Chapter 171: Fleeing
The Qian Family had not yet finished breaking open the cave entrance, but the spirit stones in the spiritual mine were already completely excavated.
Every last piece of them had been dug clean.
Elder Yu inspected twice himself, then swept through the area twice more with his Divine-Sense. He even had Mo Hua check once with his own Divine-Sense to confirm that not a single spirit stone remained before he finally relaxed.
"Elder, are we running now?" Mo Hua asked expectantly.
He had been in the mine for a long time and had not been home in ages. The meat in his storage bag was gone, and the precious wine he had been reluctant to drink had been finished down to the last drop.
Elder Yu surveyed the mine once more, then decisively waved his hand.
"Withdraw!"
Nearly a thousand Demon Hunters, storage bags hanging from their bodies and carrying storage chests in pairs, began to leave one after another through the alternate mine passage that had been prepared in advance.
All those storage bags and chests had been arranged by Elder Yu beforehand.
Storage bags used by Qi-Refining cultivators were crudely made. They were convenient to carry, but the internal space was small.
Storage chests, on the other hand, were square and solid, offering much larger capacity but were cumbersome to transport, typically used only for heavy loads.
Although the spiritual mine was small, the number of spirit stones excavated was not insignificant. Elder Yu had gathered every storage item he could acquire, enough to move the entire haul.
Mo Hua followed behind his father, Mo Shan, advancing step by step with the Demon Hunters until they finally exited the mine tunnel.
The tunnel's exit was well concealed. Elder Yu had personally chosen it after carefully studying Mo Hua's topographical chart.
After all, among all the Demon Hunters, no one possessed a map more detailed than Mo Hua's.
Without Mo Hua's map, Elder Yu might never have discovered this location.
Once outside the tunnel, they emerged onto the outer reaches of Great Black Mountain.
A surge of familiarity instantly welled in Mo Hua's chest.
The familiar peaks, the dense forests, the mist laced with faint miasma, the soft soil and stones beneath his feet, the subtle earthy fragrance in the air, the mountain breeze brushing past his cheeks, and the distant cries of beasts rising and falling between the ridges, all of it lifted his mood.
The suffocating dullness of the mine vanished in an instant.
Elder Yu, however, remained alert. As soon as they exited, he barked,
"Move! The sooner we return, the better! If the Qian Family catches up, we're in trouble!"
The Demon Hunters quickened their pace, hoping to escape Great Black Mountain and reach Tōngxiān City before the Qian Family caught up.
Once inside Tōngxiān City, the Qian Family would not dare act recklessly.
And the Demon Hunters would enjoy ten years of food and comfort without worry.
On the other side, Qian Hong had also sensed that something was wrong.
It had been several days since Elder Yu last scolded him.
Leaping down to the mountainside cave where Elder Yu had once appeared, Qian Hong walked a few steps forward only to find that this cave entrance had also been sealed.
A chill ran through him.
Why would it be sealed?
Because they had already finished mining and fled!
That old dog Yu Changlin no longer needed to waste words with him.
Panic set in. Qian Hong shouted in alarm,
"Quick! Dig! Those Demon Hunters have already escaped!"
Finding the escape tunnel carved by Yu Changlin within Great Black Mountain was now impossible. Compared to the Demon Hunters, who lived off these mountains, the Qian Family's knowledge of the terrain was far inferior.
The only option left was to break through the sealed entrance and pursue them from within.
Qian Family cultivators began laboriously breaking through the rock wall, again and again.
Each time they made progress, the formation mended itself again.
Qian Hong was so anxious he felt like bursting into flames. His hatred for this Formation Master grew fiercer with every blow.
"One formation wasn't enough for you? You laid three layers inside and out! Shameless bastard!"
Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Qian Hong summoned Qian Zhongxuan. The two Foundation Establishment cultivators combined their strength, channeling condensed spiritual power that surged like a tide, forcefully breaking the formation and shattering the stone wall sealing the entrance.
Even so, it still took nearly half an hour.
Qian Hong rushed into the mine and swept it with his Divine-Sense, there was not a trace of a Demon Hunter.
Not only were the hunters gone, not even a single spirit stone remained.
It was a spirit mine... yet it had been stripped clean!
Not one piece left behind!
Qian Hong cursed Yu Changlin furiously in his heart.
How miserly could one man be, to strip a mine bare like a dog gnawing a bone until not a scrap of meat remained?
A Qian Family disciple came running to report: "Patriarch, we've found another tunnel!"
Qian Hong immediately rushed over and discovered a newly dug passage. Unlike the one that deceived them, this one was deeper and wider.
Its entrance was blocked only by loose rocks, no formation, clearly abandoned in haste.
Qian Hong struck with his palm, spiritual power surging forth, blasting the debris away.
With a fierce command, he roared, "All disciples, pursue them immediately! Any Demon Hunter you see, kill without mercy!"
The Qian Family cultivators straightened with solemn expressions, no longer hesitating, and one after another leapt into the tunnel in pursuit.
...
Halfway through their escape, Elder Yu suddenly sensed something. He vaulted up several ridges, gazing back toward the distance, and his brows furrowed tightly.
When he descended again, Mo Hua asked,
"Has the Qian Family caught up?"
Elder Yu's expression grew grave. He nodded.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "Didn't the Dao Court Division say the conflict zone was limited to Nameless Peak? We're already outside of it. Would they still dare make a move?"
Elder Yu replied, "The Qian Family has lost too much. Desperation makes men reckless. If they chase us down, they can claim all the spirit stones. If they do not, they lose everything."
Mo Hua's face grew serious. "Then they definitely won't let us go."
Elder Yu nodded. "They're like starving wolves now, following the scent of blood. If they catch us, it will be a fight to the death."
Mo Hua asked, "Then reaching Tōngxiān City will truly save us?"
"Once in Tōngxiān City, they won't dare act," Elder Yu explained. "Even if they swallow their losses, they'll have to choke them down in silence."
Seeing Mo Hua's confusion, Elder Yu elaborated,
"Great Black Mountain is lawless; when things happen there, the Dao Court Division can hardly intervene. Tōngxiān City is different, it is under the Dao Court's direct jurisdiction and strictly governed by decree. No disturbances are permitted there."
"If the Qian Family dares to strike within Tōngxiān City, at best they'd be accused of defying the Dao Court Division; at worst, they'd be charged with contempt of Dao Law and rebellion against the Dao Court itself. That is a capital crime."
Mo Hua still seemed doubtful. "But the Dao Court Division in Tōngxiān City doesn't have many cultivators, and their power isn't as great as the Qian Family's. What can they really do?"
Elder Yu's brows arched. "You don't understand. The Dao Court Division acts under the authority of the Dao Court itself. It embodies the Dao Court's mandate and represents its face. If the Qian Family goes too far, the Division can petition the Dao Court directly to dispatch Dao Soldiers, who would annihilate the entire Qian Clan."
Elder Yu fixed his gaze on Mo Hua and said slowly, "When that happens, the entire Qian Family will be stripped of rank and name. The patriarch will be executed, their assets confiscated, their heritage seized, and their kin will face execution, exile, or forced relocation. Their family name will be abolished, never again to bear the surname Qian. The Qian Family of Tōngxiān City would cease to exist."
Mo Hua was utterly stunned.
(End of Chapter)