Chapter 174: Breaking Free
Qian Hong had never felt so humiliated in his entire life.
As the patriarch of the Qian Family, he had always been revered, his demeanor dignified and his presence commanding. Yet now, to clear a path through the Earth-Fire Formation for a group of mere Qi-Refining disciples, ending up covered in soot, hair disheveled, and robes tattered, was beyond disgraceful.
The sight of himself in such a state seemed to proclaim his incompetence for all to see, leaving him burning with shame.
Qian Zhongxuan also felt humiliated, but upon seeing that his patriarch looked even more wretched than he did, he instantly felt somewhat better.
Qian Hong coughed harshly, swallowing down the blood that surged up his throat. Then he turned and barked furiously at the Clan cultivators behind him:
"What are you waiting for? Go! After them!"
At his command, the Qian Family cultivators finally moved, rushing forward to give chase.
Just as Qian Hong was about to exhale in relief, a surge of spiritual force erupted behind him. His heart clenched with dread as he spun around and met it head-on with a palm strike.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed. Spiritual power collided violently, creating a shockwave that rippled through the air. Qian Hong's arm went numb, pain drilling deep into his palm as his opponent's energy invaded his meridians.
He staggered backward four or five steps before regaining balance.
The Qian cultivators, startled by the commotion, halted and looked back toward him.
"Keep chasing the demon hunters!" Qian Hong shouted through gritted teeth. "Intercept the spirit stones! Do not let them escape!"
The cultivators hesitated briefly before obeying, vaulting over the ridgeline and continuing the pursuit.
Qian Hong's gaze sharpened as he turned to face his assailant. "Yu Changlin, have you no shame? Resorting to ambush?"
"Ambush?" Elder Yu raised his brows with mock surprise. "I only wanted to pat your shoulder and say hello. You're the one who struck first. Seems to me it's your own guilty conscience that's showing."
"You wouldn't be thinking of stopping two Foundation Establishment cultivators all by yourself, would you?" Qian Hong sneered.
Beside him, Qian Zhongxuan readied himself, wary and tense.
Elder Yu spread his hands, tone earnest. "What nonsense. We agreed that Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't interfere. I'm a man of honor; I don't break my word."
Qian Hong saw through his stalling tactics and coldly snorted. "Even if you delay us, my clan's cultivators will still catch your people. You won't escape."
Elder Yu smiled faintly. "We'll see about that... if they can even catch up."
...
Not far ahead, Mo Hua was directing a dozen demon hunters in laying another First-Rank Earth-Fire Formation.
He hadn't used up all of his formations earlier, he had kept a reserve, just as Elder Yu had taught him.
Always leave yourself a fallback.
The earlier Earth-Fire Formation had held back most of the Qian cultivators and drained the strength of their Foundation Establishment elders, allowing Elder Yu to restrain them more easily.
The formations being placed now were meant not to kill, but to delay, to frighten the pursuers and slow their advance.
After witnessing the previous Earth-Fire Formation's devastating power, the Qian cultivators would be deeply wary.
A formation that could injure even Foundation Establishment cultivators was more than enough to terrify those still in the Qi-Refining stage.
As the dozen rear-guard demon hunters retreated, they continued burying formation nodes along the Qian Family's path of pursuit.
Mo Hua darted across the terrain using the Flowing-Water Step, assessing the landscape for suitable positions, with Mo Shan close at his heels.
Soon, the Qian cultivators triggered another Earth-Fire Formation.
Flames roared, spiritual force shook the mountains, and screams followed the explosions.
Another formation?!
Fear rippled through the Qian ranks; many halted in their tracks.
A few leaders barked threats or offered rewards, finally pushing the group to move again, only for another explosion to erupt moments later.
The same scene repeated itself over and over: fire flashing, earth trembling, and morale collapsing.
The physical injuries were few, but the psychological toll was immense.
No one knew where the next explosion would be... or who it would claim.
Every step was taken with trembling caution; every step completed was followed by a sigh of relief.
Gradually, dread settled deep into their hearts. Their pace slowed to a crawl.
No amount of shouting or threatening from their leaders could restore their speed.
By the time the Qian cultivators finally glimpsed the fleeing demon hunters in the distance, the latter had already carried their full storage bags and boxes of spirit stones out of the Great Black Mountain.
When the Qian clan finally emerged from the mountains, the demon hunters were already entering Tōngxiān City.
Mo Hua followed at the rear of the group, the last to step through the gates.
Before him loomed the towering city gate; behind him, the furious and exhausted Qian cultivators surged in pursuit.
Mo Hua exhaled in relief. After all the chaos and danger, they had finally mined out the entire spirit vein, evaded pursuit, and escaped safely.
The demon hunters were now inside Tōngxiān City. No matter how furious the Qian Family became, they could do nothing now.
As Mo Hua steadied his breath, he noticed Elder Yu standing beside him.
The elder's robe was torn in several places, his spiritual power clearly depleted. After examining Mo Hua and seeing that he was unharmed, his expression softened with visible relief.
Moments later, Qian Hong and Qian Zhongxuan arrived as well.
Having been restrained by Elder Yu the entire way, both were weary and battered, but what truly crushed them was the sight before their eyes.
The demon hunters, their bodies laden with storage bags and carrying storage chests in pairs, were walking calmly and triumphantly into Tōngxiān City.
Inside those bags and boxes were spirit stones... freshly mined spirit stones.
Spirit stones that should have belonged to the Qian Family.
Qian Hong's eyes bulged with rage.
The Qian Family had poured in vast resources, manpower, and time, only to end in total failure, nothing gained but humiliation.
He himself was covered in soot and grime, a disheveled mess.
It was the worst defeat of his entire career as family head.
Fury consumed him. His face twisted as he roared, voice echoing through the air:
"Yu Changlin! You old bastard! I'll never forgive you! I'll slice you into a thousand pieces!"
"And that Formation Master of yours, I'll find him! I'll tear him apart limb by limb until my rage is quenched!"
Elder Yu, unmoved, had long grown immune to the Qian Family's threats. If fear ruled him, he would never have dared to oppose them in the first place.
Still, he worried for Mo Hua, fearing the young man might be unsettled by such venomous hatred.
He turned to glance at Mo Hua, only to find the youth grinning.
Elder Yu frowned. "What are you laughing at?"
Mo Hua blinked mischievously and whispered, "The old turtle's shell is cracked."
Elder Yu was momentarily puzzled. Then he looked up and saw Qian Hong: hair disheveled, robes torn, face twisted in fury, and suddenly understood.
The man who once kept his composure under any circumstance was now completely unhinged, shrieking like a fishwife.
Elder Yu had dealt with Qian Hong for years and had never seen him lose control like this.
He couldn't help but laugh aloud and shout mockingly:
"Qian Hong, you old turtle! Your shell's broken, so crawl back into your hole and stop embarrassing yourself!"
(End of Chapter)