"Elder, have two people protect me!" Mo Hua said to Elder Yu, then lightly leaped down from the mouth of the mine.
Elder Yu wasn't sure what Mo Hua intended to do but after a brief thought, he called two demon hunters to follow and protect Mo Hua.
He kept his own spiritual awareness on Mo Hua, ready to intervene if he encountered danger.
Mo Hua didn't venture into the center of the battlefield but instead found a concealed spot at the periphery, cautiously hiding.
The two demon hunters remained vigilant around Mo Hua.
Mo Hua held his breath, closed his eyes, and extended his spiritual awareness to its utmost limit.
The chaotic battlefield instantly turned into a blank canvas, where all the battling cultivators appeared in Mo Hua's spiritual perception as manifestations of spiritual energy.
After a long while, Mo Hua finally spotted a mysterious figure.
The figure was faintly light blue, wandering through the battlefield, and striking like a ghost when attacking, making it elusive.
If Mo Hua hadn't pushed his spiritual awareness to its limits, he wouldn't have noticed this figure at all.
Mo Hua attempted to lock onto the figure with his spiritual awareness.
But the figure was elusive and ethereal, making it difficult to pin down with spiritual awareness.
Seeing more and more demon hunters falling around him, Mo Hua took a deep breath, forcibly calming his mind, and entered a state of deep meditation where he lost awareness of himself and the world.
Mo Hua exerted all his effort to capture the light blue figure with his spiritual awareness. After an unknown period, Mo Hua suddenly opened his eyes, a faint light gleaming in them.
Locked on!
The light blue figure flickered in Mo Hua's spiritual awareness, but its trajectory was clear.
Mo Hua pointed both fingers forward, and a fireball spell shot out, whistling towards an empty spot on the battlefield.
Near the empty spot was a demon hunter clad in iron armor, locked in combat with someone.
Suddenly, the demon hunter felt a sense of danger beside him, but his sword was entangled, leaving him unable to move.
At that moment, a gap appeared beside the demon hunter, and a dagger aimed straight for his eyes.
The demon hunter had no way to dodge and despair crossed his face.
Just then, a fireball whistled through the air, hitting the assailant who was attacking him.
At the moment the fireball spell exploded, flames spread, interrupting the surprise attack.
The assailant briefly revealed his form.
He was a short, ordinary-looking figure in black robes, with a sinister gaze.
Taking advantage of this opening, the demon hunter caught his breath for a moment, then swung his sword to fend off nearby Qian family cultivators before turning his blade towards the black-robed assailant.
The black-robed assailant cursed under his breath, swiftly maneuvering to retreat, eventually fading away amidst the crowd.
The demon hunter felt regret but also relief; thankfully, the fireball spell had saved his life, or he might have perished there.
It was a pity he hadn't caught and struck down the black-robed assailant!
After several evasive maneuvers, the black-robed assailant vanished from sight again, leaving the demon hunter puzzled:
"Where did that fireball spell come from?"
Demon hunters were primarily physical cultivators, rarely skilled in spells.
The spell just now was both cunning and precise, indicating the caster was experienced.
Fortunately, its power was limited, only interrupting his attack without causing serious harm.
But the black-robed assailant couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss—such a skilled fireball spell couldn't have such low power by coincidence, could it?
In the melee of cultivators, it's inevitable to be accidentally hit by spells flying around. Just now, it must have been my bad luck to get struck.
He didn't believe anyone could target him with spells in such a chaotic battle.
The black-robed cultivator calmed himself, his confidence returning. He continued to patrol the area, seeking an opportunity to strike.
A demon hunter exposed a vulnerability, and the black-robed cultivator moved to attack when suddenly another fireball spell flew towards him, once again interrupting his ambush!
Once could be a coincidence, but the second time was definitely not.
The black-robed cultivator frowned slightly, his peripheral vision scanning rapidly around him.
Casting spells required gathering qi and raising a hand. With his experience in spell combat, he could tell at a glance.
But there were no signs of spellcasting from the demon hunters nearby.
The black-robed cultivator lightly scanned the area with his spiritual awareness but found nothing, looking perplexed:
"Who is using the fireball spell?"
He dared not extend his spiritual awareness too far or scan for too long.
If he became distracted with his spiritual awareness for too long, someone would surely spot his vulnerability, putting him in danger.
Mo Hua hid behind a large rock, first locking onto his target with spiritual awareness, then peering out to cast a fireball spell before stealthily retreating.
The black-robed cultivator couldn't see him with his eyes, and they were too far apart for his spiritual awareness to detect.
Moreover, with two instances of locking on and casting fireball spells, Mo Hua's technique became increasingly refined.
The hidden figure in Mo Hua's spiritual awareness became clearer.
The black-robed cultivator faintly sensed something amiss.
It seemed like someone had been spying on him with spiritual awareness all along!
Initially, amidst the chaotic battlefield and mixed spiritual energies, he hadn't noticed.
But now, being hit by the fireball spell twice, he finally realized there was indeed a spiritual awareness subtly following him, refusing to dissipate.
Foundation Establishment cultivator?! "No, impossible," the black-robed cultivator thought. "If it were a Foundation Establishment cultivator's surveillance, I wouldn't have noticed."
That meant it was a cultivator of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, with stronger spiritual awareness than his own!
But why was the spell power so low?
The black-robed cultivator's thoughts were in turmoil.
He had to find the cultivator using the fireball spell! Otherwise, every time he acted, he would be hindered, and his situation would become precarious.
Filled with apprehension, the black-robed cultivator refrained from rash actions, instead patiently scouring the battlefield for clues to expose Mo Hua.
If the enemy didn't move, neither would Mo Hua.
Mo Hua remained relaxed behind the large rock, even pulling out some sweet wild fruits and enjoying them.
But with the black-robed cultivator being held back, the demon hunters on the field felt less pressure and acted more boldly.
The Qian family cultivators felt increasing pressure, finding it more difficult to hold their ground.
Seeing the situation deteriorating, the black-robed cultivator had no choice but to strike again.
Yet each time he attempted to strike, Mo Hua's fireball spell interrupted him.
The black-robed cultivator stayed vigilant, feigning attacks to discern the origin of the fireball spell. Initially, he roughly identified the general direction, but after the second time, he couldn't locate it anymore.
Because subsequent fireball spells landed directly in his face.
Mo Hua faintly sensed his gaze and guessed the black-robed cultivator's intentions, so he directly hit him in the face with a fireball spell to blind him from seeing anything.
With multiple instances of locking on with spiritual awareness, the black-robed cultivator's movements became more pronounced, and Mo Hua's aim became more accurate.
The black-robed cultivator was furious.
How could this continue to hit with increasing precision?
He felt humiliated. After so many years of sneaking up on others in the cultivation world, now he was being ambushed, repeatedly, with fireball spells!
"Despicable! I will find you and kill you!"
The black-robed cultivator seethed with anger. Amidst his fiery emotions, his spiritual energy momentarily faltered.
There was a momentary lapse in his stealth technique.
Mo Shan, who had been watching him like a hawk, spotted the vulnerability, darted forward, grabbed the black-robed cultivator's shoulder with a firm grip, squeezed hard, and then flung him violently.
The sound of bones breaking echoed.
The black-robed cultivator crashed heavily to the ground, spitting out blood!
(End of the Chapter)