Chapter 172: Rearguard
For the first time, Mo Hua felt the true weight and majesty of the Dao Laws and the Dao Court's authority.
Given the current situation, the Qian Family was traveling light and moving swiftly, while the Demon Hunters were burdened with spirit ores and progressing slowly. At this rate, they would be overtaken by the Qian Family before reaching Tōngxiān City.
Elder Yu declared, "We need someone to stay behind and hold the rear!"
Yu Chengyi, Mo Shan, and several Demon Hunters at the ninth level of Qi-Refining stepped forward.
Elder Yu nodded slightly and instructed,
"When the time comes, Qian Hong and Qian Zhongxuan will likely break the agreement and attack. I will stall them. The rest of you deal with the other Qian cultivators. Fight while retreating, do not get entangled. All that matters is delaying them long enough."
Those remaining nodded solemnly.
To serve as the rearguard under such circumstances was essentially a death mission. They would be vastly outnumbered, and facing the Qian Family's ferocity meant grave danger.
Moreover, the Qian Family had two Foundation Establishment cultivators. If they violated the accord and joined the battle, and Elder Yu could not hold them off, then the Qi-Refining Demon Hunters staying behind would be in dire peril.
Mo Hua said, "I'll stay and hold the rear too!"
Elder Yu glared at him. "You child, what nonsense is that? Go home!"
When the time came, he would be fully occupied dealing with Qian Hong and Qian Zhongxuan, and he would not have the time to protect Mo Hua.
Mo Shan also patted Mo Hua's head gently and said, "Go back, your mother is waiting for you at home."
They said little, but Mo Hua understood. Staying behind in this situation meant they were already prepared to die.
Even if the rearguard succeeded, some Demon Hunters would almost certainly lose their lives.
During the earlier battle with the Qian Family, many Demon Hunters had already been wounded or killed.
Now that the spirit ore had been fully excavated and they had endured this far, Mo Hua did not want to see any more deaths.
Whether it was Mo Shan, Elder Yu, or the other Demon Hunters—familiar or not—Mo Hua still wished that they could all return home safely.
He then said to Elder Yu, "I can use formations to cover the retreat. No one has to fight to the death!"
Elder Yu trusted Mo Hua's formation skills.
Their ability to hold the mine and escape earlier had all been thanks to Mo Hua's arrays. Yet seeing the Qian Family drawing near, Elder Yu remained uneasy.
"There isn't enough time. Can you even set up a formation?"
"Don't worry," Mo Hua patted his bulging Storage Ring. "I prepared in advance!"
Elder Yu's mouth twitched. "All that inside... are formations?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Everyone looked at one another in disbelief, they had no idea when Mo Hua had managed to prepare all these.
"Will these formations actually help?" Elder Yu asked again.
"We don't need to fight to the death," Mo Hua replied. "Just use the arrays to startle them and buy time. That'll be enough."
Elder Yu pondered for a moment and then nodded. "Very well. We'll use formations to delay them."
Afterward, Elder Yu pulled Mo Shan aside and spoke quietly, "If things turn bad, take Mo Hua and run first."
Mo Shan began to protest, but Elder Yu's tone hardened. "That's an order!"
Mo Shan pressed his lips together and said nothing, though his brow furrowed tightly.
Elder Yu then lowered his voice and said solemnly,
"Mo Hua's safety is above all else. No matter what happens, you must get him back safely."
Mo Shan was taken aback, then nodded gravely.
...
Meanwhile, Mo Hua was rummaging through his storage bag, pulling out a thick stack of formation talismans.
They were all Earth-Fire Arrays, each containing nine array patterns: First-grade Earth-Fire Array.
Previously, the Earth-Fire Arrays with seven array patterns had been broken by the Qian Family's earth-type cultivators in iron armor. So Mo Hua had studied the higher-level first-grade version just in case.
The Earth-Fire Array was potent, but too few of them could not alter a battle's course.
Hence, Mo Hua had spent his spare time quietly drawing more. By now, he had accumulated a thick stack of first-grade Earth-Fire Arrays.
Mo Hua distributed the arrays among the Demon Hunters. They chose a narrow mountain pass, buried the talismans in hidden spots, and camouflaged them so the Qian cultivators would not easily detect them.
Once everything was ready, the dozen Demon Hunters forming the rearguard hid behind rocks, waiting for the Qian Family's approach.
Mo Hua hid with them.
Time ticked by, faces tensed, and expressions grew heavy.
Mo Hua looked around and remarked wistfully, "What a pity it's not nighttime."
Elder Yu blinked. "Why does that matter?"
"At night, when the Earth-Fire Array explodes, it goes boom, like fireworks! It's beautiful!"
The last time he had used the array, Mo Hua had watched with delight, snacking on dried meat and pine nuts while enjoying the show.
Unfortunately, all his snacks were gone now, and he felt a little regretful.
Elder Yu, Mo Shan, and the others were momentarily speechless, but Mo Hua's sudden comment eased the tension. The group even developed a faint sense of amusement as they focused on the mountain path.
Less than a cup of tea's time later, the sound of footsteps approached. In the distance, the silhouettes of Qian Family cultivators became visible, an overwhelming force, nearly two thousand strong.
The Demon Hunters held their breath, silent and still.
Qian Hong stopped at the narrow terrain ahead, his expression hardening. He gestured for his clan to halt.
His Divine-Sense swept across the area, and then he sneered loudly,
"Yu Changlin, are you hiding there like a cowardly turtle?"
Elder Yu motioned for the Demon Hunters to stay quiet. His figure flickered as he leapt to a high rock, sat cross-legged, and replied with a grin,
"Being a turtle is fine. But if I'm the big turtle, then you're the little one, you'll have to call me father."
Qian Hong's eyes chilled, though his expression remained composed.
Elder Yu praised mockingly, "If anyone's the most deep-scheming and patient of all, it's you. No matter how I insult you, you stay silent, like a turtle hiding in its shell…"
He suddenly widened his eyes dramatically. "Wait, don't tell me your mother really gave birth to you with a turtle?"
Even Qian Zhongxuan could not bear to listen further, though Qian Hong merely frowned slightly. "Yu Changlin, are you just trying to buy time?"
Elder Yu admitted openly, "Something like that."
Qian Hong sneered. "You think you can delay me with a dozen Demon Hunters hiding behind rocks?"
Elder Yu replied, "The Qian Family's all a bunch of rice buckets. Our dozen will do fine. Too many, and we might scare you off."
"Then why aren't you attacking?" Qian Hong asked coldly.
"We're resting," Elder Yu sighed. "Digging out those mine tunnels was exhausting. Strange mountain though, the tunnels somehow opened into a demonic beast's nest."
He feigned concern. "Your Qian Family disciples went into those tunnels, didn't they? I hope they didn't run into any demonic beasts… would be such a shame if they got eaten."
Qian Hong's expression darkened.
Elder Yu feigned alarm. "Don't tell me… they already went in? Someone got eaten already? No way!"
Then he sighed regretfully,
"How careless of me. If I'd known, I wouldn't have had them dig those tunnels. Then your clan might've lost fewer people… alas, this is my fault!"
Qian Hong's jaw clenched. "You old dog, enough of your nonsense. What are you really planning?"
Elder Yu's face remained calm and silent.
Qian Hong, growing wary, demanded, "Are you going to make a move?"
Elder Yu said evenly, "We agreed, you don't move, I don't move."
"Fine," Qian Hong replied coldly, and waved his hand to advance.
No matter what trick Yu Changlin was hiding, he would uncover it soon enough.
As the Qian cultivators moved forward, Elder Yu remained motionless.
"What's that old fox up to?" Qian Hong muttered.
Then... an explosion thundered. Flames surged skyward, engulfing the vanguard of the Qian Family in a torrent of fire.
Screams erupted. The Qian cultivators froze, terrified.
Qian Hong instantly understood, and could not help cursing inwardly:
Another damn formation!
...
(Author's Note: Some readers still seem confused about the protagonist's background, so to clarify again—)
The protagonist's transmigration setting is a partial memory awakening. It is not a traditional soul transmigration; the body is his own, and he shares a bloodline with his parents.
He is a ten-year-old child in the cultivation world, possessing a modern person's awareness and mindset. He still has a child's temperament, yet his understanding of the world differs from others.
(End of Chapter)