"Qian family Foundation Establishment cultivators don't take action because they're afraid of being depleted and then surrounded and killed, right?" Mo Hua asked.
"Yes, but not entirely," Elder Yu replied. "On one hand, Qian family Foundation Establishment cultivators indeed fear depletion. If I step in and hold them down, preventing their escape, they'll inevitably be killed."
"So in such chaotic battles, Foundation Establishment cultivators usually balance each other and don't act rashly. Once they do, it's either to decisively determine victory or with other important objectives that can sway the outcome."
"On the other hand, the Qian family has more than one Foundation Establishment cultivator..." Elder Yu chuckled lightly.
Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Isn't that an advantage for the Qian family?"
Elder Yu didn't answer directly but said, "One monk can eat up all the food, two monks share in carrying the load, three monks have no water to drink."
"Oh," Mo Hua understood. "They all want others to take risks and sacrifice themselves, while they reap the benefits."
Elder Yu nodded approvingly.
"Is the Qian family really that cunning?"
"Even close brothers count their accounts carefully. Although they're a single family, with so many branches and conflicting interests, in their intrigues, there may not truly be any familial bonds."
Mo Hua nodded.
No wonder Elder Yu always cursed the Qian family as a bunch of heartless and despicable wolves.
If this was how they treated their own cultivators, it was even worse for others.
"What if all the Qian family's Foundation Establishment cultivators come together?" Mo Hua asked.
"I'd actually hope they would," Elder Yu raised an eyebrow. "If they all come, with no one guarding the family and its assets, what if enemies find out and plunder all their property, slaughter the main line? That would be quite amusing."
Elder Yu's expression was somewhat maliciously gleeful.
Mo Hua's mouth gaped open, "Does that kind of thing really happen?"
"Why wouldn't it? You're still young. Wait a few hundred years and you'll understand. In this world, there's nothing people won't think of or do."
Mo Hua was deeply shocked, "But wouldn't the Dao Court intervene?"
"After everything's been plundered and everyone's been killed, what's the use of the Dao Court? It's useless."
Elder Yu thought of a few curse words but restrained himself a bit in front of Mo Hua.
"If the main line disciples are wiped out and only Foundation Establishment cultivators remain, it's just an empty shell, vulnerable and eventually marginalized without a place to stand."
"And, if something really happens to the Qian family's important industries abroad without Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed there, that would truly be a serious blow..."
"With a large family and extensive business, protecting everything isn't easy. That's why they dare not send Foundation Establishment cultivators to join the battle early."
"I see..."
Mo Hua suddenly realized.
Seeing Mo Hua appearing contemplative, Elder Yu thought he was still worried and reassured him, "Don't worry, those Qian family Foundation Establishment cultivators may look fierce, but they're actually soft eggs and cowards. If one comes, I can handle them casually. Even if two or three come, I have ways to deal with them."
Mo Hua was astonished. Elder Yu was indeed formidable.
"Are you very highly cultivated, Elder?" Mo Hua asked.
"I wouldn't say my cultivation level is high," Elder Yu sighed and smiled bitterly, "it's just that I'm willing to risk my life in battle, while they aren't."
Mo Hua glanced at Elder Yu.
On Elder Yu's lean arms and neck were various intersecting light scars, barely discernible due to his dark skin.
These wounds must have been left from desperate battles...
Mo Hua silently pondered.
When the Qian family refrained from attacking, the monster hunters concentrated all their efforts on mining spiritual ores. But Elder Yu knew that the Qian family wouldn't just let it go.
Several days later, sure enough, the Qian family returned.
This time they came with reinforcements—several robust Earth-element root cultivators, fully armed and clad in iron armor.
This was Qian Zhuang's plan to break the deadlock.
The Earthfire Formation wasn't overwhelmingly powerful. He gathered some tough Earth-refining body cultivators, dressed them in iron armor, and simply marched them through the Earthfire Formation.
Once the Earthfire Formation was neutralized, a clear path lay ahead.
He used his connections within the clan, persuading, transferring, and requesting several Earth-element roots who practiced Earth techniques and were physically robust body cultivators.
He almost depleted his savings, buying or borrowing several finely crafted iron armors and some fire-resistant spiritual tools.
Tonight, he would break the Earthfire Formation!
The situation unfolded just as he expected.
Clad in iron armor and wielding fire-resistant spiritual tools, the Earth-element cultivators marched straight through the seven lines of the Earthfire Formation, sparking explosions of fire.
The mountains echoed with explosions, filled with bursts of firelight.
These explosions of fire spiritual power impacted the iron armor, but most of the force was mitigated, and the fire resistance of the spiritual tools dissipated some of the flames. The remaining force caused minor harm to the Earth-element cultivators in iron armor.
In this manner, the iron-armored Earth root cultivators marched through and dismantled the Earthfire Formations in the mountains.
Some of the iron armors suffered damage, with one even breaking.
Qian Zhuang felt pained, but these costs were worth it!
He finally broke through the Earthfire Formation!
Qian Zhuang raised his eyebrows triumphantly, full of vigor.
He led the Qian family cultivators across the mountainside, which had previously been a psychological barrier due to the Earthfire Formations frustrating him repeatedly!
The Qian family cultivators also arrived at the entrance of the mine, officially facing off against the monster hunters.
Then suddenly, Qian Zhuang realized he had forgotten a crucial issue:
Their original tactic seemed to have been an ambush...
Now, groups of monster hunters clad in vine armor stood in formation, seemingly waiting leisurely, staring at them for a long time.
After enduring the devastation of the Earthfire Formation, they finally arrived before the monster hunters.
But... could this still be considered an ambush?
The gazes of the monster hunters carried a hint of mockery, as if they were looking at fools.
Anger flashed across Qian Zhuang's face, but inside, he felt a chill.
What should they do next? Suddenly, he didn't know anymore...
Fight? It seemed unlikely they could win.
Escape? Then why did they come here in the first place? Why did they go through so much trouble to break through the Earthfire Formation?
As Qian Zhuang doubted himself, Yu Chengyi had already drawn his sword.
Immediately, the blades of the monster hunters also unsheathed.
In the pitch-black night, the blades of the monster hunters gleamed brightly.
"Attack!"
Yu Chengyi roared angrily, and behind him, the monster hunters surged forward towards the Qian family cultivators.
Thus, the Qian family cultivators, who had painstakingly crossed the Earthfire Formation, were driven back in a sorry state within moments.
Qian Hong struggled back to the camp, his face covered in dirt, summarizing the battle.
Loss of disciples was inevitable, and several sets of iron armor were confiscated.
There was no choice. The primary target for those monster hunters was the iron armor, with people being secondary.
The monster hunters were accustomed to hunting monsters year-round, coordinated and skilled. Working together, they swiftly brought down the Qian family cultivators clad in iron armor in just a few rounds.
Then, in the blink of an eye, they stripped the armor and took it away.
For the monster hunters, stripping armor was as routine as skinning a beast, let alone iron armor.
Qian Zhuang felt a heartache mixed with absurdity.
If it weren't for being disoriented by the Earthfire Formation, his mind set solely on breaking it, he wouldn't have forgotten their original intent.
Turning an ambush into an overt attack.
And being caught off guard by the enemy.
Qian Zhuang seethed with hatred.
Who the hell designed this Earthfire Formation?!
(End of the Chapter)