on the formation before him.
This was a second-rate formation consisting of thirteen lines, belonging to an unknown category.
It was like a brand-new door to the world of formations.
"Formations are indeed profound and profound..."
Mo Hua marveled, then put aside his thoughts.
It was time to unlock the formation.
However, he still couldn't "unlock" it in the true sense.
Even if he knew the formation lines, he wouldn't be able to learn and unlock it in a short period, let alone master it.
All he could do was "guess."
Mo Hua had extensive experience in unlocking formations. Based on his past experiences, not all unlocking attempts required a profound understanding of the formation.
Sometimes, a little guesswork was permissible.
But one had to know how to "guess."
It had to be based on the principles of the formation.
One couldn't just blindly guess.
Mo Hua broke down this complex locking formation into its individual lines and examined them, categorizing the mutually restraining lines based on his experience and intuition.
Then, he drew a few simple sketches on the ground and tested his hypotheses.
Some guesses were correct, while others were wrong.
He kept the correct guesses and modified the incorrect ones.
After several attempts, he identified several sets of formation lines with "mutual restraint" relationships.
There were also a few lines that Mo Hua couldn't identify a restraining relationship with.
Most likely, the "restraining lines" for these lines were not included in this formation.
But that was enough.
Mo Hua estimated the time and figured he had a little over fifteen minutes left. There wasn't enough time to achieve perfection and thoroughly research the formation.
Mo Hua started with unlocking the formation lines.
Any lines with a restraining relationship were unlocked.
The locking formation dimmed but didn't deactivate completely.
Mo Hua then turned his attention to the hub, adjusting it based on his intuition; he reversed some of the spiritual energy flows and went back to tinkering with the formation lines...
After several rounds of adjustments, Mo Hua, relying on his exceptional intuition for formations, managed to "confuse" and "mess up" this special "locking" formation...
The formation on the box completely dimmed.
The "lock" on the box was gone.
Mo Hua immediately opened the box.
Inside, there was indeed a small figure.
Much smaller than Mo Hua.
It was a little boy, probably only four or five years old, with fair skin and handsome features. He wore modest but finely crafted clothing.
Perhaps it was the noise of the opening box, or maybe it was the sounds of the earlier battle, but the child opened his big, watery eyes, looking at Mo Hua with a hint of fear.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
