Chapter 230: The Sheep Demon

All preparations complete, Mo Hua began preparing to hunt the demon beast.

Of course, he still didn't need to act.

Though he had reached Qi Condensation Seventh Layer and his Fireball Technique had grown significantly stronger, actually confronting a mid-first-grade demon beast was still insufficient.

At most, he'd only finish off the wounded and pick up scraps.

The demon hunters didn't need his meager spellpower.

Yu Chengyi, Seeing Mo Shan, and six other Qi Condensation Late-stage hunters formed a team, bringing Mo Hua along; nine in total, they set out to hunt a late-first-grade Crimson-Eyed Sheep Demon.

Yu Chengyi and Seeing Mo Shan had hunted in the Inner Mountains for years, their experience far surpassing Mo Hua's, and their planning before each hunt was far more meticulous, covering nearly every possibility.

Mo Hua only needed to listen quietly and learn carefully.

Learn the demon beast's habits, hunting methods, and precautions.

This hunt was like any other, yet slightly different, because they would use Mo Hua's array.

Previously, only Qi Condensation Mid-stage hunters had used a seven-line Earthfire Array to kill mid-first-grade demon beasts.

Now Mo Hua could draw first-grade arrays, their power strong enough to injure late-first-grade demon beasts; thus, Qi Condensation Late-stage hunters could now attempt hunting late-first-grade demon beasts using a first-grade Earthfire Array.

Hunting with arrays was both safer and more efficient.

After finalizing their plans, Yu Chengyi asked Mo Hua: "Is there anything else we should watch for?"

The array was drawn by Mo Hua, so he needed to consult Mo Hua's opinion.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, realizing everyone had considered everything thoroughly, and he couldn't think of anything to add, so he said:

"No issues."

"Good." Yu Chengyi nodded. "Then we depart tomorrow, following the plan."

The demon hunters spent the night at their camp in the Inner Mountains; at dawn, when the mountains were hazy and dew clung to grass and trees, they set out.

Yu Chengyi and several veteran hunters led the way, scouting for traces of the Crimson-Eyed Sheep Demon.

Seeing Mo Shan was also experienced, but Mo Hua's safety was paramount, so he had to stay beside Mo Hua.

Soon, a hunter spotted the demon beast's hoofprints, remnants of eaten meat, and white wool stained with blood.

Everyone tensed, fully alert.

Yu Chengyi and several hunters extended their spiritual senses, searching for the sheep demon's presence.

Before they could locate it, Mo Hua had already pulled out a map and marked its position:

"Behind the mountain path, there's a stream—it's drinking there."

Yu Chengyi and the others exchanged glances, secretly astonished.

That distance was far beyond the limit of their spiritual senses.

Was Mo Hua's spiritual sense this much stronger than theirs?

Yu Chengyi leapt onto the mountain peak, using rocks for cover, and looked down—indeed, he saw the Crimson-Eyed Sheep Demon drinking by the stream after feeding.

Yu Chengyi made no sound, leapt down from the peak, and told the group: "It's drinking. Afterward, it'll likely return to the woods—we'll circle around and ambush it ahead."

The hunters nodded, then took a side path to circle around, stopping at the only route into the woods, and began setting traps.

Mo Hua pulled out an iron compass, its surface engraved with a complex array.

Yu Chengyi saw it and couldn't help asking: "What's this compass for?"

"I drew the Earthfire Array on it," Mo Hua said.

"What's the difference between this and drawing it on paper?" Yu Chengyi asked.

"Using paper as the array medium, the Earthfire Array can only be used once—after detonation, the paper is destroyed and the array vanishes."

Mo Hua continued: "This compass was specially forged by Master Chen, infused with refined iron as the medium—it's far more durable. Draw the Earthfire Array on it, and it can be reused many times."

Yu Chengyi's eyes lit up. "Any special usage rules?"

"Use it the same way as before."

Yu Chengyi nodded. "Good!"

The group finished setting traps, placed the array compass, laid several spirit stones atop the array, erased all traces, and smeared blood and juice from Demon-Stench Grass, then retreated to hide behind the rocks.

Soon, the Crimson-Eyed Sheep Demon appeared at the path.

The demon beast radiated thick bloodlust; its mouth still bore traces of blood from whatever meat it had eaten, and its vigilance was extremely high.

It stared at the trap for a long time, clearly tempted by the Demon-Stench Grass, yet it restrained itself, pacing back and forth without advancing.

After a while, the demon beast actually retreated, slowly moving farther away.

Mo Hua was startled and whispered to Seeing Mo Shan: "Father, is this demon beast this cautious?"

"Late-first-grade demon beasts live long, have rich experience, and are more cunning."

"If it runs off, do we chase it?"

Seeing Mo Shan shook his head. "No chase—we wait here."

Mo Hua paused, then his eyes brightened. "It'll come back?"

"Correct," Seeing Mo Shan whispered, eyes fixed on the path. "It's testing us—it'll return soon."

Indeed, after a while, the Crimson-Eyed Sheep Demon turned back.

Had they chased it just now, it would have sensed the trap, rendering their setup useless.

Mo Hua silently marveled: even a demon beast in the Inner Mountains had so many tricks—he still had much to learn.

Eventually, the Crimson-Eyed Sheep Demon could no longer resist the lure of the Demon-Stench Grass; glancing around warily, it stepped toward the trap.

Demon beasts possess demon sense, similar to a cultivator's spiritual sense, but most demon beasts' demon sense is weak—they cannot project it outward like cultivators to perceive things.

Demon beasts generally perceive their surroundings through special vision, acute hearing and smell, sensitivity to aura, and an insatiable craving for blood.

The team consisted of veteran hunters who knew precisely how to suppress their aura and avoid detection.

Thus, though the Crimson-Eyed Sheep Demon scanned its surroundings, it detected nothing—and finally stepped into the trap, lowering its head to lick the blood on the ground, savoring the stench of the Demon-Stench Grass.

Yu Chengyi stood up, drew his bow, and shot an arrow that pierced the air, carrying spiritual energy, striking the spiritual stone in the formation.

The spiritual stone turned to dust; the spiritual energy within it leaked out and seeped into the ground fire formation's compass.

The goat demon barely sensed the anomaly, heard the arrow's whistle through the air, and tried to flee—but it was already too late.

The trap halted the goat demon for a moment; then, a crimson formation pattern on the compass flashed once—the Grade One Ground Fire Formation activated, and the flame spiritual energy exploded, producing a deafening roar.

When the explosion's shockwave faded, the Red-Eyed Goat Demon was indeed suffered severe 【injury】.

For safety, Mo Hua set up three Grade One Ground Fire Formations; all three exploded together, their power naturally extraordinary.

The entire group of demon hunters said nothing—they charged forward, spreading out to surround the Red-Eyed Goat Demon.

The eight divided into two rings: four inside killed the demon beast, four outside coordinated with each other to prevent its escape.

After some time, the inner and outer rings swapped places, taking turns in a wheeling assault, slowly wearing down the severely wounded demon beast.

The goal was clear, the actions decisive, the killings efficient, the coordination thorough.

Less than half an hour later, the severely wounded Red-Eyed Goat Demon collapsed.