The one-eyed Sin Cultivator led a group of fellow Sin Cultivators back the way they came, arriving at the base of the hillside and lying in ambush among the bushes, looking up.
Atop the secluded knoll, there were only four individuals.
Ji Qingbai and the other two were covered in bloodstains and still in meditation, healing their wounds, while the young Cultivator stood guard beside them with a vigilant expression.
âNot running away, just waiting to die here?â Diao Laosi sneered.
But the one-eyed Sin Cultivator furrowed his brow, âIâm afraid there might be a trick.â
âShould we release our Divine Sense to check?â suggested a Sin Cultivator.
âTheyâll notice.â
âThere arenât any Foundation Building Cultivators; we can be careful and check.â
âItâs that kid, his Divine Sense is outrageously strong. If we use Divine Sense to spy on them, he will definitely discover us.â
âHow is that possible?â
âWould I lie to you?â
â¦
After a few arguments among the Sin Cultivators, the one-eyed Cultivator asked, âBoss, what should we do?â
The bald-headed Sin Cultivator pondered, âJi Qingbai is an outsider Cultivator. He doesnât have much of a network in Tongxian City; not many Cultivators will help him.â
âAs for that kid, he seems to be a local Monster Hunter, but heâs too young to know many people.â
âEven if there is an ambush, it cannot be very large.â
âWith the number of people we have, weâre more than enough to kill them all!â
The one-eyed Cultivator nodded, flattering, âBrother, youâre brilliant!â
The bald-headed Sin Cultivatorâs gaze turned icy as he continued, âWe earn our living on the bladeâs edge, licking blood off the knife. When meat is delivered right before our eyes, even if it is on the edge of the blade, there is no reason not to eat.â
Each and every Sin Cultivator revealed a sinister smirk, their eyes filled with greed.
âAttack!â
Commanded the bald-headed Sin Cultivator.
The twenty-plus Sin Cultivators, like starving wolves, scrambled up the slope and then suddenly dispersed, completely surrounding Mo Hua and the others to prevent them from escaping.
A Sin Cultivator stepped forward, trying to catch Mo Hua, but as his foot touched the ground, firelight exploded in an instant.
The Sin Cultivator was blasted to the ground, half of his body charred, and he curled up, howling miserablyâthe sight was pitiful.
âA Formation?â
The Sin Cultivatorsâ hearts skipped a beat, and they looked at one another, halting their advance.
The power of the Formation was not to be underestimated. For a moment, no one was certain who had set up the formation or how extensive it was.
The atmosphere grew tense as both sides began to stand off again.
Mo Hua looked slightly scared and nervous, but Diao Laosi didnât believe it at all. This kid was cunning and wouldnât show such an expression.
His gaze was sinister as he said coldly,
âKid, stop pretending. Call out the ones in hiding.â
The fear and anxiety faded from Mo Huaâs face, and he couldnât help but scratch his head, âWas my performance that bad?â
He felt that he had actually done quite well.
Diao Laosiâs eyelids twitched in anger, âYouâre still playing word games at deathâs door.â
âHow do you know Iâm at deathâs door?â
Diao Laosi raised his dagger, the blade glinting with a sinister chill,
âWhen I slit your throat and gouge out your eyes in a moment, youâll understand.â
Mo Hua remained unconcerned, âThen why donât you come over?â
Diao Laosi stepped forward, wanting to advance, but he dared not.
He was unsure whether there were more Formations on the ground and did not dare to act rashly.
The one-eyed Cultivator, however, frowned and said, âSomethingâs not right.â
This young Cultivator was too composed.
What was the reason for his composure, just because of a few Formations on the ground?
Or was there something else to rely on?
Now that Mo Hua and the others were surrounded, not fearing to startle the snake in the grass, he decided to release his Divine Sense to take a look.
But as soon as he released his Divine Sense, feeling the breaths around him, his complexion drastically changed, and he felt a chill run through his body.
âBig brother!â the one-eyed cultivator said urgently.
Before he could say anything else, figures of Monster Hunters began to appear continuously on the surrounding hillsides, encircling the sin cultivators. A massive crowd loomed over them, and at a rough glance, there were more than two hundred people!
The one-eyed cultivatorâs face showed panic, and the other sin cultivators lost the blood qi from their faces instantly.
So many Monster Hunters!
How could there be so many Monster Hunters?
With Inner Mountain being so vast, who could have summoned so many Monster Hunters in such a short time?
At the same time, Mo Huaâs delicate eyebrows raised slightly as she pointed at the sin cultivators with her small hand, her voice crisp as she said,
âDeath is imminent for you!â
Before her words fell, the Monster Hunters on the hillsides charged down en masse, dense like dark clouds bearing down with overwhelming momentum.
âBig brother, what do we do?â the one-eyed cultivator asked in a panic.
A flash of terrified despair crossed the eyes of the bald sin cultivator before he said fiercely, âGrab that brat!â
He had also figured out that the identity of this kid must be anything but ordinary.
Capturing him, they might be able to use him to threaten the group of Monster Hunters, and they might have a chance to live.
Two sin cultivators rushed toward Mo Hua, but midway, they were blasted away by the Earth Fire Formation.
A few others managed to get past the Earth Fire Formation. One was intercepted by Ji Qingbai, and another was fended off with a punch by Yu Chengyi.
The remaining few finally reached Mo Hua, but before they could lay a hand on her, she had already retreated gracefully with her Water Passing Step, and they didnât even touch a corner of her robe.
Monster Hunters came flooding over in an ambush, and the more than twenty sin cultivators were quickly overwhelmed by the tide of Monster Hunters, unable to hold out for long.
Mo Hua withdrew from the battle, scanned the area with her Divine Sense, her gaze sharpening before she raised her hand and shot a fireball at a bush in the distance.
The Fireball Technique exploded and a pain-filled groan came from the bush where the hidden Diao Laosi finally revealed his scrawny figure.
Mo Hua pointed at him from afar and shouted loudly, âCapture that short one, donât let him get away!â
Hearing this, nearby Monster Hunters rushed toward Diao Laosi.
In his heart, Diao Laosi cursed Mo Hua to death.
He also cursed himself for having learned the Concealment Technique, which Mo Hua had cleverly countered.
Now that the Concealment Technique was useless, he was like a mouse crossing the street in broad daylight, vulnerable to everyoneâs attack.
With no other options but to sit and wait for death, he was completely helpless.
In just a few exchanges, Diao Laosi was knocked down with a punch from a Monster Hunter, pinned to the ground, and bound tightly with iron chains.
The battle at the front was also a foregone conclusion â several sin cultivators were cut down instantly, most of the others were captured, and only two managed to escape.
One was the one-eyed cultivator who was lucky when a Monster Beast suddenly jumped out and blocked the Monster Hunters, allowing him to escape by a fluke.
The other was the bald sin cultivator, who had great movement technique and was extremely cunning.
While he had shouted about capturing Mo Hua, he was the first to flee when the situation turned sour. With swift and ghost-like movements, he was too fast for the Monster Hunters to catch.
After the battle, only a few Monster Hunters were injured and could recover with a few pills.
The sin cultivators, on the other hand, were all injured, some with missing arms and legs, locked together in chains.
These chains, designed to bind Monster Beasts, were extremely strong, and since all the sin cultivators were injured, there was virtually no chance of escape.
Yu Chengyi looked delighted, âI was worried we couldnât catch these bastards, but theyâve run right back to us, rushing to their death.â
Mo Hua asked, âUncle Yu, how should we deal with these sin cultivators?â
Yu Chengyi thought for a moment and said, âWe should beat them first, interrogate them, and see if we can get some information out of them. Then weâll send them to the Taoist Court to claim some rewards.â
These sin cultivators were murderers and robbers, and by the looks of it, habitual offenders, which meant death according to the Taoist Law.
The Monster Hunters would get their reward money, and the Taoist Court would earn merit. It was a win-win situation, without getting their own hands dirty.
Mo Hua nodded, then pointed her small hand toward Diao Laosi, âLeave that shorty to me, I want to ask him some questions.â
Yu Chengyi looked surprised, then with a sweeping motion, he grabbed Diao Laosi out, took a careful look, and then exclaimed,
âSo itâs you!â
He also recognized that this sin cultivator was the skinny, black-clothed cultivator hired by the Qian Family to attack the Spiritual mines, skilled in the Concealment Technique, who had caused them quite some trouble back then.
With a squeeze, Yu Chengyi broke Diao Laosiâs arm to prevent resistance, and tossed him in front of Mo Hua.
âAsk him anything you want.â
Mo Hua looked at Diao Laosi intently, then suddenly smiled, revealing a friendly and warm smile,
âGive me the spell for your Concealment Technique!â