Chapter 326: The Third Boss

The matter of Great Heishan has basically come to a close.

The identity of the Qian family's ancestral elder has been exposed; the Qian family can no longer rely on Great Heishan to commit evil.

Without the Qian family's support, Great Heishan cannot grow.

Without Great Heishan's backing, the Qian family cannot continue to expand.

Even if the mastermind, the Qian family's ancestral elder, still lurks in Sun Dahei, he cannot stir up any trouble in the short term.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator, no matter how strong, without family or faction support, is merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator—possessing great cultivation but nowhere to apply it.

Moreover, the Qian family's ancestral elder, still reeling from severe injuries, cannot have regained much strength.

But to fully conclude the Great Heishan affair, two tasks remain:

First, find the Third Boss.

He is a demonic array master, capable of drawing demonic arrays; he cannot be left unchecked, or he will bring endless calamity.

Mo Hua couldn't be bothered to look, so I tiptoed out again.

The so-called demonic arrays are more like a kind of "shortcut" array technique.

The Eighth Boss, fully absorbed, never imagined that despite hiding in such a concealed cave entrance, he had still been spotted by Mo Hua's "peeping."

Mo Hua first uncovered clues to the Eighth Boss.

Commander Yang, worried, followed Mo Hua back into Shenshan.

It is a "quick-fix, short-term gain" array technique.

Just one glance and you can tell what array was laid?

Shenshan is small, and Great Baishan is only a part of it; there remain many remote, overgrown, poison-mist-ridden, and utterly uninhabited places.

Suddenly Mo Hua appeared beside me, startling me.

Far beyond Xiancheng, the only array master who can draw concealment arrays, besides myself, is probably the Eighth Boss.

"Just now…"

Commander Yang memorized the route, imitated Mo Hua, sneaked into the cave; soon after, "crackling and popping" combat sounds erupted from within, mixed with the Eighth Boss's shocked and furious shouts.

As long as an array is laid, it cannot hide from Mo Hua's spiritual sense.

Whether in Dao cultivation or array crafting, quick-fix, short-term gain methods may start slow, but they can never go far, nor can they ever attain the ultimate Dao.

"Is that it?" Commander Yang confirmed.

He's only at Qi Refining stage—yet he managed to hide from a Foundation Establishment cultivator's perception…

How did you find him…

Mo Hua always felt the Qian family's ancestral elder was not so simple.

He excels in early warning, search, detection, and array dismantling.

The Third Boss, hiding in the Qian family, has already been executed.

Without him, future military campaigns will be so much easier!

Mo Hua volunteered to help search.

Though it appears profound and terrifying, its underlying "Dao" is crude, shallow, and utterly unremarkable.

In the dim firelight, arrays books, array plates, brushes and ink, alchemical furnace materials, and several large vats filled with human blood were laid out everywhere.

Under Commander Yang's protection, Mo Hua observed the surroundings while extending his spiritual sense to seek traces of arrays.

After watching a while longer, Mo Hua grew somewhat disappointed.

Using flesh and blood as array mediums saves spiritual energy; using human blood as ink enhances array power, but the underlying array patterns are simplified, cut corners, and crudely drawn.

Mo Hua told Commander Yang.

Mo Hua couldn't help but marvel—Master Zhuang's computational method truly works well.

Demonic arrays, though appearing fearsome, are truly meaningless.

Mo Hua stretched his neck, curiously observing the Eighth Boss, wanting to see what he was doing.

Half a day ago, Mo Hua finally discovered traces of an array on a cliffside.

Since learning spiritual sense computation, my perception of array spiritual energy trajectories has become increasingly acute.

Especially against array masters, I can see through their array's fundamentals with a single glance.

The Eighth Boss is a demonic array master; his hiding cave is concealed, and I fear what might be inside—I worry Mo Hua might encounter danger.

An array master who lays arrays is not a good array master.

Using spiritual sense computation, Mo Hua determined the array's range and pattern type, and quietly avoided each one without leaving traces.

Mo Hua shook his head: "I'll hide inside—you won't see me."

Commander Yang called out from outside the cave: "Mo Hua!"

And it was an unfamiliar concealment array!

Mo Hua nodded: "Inside, there's a hidden passage—go in and capture him; don't let him escape!"

Mo Hua concealed his form and followed the hidden steps along the cliffside into the concealed cave.

"Alright," Commander Yang nodded. "I'll wait here. If you encounter danger, shout loudly—I'll rush in immediately to rescue you!"

Commander Yang sighed; though he had seen this concealment technique many times, he still found it absurd.

The cave was spacious and dark, illuminated only by a faint fire array.

I didn't think other array masters had this ability…

Mo Hua lost interest.

Is he truly without support, or is he merely deeply calculating, concealing his emotions—even at the brink of death, he won't show panic or desperation, nor the ugly spectacle of a cornered dog?

But judging by Mo Hua's confident demeanor, he seems to have a plan.

But as long as we capture or kill the Qian family's ancestral elder, everything will finally be settled.

Mo Hua knows I have no schemes or calculations yet.

After a while, the commotion died down.

Mo Hua took out paper and brush, drew a schematic of a cave, and marked everything clearly.

"Go check if your family has any suitable, beautiful, gentle young ladies—find a way to trick Mo Hua into coming to your Yang family…"

The Dao soldiers have been scouring the mountains for days, but there's still no news of the Eighth Chief or Qian Jia's Bao Yue.

As Bai Zi Xi said, the evil array is indeed an unorthodox technique, but not some low-level art of array formation.

Commander Yang, seeing Mo Hua suddenly stand still, his eyes flickered with interest, and asked.

Commander Yang still refused.

The process was much harder than Mo Hua expected.

Commander Yang couldn't help but sigh.

"When did he come out?"

Mo Hua's heart tightened; he snapped to attention, determined to see what the evil array truly looked like.

The Qian family's Ancestor's thoughts ran deep; his mental twists and turns likely outnumbered the tunnels of a rat.

Commander Yang coughed to mask his embarrassment, feigning alarm: "Is the Eighth Chief outside?"

Such delusional fantasies are simply impossible.

After watching for a while, he understood.

Mo Hua added: "Uncle Yang, you don't know what arrays are set outside. Rushing in blindly risks ambush or alerting him—he'll escape."

Mo Hua nodded and pointed to the cliff: "Right over there."

That day, when surrounded and seemingly at the end of his rope, the Qian family's Ancestor's expression remained unnervingly calm.

Where are the arrays? What kind are they? What do they do? Which path is most dangerous? Where are the traps? Where won't I alert them? What traps lie inside the cave? Where are the secret passages…

Mo Hua tried again to mentally calculate—the pattern of the evil array suddenly blurred into view within his mind.

The Eighth Chief is drawing an array—and it's an evil array!

Commander Yang, with his square, upright features, couldn't help but think of a devious idea…

The second matter is to hunt down the Qian family's Ancestor.

Even if he lacks talent and refuses to work hard, still only a Rank-One Array Master, he is not to be underestimated.

Array Masters are already extraordinary, let alone the Third Chief, who is a Foundation Establishment evil array master.

The Eighth Chief is likely still hiding deep within Shenshan.

Mo Hua quietly activated Shi Shui Step, minimizing his footsteps, creeping forward with caution—just barely able to see the table, without drawing the Eighth Chief's attention.

Again… an evil array…

No wonder Bai Zi Xi said he might "learn it at once."

Previously, when Mo Hua used his concealment technique, he vanished right before Commander Yang's eyes.

Commander Yang followed Mo Hua's pointing—beneath the cliff were not strange rocks or shrubs, but exactly what he'd seen all along on the cliffside.

Mo Hua knew the Eighth Chief had been subdued; his spirits lifted, and he strode back into the cave with exaggerated confidence.

Commander Yang quickly blocked him: "I'll go with you."

"Yes, an concealment array has been set here, hiding their traces."

The technical complexity is too high…

"Go take a look first," Mo Hua said.

Mo Hua couldn't understand.

"Found him?"

"Do you know what arrays are set outside?" Commander Yang asked, puzzled.

Commander Yang released his spiritual sense again, but still detected nothing—the array's spiritual traces blended with the mountain mist, vague and obscure; he wasn't an array master, couldn't distinguish them at all.

"Indeed."

But he couldn't bear to let Mo Hua know he'd seen nothing, so he nodded solemnly in agreement:

I'd like to carry Mo Hua around like a treasure.

Even if he has schemes, as long as he's inside the coffin, Mo Hua won't mind.

The evil array evolved from orthodox array techniques, altered to accelerate formation—changing the array media, ink, and some core structures.

Inside the cave, Commander Yang was fully alert, eyes locked on the entrance.

"Go in and take a look—you'll see," Mo Hua said.

If the Eighth Chief hides within Shenshan, he must set arrays; once he activates them, the spiritual traces they generate will glow like fire in white night—impossible for Mo Hua's spiritual sense to miss.

And there, the Eighth Chief sat behind a stone table, utterly absorbed in drawing something.

Commander Yang hesitated.

After all, without the arrays he drew, Great Heishan would have been discovered long ago, and could never have hidden here so long.

"Good," Mo Hua nodded.

But Commander Yang knew he could only think it.

The cave's surroundings were covered in arrays—not just concealment, but also alert, trap, and defense arrays.