Chapter 619: He's Mine
Chapter 619: He's Mine
Yin Lao'er was only surprised for a moment. He then held the dagger backward and rushed forward, the tip of the blade tracing a deep blue, venomous aquamarine light aimed straight for Mo Hua's throat.
He intended to strike first and kill this young brat.
No matter who this kid was or what his background was, in the Canglang Mountains, he had to die first!
Proficient in Yuan Magnetism Array Formation, adept at stealth, and able to keep an eye on him like a hawk, seeing through his tracks.
For an assassin like him, such a person was simply a natural enemy.
This "great internal threat" must be eliminated first. Only then could he free his hands and slowly toy with the remaining sect disciples.
Yin Lao'er's expression turned solemn, his eyes filled with malevolence.
The dagger transformed into venomous light, and in the blink of an eye, it reached Mo Hua's throat.
Mo Hua remained calm, leaning back to dodge the sinister dagger aimed at his neck.
Then, water marks surged around Mo Hua, as if borrowing power from the void, he flipped in the air with a light figure, moving behind Yin Lao'er. He stepped on Yin Lao'er's head, using the force to perform a backflip and quickly retreat.
Yin Lao'er missed his first strike and was even more humiliated when Mo Hua got behind him, jumped on his head, and stepped on the back of his head.
He turned around in anger.
But as soon as he turned his head, he saw Mo Hua, surrounded by flowing water, floating in mid-air, pointing at him.
Subsequently, a fireball instantly condensed and shot straight at his face.
Yin Lao'er couldn't dodge in time and was hit by the fireball on his face, causing a burst of fire that knocked him to the ground.
After a moment, Yin Lao'er climbed to his feet, his head charred black, and his eyes almost splitting open.
Mo Hua secretly thought it was a pity.
The power of the Fireball Technique was indeed lacking at the moment.
Although it had disheveled Yin Lao'er's appearance, making him look miserable, the damage it inflicted was minimal.
Magic was his most commonly used and fastest means of attack.
Now it seemed that he really needed to find a way to increase the power of magic and expand his repertoire of spells.
While focusing on array formations, he couldn't neglect his magic studies.
Learning an additional spell would provide an extra option for dealing with danger in the future.
On the other side, Yin Lao'er's expression was furious, but his heart was shocked beyond measure.
Time and again, this brat dodged his deadly attacks with his body technique; it couldn't be a coincidence...
This body technique...
And the timing, speed, and accuracy of this Fireball Technique...
This brat was actually an expert in magic!
But how was that possible?
Yin Lao'er's pupils constricted slightly.
How old was this brat? Where did he learn such a refined body technique, his composure in life-and-death situations, and his grasp of the timing of magic?
Murong Caiyin and the others were also stunned.
This was the first time they had seen Mo Hua display such fluid and dazzling body movements.
This body technique...
Although they didn't know its origins, it was definitely not from an ordinary lineage.
And the way he used his body technique to create space, position himself, and then seize the opportunity to cast the Fireball Technique was extremely skillful and smooth...
Before they could finish their thoughts, they suddenly realized that they should help.
No matter how smooth Mo Hua's body technique was and how skilled he was in magic, he was still only in the early stages of foundation building. If he was careless while fighting a sinister cultivator like Yin Lao'er, the consequences could be dire.
Without further ado, Ouyang Feng and Shangguan Xu immediately unleashed their sword auras and charged towards Yin Lao'er.
Murong Caiyin displayed her magic, and Hua ShanShan controlled the Hundred Flower Spirit Needles, covering them from the side and restraining Yin Lao'er.
With the four of them working together, Yin Lao'er, a master of assassination, knew he was outmatched. His eyes reddened, and he gritted his teeth, determined to kill Mo Hua before Ouyang Feng and the others' attacks landed.
As long as Mo Hua lived, he could never erase the hatred in his heart.
If Mo Hua lived, he might die!
But when he turned to look, he saw Mo Hua's figure gradually fading and about to disappear.
Yin Lao'er shouted angrily:
"Brat, don't hide if you have the guts!"
Mo Hua ignored him, stuck his tongue out, and then disappeared.
Yin Lao'er flew into a rage, cursing nonstop. However, seeing that Ouyang Feng and the others' sword auras, magic, and spirit needles were about to strike, he had no choice but to flee. Afterward, he activated his stealth technique and hid his figure.
Both Mo Hua and Yin Lao'er had vanished.
Murong Caiyin and the others looked around in a daze, unsure where to strike. Helpless, they formed a formation, keeping a wary eye on each other to prevent a sneak attack from Yin Lao'er.
Mo Hua, hiding in the shadows and concealed by his invisibility technique, also frowned.
He released his spiritual sense to observe Yin Lao'er's movements.
However, Yin Lao'er's aura was still faint, his spiritual energy blurry, and his figure intermittent. Occasionally, he could be locked onto with spiritual sense, but at other times, he seemed to vanish from perception...
"Why?"
Mo Hua was a bit puzzled.
There was something odd about this "Small Five Elements Stealth Technique."
To some extent, this spell could suppress one's spiritual energy, making their spiritual presence even fainter and thus evading detection by others' spiritual senses.
This was different from the principle of Mo Hua's invisibility technique.
The invisibility technique Mo Hua had learned could only hide his physical form, making him invisible to the naked eye.
Then, relying on his powerful divine sense, others would be unable to perceive him even with their spiritual sense.
But the Small Five Elements Stealth Technique could suppress others' perception of their spiritual energy, thereby enhancing the effect of invisibility without solely relying on spiritual sense.
Mo Hua had already sensed it.
Yin Lao'er's spiritual sense was probably between fifteen and sixteen strands, far inferior to his own.
Theoretically, his invisibility technique should not be able to escape his perception.
But after Yin Lao'er hid, he could, to some extent, evade Mo Hua's perception, thanks to the peculiarities of this "Small Five Elements Stealth Technique."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
He had to get his hands on this stealth technique!
If he learned it, he could stealthily move behind someone, stick a fireball to the back of their head, and they might not even notice...
Mo Hua became serious, releasing his spiritual sense to the utmost and sweeping it through the mountains and forests, trying to "lock on" to Yin Lao'er's position...
Suddenly, Mo Hua's expression changed, and his body flowed like water as he left his original position.
In the instant Mo Hua moved, a dagger dangerously stabbed into the empty ground.
The sinister spiritual energy intertwined, crushing the fallen leaves and rocks on the ground into powder.
From a distance, Murong Caiyin and the others saw Yin Lao'er appear and joined the fray, surrounding him.
Yin Lao'er, determined to take down the detested young brat, attacked with even greater speed, ferocity, and strength, hoping to finish Mo Hua off in one go.
But despite his efforts, there was always a hairbreadth distance between his dagger and Mo Hua.
This minuscule distance seemed within reach yet also impossibly far away.
Yin Lao'er finally lost his patience and shouted angrily, "What kind of damnable movement technique are you using?!"
"Who's the damned, blasted bastard that taught you?!"
"My grandfather taught me!" Mo Hua replied, giving Zhang Lan extra credit out of gratitude for his kindness.
Yin Lao'er couldn't stand Mo Hua's sharp-tongued attitude, but he had no choice but to deal with it as he was helpless against Mo Hua's skills.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Feng and the others arrived, surrounding Yin Lao'er as well.
The group confronted Yin Lao'er, who no longer tried to hide.
Having failed repeatedly to kill Mo Hua, Yin Lao'er was seething with rage.
On the other hand, Mo Hua was curious and asked him, "How did you manage to see through my invisibility technique?"
Hiding quietly on the sidelines, he had been discovered twice by Yin Lao'er, something that had never happened to him before.
"You insolent brat, trying to show off your skills to an expert like me..." Yin Lao'er sneered.
Mo Hua, with his generous nature, didn't bother to argue and instead asked with a slight blink, "Did you find me with your spiritual sense?"
"Why would I need spiritual sense?" Yin Lao'er scoffed. "I can spot the flaws in your invisibility technique with just my eyes."
"With your eyes..."
Mo Hua pondered for a moment and soon understood.
His invisibility technique involved covering his body with pure, almost transparent water-based spiritual energy, allowing light and shadows to pass through, thus hiding his presence.
He also wore an invisibility cloak, which had a similar effect.
While most cultivators might not notice, someone like Yin Lao'er, who had immersed himself in invisibility techniques for years and relied on them for his livelihood as an assassin, would undoubtedly spot the flaws.
So, Yin Lao'er might not have been lying; he could have truly seen through Mo Hua's invisibility technique with his eyes alone.
Mo Hua nodded slightly, sighing inwardly.
Indeed, one should never underestimate any villain.
The world of cultivation was vast, and talented individuals were bound to have their own unique insights and strengths, gained through countless efforts and diligent research.
Underestimating one's opponent could lead to a disastrous downfall.
Mo Hua reminded himself of this silently.
Noticing Mo Hua's solemn expression, Yin Lao'er realized that his opponent had recognized his prowess, and a sinister smile appeared on his vicious face.
However, his satisfaction was short-lived as he soon frowned, realizing a terrifying fact:
"How did this brat sense my presence?"
It wasn't so much "sensing" as it was "detecting."
After their previous exchange, Yin Lao'er knew that even when he used the Small Five Elements Stealth Technique to its fullest, there were still traces that Mo Hua could detect.
Otherwise, Mo Hua wouldn't have been able to dodge his deadly attacks.
But how did he "detect" it?
In Yin Lao'er's eyes, although Mo Hua's invisibility technique was skillfully executed, the technique itself was crude and seemed like a hastily assembled mess.
The crudeness of the technique meant that Mo Hua couldn't possibly rely on experience to spot the flaws in his invisibility with his eyes alone.
A spiritual artifact?
There were no signs of him using any such artifacts either.
That left only one possibility:
Spiritual sense...
But... spiritual sense? Yin Lao'er found that notion absurd.
Could it be that he, Yin Lao'er, had relied on skill to see through the brat's invisibility technique, while the brat had simply used pure spiritual sense?
That was preposterous...
Yin Lao'er scoffed, then took a closer look, only to find the brat's pupils suddenly becoming deep and pitch-black.
At the same time, a cold and peculiar yet incredibly resilient spiritual sense, like a chain, quietly wrapped around him...
Yin Lao'er was terrified to his core.
"It really is spiritual sense?!"
Seeing that he was about to be locked down by this bizarre spiritual sense, Yin Lao'er reacted swiftly, taking out a talisman and crushing it immediately.
A strong gust of sand obscured their vision and mixed their scents.
At the same time, Yin Lao'er quickly used the Small Five Elements Stealth Technique to vanish from sight.
However, because he had stayed to brag earlier, he had given Mo Hua ample time to lock onto him with his spiritual sense.
So, even though Yin Lao'er disappeared, Mo Hua's spiritual sense could still capture his trail relatively clearly.
Yin Lao'er soon realized that his nightmare had just begun...
No matter where he fled, a Fireball Technique would inevitably chase after him like a beacon, forcing him to reveal himself and leaving him flustered and vulnerable.
Soon, Murong Caiyin and the others reacted as well.
Wherever the Fireball Technique pointed, they would attack.
Yin Lao'er's face turned deathly pale.
For an assassin who relied on stealth, being exposed was like having his legs cut off, rendering him almost useless.
He desperately tried to break free, but a strand of Mo Hua's spiritual sense was indestructible and unshakeable, firmly locked onto him no matter what.
"Damn it all!"
In his life, Yin Lao'er had fought countless duels, but he had never encountered a cultivator with such a peculiar and terrifying spiritual sense.
Moreover, this strand of spiritual sense was tightening its grip, ensnaring him more firmly by the moment.
It was like a hunting falcon, its sharp claws digging into his flesh, ready to take his life.
This brat wasn't just powerful; his spiritual sense was utterly crushing him!
Cold sweat trickled down Yin Lao'er's back.
He felt like a sharp sword was hanging over his neck, its chilling light piercing his bones. He knew it wouldn't be long before it struck.
With his life on the line, Yin Lao'er tapped into his potential and fled with all his might, managing to escape for a few moments.
Perceiving...
This brat!
He's trying to learn my stealth technique?! He's using his spiritual sense to lock onto me and forcing me to flee for my life with his Fireball Technique, all so he can openly steal my techniques!
This is outrageous!
Yin Lao'er was both angry and fearful, his heart filled with deep regret.
"I won't let that happen!"
"I must not let him learn it, nor can I let him decipher this art!"
The Small Five Elements Stealth Technique was a secret art of the Five Shadows Sect.
In theory, it shouldn't be this easy to steal or decipher.
But this brat was unusual.
Yin Lao'er dared not take the risk.
He decided to give up.
He understood that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape Mo Hua's spiritual sense lock.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free from the combined efforts of the four sect disciples.
If he continued, there was a chance that this brat would steal his insights into stealth techniques, cultivated over many years.
He couldn't let the legacy be lost!
If this Small Five Elements Stealth Technique were to be exposed, he would lose his foundation and his standing in the dark path of the Qian Xue State.
Yin Lao'er steeled his heart.
Since it had come to this, he might as well stop resisting.
Yin Lao'er's movements became much more passive. He relied solely on his body technique to dodge the sword auras, spells, and magic, and he began to hold back with his stealth art, using only the most basic techniques instead of his full prowess.
After all, even if he used simple stealth techniques, the four sect disciples wouldn't be able to see through them.
And no matter how hard he tried with the Small Five Elements Stealth Technique, he couldn't hide from Mo Hua.
The outcome would be the same either way.
Mo Hua sighed.
This Yin Lao'er was too unmotivated and lacked the will to survive.
He was disappointed.
Yin Lao'er's guess was correct. Mo Hua was indeed holding back, using his Fireball Technique to force Yin Lao'er to demonstrate his stealth techniques and show how to evade and strike back while on the run.
He wanted to learn the intricacies of stealth, the art of hiding within the shadows.
And now, by observing Yin Lao'er, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Small Five Elements Stealth Technique and its principles.
"The Small Five Elements" technique relied on the five elements.
The key to this stealth art was not to completely conceal one's spiritual energy but to use the five elements' energy present in the natural world to mask one's spiritual aura.
Near trees and wood, one could borrow the wood element's energy to hide.
Near water, one could use the water element's energy to conceal oneself...
Similarly, being close to soil, metal, or fire could enhance the stealth effect of the Small Five Elements Technique.
Without the presence of the five elements, this stealth art was not much different from ordinary invisibility techniques.
But when one merged with the five elements and borrowed the energy of the natural world, the stealth technique became exceptionally powerful.
That was why Mo Hua's perception of Yin Lao'er in his spiritual sea had been vague and intermittent.
When Yin Lao'er was near the five elements, his stealth was more effective.
When he was away from them, his concealment weakened.
And so, the traces he left in Mo Hua's spiritual sea were sometimes clear and sometimes obscure.
Mo Hua understood this, and although he wanted to observe further and learn from Yin Lao'er's performance, he realized that his "guinea pig" had caught on.
Since the "rat" had given up, Mo Hua had no choice but to end it quickly.
Mo Hua no longer held back. He reached out, and in the void, pale blue water patterns appeared, condensing into a water prison that trapped Yin Lao'er in place.
Yin Lao'er was immobilized by the water prison, feeling dizzy and nauseous as if he were drowning.
"Imprisonment magic..."
Yin Lao'er's heart sank.
As he had feared, that hateful brat had kept a trump card...
With this bizarre imprisonment magic, he had never stood a chance from the beginning...
Yin Lao'er was furious and regretted his actions deeply.
He regretted not checking the almanac before leaving home, for he had encountered such a calamitous star, a nemesis...
In the moment he was trapped by the water prison, Yin Lao'er knew his fate was sealed.
Indeed, in just a few breaths, Ouyang Feng's scarlet golden maple sword pierced his left leg; Murong Caiyin's five-colored spirit light penetrated his left arm; Hua Shanshan's Hundred Flower Spirit Needles embedded themselves in his knees; and Shangguan Xu pressed the heavy sword against his neck...
The sinister and venomous Yin Lao'er had been subdued.
Mo Hua quickly rushed over and saw Yin Lao'er's eyes, filled with hatred and fixed on him. Mo Hua kindly suggested, "Let's cut off his legs first..."
The others were stunned, their expressions complicated as they looked at Mo Hua.
Although they had been on numerous missions and had rich experience in dealing with sinful cultivators, they had never gone this far...
"Prevention is better than cure!"
Mo Hua said seriously.
He had experience in this regard!
Ouyang Feng thought about it and agreed that Mo Hua made sense. He flicked his wrist, sending out two sword auras that severed Yin Lao'er's legs.
Yin Lao'er cried out in pain, his eyes even more venomous.
Mo Hua ignored him and began searching through Yin Lao'er's storage bag.
Inside, he found only some spirit stones, several sinister daggers, and a few books that recorded deadly acupoints for assassination purposes.
There was nothing crucial in the entire storage bag.
It was clear that Yin Lao'er was cunning in his actions and nature, and he wouldn't keep confidential items in such an obvious place as the storage bag.
Mo Hua then asked Yin Lao'er, "Where is the Small Five Elements Stealth Technique?"
Murong Caiyin and the others beside him were not surprised.
Along the way, they could also guess a thing or two.
This junior disciple, Mo Hua, was probably eager to capture Yin Lao'er because he was interested in his stealth technique.
But that was only to be expected.
When apprehending a sinful cultivator, it was reasonable to claim the spoils of victory and learn a few spells, as long as they weren't important sect secrets or evil magic arts.
Now that Yin Lao'er had been captured, the merit points were within reach.
As for Yin Lao'er, let this junior disciple deal with him...
Murong Caiyin and Hua Shanshan kept watch over their surroundings, guarding against possible ambushes by demonic beasts or other sinful cultivators.
Shangguan Xu stood by Mo Hua's side, ready to protect him in case of danger.
Ouyang Feng stood behind Yin Lao'er, preventing him from using any hidden tricks to harm others.
Yin Lao'er spat out a mouthful of blood and coldly laughed, "Don't even think I'll hand it over!"
Mo Hua coldly humphed, "You're quite stubborn!"
Then, he eagerly took out an iron plate from the storage bag.
Later, when he had some free time, he had "improved" this iron plate.
He felt that the effects of the mountain array, water array, and fire array were still somewhat weak, and they lacked a complementary effect on each other.
This time, he removed the mountain array and added a metal-based array.
A metal needle piercing the knee would probably be more painful than a mountain rock.
If Yin Lao'er wasn't being stubborn, he wouldn't have had to resort to this "enhanced" interrogation technique.
But not only was Yin Lao'er stubborn, he was also glaring at him with malicious eyes, so Mo Hua decided to test this improved "array torture board" on him.
Mo Hua placed the iron plate on the ground, activated the array, and said crisply to Yin Lao'er, "Kneel on it later, and let's see if it hurts. If it doesn't, I'll think of ways to optimize and improve it further..."
Yin Lao'er was stunned.
What was this brat talking about?
Such cruel words coming from his mouth sounded like he was saying:
"I have a candy here, taste it later and see if it's sweet. If it's not, I'll add some more sugar."
"Brother Feng!" Mo Hua looked at Ouyang Feng.
Ouyang Feng understood and, with practiced ease, lifted Yin Lao'er and forced him onto the iron plate. Immediately, a pig-like squeal of pain filled the air.
Murong Caiyin helplessly covered her forehead.
Shangguan Xu and Hua Shanshan, who were standing beside her, were also dumbfounded.
This was the first time they had seen this "iron plate," but it certainly wouldn't be the last...
Mo Hua then curiously asked Yin Lao'er, "Does it hurt?"
Yin Lao'er was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, his whole body trembling as he almost bit his tongue off.
"You should speak..." Mo Hua said again.
Yin Lao'er was so angry that he spat out blood.
After a while, just as Yin Lao'er was about to pass out, Mo Hua moved his spiritual sense and deactivated the array on the iron plate.
Even though Yin Lao'er was swaying unsteadily, there was a fierce determination in his eyes, and he stubbornly refused to say a word.
Mo Hua frowned.
He had overestimated the effectiveness of his iron plate.
While it caused pain, it lacked variation and needed some "improvement."
At the same time, he realized that he might have underestimated Yin Lao'er.
This Yin Lao'er was indeed a tough one!
Was the inheritance of this stealth technique really that important? Would he rather die in pain than reveal it?
Or did he feel that since he had been captured, he would eventually die anyway, so it didn't matter if he spoke or not?
Or perhaps he had undergone some kind of training and had a secret that he couldn't reveal, so he clenched his teeth and refused to speak no matter what?
...
Mo Hua's mind raced with thoughts.
However, he didn't care about the other things. What he cared about the most was the Small Five Elements Stealth Technique.
He couldn't let this duck that was already in his mouth fly away!
If Yin Lao'er refused to speak, then he would have to find it himself.
Such a precious inheritance would definitely be kept on Yin Lao'er's person.
Just like how his own inheritances were stored in the storage ring given to him by his master, Yin Lao'er must also have a place to keep his inheritances!
Mo Hua then thought of the message talisman.
He hadn't found the talisman on Bald Eagle, but the Law Enforcement Hall had discovered it later...
Mo Hua felt a bit dissatisfied.
Suddenly, he had an idea and thought of the heavenly energy he had derived earlier, sensing the causal energy.
Derivation!
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, and a black base color appeared in his pupils, with faint traces of heavenly patterns on top of it.
Yin Lao'er was startled, and his whole body trembled as he felt that his secrets were being seen through by Mo Hua's strange and profound eyes...
After a moment, Mo Hua's expression brightened, and he took out the Thousand Jun Baton, handing it to Ouyang Feng as he pointed at Yin Lao'er, "Brother Feng! Help me break his teeth!"
Ouyang Feng was taken aback.
"Teeth?"
"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded.
Ouyang Feng hesitated for a moment but still did as Mo Hua asked.
As Yin Lao'er looked on in horror, Ouyang Feng channeled his spiritual power, turning it into a powerful force as he swung the baton, shattering Yin Lao'er's teeth.
Blood flowed, and Yin Lao'er's teeth fell to the ground.
Mo Hua quickly sorted through them and picked out one, a smile on his face.
This tooth was a "storage bag"!
A very small storage bag, with a space the size of a palm, just enough to hold a jade slip.
Mo Hua took out the jade slip and waved it in front of Yin Lao'er.
Yin Lao'er's eyes widened, and he couldn't believe it.
Mo Hua smiled and said,
"Your stealth technique is excellent, but now it's mine!"
(End of Chapter)
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