Their youthful vigor had long been simmering with rage after being mocked by the disciples of the Sever Gold Sect.
Now that they had a chance to strike back, their eyes gleamed with cold menace.
In the distance, Elder Xun paused in surprise.
He had just praised Mo Hua inwardly for his "restraint," but in the blink of an eye, they were carrying axes, knives, and swords, ready to "pick a fight."
Some even went as far as poisoning their Spiritual Artifacts.
This kind of treacherous method... who taught them this?
Elder Xun shook his head.
Looks like a real conflict is inevitable now. Ignoring it would no longer work.
Nonetheless, he had made up his mind.
If Mo Hua and his group won, he’d watch from the sidelines.
If Mo Hua and his group lost, he’d step in to tilt the odds.
After all, he was an elder, and an elder must maintain their "demeanor"...
Elder Xun silently started moving, trailing after Mo Hua and his group.
Mo Hua and the group, meanwhile, headed south, pursuing the direction where the Sever Gold Sect disciples had departed.
Throughout the chase, Mo Hua unfurled his Divine Sense, carefully combing through the traces left by the Sever Gold Sect disciples. After nearly an hour, they finally spotted the group at the top of a hill.
The pig-headed monster had already been skinned for materials.
Looking triumphant, the Sever Gold Sect disciples were now gathered at the foot of a slope, drinking and feasting.
To Mo Hua’s surprise, it was already dusk by now. The twilight hung heavy, the sunset fading beyond the hills, and soon, darkness would take over.
And yet, these disciples seemed in no rush to leave Refining Demon Mountain.
"Are they planning to spend the night in the mountains?"
Mo Hua frowned.
Why choose to stay in the mountains instead of leaving while they could?
Though, staying here works just fine.
Easier to act under the cover of darkness.
Mo Hua pulled out several pieces of black cloth, instructing everyone to cover their faces.
Cheng Mo said, "Senior Brother, even with our faces covered, won’t they still recognize us...?"
Mo Hua shook his head, his expression dead serious as he replied:
"If we’re going to strike in the dark, we need to do it ’professionally.’ Since others wear masks, we must follow suit. Otherwise, we would be breaking the rules."
Cheng Mo nodded hesitantly, half-understanding.
Once their preparations were complete, the group waited until nightfall. The night deepened; a cool mountain breeze swept through the area.
The Sever Gold Sect disciples gathered around a fire formation, drinking themselves into a light stupor, leaving only two on the outskirts for guard duty.
Mo Hua lowered his voice and said, "Stick to the plan."
Cheng Mo, biting a twig to suppress any noise, obediently nodded.
Soon, the group moved into their designated positions.
Mo Hua activated the Concealment Technique, quietly approaching the fire formation, stopping in its outer periphery, where he took out a bottle of Spiritual Ink and discreetly poured it onto the ground.
The ink seeped into the mountain soil.
Guided by Mo Hua’s Divine Thought, under the cloak of night, the ink slithered and coalesced, forming a Formation.
Elder Xun, still puzzled at what Mo Hua was plotting, froze briefly.
He knew Mo Hua was creating a Formation, but how could he manage this under the disciples’ noses?
Now, the truth unfolded before his eyes.
Even amidst the deepening night, Elder Xun, with his Golden Core Divine Sense attuned to twenty-eight patterns, sensed the intricacies of Mo Hua’s Formation creation.
Divine Thought as the brush, the earth as its canvas—a Formation came into existence in utter silence.
Elder Xun inhaled sharply.
Although he avoided the path of Formation due to fear of the patriarch’s strictness, decades of exposure granted him insight.
This technique was far beyond the reach of ordinary Formation Masters!
Could it be... something taught by the patriarch as well?
But...
Elder Xun’s gaze flickered uneasily, "Could the patriarch himself even perform something like this...?"
...
Then, everything seemed to unfold naturally.