Mo Hua was preparing to formally draw the Mother-Child Formation.
He went to find Master Chen, refined a simple compass, and prepared several dozen stone needles.
The Mother Formation of the Mother-Child Complex Formation only had one pair, drawn on the compass. There could be many Child Formations, drawn on the stone needles.
There was no direct connection between the Child Formations; they only interacted with the Mother Formation. Although there seemed to be many Child Formations, in reality, controlled by the formation core, there were still only a pair of single formations.
Therefore, the Mother-Child Formation could only be considered a complex formation containing two single formations.
After drawing for half a day, Mo Hua completed the formation.
Next, he prepared to test its effectiveness.
Mo Hua entered the Great Black Mountain, set traps and formations, and placed the stone needles about ten yards away. He had Da Hu and the others watch nearby, while he himself carried the Mother Formation and ran far away.
After walking for more than half an hour, Mo Hua finally stopped. He found a clump of grass to crouch behind, staring at the compass in his hand.
Mo Hua waited and waited, feeling a bit drowsy.
At that moment, a point on the compass suddenly lit up.
The illuminated point corresponded to the stone needle Mo Hua had inserted.
Mo Hua's spirits lifted, and he immediately ran back.
By the time he arrived, Da Hu and the others had already killed the demonic beast, which lay on the ground with its blood still fresh.
Mo Hua approached, his fingers touching the beast's pulse, discovering that its blood still had vitality and could be manipulated with his spiritual sense. He took out a jade bottle, activated the blood-sucking technique, and extracted the demonic blood.
After filling about eight or nine bottles, Mo Hua stopped.
He then went to check on the stone needle. It was intact and undamaged, causing him to smile.
"Mo Hua, is it done?"
"Yes, it's done!"
Da Hu and the others didn't know what Mo Hua was doing with the compass, but guessed it had something to do with formations.
Since they didn't understand formations, they didn't ask. Seeing Mo Hua had successfully completed his task, they couldn't help but smile as well.
As usual, they skinned and cleaned the demonic beast, then put it in their storage bags.
They would sell the spirit stones and deliver them to Mo Hua's home that evening.
Mo Hua and Da Hu's group waved goodbye and continued wandering in the Great Black Mountain, placing stone needles engraved with the Child Formation.
The locations where they placed the stone needles were mostly intersections, mountain paths, and forest areas frequented by demonic beasts or demon hunters—suitable places for traps.
Mo Hua spent three or four days placing all several dozen stone needles.
Now, the outer mountains were basically under Mo Hua's control.
While not every rustle of wind or movement could be detected, whenever there was a spiritual power fluctuation due to cultivators fighting or demonic beasts battling, Mo Hua could know about it almost immediately by looking at the compass.
In the days that followed, Mo Hua carried the compass everywhere in the outer mountains, busy and joyful.
A light on the compass meant that a battle had occurred.
Mostly, it was due to the explosion of the Earth Fire Formation or fluctuations caused by novice demon hunters besieging demonic beasts.
Mo Hua would arrive when the battle was nearly over. He would wait for the demonic beast to breathe its last before approaching to draw its blood.
Sometimes, it was other demon hunters who were killing demonic beasts.
Normally, a team of demon hunters would not allow others to interfere with their prey.
But Mo Hua was well acquainted with them, very well acquainted.
Most demon hunters had asked Mo Hua to draw formations or owed him favors. Some hadn't asked for his help, but still wanted to establish some relationship with Mo Hua. If they needed a formation in the future, they could easily ask him.
Therefore, most demon hunting teams didn't mind Mo Hua drawing blood from the demonic beasts they killed.
After all, they had no use for demonic blood.
In addition, there were times when demonic beasts fought each other, their demonic powers colliding and creating fluctuations.
Demonic beasts fought for mating, hunting, territory, and dominance.
Approaching fighting demonic beasts was too risky.
Mo Hua could only watch from afar, gaining insight and observing the habits or special demonic powers and angry states of demonic beasts with his spiritual sense.
For a Qi refining stage cultivator, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was already quite strong. He could observe from afar, even peering into the demonic power status in the meridians of demonic beasts without being noticed by them.
And so, Mo Hua's cultivation gradually advanced, gradually touching upon the barrier of the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
The stockpile of demonic blood he had amassed also grew larger, amounting to several hundred bottles.
Mo Hua made thorough preparations, thinking that after breaking through to the next realm, he could then strive to become a First Rank Master Formation.
In the days that followed, Mo Hua focused on cultivation and diligently studied formations.
Several days later, at dusk, Mo Hua and his mother, Liu Ruhua, were at home, waiting for Mo Shan to return for dinner.
Suddenly, a torrential rain poured down, lasting nearly half an hour.
After the rain, Mo Shan returned, but his expression was solemn. After hastily eating a few bites, he packed some dry rations and prepared to leave again.
Mo Hua couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what's happened?"
Mo Shan didn't want to say at first, but considering that Mo Hua was now capable of surviving alone in the Great Black Mountain and was no longer the weak child of his early years, he spoke gravely:
"Old Zhao is missing."
Mo Hua was taken aback. "You mean Uncle Zhao, the medium-height man with thick eyebrows who knows Split Mountain Palm?"
Mo Shan paused. "You know him?"
"Yeah," Mo Hua nodded.
On the day he had borrowed someone from Uncle Yu, Uncle Yu had called for "Old Zhao" and had him take care of his own Qi Refinement stage.
Mo Shan nodded. "That's right."
"Where did he disappear?"
"In the Great Black Mountain."
"I'll go take a look too."
Mo Shan was about to refuse, but after some thought, he said, "Follow me, and don't wander off."
"Okay."
Liu Ruhua prepared some food again and asked the father and son to take it along. She looked worried as she urged them, "Be careful on the road."
Mo Shan took Mo Hua out, but instead of heading straight to the Great Black Mountain, they first went to Elder Yu's house.
Elder Yu's house was more spacious, but the furnishings were simple. There were several demon hunters standing inside.
Elder Yu's gaze swept over Mo Shan and noticed Mo Hua beside him. He was slightly surprised but nodded at Mo Hua with a friendly smile.
Then, he spoke with a serious tone, "Old Zhao is missing. I've had Chengyi lead a team to search, but there's been no news so far."
"Could he just be blocked by the heavy rain on the mountain, finding a camp to hide in and planning to come down at daybreak?" speculated one of the demon hunters.
Elder Yu shook his head. "Old Zhao's wife came by and said her husband is missing."
Elder Yu explained the situation.
Old Zhao's wife was pregnant, already five or six months along.
Old Zhao had heard from a Pill Master that a herb called Baizhu Ginseng could nourish Qi and stabilize the fetus. He had found a plant on the mountain and intended to bring it down to his wife.
However, the demonic beasts he hunted that day were somewhat troublesome, delaying him. When he descended the mountain later, he found his storage bag torn and the Baizhu Ginseng missing.
Old Zhao suspected he had lost it during the fight with the demonic beasts. He told his wife he would quickly search the mountain and return.
As soon as Old Zhao entered the mountain, a torrential rain began to fall. After the rain stopped, he still hadn't returned.
Normally, demon hunters would stay overnight in the mountains for various reasons.
But Old Zhao's wife felt an inexplicable panic and palpitations, as if she would never see her husband again in the future.
She couldn't explain this feeling clearly, but feeling extremely strong, she had no choice but to plead with Elder Yu to send people to the mountains to search.
Elder Yu sighed. "It's better to be tired than to lose him. If he's lost his life, leaving behind a widow and orphan, how will they live?"
(End of the chapter)