The Quest for Immortality

The sheep demon’s fur was charred, blood flowing, and it lay on the mountain path.

The demon hunters did not approach easily. Yu Chengyi glanced at the demon beast and then looked at Mo Shan, giving an inquiring look.

Mo Shan frowned slightly and shook his head gently, indicating that the demon beast was pretending to be dead.

Thus, everyone spread out, surrounding the demon beast and patiently waiting.

Different demon beasts had different ways of feigning death, and naturally, the demon hunters had different ways of dealing with them.

With a Red-Eyed Sheep Demon, one could not approach hastily after it pretended to be dead.

Whoever approached first would face its last desperate counterattack, extremely dangerous. Those less fortunate might end up being devoured.

If everyone approached together, they could easily be affected by its demonic power.

A late-stage First Grade demon beast not only had abundant blood energy but also had very thick demonic power, making its innate abilities particularly troublesome when it borrowed demonic power to activate them.

If one was injured by its demonic power, it would be a big problem.

Demon hunters also lacked long-range attack methods. Though they had bows and arrows, their power was not strong. Triggering the spirit stones on the array could work, but it was quite useless against demon beasts.

Therefore, to be safe, the demon hunters did not act rashly.

The sheep demon lay motionless on the ground, and the demon hunters remained vigilant, patiently waiting.

The demon beast was on the brink of death, its blood flowing little by little, its breath weakening bit by bit. With enough patience, it was certain that the demon beast would be the one who couldn’t hold out in the end.

Mo Hua also hid behind a rock, watching. In his spiritual awareness, the demonic power of the beast was slowly flowing.

It seemed both like a still-living beast accumulating power and a dying beast whose power was slowly dissipating.

Mo Hua couldn’t tell if the beast was dead or not.

”It seems my experience is insufficient. Even with spiritual awareness showing the flow of power, I can’t discern the beast’s life or death.”

His father, Mo Shan, didn’t even need spiritual awareness. Just one look, based on experience, and he could tell the beast was pretending.

A cultivator’s experience was also part of their ability.

Mo Hua thought silently to himself.

The beast was still playing dead, and the hunters were still waiting, but Mo Hua was getting a bit impatient.

They didn’t have long-range attack methods, but Mo Hua did.

So, Mo Hua began to channel his energy, casting the Fireball Technique.

With a thought, spiritual power gathered at his fingertips. He pointed forward, and a fireball formed and flew towards the pretending sheep demon.

The demon hunters were a bit startled, but seeing that it was Mo Hua casting the spell, they relaxed.

The fireball exploded on the sheep demon, but it remained unmoved.

”It’s clearly a sheep, yet it wants to act like a turtle?”

Mo Hua remarked curiously, then pointed again, sending another fireball that hit the sheep demon.

Finally, the sheep demon couldn’t hold back, letting out a roar, standing up, its eyes blood-red with fury, glaring at Mo Hua.

Yu Chengyi coldly ordered, ”Kill!”

The demon hunters slashed at the sheep demon with their blades.

Already at the end of its strength, the Red-Eyed Sheep Demon couldn’t hold on. Its eyes were blood-red, its demonic power surging to the limit, its blood energy raging.

Seeing this, Yu Chengyi immediately shouted, ”Retreat!”

The demon hunters, well-prepared, quickly withdrew.

As they retreated, a burst of blood mist erupted around the sheep demon.

Mo Hua had heard from Mo Shan that at the brink of death or in dire straits, the Red-Eyed Sheep Demon would use its demonic power to release a blood mist.

If hunters were caught in the blood mist, their eyes would be tainted, their vision turning blood-red, rendering them blind, their minds also affected by the mist.

In such a state, without companions to rescue them, death was almost certain.

”So this is the blood mist...”

Mo Hua was amazed. A late-stage First Grade demon beast was indeed more dangerous than he had imagined.

Fortunately, the blood mist, though troublesome, didn’t last long and soon dispersed.

The sheep demon, having exhausted its demonic power, truly became a lamb to the slaughter.

The demon hunters quickly slaughtered the Red-Eyed Sheep Demon. As it collapsed again, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua scanned the sheep demon again with his spiritual awareness.

He noticed that the truly dead demon had slower, more sluggish power flow, and its color was gradually fading.

Mo Hua memorized this difference, giving him a basis for distinguishing whether a demon beast was pretending to be dead in the future.

But unfamiliar with late-stage First Grade demon beasts, he still sought confirmation from his father:

”Is it dead?”

Mo Shan glanced at the beast and nodded, ”It’s dead.”

Mo Hua then emerged from behind the rock, approached the sheep demon, and pointed near its heart, ”Dad, make a cut here for me.”

Mo Shan made a half-finger-long cut, and demon blood flowed from it.

Mo Hua quickly took out a jade bottle to collect the blood while using the Blood Drawing Technique to draw the remaining blood from the beast’s meridians.

After collecting the blood, the hunters skinned and deboned the beast, then returned to the camp.

The inner mountains always harbored unknown dangers, but staying in the camp was much safer.

The inner mountain camp was similar to the outer mountain but more spacious, more concealed, and the array on the stone door was better.

But to Mo Hua, the array seemed rather simple.

He found it quite unsightly, so he used the newly collected demon blood to mix some spirit ink and personally drew a First Grade Earth Stone Array, making it much more pleasing to the eye.

After eating something, everyone rested in the camp for a while.

Yu Chengyi, holding a compass inscribed with the Earth Fire Array, looked it over from every angle, unable to help but remark:

”This thing is great!”

It had considerable power and could be used multiple times, with a First Grade array inscribed on it.

A First Grade array...

From now on, they could rely on First Grade arrays to hunt demon beasts.

This had never been possible before.

A few years ago, it was something he wouldn’t have dared to imagine.

Yu Chengyi sighed, then asked, ”How many times can this be used?”

Mo Hua, chewing on meat, thought for a moment and said, ”Seven or eight times.”

”This array medium isn’t too good. It’s mixed with refined iron, so it’s slightly sturdier. After seven or eight uses, it won’t be able to withstand the spiritual power explosion of the Earth Fire Array.” Mo Hua continued.

”Then it’s useless after that?” Yu Chengyi felt it was a pity.

”It can be recycled. Have Master Chen melt it down and reforge it,” Mo Hua said.

That’s the advantage of having an artifact craftsman. Sometimes, you could make things according to your needs.

”That’s good.”

Yu Chengyi nodded, holding the compass with the Earth Fire Array, growing more fond of it.

With this, their demon hunting would be much easier. Most importantly, it reduced risks, meaning fewer casualties.

It’s not easy for demon hunters to survive.

Who doesn’t want to enter the mountains safely and return home without incident?

”It’s just that this compass is a bit ugly...” Yu Chengyi spoke the truth.

Though he liked its function, it was indeed quite ugly.

Mo Hua scratched his head. He couldn’t help it; it was made hastily.

Usually, spiritual tools had matching arrays, and arrays had corresponding standard spiritual tools.

For example, a sword with a sword array, a blade with a blade array, and a Clear Heart Hairpin with a Clear Heart Array.

But Mo Hua hadn’t found the matching spiritual tool for the Earth Fire Array. Even Master Chen didn’t know, so he had to use his compass, temporarily crafting an iron compass as an array medium.

Though it was ugly, Yu Chengyi still treasured the compass with the Earth Fire Array.