Chapter 293 - Intelligence

Chapter 293: Chapter 292 Intelligence

A group of people thundered their way back to Tongxian City. Elder Yu dismissed the others, leaving only Mo Hua, Mo Shan, Yu Chengyi, Yu Chengwu, and the Taoist Court’s Zhang Lan.

Elder Yu brought everyone to the guest room of the Southern City Refinery Shop, where there was no one around and some privacy was ensured by a Formation.

All present understood what Elder Yu intended to do and their expressions grew somber.

After taking a sip of tea, Elder Yu asked Mo Hua, “So, are there really Sin Cultivators in the depths of the mountain?”

Mo Hua always acted with appropriate measure. His long delay in the Inner Mountain must have been due to some discoveries.

Thinking back to the previous conjectures about the Inner Mountain, Elder Yu suspected that what Mo Hua had mentioned earlier could indeed be true: the depths of Big Black Mountain may well be harboring a group of Sin Cultivators, and their power was probably not small.

Yet Mo Hua shook his head, “They are not Sin Cultivators.”

Elder Yu was momentarily stunned and then let out a sigh of relief.

As long as they’re not Sin Cultivators…

“They’re Evil Cultivators,” Mo Hua declared.

Elder Yu’s recently eased heart tensed again, as he exclaimed in shock, “Evil Cultivators?”

Mo Hua nodded.

Mo Shan and the others looked somewhat astonished, and Zhang Lan’s expression turned severe as he asked,

“How many of them are there?”

“Hundreds.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Around five or six hundred.”

Including Elder Yu, everyone inhaled sharply.

Five or six hundred Evil Cultivators!

Evil Cultivators differ from ordinary Cultivators; they practice Evil Skills, which are not sanctioned by the Taoist Court. Such skills typically advance quickly, possess great power, and have bizarre and unpredictable effects, making them very difficult to deal with.

The Wanted Evil Cultivators by the Taoist Court are usually loners; they seldom operate in groups. However, to everyone’s surprise, there turned out to be five or six hundred Evil Cultivators deep within Big Black Mountain.

Zhang Lan, although certain that Mo Hua would not lie, couldn’t help but say,

“Are you sure you didn’t see incorrectly?”

Mo Hua replied, “I saw them with my own eyes, and even counted them myself.”

Zhang Lan nodded, then suddenly realized something was amiss, “You saw them with your own eyes, and even counted them yourself, and they just let you watch?”

“I’ve learned the Concealment Technique, they couldn’t see me.”

The Concealment Technique…

Only then did Zhang Lan remember that Mo Hua had learned the Concealment Technique.

Even though he had known in advance, the notion still seemed incredible to Zhang Lan.

This young man, Mo Hua, truly managed to spy on five or six hundred Evil Cultivators right under their noses and retreated unscathed.

Zhang Lan felt that he should be shocked, but somehow he couldn’t muster any more surprise; he had grown numb to it, and deep down he felt that no matter how outrageous the event, it didn’t seem that outlandish when it concerned Mo Hua…

“You’re quite brave…”

Then Elder Yu asked again, “What else do you know?”

After pondering for a moment, Mo Hua began to add details steadily,

“The Evil Cultivators are gathered in a stronghold in the mountains called Black Mountain Stronghold.”

Black Mountain Stronghold…

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned grave.

The name of the stronghold where the Evil Cultivators residing deep in Big Black Mountain convened carried an ominous air just by the sound of it.

“Do you know the location of Black Mountain Stronghold?” Yu Chengyi inquired.

Mo Hua produced a map with two lines marked on it.

This map was a simplified view of the mountain, drawn from Mo Hua’s memory. One of the lines showed the route Mo Hua had taken on the way there, cutting directly through hidden mountain paths between the cliffs to the entrance of Black Mountain Stronghold.

The other line represented the path Mo Hua took to return, starting from the gates of Black Mountain Stronghold and extending towards the edge, all the way to the Inner Mountain.

The routes marked on the map were based on Mo Hua’s recollection and might not be precisely accurate, but the general direction was correct.

Everyone looked at the map, somewhat shocked.

“As expected of a Formation Master, your memory is impressive,” Zhang Lan remarked, then curiously asked, “But with such thick fog in the deep mountains, how did you discern the routes?”

“Because I am a Formation Master,” Mo Hua explained.

Zhang Lan didn’t understand.

Mo Hua elaborated, “The fog in the mountains was not naturally that thick. It was because the third Householder of Black Mountain Stronghold had set up a Fog Formation, which made it difficult to identify directions…”

“But as a Formation Master, the Formation he laid out actually made it easier for me to determine directions.”

Zhang Lan nodded, thinking that it was indeed fortunate Mo Hua was a Formation Master; otherwise, they would have had no idea that the thick fog in the mountain was due to such reasons.

Even if they knew that the fog was a result of a Formation, they weren’t Formation Masters, they didn’t understand Formations, and looking at the mountain veiled in fog, they wouldn’t be able to make out any clues.

This kind of insight was something only Mo Hua, knowledgeable in Formations and with a sharp mind, could discern.

Zhang Lan inwardly marveled at this revelation.

Upon hearing this, Mo Shan’s expression changed, and he asked, “The third Householder?”

Mo Hua nodded and said, “The Household Leader of Black Mountain Stronghold is a Foundation Building Evil Cultivator.”

Mo Shan’s expression grew tense, “How many Household Leaders are there in total?”

“There are four,” Mo Hua responded.

Everyone looked at each other, their expressions growing increasingly somber.

Elder Yu asked, “What else do you know about these four householders?”

Mo Hua nodded, “I only learned about it from overhearing two evil cultivators chatting on night duty…”

Of course, those two evil cultivators had already been tricked to death by him…

“The chief householder established Black Mountain Stronghold, has the deepest cultivation and is the eldest, but is inscrutable and never seen; the second householder is cold-blooded and murderous, currently out killing people, not in the stronghold; the third householder is a Formation Master, adept at creating Evil Formations; the fourth householder is a newcomer who likes to drink blood, and if there’s not enough human blood, he goes out at night to drink monster blood…”

Mo Hua then relayed all the intelligence he had gathered about the four householders of Black Mountain Stronghold.

The more Elder Yu listened, the more shocked he became. This intelligence was classified information, including not only the identities of several householders but also their expertise in Evil Skills and their cultivation habits.

Without Mo Hua, they would have been unable to uncover any of this.

Four Foundation Building evil cultivators!

Elder Yu’s brow furrowed deeply.

Although he had anticipated that these evil cultivators had treacherous intentions and had been secretly growing for many years, inevitably there would be Foundation Establishment powerhouses at the helm, he had not imagined there would be as many as four.

And these were Foundation Building cultivators who had practiced Evil Path Skills.

For a time, the faces of everyone present were shrouded in gloom.

Seeing this, Mo Hua couldn’t help but ask, “Elder Yu, can we win against them?”

Elder Yu shook his head and said decidedly, “We cannot!”

“Is there really no way we can win?”

“Relying only on us, there is no way at all.”

“Then what should we do?” Mo Hua was also worried.

Elder Yu looked towards Zhang Lan and said with a cupped fist salute, “We can only ask for help from the Taoist Court.”

Mo Hua slightly frowned. The Taoist Court officials were also short-handed, but he immediately realized that what Elder Yu referred to was “Taoist Court,” not “Taoist Court officials.”

If that was the case, did Elder Yu mean…

“Taoist Soldiers?” Mo Hua said in surprise.

Taoist Soldiers, as the name implies, are the military force of Tao cultivation, belonging directly to the Taoist Court and under its direct jurisdiction.

When local Taoist Court officials encounter threats they cannot handle, they can directly submit a letter to the Taoist Court, requesting that it dispatch Taoist Soldiers for direct suppression.

Mo Hua had not seen the Taoist Soldiers, but he had heard that their strength was formidable, and they held great prestige.

The strength of Black Mountain Stronghold’s evil cultivators was too great; even if all Monster Hunters joined forces, they would likely not be a match, so at this point, the only option was to request the aid of Taoist Soldiers.

Zhang Lan nodded slightly, “I will go back now to find the Court Leader, report the whole story, and ask him to submit a letter to the Taoist Court, requesting the deployment of Taoist Soldiers to exterminate the evil cultivators!”

Requesting the dispatch of Taoist Soldiers was not an overnight affair. Weighing the strength of the evil cultivators, the Taoist Court’s approval, as well as the deployment of the soldiers, all required time.

There was no time to delay, and just as Zhang Lan rose to leave, Mo Hua called out to him.

“I haven’t finished sharing the intelligence.”

“There’s more?” Zhang Lan couldn’t help saying, “Exactly how much intelligence did you manage to gather that you’re still not finished… you haven’t thoroughly scouted out Black Mountain Stronghold, have you?”

“It’s not that exaggerated…” Mo Hua smiled and then took out another map, spreading it on the table.

The map included tall buildings as well as complex formations. At first glance, it seemed to be a large-scale Architectural Formation Map. Zhang Lan looked closely, and his eyelids involuntarily twitched.

This was definitely not an ordinary Architectural Formation Map!

Zhang Lan, pointing at the map, said with some disbelief, “This isn’t possibly…”

Mo Hua nodded, “It’s Black Mountain Stronghold’s Map.”

Zhang Lan couldn’t help but say, “You stole it?”

“I drew it.”

Zhang Lan found it hard to believe, “You can draw this kind of thing?”

A Map that includes both the structure of Taoist architecture and the design of formations, especially for such large buildings, requires on-site surveys, analysis of the layout, and a deep understanding of formations…

“I am a Formation Master,” Mo Hua said matter-of-factly.

Zhang Lan didn’t want to say anything else.

Fine, you’re a Formation Master, you’re impressive.

Elder Yu, however, was carefully examining the map, his heart full of admiration.

This Map was detailed and meticulous, including the living quarters of the evil cultivators, the prisons where captives were held, and even the dining hall was marked on it.

And Mo Hua had drawn this Map right under the noses of the evil cultivators, which made it all the more valuable.

As Elder Yu looked, he suddenly frowned and pointed to a place, asking, “What is this location?”

This Map was divided into the front stronghold and the rear stronghold.

The Map of the front stronghold was detailed, but the part for the rear stronghold was much more simplified, probably due to the danger in the rear stronghold, and because Mo Hua didn’t know much about it.

However, in the simplified Map of the rear stronghold, there was one area that was particularly detailed.

Paths, Beast Gate, Blood Formation, the layout of the hall, and even the pattern of the beams were clearly delineated. In the center of that hall, a Pill Furnace was drawn, and apparently, there was also a pig.

“This is the evil cultivators’ Pill Room,” Mo Hua said.

Zhang Lan’s expression changed abruptly, “What kind of pill are the evil cultivators refining?”

Mo Hua shook his head, “I don’t know, I only know they use humans for alchemy, the whole room was filled with blood mist, and some herbs seemed alive.”

Elder Yu frowned, knowing little about the practices of evil cultivators, and he also had no knowledge about what kind of pill it was.

Zhang Lan, however, had a grave expression and spoke in a cold voice, “They are refining Human Life Pills!”