Chapter 664: Luring Danger
Chapter 664: Luring Danger
"What should we do now?" Hao Xuan asked, his gaze instinctively turning to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment before replying, "Let's go find Cheng Mo and the others first. They are still being pursued, and if we leave them unattended, I'm afraid the odds of their survival are slim..."
"But..." Hao Xuan hesitated, "There are only two of us... and there are more than twenty of those slave traders."
"Have you sent a distress signal with the Tahui Ring?" Mo Hua inquired.
Hao Xuan nodded and then shook his head. "I tried, but it's useless here. We're in a desolate mountain range, and the yuan magnetic force is weak and easily interfered with. Also, we're quite far from the sect, so it's uncertain if the distress message will reach them."
Upon hearing this, Mo Hua paused, then tested his own Tahui Ring. Indeed, as Hao Xuan had said, the yuan magnetic force was weak, and the magnetic patterns were disturbed, making it unlikely that any messages would get through.
He hadn't tried to send a distress signal during his previous missions, so he was unaware of this limitation of the Tahui Ring...
Mo Hua then attempted to use the message talisman that Uncle Gu had given him.
The ink characters were faint and flickering.
There was a noticeable delay in the yuan magnetic force, and it was unclear if the message had been sent successfully, but it was definitely better than the Tahui Ring.
Mo Hua was perplexed but soon figured it out.
The Tahui Ring's array was more advanced but also overly complex. Message transmission was just one of its basic functions, so it wasn't as effective as a dedicated messaging talisman.
The array within the Tahui Ring was controlled by a core array hub located at the main gate of the Tahui Sect.
The stronger the yuan magnetic signal, the closer it was to the mountain gate. Once you moved away, the magnetic flux weakened.
Moreover, they were currently outside the boundary of Qianshui State, separated by an entire state boundary, which severely limited the functionality of both the Tahui Ring and the messaging talisman.
Whether they could be used at all was uncertain...
Nevertheless, a distress message had to be sent.
Mo Hua sent a message:
"Uncle Gu, there are slave traders—more than twenty of them—in the desolate mountains outside Xiaoyun City..."
After sending the message, Mo Hua left it at that.
While it was important to try to seek help, he knew better than to rely too heavily on it.
"Which way did Cheng Mo and the others flee?" Mo Hua asked Hao Xuan.
Hao Xuan thought for a moment and pointed in a direction. "They ran towards that mountain over there..."
Mo Hua looked in the direction of the mountain.
The night was deep, and the mountain was shrouded in darkness. It would take an unknown amount of time to search for them.
"How are your injuries?" Mo Hua asked, turning back to Hao Xuan.
"I can come with you, but I probably won't be of much help in a fight," Hao Xuan replied bitterly.
"It's fine," Mo Hua assured him.
He didn't need Hao Xuan to fight anyway.
With their numerical advantage, Hao Xuan's cultivation level wouldn't make much of a difference.
He just needed him to show the way.
The two prepared to set off, but before they left, Mo Hua wanted to inspect the two black-robed cultivators in the cave one more time. He searched their bodies and tried to get a look at their faces.
He wanted to know the identities of these daring slave traders operating so close to Qianshui State.
The black-robed cultivators in the cave had their legs severed by the Golden Blade Array and were then finished off by Mo Hua's Fireball Technique, leaving them charred beyond recognition.
However, Mo Hua had intentionally avoided burning their faces with his fireballs, hoping to preserve some clues.
The cave was dimly lit.
One of the black-robed cultivators lay motionless on the ground, his life already extinguished.
Mo Hua approached and lifted the mask, only to narrow his eyes at the sight beneath.
Under the black cloth was a face rotten with blood and flesh, making it impossible to discern any features. Even the blood was a putrid black.
"This is..."
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense, examining the corpse closely for a moment before incredulity filled him.
"Demonic energy..."
Just before his death, this black-robed cultivator had released his demonic energy, causing it to corrupt his flesh and blur his features, as well as taint his spiritual energy.
He didn't want his identity to be discovered.
Mo Hua quickly rushed out of the cave to check the other black-robed cultivator who had been killed by the Earthfire Array. However, this body had also been corrupted by demonic energy, turning it into a pool of putrid flesh.
A chill ran through Mo Hua's heart.
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation...
Even in death, they had destroyed their physical bodies and tainted their spiritual energy to hide their identities.
But...
Mo Hua frowned.
Where did the demonic energy on their bodies come from? Why hadn't he detected it earlier?
Hao Xuan, who was following behind Mo Hua, also saw the repulsive state of the two black-robed cultivators and couldn't help but cover his mouth, mumbling, "How did they end up like this?"
Mo Hua shook his head. He searched their storage bags and found only some spirit stones, pills, and commonly used spiritual artifacts, with no other clues to their identities.
"So cautious..." Mo Hua muttered to himself.
"So, what now?" Hao Xuan asked.
"Never mind, finding Cheng Mo and the others is the priority," Mo Hua replied.
After all, there were more than twenty of them in total.
With two dead, there were still plenty left.
Mo Hua didn't believe that each one of them would be able to destroy their bodies and conceal their identities before dying...
"Let's go," Mo Hua said.
"Oh," Hao Xuan nodded.
He didn't understand any of this, but following Mo Hua seemed like the right thing to do.
After all, Mo Hua had just saved him.
Hao Xuan recalled the words his parents had imparted to him before he entered the sect: "Xuan'er, although you have a Cave Void Ancestor, you are only one of his one hundred and fifty-six great-grandchildren. Your ancestor may not even remember who you are..."
"Your talent is mediocre, and your temperament isn't ruthless enough, so it will be difficult for you to stand out in the sect."
"Since that's the case, find a way to secure your position..."
"It doesn't matter if you're not good at other things, as long as you master body refinement."
"When traveling in the cultivation world, if you encounter danger, run if you can. If you can't escape, stick close to reliable people and don't try to be a hero."
Hao Xuan had a feeling that Mo Hua was the kind of "reliable" cultivator his parents had described.
Even though he was younger and had lower cultivation and shorter stature, he seemed very "experienced" in setting traps and killing people.
Although it was a little scary, calling him "Junior Brother" and following him would probably be the right choice...
Hao Xuan nodded silently.
With Hao Xuan leading the way, the two of them used their body refinement techniques and hurried towards the western side of the desolate mountain range.
After traveling for half an hour, a vast forest loomed before them.
The trees were dense, and the night was dark, making it impossible to see the path ahead.
Hao Xuan, unable to recognize the way, looked around before turning to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua gazed into the distance, her eyes reflecting the intricate patterns of cause and effect. After a moment, she said, "Follow me."
"Okay," Hao Xuan nodded repeatedly.
Once again, Mo Hua took the lead, with Hao Xuan trailing behind.
They weaved their way through the trees, and although there seemed to be no visible path, Mo Hua always managed to find a way forward.
Hao Xuan watched her, feeling perplexed.
After an unknown amount of time, they came across traces of blood on the ground once more.
The trees on either side bore marks from swords, axes, and other weapons, along with remnants of earth and the aura of fire-attributed spiritual power.
"Mountain-Splitting Axe! Leaving Fire Sword!"
"It's Cheng Mo and Si Tu Jian!"
Hao Xuan's heart skipped a beat as he finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Mo Hua, how did you find them...?"
Mo Hua replied solemnly, "Intuition!"
"Oh..."
Hao Xuan was half-convinced and half-skeptical, unsure if he should believe her...
Mo Hua whispered, "They're not far ahead. Let's go take a look."
"Alright." Hao Xuan replied anxiously.
The two lowered their bodies and took a few steps forward. As Hao Xuan turned his head, he found that Mo Hua had suddenly disappeared, causing him to panic. "Mo... Hua..."
Mo Hua's figure reappeared beside him.
Hao Xuan jumped in surprise.
"I forgot, you can't turn invisible..." Mo Hua took out a jade pendant from her storage bag and handed it to Hao Xuan. "This is the Water Hiding Jade. It was 'borrowed' from a kind uncle in the Daotingsi. You can use it to turn invisible for now."
Hao Xuan took the jade pendant with a dumbfounded expression and nodded.
Then, both of them used their stealth techniques and moved towards the other side of the forest.
On the other side of the forest was a gentle, open hillside. Below the slope was a small stream, and the bank was full of pebbles.
At that moment, two groups of cultivators were engaged in a chaotic battle by the stream.
One group wore black clothes and had their faces covered. There were nine of them.
The other group had only three people.
With a glance, Mo Hua recognized them.
One of them had several bloody wounds on his upper body and was wielding two large axes, seemingly driven to a desperate situation. He was shouting loudly, and it was none other than Cheng Mo.
Another cultivator was using the Leaving Fire Sword, his face pale—it was Si Tu Jian.
The third disciple had a handsome face and was wielding a long spear, fighting desperately against the black-clad cultivators. Although he looked exhausted, his cultivation was also not to be underestimated.
Mo Hua looked at him and realized that she didn't recognize him.
"Who is that person...?"
Mo Hua pointed at the disciple using the spear and asked Hao Xuan in a lowered voice.
Hao Xuan quietly took a glance and replied in a low voice, "His name is Yang Qian Jun. He's from our batch, but he's not from the same disciple residence, so we don't have classes together. You probably haven't seen him before..."
"Oh oh."
Mo Hua nodded.
Yang Qian Jun... Surname Yang... Uses a spear...
Mo Hua whispered, "Is he a disciple of the Yang family from the Daobing Division?"
Hao Xuan was a little surprised, "You know about the Yang family too?"
"I know a little..."
Hao Xuan nodded, "Yes, he's from the main branch of the Yang family, and he practices the Yang family's ancestral spear techniques. His cultivation is quite strong..."
"The Cheng family and the Yang family have a good relationship. Cheng Mo and Yang Qian Jun also know each other."
"For this mission, we needed to capture three Foundation Establishment stage criminal cultivators, so we invited him to join us. The five of us are working together."
"Oh." Mo Hua nodded and then frowned, "There are five of you—you, Cheng Mo, Si Tu Jian, Yang Qian Jun... and who else?"
"Yi Li..." Hao Xuan said.
Mo Hua was taken aback, "Yi Li... from the Yi family of the Daofa Division's Elder Yi?"
"Yes." Hao Xuan looked around but couldn't spot Yi Li's figure. He sighed, "I wonder how Yi Li is doing..."
"Hopefully, he managed to escape, otherwise..."
Hao Xuan's expression was filled with worry.
Mo Hua released her spiritual sense and scanned the area. Suddenly, she pointed to a cultivator lying on the ground in the corner and asked, "Is that Yi Li over there?"
Hao Xuan followed her finger and saw Yi Li on the ground. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's Yi Li!"
Mo Hua understood the situation now.
With the surname Yi, he must be from the Yi family, and he would naturally focus on cultivating spells, making him a spiritual cultivator.
In this kind of chaotic battle, spiritual cultivators were at a disadvantage.
Especially since they were outnumbered, he would be an easy target.
In the midst of the battle, this spiritual cultivator was likely surrounded and attacked at close range, becoming the first one to fall.
Fortunately, he had only fainted, and his life wasn't in danger... for now.
But if this situation continued, it wouldn't bode well for him.
Mo Hua observed the situation further.
These black-clad cultivators had solid foundations, and if her guess was correct, they were likely from prestigious families as well.
In that case, the other group consisting of Cheng Mo and the others might not be able to hold out for much longer.
The three of them were facing nine opponents, and their movements were becoming slower and slower as their spiritual power waned. It was obvious that they were gritting their teeth and forcing themselves to continue fighting.
The fact that they had lasted this long was already impressive.
Hao Xuan watched with a tense expression.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said to Hao Xuan, "Your agility is pretty good, right?"
Hao Xuan didn't understand why she was asking, but he slowly nodded, "My parents were afraid that I might encounter danger, so they had me focus on cultivating body refinement techniques..."
Mo Hua whispered, "Then, in a moment, you should show yourself and insult them. Lure them over here, and I'll use an array to take care of them..."
Hao Xuan was taken aback but nodded.
With their smaller numbers, it was indeed necessary to use an array to have a chance at victory.
However...
Hao Xuan looked around, "Where's the array?"
"Don't worry..." Mo Hua said, "Just go and lure them over. I'll set up the array very quickly."
Seeing Hao Xuan's doubt, Mo Hua emphasized, "I'm really fast at setting up arrays!"
"Alright..."
Hao Xuan mumbled to himself. Just as he was about to stand up, he thought of another problem, "How do I lure them...?"
Mo Hua patiently explained, "Just show yourself and let them see you. Then, pretend to be flustered and run away. They will definitely send people to chase after you.
"But what if they don't?" Hao Xuan asked.
"Then you insult them," Mo Hua said.
Hao Xuan hesitated, "I'm not very good at insulting people..."
"It's fine," Mo Hua said, her eyes lighting up. "I can teach you!"
Hao Xuan was surprised, "Do you often insult people?"
Mo Hua shook her head immediately, "I don't know how to insult people either, but I once knew a senior who was very good at it, and I happened to remember some of the insults..."
Mo Hua whispered a few insults to Hao Xuan.
After hearing them, Hao Xuan was shocked.
It was as if a frog at the bottom of a well had jumped out, and he finally realized that there were people in this world who could insult others so colorfully...
"Do you remember them?" Mo Hua asked.
Hao Xuan nodded solemnly.
"Good, then go!" Mo Hua said, "But remember, there's no need to fight. Once they start chasing you, just run for your life..."
"Okay!"
So Hao Xuan plucked up his courage, stepped out of the forest, and stood at the edge of the woods. He shouted at the group of black-robed cultivators surrounding Cheng Mo and the others, "Cheng Mo! Hold on! I'm here!"
Then he charged towards them.
The black-robed cultivators were stunned for a moment.
Then they recognized Hao Xuan and, seeing that he was walking into their trap, they glared at him with malicious smiles.
Hao Xuan was frightened and immediately turned to run back.
The black-robed cultivators looked at each other.
One of them frowned and said coldly, "Go after him! We can't let him escape!"
"Yes!"
Two of the black-robed cultivators nodded and drew their swords to chase after Hao Xuan.
Following Mo Hua's instructions, Hao Xuan led the two of them into the forest and then circled around to hide behind a large rock.
Soon after, there was a loud explosion, followed by a violent surge of spiritual power.
Hao Xuan's heart skipped a beat as he looked up and saw the two black-robed cultivators lying motionless on the ground.
Mo Hua was already finishing them off with her Fireball Technique.
Her movements were smooth and skilled.
Hao Xuan almost suspected that this "junior brother" of his was an experienced con artist and murderer.
After Mo Hua finished them off, Hao Xuan hurried over, only to see a frown on her face.
"Senior brother, what's wrong?"
Mo Hua pointed to the two black-robed cultivators on the ground.
Hao Xuan looked and saw that they were already unrecognizable, their faces mutilated beyond recognition.
They looked exactly like the previous two black-robed cultivators who had died.
"When they were alive, I couldn't sense any demonic energy, but as soon as they died, the demonic energy went out of control and corrupted their blood, flesh, and spiritual power..."
Mo Hua's expression was solemn.
Hao Xuan was also startled.
He was a descendant of a righteous sect, and although he had heard of the various sinister methods of the "Demon Path," he had only heard about them and had never seen them firsthand.
It was as if the dangers of cultivation had suddenly become very real...
However, Mo Hua was already familiar with this situation.
He stood up and planned another "luring" route for Hao Xuan.
Hao Xuan then returned to the stream in the mountains and shouted at the group of black-robed cultivators, "I'm back again!"
The black-robed cultivators were stunned once more.
But this time, they didn't chase after him.
Even a fool would know that something was wrong.
Hao Xuan then remembered the insults that Mo Hua had taught him, and he shouted loudly and articulately, "You bunch of useless cowards..."
"Cowards!"
"Were you born without any guts, leaving them all in your mother's womb?"
"I'm insulting you so much, and you're still acting like turtles hiding in their shells!"
"Could it be that your fathers are turtles? Are you all also sons of green-headed snakes, that's why you're so good at enduring insults?"
"If that's the case, why don't you introduce me to your mothers? Maybe they can give birth to more turtle brothers for you..."
...
The black-robed cultivators were stunned by these insults.
Even Cheng Mo and the others were surprised.
Was this really Hao Xuan...? Had he gone crazy...?
He usually didn't insult people, so how did he suddenly become so good at it?
Cheng Mo and the others were perplexed.
The black-robed cultivators soon snapped out of their daze, but they couldn't take it anymore.
One of them gritted his teeth and said, "Big brother, I'm going to kill that brat!"
"Tear him into a thousand pieces!"
The leader of the black-robed cultivators frowned, "There's definitely something fishy going on..."
Another one nodded and said, "Those two brothers who chased after him earlier are now missing. I'm not sure if they were lured away or if they walked into an ambush."
But someone else angrily said, "I don't care! He has humiliated me so much, and today I will rip him apart to vent my anger!"
The leader frowned, "No."
The man coldly smiled, "Don't forget, you don't have the qualifications to order me around. I only listened to your commands earlier because I gave you face. But in terms of status, I'm not any lower than you!"
The leader glared at him, but the black-robed cultivator ignored him and pointed to two others, "Let's go. Although we can't reveal our identities, with our backgrounds, we can't tolerate such humiliation!"
So, three black-robed cultivators set off to chase and kill Hao Xuan.
This left only four black-robed cultivators at the scene.
The ratio was now four to three, and although they still had the advantage, it was a slim one.
Cheng Mo and the other two felt a boost in confidence and saw a chance to escape, or even turn the tables on their enemies.
On the other side, the three black-robed cultivators grinned maliciously as they chased Hao Xuan into the dark forest.
They thought that with their three-to-one advantage, it would be an easy victory.
Even if there were some ambushes, as long as they were careful, they would be fine.
But they had no idea that someone was waiting for them in the dark forest...
Half an hour later.
The array flashed with red light, and fire engulfed the area.
When the smoke and dust cleared...
The three arrogant black-robed cultivators were lying on the ground, dead.
(End of Chapter)
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