Chapter 156: The Offensive (Part 5)_1
The Earthfire Compound Formation repeatedly exploded, dazzling like fireworks. Mixed with the wailing and chaotic scrambling of the Qian Family Cultivators, it was incredibly lively.
Having had his fill, Mo Hua nodded in approval, very satisfied.
At the entrance of the mine, other Monster Hunters watched, and seeing the pitiful state of the Qian Family Cultivators, they all cheered.
“Well exploded!”
“Make it even louder!”
The frustration that had accumulated over days of being harassed and ambushed by the Qian Family was swept away.
Elder Yu also felt a great sense of relief and cursed the Qian Family from top to bottom once more.
Now with the Monster Hunters’ tension eased, the pressure fell upon the Qian Family Cultivators.
To fight or not to fight?
If they charged in, they would be blown away miserably, but if they didn’t, it would mean surrendering the spiritual mines without a fight.
Either option was unacceptable to the Qian Family.
The next day, the Qian Family tidied up the battlefield and carried their injured back for treatment.
Originally, there were many injured but few dead.
However, some of the wounded Cultivators were ambushed by Monster Beasts on their way back.
The Monster Beasts, drawn by the scent of blood, found them; the severely injured Qian Family Cultivators had just left the battlefield only to end up in the bellies of the beasts.
The Family Head of the Qian Family, Qian Hong, was furious and ordered that no matter what, they must take over the spiritual mines!
The burly men from the Qian Family, burdened with this command, could only ponder deeply in a camp outside Nameless Peak.
The burly man’s name was Qian Zhuang, a direct descendant of the Qian Family, but not from Qian Hong’s line, which was why he was tasked with this life-threatening mission.
This also suited his intentions perfectly. Although he was a direct descendant, he wasn’t regarded highly in the clan, and his future prospects were uncertain.
If he could capture the spiritual mines this time, the clan would surely regard him with new respect, and if they rewarded him with Spirit Stones and Pills, then his hopes of Foundation Establishment would be within reach.
Once he became a Foundation Building Cultivator, he could aspire to become an Elder and have significant influence within the Qian Family.
The power of a Qian Family Elder was great, but the promotion criteria were strict.
You either needed to have the Cultivation of Foundation Establishment, or you needed to have extremely high attainments in formations, alchemy, or artifact refining, or you held an important position in a Sect or the Taoist Court, or you made an outstanding contribution to the Clan.
Qian Zhuang met none of these conditions, so the only path to becoming an Elder was to achieve the status of a Foundation Building Cultivator.
Therefore, he absolutely had to capture the spiritual mines, or else not only would he achieve nothing, he would also be held accountable for a major error!
Within the clan, Cultivators were all considered family, so essentially, none of them were truly family.
If you couldn’t bring benefits to the clan, you were useless.
Qian Zhuang didn’t want to be seen as useless; he wanted to capture the spiritual mines and climb to a higher position within the Qian Family by stepping over these Monster Hunters.
After a while, a Qian Family Disciple came in to report,
“Brother, the brothers have checked it out. The explosions last night were caused by a formation!”
Qian Zhuang frowned, “A formation? These bumpkins actually know how to use formations?”
“Yes!”
Qian Zhuang’s frown deepened.
He couldn’t help thinking, when they attacked previously, were there Formation Patterns on those indestructible rattan armors as well?
“Which formation?”
“Some disciples went back to the clan to ask Master Qian, and Master Qian said that it looked like the Earth Fire Formation.”
Master Qian was a Formation Master of the Qian Family. Although he was not yet ranked first-grade, it was only a matter of time. So, out of respect, people called him “Master.”
“Earth Fire Formation? What rank?”
“Seven Pattern Lines.”
Qian Zhuang’s expression turned cold, “To think it had seven Pattern Lines, no wonder.”
Seven Pattern Lines could injure Cultivators in the late phase of Qi Refinement, and if several were superimposed, their power would be even stronger.
Filled with resentment, Qian Zhuang sneered, “To think that a Formation Master would help these paupers!”
He did not believe that these impoverished Loose Cultivators could afford the price to hire a Formation Master.
Most likely, the Formation Master had signed a Spirit Pact with them, which would allow them to share in the Spirit Stones from the mine upon success.
The world was filled with movement for the sake of profit, and this Formation Master was no exception.
That disciple then asked, “Big brother, what should we do next?”
Qian Zhuang said, “No matter, a Seven-Pattern Formation Master is nothing to be concerned about.”
How many formations could a single Formation Master possibly draw?
Last night, there was an explosion, presumably using quite a number of Earth Fire Formations; he refused to believe that there could be any more Earth Fire Formations to blast them tonight.