Mo Hua nodded, then parted ways with them. After walking a few steps, Mo Hua gave Zhang Lan a meaningful glance.
Zhang Lan’s gaze sharpened, and he nodded slightly, signaling the other Taoist Court Cultivators with a gesture. Then, they stealthily turned back, quietly following the group of Monster Hunters until they arrived at a valley.
The group of Monster Hunters entered the valley and then vanished from sight.
Mo Hua said, “Their den must be here.”
Lu Hui asked in surprise, “How do you know they’re not Monster Hunters?”
“Because they claimed to be Monster Hunters from Tongxian City, but I’ve never seen them before.”
Lu Hui frowned and said, “There are nearly a thousand Monster Hunters in Tongxian City, can you recognize them all?”
Mo Hua ignored him and turned to Zhang Lan, saying, “Let’s prepare to make our move.”
Zhang Lan nodded, “I’ll have everyone gather right away.”
The Cultivators of the Taoist Court swiftly acted on Zhang Lan’s orders, each carrying out their assigned roles.
Only Lu Hui, whose eyes occasionally flashed with a hint of darkness as he looked at Mo Hua, stayed silent, seemingly plotting something.
As night fell, there was a faint glow of firelight within the valley and the sound of Cultivators conversing.
On Zhang Lan’s side, everyone had assembled outside the valley, using a large boulder and the tall surrounding grass to conceal their figures.
Zhang Lan spoke in a hushed tone, “I’ve been watching this afternoon. They have more than twenty people, including Bald Tuo and the one-eyed Cultivator—all inside.”
This was more than what they had anticipated. Either these were Bald Tuo’s previously hidden forces or Sin Cultivators who had recently gathered.
Currently, they did not have a numerical advantage. If they were to strike, they would need to catch the enemy off guard and by surprise.
Ji Qingbai said, “They seem to be drinking. It’s a good time to act, but it’s too dark now, and some might escape. It would be better to strike at dawn when it just starts getting light.”
Mo Shan nodded and added, “Striking at dawn would be best, as they will be drunk and sleepy, most vulnerable at that moment.”
Zhang Lan agreed, “Then let’s follow Mo’s suggestion.”
After that, Zhang Lan discussed details with Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai, while Lu Hui remained silent on the side, his eyes occasionally resting on Ji Qingbai without revealing his thoughts.
Once the discussion was finished, Zhang Lan added, “We need to find a way to seal off the valley mouth.”
This valley was rather hidden, with only one entrance that was easy to defend but hard to attack. However, because there was only one entrance, once it was sealed, the group of Sin Cultivators would be trapped like turtles in a jar, unable to escape.
But the mouth of the valley was neither too large nor too small. It would not be easy to guard with manpower alone.
Zhang Lan looked towards Mo Hua.
Mo Hua nodded, “I will seal the valley mouth.”
Mo Hua used his Divine Sense to scan the valley, confirming that the group of Sin Cultivators was deep in their drink, an opportune moment of negligence when they wouldn’t notice him, and then he cautiously approached the valley.
Amid the cloak of night and blurred vision, Mo Hua hid in the bushes. Though the Sin Cultivators couldn’t see him, even if they did suspect something, the indistinct light of night would help Mo Hua’s rudimentary Concealment Technique, preventing him from being discovered.
His Concealment Technique wouldn’t completely make him invisible; it wouldn’t work during the day, but at night it was far more effective.
Moreover, with Mo Hua’s strong Divine Sense and intentional effort to hide his own aura, even if the Sin Cultivators swept the area with Divine Sense, they wouldn’t notice him.
With little time to spare, Mo Hua hadn’t been able to prepare the Earth Fire Formation in advance, so he had to draw it on the spot.
Crouched at the valley mouth, Mo Hua took out his Formation Pen and, dipping it in ink, sketched the Earth Fire Formation onto the rocks on the ground at the valley’s entrance with fast-moving strokes.
Zhang Lan and the others were already used to it.
Only Lu Hui was profoundly shocked at this moment—he had never expected that this young man was a Formation Master!