Chapter 161: Iron Armor

The Qian family withdrew.

Throughout the retreat, Qian Zhongxuan was deeply puzzled—where had that spell come from?

Hunters of Demons shouldn't be skilled in spellcasting at all.

"Could it be that old bastard Yu Changlin did this himself?"

Qian Zhongxuan shook his head. "No, the spiritual energy was too weak—probably not even late Qi Refinement."

But how could such a low-level cultivator cast a spell so far?

Qian Zhongxuan racked his brains but found no answer, so he silently cursed inside:

"You sneaky bastard Yu Changlin—you've been hiding this trick all along! How devious!"

But only Elder Yu knew he was wrongly accused—because the truly devious one wasn't him…

Seeing the Qian family retreat, Mo Hua stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and smiled broadly.

"Fireball Spell is so fun!"

Elder Yu also looked at him with new respect, patted Mo Hua's small shoulder, and praised: "Good job—your spellcasting is quite polished!"

He didn't want to praise too much, lest he seem inexperienced.

Having received praise, Mo Hua smiled even brighter, then asked:

"What other tricks will the Qian family have next?"

Elder Yu said: "Don't overestimate that old fool Qian Zhongxuan. For him to think of this trick is already unprecedented. What comes next is straight-up brute force—and he'll get his comeuppance."

At dawn the next day, the Qian sect's cultivators returned.

As Elder Yu had predicted, Qian Zhongxuan had no new tricks—he could only line up properly and launch a frontal assault.

Qian Zhongxuan cursed Elder Yu to his heart's content, but dared not speak aloud, fearing humiliation.

Don't waste time quarreling with a brute!

Qian Zhongxuan silently warned himself.

In direct combat, the Qian side had more numbers and superior cultivation, while the Hunters of Demons were few but battle-hardened—the odds were roughly even.

But you wouldn't know until you fought.

Neither side wasted words—they charged straight into battle.

On the mid-slope of Shanfeng, cultivators filled the ground densely; bright blades and swords clashed, and colorful spiritual energy surged everywhere.

Mo Hua watched, utterly awestruck.

When the battle reached a stalemate and Elder Yu judged the Qian cultivators couldn't retreat easily, he waved his hand and made a slashing motion.

"Let you see something impressive."

Elder Yu looked toward Qian Zhongxuan in the distance, a mocking smile curling at his lips.

Qian Zhongxuan froze—then saw a dozen or so Hunters of Demons step forward from their ranks, clad in iron armor.

Under the sunlight, the iron armor glowed with a dull, dark luster, radiating a formidable and solemn aura.

Qian Zhongxuan nearly spat blood.

Where the hell did these poor Hunters of Demons get iron armor?!

Then he noticed the armor looked familiar—he shot a knife-like glance at Qian Zhuang standing nearby.

Qian Zhuang hunched his shoulders, silent as a stone, utterly hating his towering height—standing out in the crowd, impossible to hide.

"Never mind—iron armor isn't invulnerable."

Facing a major threat, Qian Zhongxuan calmed himself and ordered his cultivators to pin down the iron-armored Hunters of Demons.

Strike enough times, and even iron armor will break.

But then he realized—this iron armor truly seemed invulnerable!

Ordinary blades and swords struck it and left not even a scratch—even a Grade One weapon caused little damage.

The force of impact and spiritual energy fluctuations were neutralized by the faint golden glow on the armor.

These iron armors had been seized from the Qian family; they originally had arrays inside, but they were crude—Mo Hua despised them, erased the old ones, and painted his own Golden Armor Array.

A Grade One Golden Armor Array was enough to make the iron armor impregnable!

Hunters of Demons at Qi Refinement Level Nine, battle-hardened, clad in forged iron armor, enhanced by a Grade One Golden Armor Array—on a Qi Refinement battlefield without Foundation Establishment cultivators, they were virtually unstoppable.

Kill gods who stand in their way, slay Buddhas who block their path!

These dozen iron-armored Hunters of Demons moved as if through an empty land—wherever they went, Qian sect cultivators fell without a single match.

In direct confrontation, no one could withstand these iron armors.

Qian Zhongxuan felt his scalp go numb.

When had the Qian family's iron armor become this powerful?

How could they not even scratch it?

Then he saw the faint golden glow on the armor.

"This… is an array?"

Qian Zhongxuan cursed inwardly—iron armor was already hard enough, and now they'd added an array inside?! How shameless!

"You sneaky bastard Yu Changlin—I'll remember this grudge!" Qian Zhongxuan spat.

But defeat had already begun—Qian Zhongxuan could not turn the tide, and could only grit his teeth and order: "Retreat!"

Yet even retreat wouldn't come easily.

The battlefield stretched wide, cultivators clashed chaotically, the scene in utter disorder.

When the Qian family ordered retreat, it was like a mountain collapsing—rocks tumbled wildly, no one knew where to go.

The Qian sect's cultivators lost morale, scattered in panic, while the Hunters of Demons pursued and slaughtered, expanding their gains.

By the time the Qian cultivators finally retreated to the foot of the peak for rest, they were grievously wounded—nearly half could no longer fight.

Qian Zhongxuan's heart bled.

Qian Zhuang felt sorrow, but not as much as before.

Compared to Elder Qian's failure, his own little setback could not be called failure—it was merely an setback, nothing at all.

Thinking this way, Qian Zhuang's heart actually felt a little better…

But he dared not provoke Qian Zhongxuan, so he could only speak with a sorrowful and indignant expression:

"Our casualties were heavy—the Hunter Demons have overstepped! Elder, do you have any plan to lead us in revenge and cleanse this humiliation?"

Qian Zhongxuan's expression twisted in pain, then he snarled:

"This grudge must be repaid!"

"Even if I must sacrifice everything, I will make Yu Changlin, that old bastard, pay!"

Qian Zhuang's heart leapt—Elder Qian was truly enraged, but he wondered what methods he could still wield.

Qian Zhongxuan's heart bled; Elder Yu's heart, by contrast, bloomed with joy.

This was a glorious, satisfying victory!

Elder Yu allowed everyone to celebrate briefly, to eat meat and drink wine.

The meat was dried, smoked beef—meat from a beast-bull, prepared earlier by Liu Ruhua.

Because of the conflict with the Qian family, no one knew how long the spirit mine would need guarding, so she had prepared a great deal. But there were many Hunters, so each received only a few pieces—just enough to taste.

Wine could not be drunk freely; each person received only two bowls.

Because the spirit mine was of vital importance, no accident could be allowed—even on a day of great victory, vigilance could not be relaxed.

Other dried rations and wild fruits had no restrictions.

The atmosphere inside the mine grew lively.

They had been guarding the spirit mine, squeezing in time to mine spirit stones, fending off Qian family harassment, and fighting real battles—daily life had either been grim or dull. Now, for the first time, they could set down their burdens and breathe a little easier.

Mo Hua wandered everywhere, and wherever he went, Hunters greeted him warmly.

Without Mo Hua's Golden Armor Array, they would have suffered even greater injuries; defending the spirit mine would have been far harder.

Some Hunters, unwilling to eat their own meat and wine, invited Mo Hua to share.

Mo Hua refused them all—after working so hard, it was rare to get good food.

Most importantly, his storage pouch held many delicacies, specially prepared by his mother, fearing he might go hungry inside.

But having stayed inside so long, Mo Hua had been rationing his food, and the meat was nearly gone.

"I wonder how much longer we must guard this spirit mine…"

Mo Hua thought silently.

Fifth watch ended.

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