Chapter 153: First Battle (Two updates)_1
Given the huge interest in the spiritual mines, when the Taoist Court mediation failed, there was no choice but to follow the common rules. The Qian Family and the Monster Hunters would engage in a fierce battle at the Nameless Peak spiritual mine.
Whoever won would get to take control of the spiritual mine.
The Qian Family was now on the offensive, whereas the Monster Hunters were on defense.
The atmosphere among the Monster Hunters had gradually become more tense.
Elder Yu ordered that all Monster Hunters were forbidden from hunting monsters in Big Black Mountain in the near future, and he assembled most of the Monster Hunters who were between the seventh and ninth level of Qi Refinement to guard the mine tunnels at Nameless Peak.
On one hand, the Monster Hunters were preparing for the imminent attack from the Qian Family and, on the other hand, they were working to expedite the extraction of the spiritual mine.
It would be best to hold onto the spiritual mines, but with the Qian Family’s vast influence and numerous cultivators, it was uncertain whether the Monster Hunters would be able to hold out until the end.
Since it was not known when the spiritual mine would fall, the idea was to extract as many spirit stones as possible before that happened.
Late-stage Qi Refinement practitioners were to enter the spiritual mine, and Mo Shan, being at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, was no exception.
Mo Hua also wanted to go in, but Mo Shan wouldn’t allow it, and neither would Elder Yu agree.
Previously, during the spiritual mine’s capture, Mo Hua was on the outside where there were rocks and trees to hide behind; in case of danger, there was a chance to flee if the situation turned dire.
Now, inside the mine tunnel, there was virtually nowhere to escape.
If the Qian Family cultivators were to break in and melee ensued; with swords, divine sense, and spiritual power flying chaotically, no one could guarantee Mo Hua’s safety.
Therefore, Elder Yu was originally adamant about not allowing Mo Hua, a minor cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, to stay inside the spiritual mine.
That was until Mo Hua offered to help by Drawing Formation.
“I can draw the Golden Armor Formation, it can even be used by those in the late Qi Refinement stages!” Mo Hua said.
Upon hearing this, Elder Yu could hardly refuse.
In a large-scale battle between cultivators, the effectiveness of formations becomes quite apparent.
Moreover, this Golden Armor Formation sounded much more powerful than the “Iron Armor Formation.” With the reinforcement of the Golden Armor Formation, the likelihood of holding the mine tunnels would greatly increase.
Even if they couldn’t hold it in the end, they could at least delay the inevitable for longer, thus harvesting more spirit stones.
This was a spiritual mine, after all, even a small one could provide for many Loose Cultivators’ living expenses for a long time.
Elder Yu was tempted.
Several Monster Hunters also praised the Golden Armor Formation to Elder Yu, mentioning how Mo Shan had encountered a Kui Wood Wolf during Monster Hunting and was spared from injury because his Rattan Armor was painted with the Golden Armor Formation.
With a sigh, Mo Shan reluctantly took out the Rattan Armor painted with the Golden Armor Formation.
Elder Yu examined it closely and tested the armor’s defense, his eyes lighting up with approval. He immediately decided to allow Mo Hua to stay.
Thus, Mo Hua stayed inside the spiritual mine.
Elder Yu instructed the other Monster Hunters to take good care of Mo Hua and thought to himself:
“If any undiscerning bastard dares to hurt a single hair on Mo Hua’s head, I’ll strike them down with a single blow!”
In the days that followed, Mo Hua started to draw Golden Armor Formations for the Monster Hunters.
With Mo Hua’s current Divine Sense intensity, enhanced control from the Heaven Yan Jue, and the increased recovery speed of Divine Sense from the Meditation Technique, around ten First-grade Golden Armor Formations could be painted in one day.
The Spiritual Ink used for these Golden Armor Formations was temporarily supplied by Mo Hua.
Elder Yu agreed to convert the cost of the Spiritual Ink into spirit stones and add it to the compensation for Drawing Formation, to be given to Mo Hua in the end.
Elder Yu had been frugal in the past due to a lack of spirit stones.
Now that he had possession of a small spiritual mine, he would not let Mo Hua suffer any loss.
Elder Yu, wanting Mo Hua to focus on Drawing Formation, even opened up a small mine tunnel, setting it up to be warm and comfortable, assuring Mo Hua to communicate any needs.
Mo Hua stayed in the small mine tunnel, drawing formations, and managed to paint about thirty Golden Armor Formations in three days.
Later, the Qian Family cultivators began their assault on the mountain.
Mo Hua, lying at the entrance of the tunnel, watched the large and powerful group of Qian Family cultivators below, and feeling worried, asked Elder Yu, “Can we defeat the Qian Family?”
“We can fight, but it won’t be easy, and the outcome is hard to predict,” Elder Yu responded.
“Have we fought them before?”
Elder Yu nodded, “A few times. The Qian Family was overly oppressive, and we fought back. As the fight escalated into a brawl, things became unmanageable. We suffered more losses that time, the Qian Family won, but they didn’t get much of an advantage either.”
Confused, Mo Hua asked, “Where is the Qian Family stronger than us?”
After pondering, Elder Yu said, “Each has its advantages in a head-on fight, but the Qian Family has more spirit stones, better Spiritual Artifacts, and they can afford to hire help.”
Mo Hua said, “So with the Golden Armor Formation, do we have more of an advantage?”
Elder Yu nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”
He didn’t know exactly how powerful the Golden Armor Formation was, but even a slight edge could impact the battle.
Then the Qian Family began their assault on the mountain in a grand and open manner.
The Qian Family had always looked down on Monster Hunters, believing them to be impoverished and pathetic.
With their wealth of spirit stones, the Qian Family cultivators generally had one higher level of cultivation than the Monster Hunters.