The Quest for Immortality

Master Xiao, upon hearing this, drew his longsword, intending to strike, but was stopped by Mo Hua.

”You must not act rashly, lest you startle the snake by beating the grass.”

Master Xiao glanced at Mo Hua, silently sheathed his sword, and said, ”Then according to Young Master’s words, what should be done?”

Mo Hua appeared confident, ”Rest assured, leave it to me. To be honest, my ancestors were all Monster Hunters for generations. My monster hunting skills are all family heritage...”

Master Xiao’s gaze was subtle.

This Young Master, it’s unknown what kind of inheritance he received since childhood, knows a myriad of things, odd and unexpected.

”Very well, let’s follow the Young Master’s lead,” Master Xiao said.

Mo Hua nodded and then said:

”Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. Hunting monsters requires careful preparation before taking action.”

”Otherwise, even a slight negligence can lead to great losses.”

”Based on the current situation, this monster is enveloped in Blood Qi. Its dragon...fish scales are hard, its flesh incredibly strong, and the blood on its talons is both foul and highly toxic.”

”It appears to be Second Grade, but it’s definitely not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator can handle.”

”Especially with its body covered in scale armor that is impenetrable to swords and spears and resistant to water and fire. Whether it’s Spiritual Artifacts, Strength, or Spells, none seem to be able to break it.”

Master Xiao furrowed his brows, ”Not even a combined effort of Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivators can break it?”

Mo Hua pointed at Xie Liu, ”You should ask him.”

Xie Liu, unwilling to admit it, had to speak the truth, ”I used Gui Water Sword Qi and slashed dozens of times but didn’t harm the scales even slightly.”

This statement revealed the truth to everyone present.

Xie Liu is a Golden Core Cultivator, who suppressed his cultivation to Peak Foundation Establishment and still couldn’t break the scale armor after dozens of slashes. Even other Golden Core Cultivators, no matter how strong, might not fare better.

”Therefore,” Mo Hua said, ”a frontal confrontation is unlikely to subdue this monster, let alone kill it.”

”But it seems to have a weakness...”

”A weakness?” Xie Liu frowned.

He had fought the monster in dozens of rounds and never discovered that it had any weakness.

Mo Hua nodded and said, ”Its weakness is its surrounding Blood Qi.”

”All things in the world operate by certain laws.”

”Formations require a formation eye for energy, cultivators need a heart for blood supply and a Qi Sea for Spiritual Qi, and even Monster Beasts rely on a Demon Core for demonic power...”

”This monster is no different. It relies on that surrounding foul Blood Qi, of unknown origin, to move, to nourish, and to hunt.”

”Once the Blood Qi is exhausted, and it loses its energy source, it can only await its demise.”

”Therefore, the key to hunting this monster is, firstly, to trap, and secondly, to deplete its energy.”

”With so many Golden Core Cultivators present, depletion should not be an issue; the main problem is ’trapping’ it.”

Mo Hua asked the crowd, ”Does anyone have any Spiritual Artifacts or Formations to trap this creature? If so, please set them up in advance.”

The crowd hesitated a bit.

Water Yama frowned and said, ”Little ghost, aren’t you capable of setting up formations yourself?”

Mo Hua sighed helplessly and said:

”I’m only at Foundation Building Middle Stage, with limited Divine Sense. The formations I set up are of limited Grade, and cannot possibly restrain this Peak of Second Grade monster.”

”Moreover, I’ve almost used up all my formations along the way.”

Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua with a peculiar expression but said nothing.

Although Xia Canonical Official knew that Mo Hua’s formation skills were not low, he didn’t know exactly how high, so he didn’t question it either.

The others found nothing wrong with these statements.

Mo Hua added, ”The situation is urgent. Everyone should work together. If you have methods, bring them out now; otherwise, being trapped in this Dragon King Temple, it will be too late to regret.”

After a moment of reflection, Gu Changhuai was the first to take out a set of chains and two formations:

”These chains are standard traps from the Taoist Court, used for setting ambushes in advance. The formation is from my Gu Family, which I usually carry on me, but rarely get the chance to use.”

Then Xia Canonical Official also took out a net, ”This is the Xia family’s Earthen Net, Second Grade, can restrain an enemy temporarily.”

”Since formations are cumbersome to set up, I seldom carry them...”

With Gu Changhuai and Xia Canonical Official taking the lead, others also brought out a few items, more or less.

Including Master Xiao, Xie Liu, Water Yama, and Xiao Tianquan.

But Mo Hua felt it wasn’t enough, so he scrutinized everyone to see who was withholding, quietly observing any Spiritual Artifacts or formations for ’trapping’ the enemy not yet shared, looking intently with a determined look that he wouldn’t rest until everyone had contributed everything.

”I’ve handed everything over to you...”

”Still not enough.”

”These many Spiritual Artifacts and formations should be sufficient.”

Mo Hua shook his head, ”That monster is cunning and swift; trapping it won’t be easy. Full preparation is necessary. Otherwise, if it gets away and hides deep within the Dragon King Temple, we may never capture it again.”

”Alright then...”

So, Mo Hua went around gathering ’wool,’ almost ’collecting’ all the formations and Spiritual Artifacts used for trapping and binding from everyone.

With this, he was reassured.

Afterward, he observed the terrain and ’commanded’ everyone to set up the formations and occupy places with the Spiritual Artifacts for trapping, and the ’hunt’ began.

Master Xiao slashed with his sword, and a sword light struck the plaque of Yaksha Hall.

This plaque, of unknown construction, resembling solid metal, did not break but was dislodged by the impact of Sword Qi, revealing a dark, blood-stained hole behind it.

”As expected...”

Master Xiao’s pupils contracted slightly.

Then, from within the hole, came a sound and a monster emerged slowly, clutching a limb, devouring it with relish.

Seemingly angered by the sudden disruption of its meal, the monster was enraged, its eyes turning blood-red, and let out a piercing cry.

The sound was very peculiar, similar to a yaksha devouring in a river, or a type of powerful Exotic Beasts.

Mo Hua listened closely, discerning the sound.

The monster’s roar sounded somewhat like a... ”Dragon’s Roar.”

Mo Hua’s eyes flickered slightly.

With the monster now present, the crowd hesitated no longer and commenced their action immediately.

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out.

Gu Changhuai unleashed his azure Wind Blade, and Xia Canonical Official condensed Ice Sword Qi.

The Smile-Face Tiger and Xie Liu both wielded the Gui Water Sword.

Water Yama used a Water Punishment Whip, while Xiao Tianquan used the Xiao family’s Swordsmanship.

Ouyang Feng was injured, and Hua Qianqian was poisoned, rendering them unable to fight.

Being the youngest of the lot and with the lowest cultivation, Mo Hua wisely refrained from joining the fray, choosing instead a clean step devoid of bloodstains to sit and watch the spectacle from the sidelines.

The cultivators present were far from inexperienced; they’d gathered ample battle and spellcasting experience.

Moreover, with four Golden Core cultivators joining forces, Mo Hua was not concerned at all.

Everything was proceeding according to his plan.