Chapter 121: Hunting Beasts
The Great Black Mountain was vast, dark, and seemingly endless.
The seasoned beast hunters of Tōngxiān City typically divided it into three regions, the Outer Mountain, the Inner Mountain, and the Deep Mountain.
The Outer Mountain was where most beast hunters operated. There were few poisonous creatures, the miasma was relatively thin, and though the terrain was rugged, it was not exceedingly perilous.
Beasts in this region were mostly first-grade mid-stage, with an occasional late-stage one appearing, though such encounters were rare.
The Inner Mountain, however, was another story, exceedingly dangerous, crawling with venomous creatures, shrouded in thick toxic fog, and haunted by mind-bewitching mists.
The beasts there were typically first-grade late-stage, and sometimes even second-grade monsters appeared.
For a Qi-Refining cultivator, encountering a second-grade beast meant near-certain death, unless they could escape beforehand. Hence, few beast hunters ever ventured into the Inner Mountain.
As for the Deep Mountain, that was an absolute forbidden zone, no cultivator was permitted to enter.
Mo Hua had never heard of any hunter daring to set foot in its depths. Mo Shan had once warned him: "Step into the Deep Mountain, and you die without a doubt."
Given his humble cultivation, Mo Hua had no illusions about his capabilities.
A forbidden land like the Deep Mountain, he wouldn't even look at it.
Even the Inner Mountain was far beyond his reach.
Only the Outer Mountain, and even then, just the outermost fringes, were within the range he dared to explore.
Mo Hua, along with Dà Hu, Shuāng Hu, and Xiao Hu, entered the Great Black Mountain and stopped at its outermost edge.
The forest around them was dense, the mountain paths treacherous. From the shadows came eerie, indistinct sounds.
A faint miasma drifted through the air, mixing with the mountain breeze and the metallic tang of blood, an unsettling scent that made breathing uncomfortable.
At times, faint traces of demonic aura lingered in secluded corners of the forest.
And this was merely the outermost edge.
Even here, Mo Hua could feel a subtle, oppressive pressure.
He dared not imagine what the Inner or Deep Mountains were like.
"What do we do now?" Xiao Hu whispered.
All three turned to Mo Hua.
"Leave it to me," Mo Hua said.
He had already planned everything out.
By examining footprints on the ground, tufts of fur on tree bark, blood stains on stones, and faint traces of demonic aura in the air, Mo Hua deduced the route of a beast that had left its den.
At a narrow mountain crevice along that route, he set a trap.
Within it was a Wood-Binding Array, capable of restraining a first-grade mid-stage beast, though only for ten breaths or so.
Around the trap, he arranged five Earthfire Arrays, each embedded with a spirit stone.
Mo Hua then covered the trap with crushed rocks and placed a few Bloodscent Herbs atop it, sprinkling the area with beast blood.
The Bloodscent Herbs had been gathered by Aunt Jiang; the blood came from a tavern's leftover monster meat.
Everything ready, Mo Hua and the three brothers hid behind a large rock.
"Will this really work?" Xiao Hu asked.
"Let's find out," Mo Hua replied, calm but curious.
He had simulated every detail of the entire plan in his mind, from trap placement to bait, had been considered. There shouldn't be any problem.
Hunting beasts was dangerous; there could be no carelessness.
Especially since this was Mo Hua's first time participating in an actual hunt.
So he had prepared thoroughly.
They waited behind the rock.
From sunrise to noon, as the mist thinned and sunlight filled the forest, there was still no sign of a beast.
"Maybe there's nothing coming…" Xiao Hu began to fidget.
"Shh," Mo Hua pressed a finger to his lips. "When laying traps, you must be careful and patient. That's what Uncle Chu always says, never rush."
The others nodded solemnly.
An hour later, the trees rustled, a beast emerged.
Scarlet fur, fangs like daggers, claws dripping with saliva, it was a Rift-Claw Wolf Demon.
Roughly a first-grade mid-stage beast.
Perfect.
Mo Hua's eyes brightened. Dà Hu and his brothers tensed, ready.
They had suffered losses to such creatures before. Rift-Claw Wolves were fierce and cunning.
The wolf prowled forward warily, eyes glinting with malice. Occasionally, it rubbed its claws on tree bark or licked the bloodstained tips.
It approached the trap.
Smelling the scent of the Bloodscent Herbs and the stench of blood, its eyes gleamed greedily, but caution still held it back. It circled the spot several times before finally stepping in.
The trap triggered, the Wood-Binding Array flared, green light forming chains that bound the wolf in place.
It struggled fiercely. Within a few breaths, it would break free.
From behind the rock, Mo Hua peeked out, raised two fingers, and cast a Fireball Technique.
The fireball arced through the air, and missed, exploding at the wolf's feet.
"Missed?"
The brothers stared, surprised that Mo Hua could even use Fireball Technique, but disappointed he hadn't hit.
"No," Mo Hua said calmly. "I hit exactly what I aimed for."
He hadn't targeted the wolf, he had aimed for the spirit stone beneath its feet.
The fireball shattered the stone, releasing a surge of spiritual energy into the Earthfire Array below.
The array flashed crimson. Three breaths later.
BOOM!
The five Earthfire Arrays detonated simultaneously.
The mountain shook; rocks splintered; ears rang.
When the smoke cleared, the ground was scorched black, rubble everywhere.
The Rift-Claw Wolf lay half-charred, its fur burned, eyes still vicious, but its aura was faint, barely clinging to life.
"Strike while it's weak!" Mo Hua shouted. "Go!"
The three brothers snapped from their daze and charged, surrounding the wolf.
Mo Hua, not being a body cultivator, wisely stayed behind the rock watching.
The brothers fought in harmony, Dà Hu's fists thundered, Shuāng Hu's blade flashed, and Xiao Hu's kicks whirled like wind.
Fiery and earthen spiritual power clashed with the wolf's crimson demonic aura.
After dozens of exchanges, the wounded wolf faltered, Shuāng Hu's blade struck its waist, cutting deep. The beast collapsed and died.
The brothers, panting and bloodied, stared in disbelief.
The Rift-Claw Wolf… was dead?
Normally, their hunting team would need one or two late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators to command, five or six mid-stage ones to take turns fighting, and several more to guard the flanks, all just to take down one beast like this.
And yet, Mo Hua had simply set a trap, drawn a few arrays, tossed one fireball, and the wolf was mortally wounded before they even lifted a hand.
They'd only needed to finish the job.
It was almost too easy.
The brothers turned to look at Mo Hua, still half-hidden behind the rock. The power of that Earthfire Array explosion still haunted them.
A first-grade mid-stage beast, known for its physical toughness... reduced to that state?
Without realizing it, Mo Hua's array skills had already grown this strong.
Their gazes at him were filled with awe.
Mo Hua poked his head out again and asked cautiously, "Is it dead yet?"
Dà Hu blinked, then nodded. "Dead."
"Good!" Mo Hua's eyes lit up. He grabbed a jade bottle and ran forward.
It was time to use the Blood-Extraction Technique.
(End of Chapter)