The Quest for Immortality

The Cangmu Wolf was struck by several waves of Sword Qi and, sure enough, flailed about again.

After another round of attacks from the group, the Cangmu Wolf failed to stir up much trouble and finally collapsed, completely lifeless.

Cheng Mo and the others were drenched in sweat, their arms slightly numb. Staring at the lifeless Cangmu Wolf on the ground, they were simultaneously thrilled and somewhat incredulous.

It’s dead!

Had they used their own abilities to slay a second-grade primary-ranked Cangmu Wolf?

Although their Junior Brother had contributed the most, they’d certainly played a significant role.

On the other side, Xun Ziyou also looked a little dazed.

It was so fast... they killed it?

From preparation, to tracking clues, to laying formations and ambushing, to the group assault, and even preventing a fake death at the end.

The entire operation was carried out seamlessly.

This Cangmu Wolf had died without a trace of unexpected deviation.

Was killing monsters really this easy?

Xun Ziyou silently glanced at the crowd, then looked at the composed and meticulous Mo Hua, his eyes filled with a hint of disbelief.

Though his Spiritual Root was mediocre and his Blood Qi weak, his aptitude appeared ordinary. Yet his temperament and intelligence were anything but.

A humble exterior hiding a brilliant core.

If this child weren’t limited by his Spiritual Root, his future potential would undoubtedly be limitless.

The discerning eye of the ancestor truly was terrifying.

The Cangmu Wolf was already dead, its blood not yet congealed.

Mo Hua immediately pulled out a clean porcelain jade bottle and used the Blood Drawing Art he had learned long ago from his Senior Sister to extract the Cangmu Wolf’s blood.

This blood was intended for mixing Spiritual Ink.

He managed to collect ten full bottles.

Glancing at the porcelain jade bottles, Mo Hua symbolically asked Cheng Mo and the others, ”Do you want this blood?”

Cheng Mo and the others, well-versed in social cues, shook their heads, ”Nope.”

After all, they weren’t Formation Masters. What use would they have for monster blood?

Besides, how could they possibly ask for something the Junior Brother had his eye on?

They weren’t fools.

Mo Hua nodded, comfortably tucking all ten bottles into his Storage Bag.

He planned to hoard plenty of monster blood to concoct more Spiritual Ink.

That way, he wouldn’t have to spend Merit Points—or even Spirit Stones—on Spiritual Ink anymore.

Hoard ink; hoard Spirit Stones; hoard Merit Points.

He aimed to stockpile as much as possible!

After securing the Spiritual Ink, Mo Hua brushed the dust off his hands, looked at the Cangmu Wolf, and then said:

”Let’s dissect the body.”

Such a massive Cangmu Wolf was certainly impossible to carry back whole. According to the general methods of Monster Hunters, the valuable materials must be dismantled and taken back.

But such work didn’t require Mo Hua’s hands.

Carrying two large axes, Cheng Mo began dissecting the Cangmu Wolf.

Mo Hua stood beside him, giving directions on where to split with the axe, which bones to extract, and which organs were more valuable...

Though Cheng Mo’s technique was a bit clumsy, after laboring for an hour, he barely managed to finish.

The Cangmu Wolf lay there skinned and deboned, disfigured beyond recognition, with blood pooled across the ground.

The scene was rather gruesome, leaving Cheng Mo and his companions momentarily unsettled.

Mo Hua, however, was entirely unfazed. He even advised Cheng Mo:

”For dissecting monsters like this, practice more next time. You must be quick and efficient, or else after all the effort of killing the monster, someone else—another monster or cultivator—might stumble upon it before you harvest the materials. That would be less than ideal.”

Cheng Mo nodded repeatedly.

Once the Cangmu Wolf was dissected, its materials were packed into Storage Bags.

As night fell, Mo Hua and the group made their way back to the mountain gate.

At the mountain gate, they sold all the materials from the Cangmu Wolf.

The Cangmu Wolf’s materials weren’t particularly expensive, and since Mo Hua and his companions didn’t primarily focus on Artifact Refining, keeping them wasn’t all that useful.

Selling them was fine too. If sold outside, they’d earn Spirit Stones. If sold within Refining Demon Mountain, they’d earn Merit Points.

The Cangmu Wolf’s head, damaged fur, spine bone, claws, tail, some liver and gall—all could fetch a price.

The total value translated into two thousand five hundred Merit Points.

Divided evenly, each person received five hundred Merit Points. After subtracting the one hundred Merit Points for the Monster Hunting Token, each person earned a net profit of four hundred Merit Points.

Of course, expenses for purchasing Spiritual Artifacts, armor, pills, or formations had to be deducted.

But since those were bought with Spirit Stones rather than wasting Merit Points, Cheng Mo and the others didn’t mind.

With Merit Points now in hand, excitement shone on their faces.

Cheng Mo and company thought of giving Mo Hua two hundred extra Merit Points.

After all, the success of hunting the Cangmu Wolf had largely relied on Mo Hua’s assistance in preparing Spiritual Artifacts, crafting plans, and guiding them through the action.

Without Mo Hua’s involvement, the Cangmu Wolf would have been impossible to kill.

They also became convinced that Mo Hua must be a seasoned Monster Hunter—his experience couldn’t have been that refined otherwise.

Hao Xuan, full of admiration, asked:

”Junior Brother, have you hunted many monsters before?”

Mo Hua humbly replied:

”Not too many... just decent results.”

Most of his successes had been dependent on formation-assisted techniques, so his tally wasn’t particularly high—though his track record was respectable.

To date, Mo Hua’s most illustrious accomplishment as a Monster Hunter was slaying...

An evil demon known as ”Feng Xi.”

But he refrained from mentioning it.

Because others would just think he was bragging.

The next day, Mo Hua led Cheng Mo and the others and repeated the same process to hunt another Cangmu Wolf.

This time, it went smoothly once again.

After a brief summary, Mo Hua adjusted the hunting strategy according to the habits of the monsters and the terrain of Refining Demon Mountain, finalizing a stable hunting procedure for Cangmu Wolves.

It included what Spiritual Artifacts needed to be prepared before entering the mountain;

How to scout, track, set traps, execute the assault, wrap up, and handle aftermath after entering the mountain...

This procedure specifically targeted Cangmu Wolves.

Every task must be accomplished step by step.

Hunting monsters also had to progress from one target to another in incremental learning.

Most of the sect disciples were beginners. At the start, they certainly couldn’t hunt every type of monster.

Letting them start by hunting Cangmu Wolves allowed them to gradually adjust to the monster-hunting process, build confidence, accumulate experience, and steadily develop into qualified Monster Hunters.

Mo Hua nodded, a sigh of satisfaction welling up within.

As the Junior Brother, he truly put his heart into guiding them.

Who else displayed such kindness as he did...

Afterward, Mo Hua approached Cheng Mo: ”Take a look and see if anyone else wants to have some fun in Refining Demon Mountain. Let them come and find me.”

He intended to promote this hunting procedure across the disciples of Taixu Sect.

That night, Cheng Mo brought several disciples over.

The group stood upright before Mo Hua, greeting in unison:

”Junior Brother, greetings!”

Mo Hua nodded and asked, ”You wish to enter Refining Demon Mountain?”

”Yes!”

Mo Hua didn’t beat around the bush. He straightforwardly handed them a Jade Slip.

”Start with hunting second-grade Cangmu Wolves. Don’t aim too high, and don’t be careless.”

”This contains the entire procedure. Follow it step by step...”

Then Mo Hua meticulously explained the precautions, from reconnaissance to hunting, to skinning and dismantling, detailing it comprehensively.

He even thoughtfully mentioned where they could buy the formation media and Spiritual Artifacts needed in the procedure.

The disciples were deeply grateful, expressing their thanks enthusiastically:

”Thank you, Junior Brother!”

From then on, at the entrance of Refining Demon Mountain...

Elder Xun began to notice more and more Taixu Sect disciples donning identical armor, carrying the same formations, forming identical formations, and following the same rhythm as they entered Refining Demon Mountain—to hunt the same type of monsters...