Chapter 354 - Fundraising

Chapter 354: Chapter 352 Fundraising

Mo Hua had tried it before, the collapse of the Compound Formation, and the ensuing inversion of spiritual power, could indeed harm the Feng Xi.

However, the Blood Qi of Feng Xi was too strong, and its regeneration was swift; the collapse of formations in small areas wasn’t enough to kill it, but the collapse of large-scale formations was completely different.

If the entire Large Formation were to collapse, just how powerful would the resulting collapse energy be…

Mo Hua tried to imagine it and couldn’t help but feel a tremor in his heart.

It would be best not to come to that…

Building a Large Formation would be an arduous task that required an immense amount of manpower and resources; Mo Hua was reluctant to let it go to waste.

However, if there was spare time, it would still be necessary to calculate the Large Formation with Divine Sense Calculation, to be prepared in advance.

Even if not used for a collapse, using Divine Sense Calculation to enhance the understanding of the Large Formation would be greatly beneficial.

After all, the real opportunity to draw a Large Formation was once in a lifetime.

The construction of the Large Formation and the task of killing Feng Xi, once agreed upon by the Taoist Court, the Taoist soldiers Court, and Elder Yu, was officially announced to the cultivators of Tongxian City.

The responses from the cultivators in Tongxian City were mixed.

Some cultivators from smaller clans didn’t believe that the Large Formation could be built and were unwilling to participate in its construction, so they packed their bags and quietly left overnight.

Some cultivators with family assets or a special status also prepared early escape routes and naturally wouldn’t risk staying in Tongxian City.

There were also some Loose Cultivators who thought that building a Large Formation was a pipe dream; they left discreetly to seek other ways to make a living.

Other cultivators with connections or a way out, regardless of their status or power, left if they could, dispersed if they had to.

In contrast, the vast majority of Loose Cultivators and nearly all Monster Hunters chose to stay.

They had lived in Tongxian City for generations, born and raised there, married and raised children there, growing old slowly in the city. All their emotions and joys were intimately connected with Tongxian City.

It was hard to leave their homeland; they didn’t want to abandon the city and flee.

If there was even a glimmer of hope, they would fight for it.

Moreover, after going through various trials, they believed in Elder Yu and even more so in Mo Hua.

A significant part of their current lives benefited from the formations by Mo Hua.

Now that Mo Hua wanted to build a Large Formation, they all wished to lend their strength to Mo Hua.

Besides, this Large Formation was also being built for themselves.

In addition, among the Artifact Refiners, Master Chen took the lead and most of them stayed; and as for the Alchemists, it was Old Mr. Feng who called the shots, and most Pill Masters also wanted to stay and contribute their efforts.

Mo Hua was momentarily filled with emotion.

In this crisis, most of the “upper-class” cultivators in Tongxian City chose to abandon the city and flee;

While the lower-tier cultivators, who had experienced hardships within Tongxian City, were wholeheartedly trying to protect it…

But it didn’t really matter if some cultivators ran away.

With most of the Loose Cultivators staying behind, there was the manpower foundation necessary for constructing the Large Formation.

Building the Large Formation required Formation media and craftsmen, so Elder Yu went to invite Master Ban.

Upon hearing the request, Master Ban agreed without hesitation.

He had received favors from Elder Yu and had been helped by Mo Hua before; he was utterly astonished by Mo Hua’s level of mastery over formations.

Now with a chance to give back, he agreed readily without much thought.

Moreover, this was about building a Large Formation.

He, including all the craftsmen he had dealt with in his lifetime, had never built a Large Formation; Master Ban naturally wanted to witness it.

Master Ban thought to himself:

“This is a big undertaking. If we really manage to build the Large Formation, it will be an event that goes down in the history of the state boundary, something to brag about to descendants for a lifetime.”

The group of craftsmen under Master Ban all nodded in agreement.

With the manpower for the Large Formation settled, it was time to gather Spirit Stones and resources.

Elder Yu donated almost all the profits from the Monster Hunting, including the Spiritual mines seized by the Monster Hunters, the earnings from the Refinery Shop and Alchemist’s Business over the years, as well as some of his own savings.

Other Loose Cultivators, more or less, also donated some Spirit Stones, retaining only what was necessary for basic cultivation expenses.

Mo Shan donated as well, and Liu Ruhua gave away most of the Spirit Stones she had saved up since opening her food business.

She was somewhat reluctant since these were for Mo Hua’s future cultivation, buying a cave dwelling, and finding a Taoist partner.

But now that Mo Hua was the one mainly building the Large Formation, these Spirit Stones were considered to be used according to his intentions.

Mo Hua also donated the 10,000 Spirit Stones Elder Yu had given him, but Elder Yu refused to accept them.

Elder Yu gruffly exclaimed, “Stop adding to the commotion!”

“I’m the one building the Large Formation, of course I should donate some Spirit Stones,” Mo Hua said.

“We’re not short of your contribution,” Elder Yu refused.

Ten thousand Spirit Stones… calling that a small amount…

“But…”

Mo Hua wanted to say more, but Elder Yu cut him off:

“These are for your Foundation Establishment. Whether the Large Formation can be built or not, whether we can kill Feng Xi or not, it should not delay your Foundation Establishment.”

Elder Yu spoke with a grave tone, “Your Foundation Establishment is what’s most important!”

“But first, we need to get past this immediate hurdle…”

“No matter whether we get past this hurdle or not, you must proceed with Foundation Establishment!” Elder Yu repeated.

Seeing that Mo Hua wanted to argue further, Elder Yu sighed and said:

“If you really feel bad, after your Foundation Establishment, become a Second Grade Formation Master, and help us out whenever it’s within your capacity.

“As a Second Grade Formation Master, your words will carry great weight, and everything will become easier for you.”

Mo Hua nodded, Elder Yu was right, but he didn’t know whether he could build the Large Formation, which was equally important to him.

He had to build the Large Formation to step by step comprehend even more profound formations.

Mo Hua still insisted on giving the Spirit Stones to Elder Yu.

Elder Yu sighed, eventually accepting them. After taking them, he quickly slipped them back into Mo Hua’s chest when he wasn’t looking.

“Alright, you’ve already donated, so I’ll give you some more,”

Mo Hua couldn’t help but feel a mix of laughter and tears.

“Formation Masters creating formations, how can there be no compensation?” Elder Yu said with a stern face, “You keep it well.”

Mo Hua knew that Elder Yu was stubborn and had no choice but to accept it.

The collection of Spirit Stones was proceeding in an orderly fashion, but relying solely on Monster Hunters and Loose Cultivators was clearly insufficient.

Mo Hua went to find Court Leader Zhou again.

Stroking his beard, Court Leader Zhou offered two methods:

“One is for me to submit a petition to the Taoist Court, to apply for some more Spirit Stone resources, with the reason being disaster relief and city relocation due to a shortage of Spirit Stones…”

“Not directly stating it’s for constructing a Large Formation?” Mo Hua asked, puzzled.

“If you say it’s for building a Large Formation, that’s impossible to get approved,” Court Leader Zhou explained.

Mo Hua was slightly taken aback.

Court Leader Zhou then explained to Mo Hua:

“If I say it’s for constructing a Large Formation, the Taoist Court won’t believe it, much less approve it. Tongxian City is just a Little Immortal City, with hardly a few First-Grade Formation Masters, what means do they have to build a Large Formation?”

“Even if they believed and wanted to approve, they would have to send someone to investigate thoroughly.”

“The Taoist Court bureaucracy is redundant, interests are intertwined, and without someone looking out for me up there, who knows how much time will pass with all the back-and-forth.”

“And the resources needed for constructing a Large Formation are like a bottomless pit; the Taoist Court may not be willing to part with that much either.”

“Better to find a known, surefire reason to apply for a batch, take what we can get, and it’s no loss if it’s less, but all the better if it’s more.”

“As for the bulk of the Spirit Stones, we still need to think of other methods.”

Mo Hua curiously asked, “What other methods might there be?”

Court Leader Zhou stroked his beard and with a smile that was not quite a smile, said, “Guess.”

After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua tentatively suggested:

“The Qian Family?”

Court Leader Zhou nodded, “Exactly, the Qian Family is wealthy, and mostly because of the Patriarch of the Qian Family, it can hardly be considered clean.”

“Are you thinking of confiscating the Qian Family’s property?”

Court Leader Zhou shook his head, “Not to that extent. Given the emergency, as long as the Qian Family donates wealth, we can overlook the Patriarch of the Qian Family’s establishment of the Black Mountain Stronghold and collusion with Evil Cultivators.”

Court Leader Zhou coldly stated, “The matter with Feng Xi, ultimately, is to be blamed on the Patriarch of the Qian Family. If he hadn’t used humans in Alchemy, using that Pig Monster as a Pill Furnace, such a great disaster wouldn’t have arisen from the Great Dao.”

“Now, we’re giving the Qian Family a chance to redeem themselves and make amends for their crimes. I hope they won’t fail to recognize this opportunity…”

Mo Hua nodded and then said:

“I’ll go see Old Master An again and see if he is willing to donate some.”

The An Family is the second-largest clan in Tongxian City and also has many Spirit Stones.

Court Leader Zhou hesitated a bit, “The An Family conducts an honest business, and Old Master An might not agree to donate his family’s wealth.”

“How will we know if we don’t try? Maybe Old Master An is broad-minded and charitable,” Mo Hua said.

Court Leader Zhou tugged at the corner of his mouth, clearly skeptical, but still said:

“You might as well try.”

Mo Hua ran off to find Old Master An and, without beating around the bush, got straight to the point:

“Old Master, we’re building a Large Formation. Would you like to donate some Spirit Stones?”

Old Master An’s expression showed neither joy nor anger as he spoke indifferently:

“What if I’m not willing to donate?”

Mo Hua replied nonchalantly, “I’m just asking. If you don’t want to donate, that’s fine. We have such a close relationship, I wouldn’t pressure you.”

Old Master An scrutinized Mo Hua’s expression and, seeing no discontent, he sighed faintly, realizing he might have overthought it.

He had thought Mo Hua was coming with a veiled threat.

Building a Large Formation needed Spirit Stones, and the An Family had Spirit Stones, making the relationship very delicate.

If something unforeseen happened, their An Family would become a natural reservoir of Spirit Stones.

Having lived for so long, Old Master An knew that interpersonal relationships were superficial and fragile, while interests were cruel but resilient.

The An Family had a bit of a relationship with Mo Hua, but no relationship could outweigh Spirit Stones, especially since their relationship with Mo Hua wasn’t that deep to begin with.

Old Master An’s expression became more somber.

He knew that the construction of the Large Formation was under Mo Hua’s control.

Although he couldn’t understand how Mo Hua had persuaded Elder Yu, as well as Court Leader Zhou from the Taoist Court and Leader Yang from the Taoist soldiers Court, to take on such a significant task.

Building a Large Formation was not so easy.

Yet Mo Hua had managed it.

With his unique status and extensive connections, Mo Hua, despite his youth, was actually the one orchestrating many matters in Tongxian City.

Especially now, with the greatest powers of Tongxian City standing behind him.

If he wanted to make things difficult for the An Family, they would undoubtedly face severe hardships.

If he insisted on the An Family donating Spirit Stones, then they would have to comply; if they didn’t, they surely wouldn’t meet a good end.

If Mo Hua didn’t want to trouble the An Family, then neither the Taoist Court nor the Taoist Soldiers Court, nor even the Monster Hunters, would pressure them.

It now seemed that Mo Hua had no intention of troubling the An Family…

Old Master An secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then became puzzled again:

“You really don’t want me to donate?”

Mo Hua clarified, “Of course, I wish you would donate, but whether you’re willing to or not is up to you.”

Old Master An nodded, and after a moment, he ventured tentatively:

“What if I said I want to donate?”

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. He quickly calculated the prepared speech and began “selling dreams” to Old Master An.