Chapter 731: The Hunt

Cheng Mo and the others were not demon hunters, and lacked experience, so they had to start from the easy to the difficult, working their way in step by step.

The disciple sat in the center, Mo Hua holding a candle in thought.

The map of the Demon Refining Mountain had already been fully drawn.

He also had a rough idea of the various early second-grade demon beasts inside the Demon Refining Mountain.

Everything was ready; it was time to find a way to put it into practice.

Comparing it against the map of the Demon Refining Mountain, Mo Hua flipped through it for half a day, drafted a route, selected the demon beasts, and arranged a plan.

The next day, Mo Hua wrote a letter and handed it to Master Gu, asking Master Gu to help custom-make a batch of armor.

Several days later, the armor was forged, and Mo Hua found Cheng Mo and got straight to the point:

"The day after tomorrow is the ten-day rest; come with me to the Demon Refining Mountain."

Cheng Mo's injuries had just healed, and upon hearing this his heart gave a jolt, feeling as if the wounds on his body were still faintly aching.

He still dreamed at night of that one slap the bear had dealt him.

Better lose the fight than lose face; Cheng Mo braced himself and boasted:

"Little Senior Brother, don't worry. Once we're in the Demon Refining Mountain, I'll definitely keep you safe!"

But after showing off, he still carefully asked, "Little Senior Brother, what are you going to the Demon Refining Mountain for?"

"What do you think?"

Cheng Mo's confidence faltered a little. "It can't be… to hunt demons, right…"

Mo Hua nodded. "You're really smart."

Cheng Mo gave a bitter smile, but couldn't actually smile.

He looked at himself—tall and sturdy, strong and healthy, yet after taking one slap from a bear, he'd been laid up for nearly half a month.

Then he looked at Mo Hua—soft-skinned and tender, though he'd grown a little, but compared to himself, still small-armed and small-legged…

Cheng Mo said quietly, "How about we forget it for now? A gentleman can wait ten years for revenge; let's let those demon beasts in the mountain off the hook for now."

Mo Hua said, "Are you scared?"

Cheng Mo gave an awkward laugh. "It's not that I'm scared; I'm afraid the demon beasts will hurt you."

"It's fine," Mo Hua said proudly. "Didn't I tell you before? I'm a demon hunter by background—this skill is a family heirloom!"

Cheng Mo's expression grew complicated.

That's what he says, but the key is nobody really believes it either…

Besides, the terrain is different, the demon beasts are different, and the way to hunt them is different too.

You can't take the "sword" from back home and use it to slay the demons of Qian Province…

Seeing that Cheng Mo didn't believe him, Mo Hua sighed:

"Fine then, I'll find someone else."

The moment Cheng Mo heard that, he immediately panicked.

Whether they hunted demons or not didn't matter, but he absolutely had to cling tight to that thigh!

They'd known each other for quite some time now, and Cheng Mo had gotten fairly familiar with Mo Hua. He knew Mo Hua's extraordinary intellect and strategy, his unbelievable mastery of formations, and his unfathomable background.

Even the always strictly impartial Elder Xun Ziyou would back him up.

This was a real thigh!

Even if Little Senior Brother was just going to the Demon Refining Mountain for a spring outing to see the scenery, he'd still have to tag along.

Cheng Mo laughed and said, "I was just afraid my injuries had only just healed and I'd hold you back… If you don't mind, Little Senior Brother, then no matter what it is, I'm absolutely at your service!"

The implication being: you absolutely have to take me along.

"Good," Mo Hua nodded with satisfaction.

Naturally, Cheng Mo pulled Sister Situ and a few others along as well.

The Demon Refining Mountain was hard to get by in, the demon beasts were hard to kill, the merit points were hard to earn, and the entry ticket alone cost a hundred merit points. At their current cultivation, going into the Demon Refining Mountain was basically a losing proposition.

Sister Situ and the others had originally already given up, planning to wait until their cultivation was higher before going into the mountain to hunt demons.

But when they heard Cheng Mo say that Mo Hua was going to take them into the mountain, their already deflated hearts quietly flickered back to life one by one.

Although they didn't know exactly what method Mo Hua had that would let him enter the perilous Demon Refining Mountain and hunt the brutal, bloodthirsty demon beasts.

Following Little Senior Brother was definitely never wrong.

This was a hard truth summed up from past experience.

So during the ten-day rest, Mo Hua took a detour to the Gu family trading hall in Grand Void City, picked up some spiritual instruments, simply drew formations on them, then met up with Cheng Mo and the others, and they all headed to the Demon Refining Mountain together.

When they reached the gate of the Demon Refining Mountain, each of them spent a hundred merit points to buy a Yao Yao Ling, and then entered the mountain.

Only when entering the mountain, Mo Hua didn't notice that not far away, a handsome, easygoing-looking man with the bearing of an elder cast them a discreet glance.

This person was precisely Elder Xun, who had been entrusted by Mr. Xun to look after Mo Hua.

His surname was Xun, his given name Ziyou. He was from the Xun family, a direct junior of Mr. Xun's, at late-stage Jin Dan cultivation, and served as an elder in the inner sect of the Grand Void Gate.

Watching Mo Hua enter the mountain, Xun Ziyou let out a slight sigh.

"Here we go again…"

He had originally thought that after Mo Hua had wandered around the mountain for two ten-day rests in a row, he would settle down for a while, but he hadn't expected that the moment he had free time, he was already thinking about going into the mountain again.

And this time, there were four little brats following behind him.

He wasn't thinking of actually hunting demon beasts this time, was he?

Xun Ziyou mentally assessed the cultivation and strength of the few disciples and shook his head slightly.

"A bit dicey…"

If they encountered a second-grade early-stage demon beast, it wasn't that they had no chance of fighting, but the risk was too great.

Moreover, among early second-grade demon beasts, there were strong ones and weak ones too.

If they ran into weaker ones, it was fine—if they couldn't win, they could still run.

But if they ran into a strong one, and once they couldn't beat it, their little lives might be lost inside the Demon Refining Mountain.

Elder Xun Ziyou reluctantly took one last sip of tea.

"The leisurely days are gone again…"

Watching over one had already been troublesome enough; now in the blink of an eye, he had to watch over five…

Elder Xun Ziyou smacked his lips, felt the tea was a bit too bitter, shook his head, and instructed the disciple guarding the gate beside him:

"You all guard the mountain gate well. I'm going into the mountain to take a look."

The disciples at the side all bowed: "Yes, Elder."

Elder Xun Ziyou's figure flashed, and he walked into Demon Refining Mountain.

And at this moment, at the foot of Demon Refining Mountain, on a large rock, Mo Hua and his group of five were sitting cross-legged, gathered together.

Mo Hua said: "This time we're hunting one second-grade initial-stage demon beast, called the Cangmu Wolf…"

Cheng Mo and the others all nodded somewhat nervously.

Mo Hua continued: "The Cangmu Wolf, a five-element wood-type wolf demon, two people tall, entirely green, claws and fangs carry poison, demon power is thick, pupils are wood-brown—the more people it kills, the deeper the pupil color, and it might even carry a blood-red hue…"

"The Cangmu Wolf's attacks are similar to ordinary wolf demons, mainly biting, pouncing to kill, gnawing, and tail-whipping."

"Its saliva carries poison, and it often licks its fur, so its fur is all coated in poison."

Mo Hua took out a storage bag. "These are four Yi-Wood Armors, specially designed to defend against wood-type demon power, and they carry a poison-repelling formation. Wear them, and you can resist most of the Cangmu Wolf's attacks…"

Sister Situ couldn't help but ask: "Little Senior Brother, what about you?"

"It doesn't matter for me," Mo Hua said. "I rely on movement techniques and concealment; the Cangmu Wolf can't touch me."

Wearing bulky armor would instead affect his movement.

Moreover, he didn't need to engage head-on, only needed to provide covert support; a mere Cangmu Wolf couldn't threaten him at all.

Afterward, Mo Hua briefly explained the Cangmu Wolf's habits.

At the same time, he emphasized the hunting tactics and procedures, and instructed:

"You must act according to the plan, absolutely cannot make any mistakes."

Cheng Mo and the others all nodded one after another, astonished in their hearts.

Although they had always trusted Little Senior Brother, they hadn't expected that the plan for a single demon hunt could be so thorough in its considerations, so meticulous in its planning—at a glance, it was very "professional."

They had never considered so much.

Elder Xun Ziyou in the distance also nodded slightly.

Plan ahead, plan first and then act.

Not a head full of hot blood, recklessly charging up to decide life and death with the demon beast.

Indeed much stronger than ordinary scions of noble houses.

Once everything was prepared, Mo Hua said: "Set off!"

So the party of five began to set out, heading into Demon Refining Mountain to hunt their first demon beast—the Cangmu Wolf.

The Cangmu Wolf is a wood-type demon beast; it likes poisonous forests and thickets.

Based on its habits, Mo Hua moved lightly through the mountain while spreading out his divine sense, searching the mountain for traces of the Cangmu Wolf.

Occasionally, they would also run into other second-grade initial-stage demon beasts.

Cheng Mo then asked: "Little Senior Brother, aren't we killing these demon beasts?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "Only kill the Cangmu Wolf."

Seeing the others somewhat puzzled, Mo Hua said: "The target must be clear, the plan must be thorough, the execution must be resolute—can't be greedy, and can't have unnecessary complications…"

"Unnecessary complications will bring extra trouble, and the consequences will be hard to predict."

Consequences hard to predict?

Cheng Mo and the others didn't quite understand, but still obediently nodded.

After searching like this for half a shichen, Mo Hua found traces of the Cangmu Wolf beneath a giant tree.

It was black-green fur, and plant-based venom.

Following the traces, and after spending another large half shichen, Mo Hua tracked down a second-grade initial-stage demon beast, two people tall, with fierce, vicious eyes:

The Cangmu Wolf.

"Be careful of the poison, don't be greedy for merit, be careful it plays dead…"

Mo Hua reminded them once more, and then formally began the hunt.

He first observed the Cangmu Wolf's movement trajectory, and on the path it had to pass, set up a trap in advance, burying the formation plate of an Earth-Killing Formation.

He also used the environment for cover, concealing the traces.

He scattered herb powder to dispel the aura.

All of this he did with practiced ease, and the formation was arranged seamlessly.

Afterward, the group hid in the woods nearby.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the Cangmu Wolf walked over, walked into the trap, and triggered the formation.

In an instant, a boom sounded, dust flew into the air.

The second-grade Earth-Killing Formation exploded; streaks of earth-type spiritual power spread and strangled like flood dragons, sweeping outward, grinding the nearby mountain rocks and vegetation to pieces.

When the dust cleared, the Cangmu Wolf was covered in wounds; dark-green poisonous blood flowed down its fur onto the ground, and its demon eyes were filled with terror and fury.

Not giving it a chance to catch its breath, Mo Hua said in a deep voice:

"Kill!"

Shocked by the power of the Earth-Killing Formation, Cheng Mo and the others only then came back to their senses, remembered Mo Hua's instructions, no longer hesitated, and charged forward with all their might.

For a time, the demon beast's roars and the cultivators' battle cries intertwined.

Demon power and spiritual power intertwine.

Cheng Mo's aura was thick and heavy; he held his Mountain-Splitting Axe, radiating formidable might as he stood head-on against the Azure Wood Wolf.

Yang Qianjun's spear thrust like a coiling dragon, closing in for close-range assaults.

Sister Situ's sword moved like detached flame, striking from afar.

Hao Xuan could no longer wield his staff, so he picked up the spiritual sword he had trained with since childhood and controlled sword qi from the side, supplementing the damage.

Mo Hua also seized the chance to cast several spells—either disrupting the Azure Wood Wolf's attacks, deepening its wounds, or restricting its movement.

Cheng Mo and the others still wore the Yi Wood Armor.

When the Azure Wood Wolf's attacks struck them, half its power and poison had already been neutralized.

But Cheng Mo and the others' assaults were too much for the Azure Wood Wolf to bear.

The tide of battle gradually became clear.

The severely wounded Azure Wood Wolf, unable to hold its ground, tried to flee.

As soon as its eyes shifted, Mo Hua saw through it and called out clearly:

"It's trying to run—stop it!"

Cheng Mo roared, "Wretched beast, look at my axe!"

Then, both axes surged with the force of splitting mountains, slashing violently toward the Azure Wood Wolf's waist.

Yang Qianjun's gaze sharpened; golden light condensed at the tip of his spear, piercing straight for the Azure Wood Wolf's throat.

Sister Situ and Hao Xuan pursued with sword qi.

Mo Hua cast a Water Prison spell, trapping the Azure Wood Wolf for a moment.

With no escape, the Azure Wood Wolf took all the blows at once, then raised its head and let out a final, furious roar before collapsing lifelessly.

The group's expressions brightened, but then they remembered Mo Hua's warning:

"Demon beasts are cunning and often feign death—after it falls, be even more cautious…"

Their hearts tightened; they dared not slacken.

Following the plan, Cheng Mo and Yang Qianjun stood guard nearby, while Sister Situ and Hao Xuan gathered sword qi for ranged finishing blows.

After taking several sword qi strikes, the Azure Wood Wolf indeed stirred again.

The group pressed their assault once more; the Azure Wood Wolf made no further struggle, then collapsed permanently, dead.

Cheng Mo and the others were drenched in sweat, their arms numb; staring at the lifeless Azure Wood Wolf, they felt joy—but also disbelief.

Dead!

They had killed a Rank-Two Low-tier Azure Wood Wolf with their own strength?!

True, it was mostly thanks to Young Master Xun, but they had still contributed greatly.

Beside them, Elder Xun Ziyou watched, stunned.

So fast… already dead?

From preparation, tracking clues, setting ambushes, to the encirclement and final precautions against feigned death—

Everything was laid out perfectly.

This Azure Wood Wolf died without a single unexpected twist.

Are demon beasts really this easy to kill?

Elder Xun Ziyou silently glanced past the crowd at Mo Hua, calm and composed, orchestrating everything from behind the scenes, his eyes filled with disbelief.

His spiritual roots were mediocre, his bloodline weak, his innate talent merely average—but his mind and strategy were far beyond ordinary.

Wood and stone without, gold and jade within.

If this child is not bound by his spiritual roots, his future is limitless.

Laozu's eye for talent is truly terrifying.

The Azure Wood Wolf was dead, its blood still wet.

Mo Hua immediately pulled out a clean jade vial and used the Blood-Siphoning Technique he had learned from Young Master Bai Bai to drain the Azure Wood Wolf's blood.

This blood was for mixing spiritual ink.

He drained exactly ten vials.

Mo Hua glanced at the jade vials and asked Cheng Mo and the others, "Do you want any of this blood?"

Cheng Mo and the others, quick to read the situation, all shook their heads: "No."

They weren't array masters—what use did they have for demon blood?

Besides, how could they ask for something Young Master Xun had chosen?

They weren't fools.

Mo Hua nodded, accepting the ten vials of demon blood without guilt and stowing them all in his storage pouch.

He planned to stockpile more demon blood and mix more spiritual ink.

That way, he wouldn't need to spend merit points—or even spiritual stones—to buy spiritual ink.

Hoard spiritual ink, hoard spiritual stones, hoard merit points.

The more, the better!

Mo Hua secured the spiritual ink, clapped his hands, glanced at the Azure Wood Wolf, then said:

"Butcher it."

This Azure Wood Wolf was too large to carry back; as per standard hunter practice, they would dissect it and take only the valuable materials.

But such work didn't require Mo Hua's hands.

Cheng Mo, shouldering his two massive axes, began dissecting the Azure Wood Wolf.

Mo Hua stood by, directing him: where to strike with the axe, which bones to remove, which organs were most valuable…

Cheng Mo's technique was clumsy; after struggling for over an hour, he finally managed to finish.

The Cangmu Wolf had been skinned and boned, its body unrecognizable, blood pooling across the ground.

The scene was bloody, and Cheng Mo and the others felt uneasy for a moment.

Mo Hua, however, was used to it; he advised Cheng Mo:

"Dissecting demonic beasts—practice more next time. Be swift and efficient. The faster you finish, the better. Otherwise, after all that effort killing one, you might get ambushed by another beast or spotted by other cultivators before you even secure the spoils."

Cheng Mo nodded vigorously.

Once the Cangmu Wolf was fully dissected, its parts were packed into a storage bag.

As night fell, Mo Hua and the others turned back toward their quarters.

At the mountain gate, they sold all the Cangmu Wolf materials.

The Cangmu Wolf materials weren't particularly valuable, and since Mo Hua and the others didn't specialize in artifact forging, keeping them served little purpose.

You could sell them outside, but then you'd get Spirit Stones.

Sell them inside the Demon Hunting Mountain, and you get Merit Points.

The wolf's head, damaged hide, spine, claws, tail, and some liver and gallbladder all fetched a price.

Altogether, they totaled two thousand five hundred Merit Points.

That's five hundred per person, minus the hundred Merit Points from the Yao Yao Ling, leaving each with a net profit of four hundred.

Of course, you must deduct expenses for Spirit Armor, pills, and arrays.

But all those were bought with Spirit Stones, not Merit Points, so Cheng Mo and the others didn't care.

With Merit Points in hand, the group's spirits lifted.

Cheng Mo and the others wanted to give Mo Hua an extra two hundred Merit Points.

After all, this hunt had relied entirely on Mo Hua's preparations: securing the Spirit Armor, planning the strategy, and guiding them throughout.

Without Mo Hua's help, they never would've killed this Cangmu Wolf.

They now believed Mo Hua must be a former Yao Yao Ling—no one else could have such experience.

Hao Xuan looked at him with deep admiration and asked:

"Little Brother Mo, have you killed many demonic beasts?"

Mo Hua replied modestly:

"Not too many…"

He mostly used arrays to assist, so he hadn't killed that many—but his record was solid.

So far, his most glorious achievement as a Yao Yao Ling was killing one…

A Dao-Natured Great Demon named Feng Xi.

But he couldn't say it aloud.

Others would think he was boasting.

The next day, Mo Hua took Cheng Mo and the others and repeated the same method, hunting another Cangmu Wolf.

This time, it went just as smoothly.

After a brief summary, Mo Hua, based on the demonic beast's habits and the terrain of the Demon Hunting Mountain, established a stable tactical procedure for hunting Cangmu Wolves.

Including what Spirit Armor to prepare before entering the mountain;

After entering, how to scout, track, set ambushes, surround and kill, clean up, and handle aftermath…

This procedure applied only to Cangmu Wolves.

Eat your meal one bite at a time.

Hunting demonic beasts? Learn one at a time.

Most fellow disciples were novices; at first, they certainly couldn't hunt every kind of beast.

Start them with Cangmu Wolves, let them gradually adapt to the hunting process, build confidence, accumulate experience, then slowly become qualified Yao Hunters.

Mo Hua nodded, silently sighing.

This little brother of mine truly had a thoughtful heart.

Who else would be this kind…

Later, Mo Hua called Cheng Mo again: "See who else wants to enter the Demon Hunting Mountain—have them come find me."

He intended to spread this hunting procedure among all Grand Void Gate disciples.

That night, Cheng Mo brought several more disciples over.

They stood straight before Mo Hua, bowing in unison:

"Little Brother Mo, greetings!"

Mo Hua nodded and asked: "You want to enter the Demon Hunting Mountain?"

"Yes!"

Mo Hua didn't delay—he simply pulled out a jade slip and handed it to them.

"Start with hunting second-rank Cangmu Wolves. Don't aim too high, and don't be careless."

"This contains the full procedure—follow each step precisely…"

Then Mo Hua meticulously explained every detail: from scouting, to hunting, to skinning and boning.

He even kindly told them where to buy the array components and Spirit Armor used in the procedure.

The disciples were deeply grateful and exclaimed:

"Thank you, Little Brother Mo!"

From then on, at the mountain gate of the Demon Hunting Mountain,

Elder Xun noticed that more and more Grand Void Gate disciples, dressed in identical armor, carrying identical arrays, moving in identical formations and synchronized steps, entered the Demon Hunting Mountain to hunt the same demonic beast…

(End of Chapter)