Chapter 163: Concealment
Mo Hua went to ask Elder Yu, "Elder, how much longer do we have to guard this spirit mine?"
Elder Yu took a sip of wine, thought for a moment, and said, "Hard to say."
Mo Hua looked puzzled.
Elder Yu explained, "At this rate, the Qian Clan is bound to lose. That old thing, Qian Zhongxuan, has no chance of turning the tide. But this is a spirit mine. The Qian Clan won't give up easily; they'll definitely come up with something else."
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
...
For the next few days, the Qian Clan kept quiet and made no major moves.
Until one morning before dawn, with mist still hanging low, a large group of cultivators of various appearances entered Black Mountain and gathered beneath the Nameless Peak to pay respects to Elder Qian.
Only then did Qian Zhuang understand what Elder Qian had meant by "even if we have to bleed for it."
He truly had bled for it, he had hired an entire group of late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators from outside Tōngxiān City.
"How many spirit stones must that have cost…" Qian Zhuang winced just thinking about it.
When Elder Yu received the news, he widened his eyes. "That grandson Qian Zhongxuan really is willing to burn his own flesh."
Mo Hua asked, "Elder, where did those cultivators come from?"
"Bought with spirit stones from outside the city," Elder Yu said. "These mercenary cultivators wander from place to place, selling their lives to whoever pays. They recognize spirit stones, not loyalty. Hiring them costs dearly. Qian Zhongxuan must've bled a river of stones for this."
"Can we win against them?"
"We'll have to fight and see." Elder Yu sighed.
The two sides lined up again. However, among the Qian Clan cultivators, originally all wearing uniform silver-white robes, there were now many outsiders mixed in, with mismatched attire and aura, making the ranks look rather chaotic.
Elder Yu called out: "Qian Zhongxuan! You think this mixed-breed army of yours can fight?"
Qian Zhongxuan's eyelid twitched. "Old bastard! Stop spewing nonsense!"
"Must've cost a fortune…" Elder Yu smacked his lips. "Cutting your own flesh to feed the wolves... impressive!"
Qian Zhongxuan remained silent. The reminder of his expense made his heart ache.
"We agreed beforehand," Elder Yu raised his voice, "this was a contest between the Qian Clan and us demon hunters over the spirit mine. These hired cultivators, do they count as Qian Clan members?"
Qian Zhongxuan snorted coldly. "I paid them with spirit stones. That makes them my clan's men."
Elder Yu spat. "Then if I bedded your old mother and tossed her some spirit stones, would that make her mine too?"
"You—!" Qian Zhongxuan was so enraged he could barely speak.
Elder Yu pressed on mercilessly. "Then by that logic, I'm your stepfather, eh? Come on, unfilial brat, kneel and call me father! Hahaha!"
The demon hunters erupted in laughter.
Qian Zhongxuan's composure shattered completely. His finger trembled as he pointed forward. "Kill them all!!"
Elder Yu's grin faded, his tone sinking. "Kill!"
In an instant, both sides' killing intent surged skyward. The battle exploded once more.
After fighting for a short while, Elder Yu's expression darkened.
The Qian Clan's own cultivators remained weak, but the hired mercenaries were troublesome.
The demon hunters were seasoned in combat, but against beasts, not humans. These mercenaries, however, were veterans at fighting other cultivators.
Their coordination was poor, yet their methods were insidious and unpredictable, their spells varied and bizarre. They were not easy to deal with.
"Elder Yu, can we still win?" Mo Hua asked anxiously.
Elder Yu pondered for a moment. "We should be able to."
He elaborated, "These mercenaries seem troublesome because we're not used to them yet. Once we've fought them longer and learned their tricks, things will turn in our favor.
"Demon hunters fight together year-round. We're used to teamwork, that's an advantage in group battles. Besides, we have the iron armor. As long as they can't pierce it, we'll eventually gain the upper hand."
Mo Hua nodded, reassured.
At first, the demon hunters struggled under the mercenaries' assault, but once they adapted, the battle gradually stabilized.
Those wearing iron armor remained unstoppable. Though they killed slowly, wherever they went, Qian Clan and mercenary cultivators alike had to retreat.
Gradually, the Qian Clan's formation revealed more and more weaknesses, and they began to fall into disadvantage.
Watching the armored demon hunters, Qian Zhongxuan showed no panic. Instead, a faint smile crept onto his face.
At the same moment, Mo Hua's Divine-Sense detected a strange fluctuation. His brows furrowed as he focused on the battlefield.
He saw a demon hunter in iron armor suddenly have his throat slit open. Blood spurted out as the man fell to one knee, clutching his neck, while the surrounding mercenaries swarmed like hungry wolves.
Fortunately, Yu Chengyi was nearby. He rushed in to help, blocking the mercenaries' attacks. Mo Shan arrived soon after, and together they managed to rescue the wounded hunter.
Mo Hua exhaled in relief, but suspicion filled his heart.
What happened?
He hadn't seen anything... just the sudden wound.
The iron armor was tough but did not cover everything; the neck, eyes, and joints remained exposed. In a head-on fight, one could guard against those. Yet that strike had come completely unseen.
Even with his Divine-Sense, Mo Hua had only sensed a faint ripple, visibly, there had been nothing.
He glanced at Elder Yu and saw the latter's brows knitted tightly as he muttered,
"Concealment Technique."
"Concealment Technique?"
Mo Hua was startled. "You mean, it can hide someone?"
Elder Yu nodded. "As the name implies, the Concealment Technique makes the body vanish. You can't see the caster with the naked eye."
Mo Hua's heart trembled. "Can I learn it?" he asked eagerly.
If he could master that spell, wandering the cultivation world would be far easier.
"You need a Water spiritual root to learn it," Elder Yu said, dousing his excitement. "You have a minor Five-Element spiritual root. There's some Water affinity, but it's mixed. You might not be able to master it."
Mo Hua looked disappointed, then asked worriedly, "Then how can we break this spell?"
Elder Yu sighed. "You rely on Divine-Sense. The Concealment Technique hides form and, to some extent, conceals aura, but it cannot erase spiritual energy. If your Divine-Sense is stronger, you can detect them."
"That's troublesome," Mo Hua muttered.
Demon hunters were rarely strong in Divine-Sense. If they couldn't sense the hidden attacker, they would be like fish on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.
More and more demon hunters fell on the battlefield, their blood soaking the ground from unseen strikes.
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. In this chaotic melee, the hidden assailant moved with unnerving composure, swift and deadly, clearly a veteran with sharp Divine-Sense and great agility.
What should he do? Mo Hua grew anxious.
Then, suddenly, he sensed a faint ripple near Mo Shan's position.
"Father, watch out!" Mo Hua cried.
But he was too far away, his voice drowned in the chaos.
As Mo Shan fought, he briefly exposed a weak point. The concealed cultivator struck.
In that split second, Mo Shan, guided by instinct and years of battle experience, jerked his neck aside. A dagger sliced past, leaving only a thin trail of blood, not deep enough to kill.
His eyes went cold. He struck back, but his surroundings were empty... nothing there.
Gone?
Mo Shan frowned. This was bad.
He wiped the blood from his neck, inwardly relieved. If he hadn't reacted in time, he would already be dead.
Watching this, Mo Hua's tense face relaxed slightly, then hardened again.
"Dare to sneak attack my father… I'll remember you!"
...
Author Notes: For now, it remains ten thousand words a day until this arc is done. After that, updates will slow down, and the story will proceed at a steadier pace.
(End of Chapter)