The number of foreign cultivators outside Tongxian City gradually increased.
Two months later, Mo Hua sat on a rocky hill in the inner mountains, frowning as he looked at the compass in his hand.
Previously, when there were light spots on the compass, Mo Hua rushed over. Most of the time, it was Demon hunters hunting monsters, or monsters fighting over territory. There were very few instances of cultivators fighting each other.
Occasionally, there were some unfamiliar Demon hunters, dressed differently and using different Taoist techniques and spiritual weapons from those in Tongxian City. They should be from elsewhere, but their numbers were few, and encounters were rare.
But now, things were different.
Mo Hua often saw unfamiliar faces in the Great Black Mountain's inner mountains.
The compass lit up, indicating battles, and there were many foreign cultivators involved.
Interactions between cultivators suddenly increased.
Some were fighting over monsters, some got into fights over trivial matters, and some cultivators were clearly causing trouble.
Moreover, there were even blatant killings and looting!
Mo Hua once saw a cargo carriage with its goods missing, surrounded by bloodstains and scattered limbs of cultivators.
From the traces nearby, it was obvious that a group of merchants was intercepted by cultivators, their goods stolen, and all the people killed.
Later, when the monsters smelled blood, they came and devoured the bodies.
The scene was chaotic, and the deaths were tragic.
Mo Hua felt uncomfortable and couldn't help but sigh.
The days in the inner mountains afterward were estimated to be turbulent.
Fortunately, the Demon hunters of Tongxian City gradually grew stronger, with more manpower. Most of them wore iron armor and wielded top-quality weapons, making them the strongest force among the several immortal cities nearby.
These foreign cultivators didn't dare to easily provoke the local Demon hunters.
But who knows what the future holds.
But let Elder Yu worry about these things. Mo Hua would rather save up some spiritual ink, practice formations, strengthen his spiritual consciousness, and see if he could build his foundation.
Mo Hua shifted his focus and then ate some jerky and drank juice made from wild fruits.
He chilled the juice with the Cold Qi Formation, and when he drank it, it was sour, sweet, and icy.
Mo Hua's mood improved significantly.
Soon, the compass lit up again, and Mo Hua packed up his things, activated the Flowing Water Steps technique, and swiftly rushed through the mountains and rocks.
From afar, Mo Hua released his spiritual consciousness, quickly scanning the area, feeling somewhat disappointed.
It was another fight between cultivators.
Mo Hua sighed.
Generally, he didn't interfere in cultivators' fights.
He was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and his only offensive spell was the Fireball Spell. He was extremely proficient in the Flowing Water Steps, so self-defense was not a problem, but he didn't want to invite trouble.
Moreover, most of the time, the disputes between cultivators were difficult to judge right from wrong by just passing by and taking a look.
The weaker party might not necessarily be good people, and the stronger party might not necessarily be bad people.
Those with fierce appearances might not necessarily be evil, and those who looked kind might not necessarily be good people.
One can't judge a book by its cover.
Mo Hua decided to do as usual and just sneak a peek, since he had nothing else to do at the moment.
With his spiritual consciousness, Qi Refining cultivators wouldn't be able to detect him.
Mo Hua climbed up a rocky hill, concealed his breath, and peered over with the cover of grass and trees.
On the rugged and narrow mountain path, two groups of cultivators were engaged in battle.
Most of the cultivators in both groups were at the late stage of Qi Refining.
One group consisted of only four people, three men and a woman, who were at a disadvantage, guarding a few boxes of luggage and barely holding on.
The other group had seven people, dressed differently and unfamiliar in appearance, besieging the four cultivators.
Moreover, their attacks were becoming more and more ferocious, and the four cultivators probably couldn't hold on much longer.
Robbery?
Mo Hua furrowed his brows and continued to observe, then he realized something was off.
He seemed to recognize those four cultivators.
There was a middle-aged cultivator with a few faint scars on his face. He had a good relationship with Mo Hua's father, Mo Shan, and had even visited Mo Hua's home before.
Mo Hua remembered his name was Ji Qingbai, and he called him Uncle Ji.
Next to him was a young, refined-looking cultivator, Ji Qingbai's son named Ji Li.
The father and son were also Demon hunters, but they were not from Tongxian City. Instead, they came from the neighboring city, Qingxuan City.
Qingxuan City was quite far from Tongxian City, and since they had to pass through the Great Black Mountain's inner mountains, cultivators from the two cities rarely interacted under normal circumstances.
There was also a burly cultivator, wrapped in wolf fur, wielding a fiercely sharp wolf fang club covered with spikes.
Mo Hua remembered that when he had a conflict with Qian Xing, it was this burly man who intervened and stopped the Qi Refining cultivator from the Qian family.
Mo Hua remembered that this burly man had profound cultivation and was quite skilled at cursing people.
Now, he was holding his own against three opponents, not falling behind. The gray spiritual power on his wolf fang club was swirling around, and as he swung it, it created a fierce wind, showing its tremendous power.
At the same time, he was still cursing incessantly, saying things like "a bunch of scum," "cowardly attackers," and "if you have the guts, fight one-on-one, you worthless bullies."
Among the four, the only one Mo Hua didn't recognize was the female cultivator.
She looked about the same age as Ji Li, was injured, had the lowest cultivation, and was struggling the most. Fortunately, Ji Li was beside her, taking care of her.
But her entire sleeve was already soaked with blood. If things continued like this, she probably wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
Based on Mo Hua's extensive experience observing battles in the inner mountains for such a long time.
The burly man wielding the wolf fang club would definitely be able to escape, and Uncle Ji probably had a high chance of escaping as well. But it depended on whether these cultivators pursued them. If they were chased, the outcome might be grim.
Ji Li couldn't escape. Although he was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, he lacked experience in facing enemies. At this moment, being entangled by so many cultivators, he had nowhere to run.
As for the female cultivator, she was probably doomed.
Perhaps death would be the best outcome...
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
What should he do?
There were too many people on the other side. Even if Mo Hua joined the fight, he might not be able to save them all.
Mo Hua could fight but not stay.
But Ji Li and the female cultivator probably couldn't escape.
Ji Li couldn't escape, and Uncle Ji probably wouldn't leave for the sake of his son.
The burly man seemed to have a sense of honor and loyalty. He would probably fight to the end.
"It's best to save them. Life is more precious than anything else."
Mo Hua made up his mind and took out a piece of bamboo tube, which was red in color and contained a Smoke and Fire Formation inside.
This type of bamboo tube was simple to make, and the Smoke and Fire Formation inside was specially drawn by Mo Hua. Most Demon hunters who entered the mountains had it.
Once encountering an emergency, triggering the formation and releasing smoke and fire would alert nearby Demon hunters, who would come to support.
Mo Hua activated the Smoke and Fire Formation with spiritual power, and a burst of fire shot up into the sky.
Both sides on the mountain path were stunned when they saw the smoke and fire.
Mo Hua then used the Flowing Water Steps to swiftly run towards a distant location and activated another smoke and fire formation. Then he ran towards the left side of the mountain, activating another smoke and fire formation in a different location.
In this way, in three different locations, from near to far, Mo Hua released smoke and fire, creating the illusion that Demon hunters were coming to support one after another.
"They're Demon hunters from Tongxian City!" exclaimed one of the foreign cultivators.
"Big brother, what should we do?"
"They have more people, and they're wearing iron armor. We're no match for them."
The leader of the cultivators frowned, hesitating.
They were so close...
They had been fighting for half a day and were about to kill these few cultivators, take their goods, and capture the female cultivator back.
If they withdrew now, it would be a wasted effort!
Seeing them hesitating, Mo Hua raised his right hand and released another fireball.
This fireball spell was fast and accurate, and it struck one of the foreign cultivators. The cultivator stumbled and fell to the ground, screaming in pain from the burning caused by the fireball spell.
A spell at the seventh level of Qi Refining might not be much against monsters, but its power was not to be underestimated when used against cultivators.
"Spells?!" exclaimed the leader of the cultivators in shock.
(End of the Chapter)