The cave was a mess, with some of the Formations destroyed, books and Array Plates crushed by Spiritual Power, and several more holes in the walls, where blood was splattered all over the floor.
The Third Householder had a long spear pierced through his shoulder, pinning him to the wall; both hands and feet were locked in silver shackles.
These were shackles used exclusively by the Taoist soldiers Court, a Second Grade Spiritual Artifact, inscribed with a Spirit Locking Formation, designed specifically to confine prisoners.
Leader Yang was a descendant of the Noble Clans and also commanded the Taoist soldiers. With numerous battles under his belt and personal strength and combat experience far beyond that of the Third Householder, it was no contest.
The only thing the Third Householder was good at was Formations.
But now, with Mo Hua’s help, his expertise in Formations was utterly useless, and naturally, he was no match for Leader Yang.
After about a dozen exchanges, he was captured by Leader Yang.
Mo Hua walked into the cave.
Upon seeing him, the Third Householder’s eyes widened in shock, "It’s you?!"
Mo Hua nodded, "Yes, it’s me!"
The Third Householder struggled to rise but was pressed down by a slap from Leader Yang, rendering him immobile.
The Third Householder winced in pain and gave up struggling, but said in disbelief,
"You... are actually a Formation Master?"
"You figured it out?" Mo Hua didn’t deny it.
The Third Householder’s eyelids twitched, and a chill settled at the bottom of his heart.
He understood everything now.
Who had infiltrated the Black Mountain Stronghold, who had broken his Formations, who had destroyed his Contemplation Map...
It was indeed this little devil who did all of it!
But deep down, he found it unbelievable, "How could it be? How could you have such a powerful Divine Sense?"
Merely in the Qi-refining Realm, yet his Divine Sense almost rivalled that of the Foundation Establishment.
This was far beyond his understanding of Tao Cultivation.
Mo Hua just smiled slightly, not bothering to answer.
He certainly didn’t want to reveal his true abilities.
If the Third Householder wanted to guess, then let him keep guessing.
The Third Householder’s expression changed, eventually revealing unwillingness, and he asked another question, "Did you really break my Formation?"
"Sort of," Mo Hua replied casually.
To the Third Householder’s dismay, these words turned his face ashen, and he looked utterly dejected.
A strong Divine Sense might just be a testament to the little devil’s talent, but being able to break his Formation meant that his understanding of Formations was far superior to his own.
A small cultivator in his teens, with far superior mastery over Formations...
The Third Householder’s Taoist Heart even began to show cracks...
This simply couldn’t be possible!
If such a person existed in this world, they should belong to those Noble Clans of Daoist heritage or the descendants of Ancient Sects – not someone from such a remote place, not this lowly born Loose Cultivator.
The look the Third Householder gave Mo Hua was initially one of disbelief, which then turned to despondency, followed by jealousy and resentment.
"You little lucky son of a..."
He hadn’t finished his curse when Mo Hua drew the Thousand Jun Stick and struck him in the face with it.
Mo Hua huffed coldly, "It seems you still don’t understand your situation."
Leader Yang also frowned and drove the spear deeper into the Third Householder, the cruel Spiritual Power eroding his flesh.
The agony from the wound sobered the Third Householder somewhat.
He suddenly realized that the little devil before him wasn’t to be trifled with.
This little devil dared to infiltrate the Black Mountain Stronghold boldly and, even after being discovered, managed to keep a straight face while dealing with him, cunningly deceiving him, and effortlessly killed several Evil Cultivators...
Such courage and cunning was definitely not ordinary.
Even if this little devil wasn’t an Old Demon’s reincarnate, he was still a sly little fiend.
Offending him now was indeed unwise.
Suppressing the various resentful emotions in his heart, the Third Householder tried to summon his composure.
Seeing that the Third Householder knew his place, Mo Hua stopped beating him.
Of course, his weak physique meant that even if he swung the Thousand Jun Stick with all his might, he could only express his dissatisfaction; it wouldn’t inflict any serious injury on the Third Householder.
Mo Hua then inquired about what concerned him:
"You didn’t tell your Camp Leader about me, did you?"
"No,"
"Why?" Mo Hua was puzzled.