Chapter 306: Chapter 306: 305 Foggy Forest_1

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Leader Yang allocated three teams of Taoist Soldiers, all clad in armor and wielding sharp weapons, with profound cultivation.

Leader Yang sternly ordered them, “This mission must ensure Mr. Mo’s complete safety, otherwise military law will be enforced!”

“Yes!” the Taoist Soldiers replied in unison.

Afterward, Leader Yang led the way with the three teams of Taoist Soldiers, escorting Mo Hua into the depths of the Foggy Forest, while Mo Hua and Zhang Lan followed behind.

Along the way, Mo Hua secretly asked Zhang Lan, “Uncle Zhang, are you and Leader Yang very close?”

“Fairly,” he replied.

“It seems like you have a good relationship.”

“What nonsense,” Zhang Lan retorted with a twist of his mouth, “Where is it good?”

“It looks pretty good to me.”

Zhang Lan glared slightly at Mo Hua and explained,

“Our Zhang Family and Yang Family have long-standing marital ties, with the elders related by blood and marriage, so there’s frequent contact. He and I are about the same age, we’ve known each other since childhood, and of course, we’ve been at odds since then.”

“The way you bicker seems pretty enjoyable, it doesn’t look like you don’t get along…”

Mo Hua silently thought to himself.

Zhang Lan glanced at Mo Hua, “Are you badmouthing me in your head?”

Mo Hua shook his head, “No.”

Zhang Lan snorted softly.

Then Mo Hua asked, “Uncle Zhang, since you grew up together and are of similar age, why has Leader Yang reached Foundation Establishment while you’re only at Qi Refining Ninth Level? Is it that your talent is not as good as his?”

“What do you know?” Zhang Lan said in a lowered voice. “This is called accumulating depth for a future breakthrough, not seeking momentary gratification, but aiming for the longer path of the Great Dao.”

Mo Hua murmured quietly, “Doesn’t seem like it…”

Zhang Lan pinched Mo Hua’s cheek in annoyance, “Foundation Establishment is merely a milestone, if I wanted, I could reach it by tomorrow.”

Mo Hua clearly didn’t believe it, “Foundation Establishment is not as common as cabbage, how could it be so easy?”

“It’s difficult for Loose Cultivators, but for the disciples of Noble Clans, Foundation Establishment is just a matter of course. The challenge is how to well polish the Taoist Foundation during the Qi Refinement phase.”

Mo Hua nodded, Mr. Zhuang and Zisheng Zixi had said the same.

“But…” Mo Hua couldn’t help saying, “You’ve been polishing it for quite a long time…”

All the way into his thirties…

Zhang Lan sighed, “It’s out of my control.”

Mo Hua quietly moved closer to Zhang Lan, expressing concern, “Uncle Zhang, if you have any worries, just tell me, I’ll keep your secrets.”

Zhang Lan glanced at Mo Hua, “You just want to hear stories, don’t you…”

Mo Hua gave an embarrassed laugh.

Zhang Lan shook his head helplessly, “It’s nothing serious, just that once I establish the Foundation, I’ll have to marry for the clan, bound to wed a woman I don’t like.”

“Do you have someone you like?” Mo Hua asked.

Zhang Lan scratched his head, “You’re still young, don’t worry about these things, concentrate on cultivating and learning about Formations.”

“I’m very dedicated to my cultivation,” Mo Hua said, “It’s just boring on the road, so I chat with you to pass the time.”

Zhang Lan’s face darkened, somewhat bemused, as if to say I’m used as a time killer…

The two of them chattered all the way.

Upon reaching the edge of the Foggy Forest, the group found a large rock formation for concealment.

Mo Hua poked his head out, took a look around, and then released his Divine Sense, borrowing Xiaobai’s vision of Divine Sense to perceive the remnants of Spiritual Power on the other side.

The moment Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, Leader Yang was stunned, then shook his head, muttering to himself, “Impossible…”

After a while, Mo Hua withdrew his Divine Sense and nodded,

“The position of the Fog Formation has indeed changed, and the number has increased too.”

Zhang Lan’s expression grew tense, “Have they detected something?”

Leader Yang said resolutely, “If they have not detected us, we’ll take them by surprise, but if they have, then we’ll face them head-on and exterminate them all! Either way, our course of action remains the same.”

Mo Hua nodded, thought for a moment, and then said,

“Leader Yang, you stay here, I’ll go in first to take a look, if I don’t encounter any Evil Cultivators, I’ll draw a map of the Foggy Forest paths. If I do find Evil Cultivators, I’ll come back to get you, and we’ll all secretly capture him and interrogate him harshly to see if we can learn anything.”

Leader Yang hesitated, then refused,

“That’s too dangerous, I’ll go with you.”

Mo Hua shook his head, “If we go in together, the enemy is hidden and we are exposed, making it easy to startle the snake in the grass; if I go alone, the enemy is exposed and I am hidden, they won’t be able to find me.”

Leader Yang didn’t understand, “How are you hidden if you go in alone?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was stunned because Mo Hua had vanished right under his eyes without a sound, not leaving a single trace.

Leader Yang looked at Zhang Lan incredulously, “Is that the Concealment Technique?”

Zhang Lan nodded.

Leader Yang frowned and thought for a moment before shaking his head, “The Concealment Technique has its flaws too, it can be detected by Divine Sense…”

He stopped mid-sentence and froze.

Because when he expanded his Divine Sense, there was no sign of Mo Hua within its field of vision.

Connecting this to his earlier conjecture, Leader Yang’s eyes widened, and his voice trembled slightly, “Foundation Establishment Divine Sense?!”

Zhang Lan tried to appear calm again as he nodded, patting Leader Yang’s shoulder, and said with a frown, “The way you’re panicking, how can you ever be a good leader? Don’t say I know you when we go out, I can’t afford to lose that face…”

“Get lost!” Leader Yang said in a lowered voice, “Where the hell have I seen a Cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm with Foundation Establishment Divine Sense?”

“Well, you’ve seen one now, haven’t you?”

Leader Yang’s eyes still held a look of shock as he murmured, “How did he do it…”

“Don’t ask about that.”

Zhang Lan suddenly thought of something and sternly cautioned, “You mustn’t speak of this to anyone. Mo Hua has an unfavorable background and might attract jealousy from others.”

Leader Yang gave Zhang Lan a sidelong glance, “Relax, I’m not like you, unreliable in my actions.”

Having said this, Leader Yang looked around and said to the Taoist Soldiers nearby:

“The conversation I just had with Supervisor Zhang is confidential. If you heard anything, keep it to yourselves and don’t leak a word.”

Leader Yang’s expression was stern, and since these Taoist Soldiers were his close confidants, they all had serious looks on their faces as they bowed and said:

“We will follow your orders, Leader!”

Zhang Lan nodded, “Not bad, you really do look quite the part of a leader now…”

Leader Yang gave him a scornful look and ignored him.

Mo Hua, still hidden, quietly entered the Foggy Forest.

There, the Fog Formation became denser and the fog thicker, but these had little effect on Mo Hua.

According to what Mr. Zhuang said, everything has an appearance and an essence.

In this forest of fog, the fog was the appearance, and the Formation was the essence.

Having already mastered the One-Pattern Ten-Lined Reversed Spirit Formation, the ordinary One-Pattern Nine-Lined Fog Formation seemed rather “rudimentary” to him.

Mo Hua took a quick look and immediately discerned the Formation within the foggy forest.

Utilizing the Water Passing Step, Mo Hua climbed into a treetop, took out paper and pen, and marked out the positions of the Fog Formation within the forest.

From the outside to the inside, Mo Hua meticulously traced out the pathways through the mountains.

Following the outskirts of the Foggy Forest, according to the position of the Fog Formation, all the way to the gates of the Black Mountain Stronghold, Mo Hua encountered not a single Evil Cultivator.

Mo Hua couldn’t help but frown.

Among the Evil Cultivators of Black Mountain Stronghold, only the third Householder was a One-Pattern Formation Master, and he personally laid out these formations.

The third Householder had renovated the Fog Formation, could he have discovered something?

But what exactly had he found?

Did he discover the corner of the Black Mountain Stronghold’s walls that had been dug out?

Had he discovered the dismantled formations lying in pieces?

Or had he uncovered Mo Hua’s identity?

Mo Hua couldn’t figure it out for a moment, so he decided not to ponder it any further; in any case, once the Taoist Soldiers broke through Black Mountain Stronghold and annihilated the group of Evil Cultivators, everything would become clear.

He definitely wouldn’t go back to Black Mountain Stronghold. Having mapped out a guide through the Foggy Forest, he had achieved his objective.

Mo Hua got up to leave, preparing to head back.

Before he left, he turned for one last look at Black Mountain Stronghold.

A doubt that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time resurfaced:

How was such a vast Black Mountain Stronghold built to begin with?