The Quest for Immortality

”This spirit mine, how many spirit stones can it produce...”

Mo Hua looked at the interconnected tunnels and curiously asked.

Yu Chengyi replied, ”This spirit mine isn’t large. Fully mined, it should be enough for all the demon hunters in Tongxian City to use for ten years or so.”

”Is that a lot or a little?”

Yu Chengyi smiled, ”It’s quite a bit. It means everyone can live comfortably for ten years or so.”

Ten years...

That’s indeed not a short time. After all, he was only in his teens now.

But to cultivators, ten years is really nothing.

Time flows, fleeting like a white steed flitting past a crack, for some cultivators, a hundred years is but a moment.

”How can we make these good days last longer...”

Mo Hua’s brows gradually furrowed.

The spirit stones in the spirit mine could allow demon hunters to live good lives for ten years and could also elevate the Qian family to new heights.

If they monopolized the spirit mine and extracted the spirit stones, the Qian family could become even more dominant.

By then, if the Qian family expanded their alchemy and artifact crafting businesses, monopolizing the trade in Tongxian City, all cultivators would have to rely on the Qian family.

So, they couldn’t give up this spirit mine.

Not long after, the Qian family launched their second wave of attacks.

This time, they didn’t launch a full-scale assault but focused on sneak attacks and harassment.

As night fell and the sky dimmed, the Qian family cultivators suddenly began their assaults.

The demon hunters were attacked, sustaining casualties, and just as they were about to counterattack, the Qian family retreated with a signal.

This happened several times, continuously harassing them.

The injured demon hunters grew in number, and they had to remain on high alert at all times, their spirits constantly tense, making everyone look grim.

Elder Yu was vaguely angry but had no good solution.

Now they defended while the Qian family attacked.

They were on the defensive, facing the Qian family’s relentless harassment, and whenever they tried to strike back, the Qian family would disappear like punching into cotton, leaving them feeling utterly frustrated.

But with the spirit mine here, they couldn’t leave and had to endure the Qian family’s grip, suffering in torment.

It seemed the Qian family intended to boil the frog slowly, wearing them down.

The demon hunters’ faces were all ashen.

Mo Hua also felt a bit irritated and would often sneak to the mine entrance to ponder the rugged landscape outside.

After a few days of this, Mo Hua suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He found Elder Yu and said:

”Elder, I have an idea.”

Mo Hua shared his thoughts with Elder Yu.

Elder Yu’s eyes lit up after hearing him, but he was hesitant, ”Will it work?”

Mo Hua wasn’t entirely sure but said, ”Why not give it a try?”

Elder Yu thought for a moment, not having any better ideas, and said, ”Then let’s try it.”

In the following days, Mo Hua continued drawing arrays.

This time, he wasn’t drawing the Iron Armor Array but the seven-patterned Earth Fire Array.

This was a set of arrays from the ”Introductory Array Compilation” given to Mo Hua by Mr. Zhuang, linking two Earth Fire Arrays to enhance their power.

Because the array hub of the composite array increased spiritual power, this set of arrays would be more powerful than two separate Earth Fire Arrays detonating.

After finishing the array, Mo Hua handed it to Elder Yu.

Elder Yu released his spiritual sense and noticed that the Qian family cultivators were still watching the spirit mine like flies. He then ordered the demon hunters to launch a feint attack.

The demon hunters suddenly charged out. The Qian family cultivators, caught off guard, retreated instead of fighting.

They adhered to a harassment strategy, not planning a frontal battle for now.

The demon hunters chased the Qian family cultivators away.

Elder Yu scanned the area with his spiritual sense again, confirming there were no Qian family cultivators around the spirit mine, and waved his hand.

Several demon hunters, carrying the Earth Fire Arrays drawn by Mo Hua, started setting them in various hidden spots on the mountain.

Deep in the underbrush, beneath thick tree roots, among scattered rocks, and in the soil mixed with fallen leaves and grass roots, these hidden corners were all arrayed with the Earth Fire Arrays.

After the setup, the demon hunters all retreated.

Mo Hua found a concealed spot at the mine entrance and waited for the show.

Unfortunately, the Qian family cultivators, having been chased away by the demon hunters, didn’t dare come up the mountain for a while.

Mo Hua, bored, took out an array book to study, thinking about what other arrays could counter the Qian family’s attacks.

It wasn’t until evening that the Qian family cultivators regrouped, lurking at the foot of Nameless Peak.

The distance was too far for Mo Hua to see, but his spiritual sense vaguely detected movement, indicating the Qian family was planning something.

Mo Hua knew the show was about to start!

He put away the array book, laid out a blanket on the ground, and took out beef jerky, pine nuts, wild fruits, and a bottle of his treasured osmanthus wine from his storage bag.

This osmanthus wine was sweet and refreshing, not intoxicating, and he rarely drank it.

Mo Hua, munching on pine nuts and beef, eagerly watched the foot of the mountain.

Sure enough, the Qian family soon made their move.

At the foot of Nameless Peak, the Qian family cultivators gathered, led by a six-foot tall, broad-shouldered man.

Surrounded by several Qi cultivation level nine cultivators, they whispered about the night’s plans.

”Tonight, we’ll teach these demon hunter bastards a lesson!”

”We’ll sneak up as usual, strike on sight, no need to hold back. If they die, it’s their bad luck...”

”If they chase us, we’ll pretend to retreat.”

”But unlike before, we won’t really retreat. We’ll ambush them when they return.”

”After these days of attacks, they won’t expect us to strike back!”

”Taking them by surprise this time, even if we don’t succeed completely, we’ll severely weaken them! In a few days, their morale will be shattered, and they’ll be at our mercy!”

”And the family head will surely recognize our achievements. Once the Qian family seizes the spirit mine and grows stronger, our futures will be limitless, and Foundation Building will be within reach!”

The man’s speech fired up everyone.

Some Qian family cultivators were puzzled, ”Why did the demon hunters suddenly charge at us today?”

The Qian family man waved his hand, ”No matter. As long as we work together, no matter their schemes, they’re just clowns!”

The Qian family cultivators nodded, their fighting spirit high.

Seeing this, the Qian family man began dividing them into teams. Several groups moved forward, restraining their breath, heading up the mountain.

Everything was as usual.

They had always snuck up this way, thinking it would be the same this time.

Until a Qian family cultivator unknowingly stepped on something.

He felt a slight unease underfoot, but before he could think about it, flames surrounded him.

Boom.

The explosion of the Earth Fire Array lit up the night spectacularly.

The surrounding Qian family cultivators were all blasted away, not killed but mostly charred, blood pouring from their mouths.

”Enemy attack?!”

”Where?”

The Qian family cultivators, panicked, looked around but saw no one.

”Don’t panic!”

The man quickly ordered, ”It’s just their dying struggle. Stick to the plan!”

The Qian family cultivators calmed down and continued forward.

But they soon couldn’t stay calm...

Boom!

Boom, boom, boom...

Explosions echoed continuously, Earth Fire Arrays detonated, flames roared, like blooming lotuses, one after another.

The Qian family cultivators could only scurry in the firelight, triggering more explosions...

The Qian family man stood still, dumbfounded.

What was happening?!

Where did these explosions come from?

The man racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out.

Seeing the Qian family cultivators wailing and scattering in the flames, the man knew they were doomed.

He thought he had everything planned, but the explosions ruined all his schemes...

The man felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Clowns, it turned out, were themselves...