Chapter 171: Holding the Rear

Mo Hua for the first time deeply felt the authority of the Dao Code and the Dao Court.

Given the current situation, the Qian family had traveled light and come rushing forward, while the demon hunters needed to transport the spirit ore, moving slowly—unless they changed course, they would be caught by the Qian family before reaching Xiancheng.

Elder Yu said: "We need someone to hold the rear!"

Yu Chengyi and several other demon hunters of Qi Condensation Ninth Layer from Mo Shan stepped forward.

Elder Yu nodded slightly and ordered:

"When Qian Hong and Qian Zhongxuan finally reveal their true intentions and strike, I'll hold them off—you deal with the other Qian clan cultivators, fight as you retreat, don't linger, just buy us enough time."

The few who remained nodded solemnly.

Holding the rear under these circumstances meant facing the Qian family's full assault, outnumbered and in grave danger.

Moreover, the Qian family had two Foundation Establishment cultivators—if they broke the agreement and attacked, and Elder Yu couldn't hold them, the Qi Condensation demon hunters left behind would be in mortal peril.

Mo Hua said: "I'll stay behind to hold the rear!"

Elder Yu glared at him. "What are you, a child, doing here? Go home!"

When the time came, he would have to face Qian Hong and Qian Zhongxuan, with no attention left for Mo Hua's safety.

Mo Shan also patted Mo Hua's head and said gently: "Go back—your mother is waiting for you at home."

They said nothing more, but Mo Hua knew clearly: staying behind to hold the rear meant having made his peace with death.

Even if they succeeded in holding the rear, several demon hunters would likely lose their lives.

Many demon hunters had already died or been wounded in the battle against the Qian family.

Now that the spirit ore had been fully mined and they had held out this long, Mo Hua didn't want anyone else to be hurt.

Whether it was Mo Shan, Elder Yu, or any other demon hunter Mo Hua knew or didn't know—he still hoped they could all return home together.

Mo Hua then said to Elder Yu: "I can use arrays to hold the rear—I don't need everyone to risk their lives!"

Elder Yu trusted Mo Hua's arrays.

It was Mo Hua's arrays that had allowed them to defend the spirit ore and escape successfully—but with the Qian family approaching and time running short, Elder Yu still felt uneasy:

"There's not enough time to draw arrays now."

"Don't worry," Mo Hua patted his bulging storage bag. "I prepared them in advance!"

Elder Yu opened his mouth. "Are all of these arrays inside?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Everyone exchanged glances—they had no idea when Mo Hua had prepared these arrays.

"Will these arrays even work?" Elder Yu asked again.

"We don't need to fight to the death—just scare them with the arrays, delay them a little—that's enough," Mo Hua said.

Elder Yu thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine—we'll use the arrays to buy time."

Then Elder Yu found Mo Shan and whispered: "If things turn bad, you take Mo Hua and leave first!"

Mo Shan opened his mouth to speak, but Elder Yu's face hardened. "That's an order!"

Mo Shan clenched his lips and said nothing, but his brow tightened.

Elder Yu lowered his voice further, speaking with solemn gravity:

"Mo Hua's safety matters more than anything—no matter what, you must get him back safely!"

Mo Shan froze, then nodded with a solemn expression.

On this side, Mo Hua was rummaging through his storage bag, pulling out the arrays.

A thick stack—every single one was a Grade One Earth-Fire Array, each containing nine array lines.

Previously, the Grade One Earth-Fire Array with seven array lines had been broken by the Qian family's iron-armored Earth-element cultivator, so Mo Hua had studied the more advanced Grade One Earth-Fire Array for emergencies.

Earth-Fire Arrays were highly effective, but too few of them wouldn't change the battle's outcome.

So whenever he had free time, Mo Hua drew them secretly, hoarding them bit by bit—until now, he had amassed a thick stack of Grade One Earth-Fire Arrays.

Mo Hua distributed the Grade One Earth-Fire Arrays; the demon hunters chose a narrow mountain pass, buried the arrays in hidden corners, and lightly disguised them so the Qian clan cultivators wouldn't spot them easily.

Once everything was ready, the dozen or so demon hunters left to hold the rear hid behind rocks, waiting for the Qian clan cultivators to arrive.

Mo Hua hid with them.

Time slipped away slowly; everyone's faces were taut, their expressions solemn.

Seeing this, Mo Hua said with a hint of regret: "Too bad it's not night."

Elder Yu blinked. "What difference would night make?"

"At night, when the Earth-Fire Arrays explode—Boom! —they look just like fireworks, so beautiful!"

When he'd used the Earth-Fire Arrays before, Mo Hua had been delighted—he'd even prepared wine, meat, and pine nuts, eating and watching with pleasure.

But now all those treats were gone, and Mo Hua felt a pang of regret.

Elder Yu, Mo Shan, and the others didn't know what to say—but Mo Hua's interruption had eased their tension; instead, they began to feel like spectators, silently watching the path.

Less than a cup of tea's time later, footsteps grew louder, and the Qian clan cultivators' figures became clearly visible.

A dense mass—nearly two thousand strong.

The demon hunters held their breath, silent.

Qian Hong arrived nearby, saw the narrow terrain, his expression darkened, and raised his hand to signal the Qian clan cultivators to halt.

He swept his spiritual sense across the area, then sneered aloud:

"Yu Changlin, hiding like a coward?"

Elder Yu signaled the demon hunters not to move; his body flashed, leaping onto higher ground, then sat cross-legged atop a large rock and laughed:

"Being a turtle's fine—but I'm the big turtle, you're the little one, and you'll have to call me Dad."

Qian Hong's gaze turned cold, his expression unchanged.

Elder Yu praised: "If anyone has the deepest composure and the greatest patience, I won't respect anyone else—I respect you. No matter how much you're insulted, you stay as still as a turtle…"

Before he could finish speaking, Elder Yu suddenly gasped in shock, exclaiming in an exaggerated tone: "You didn't actually come from your mother and a turtle, did you?"

Qian Zhongxuan could no longer bear to hear these words, but Qian Hong merely frowned slightly and said:

"Yu Changlin, are you trying to stall for time?"

Elder Yu made no attempt to hide it. "You could say that."

Qian Hong said coldly: "On what grounds? Because of the dozen or so beast-hunters hiding behind that rock?"

Elder Yu said: "Your Qian family are all useless. Ten or so of us are more than enough—more would scare you to death."

"Then why don't you attack?" Qian Hong asked.

"Let's rest a bit—we got exhausted digging the mine tunnels," Elder Yu sighed. "This Great Heishan is strange—how did digging the tunnels lead straight into a beast den?"

Elder Yu asked Qian Hong with a falsely concerned expression: "Did any of your Qian family disciples enter the mine tunnels? Did they encounter any beast beasts? Oh, please don't let them get eaten…"

Qian Hong's expression darkened.

Seeing this, Elder Yu feigned utter horror: "No way—you've already sent them in? Someone's already been eaten, hasn't they? No way!"

Then Elder Yu added with regret:

"How careless! If I'd known, I wouldn't have let them dig those tunnels—your Qian family would've lost fewer lives… Alas, this is all my fault!"

Qian Hong gritted his teeth: "Old bastard Yu, stop your blabbering—what are you really after?"

Elder Yu remained calm, saying nothing.

Qian Hong, wary, said coldly: "Are you going to strike?"

Elder Yu said: "We agreed—you don't move, I don't move."

"Fine," Qian Hong said, then ordered the Qian family cultivators to advance.

No matter what tricks Yu Changlin was playing, he'd find out by testing him.

The Qian family cultivators moved forward; Elder Yu remained motionless, showing no sign of action.

"What the hell is that old bastard Yu Changlin up to?"

Just as Qian Hong grew suspicious, an explosion erupted—flames surged and swallowed the front ranks of the Qian family cultivators.

Then screams broke out; all the Qian family cultivators froze in terror.

Qian Hong instantly understood, and inwardly cursed:

Not again—dammit, it's another array!

Five more chapters done for today—time to rest~

(I noticed some readers still ask about the protagonist's character setup, so let me clarify again.)

Regarding the protagonist's transmigration setup:

He awakens some memories—not a traditional soul-transmigration. His body is his own, and he shares blood with his parents.

The protagonist is a child of about ten in the cultivation world, but he possesses modern human thinking and cognition—childlike in temperament, yet with a fundamentally different understanding of the world.