Chapter 231: Goat Demon
Once everything was ready, Mo Hua began the demon hunt.
Of course, he didn't actually have to make a move himself.
Although he had already reached the seventh level of Qi-Refining and the power of his Fireball Technique had grown considerably, directly facing a late-stage First-Grade demon beast was still a bit beyond him.
At best, he could just finish off the wounded or pick up leftovers.
The professional demon hunters didn't really need the modest strength of his spells anyway.
Yu Chengyi, Mo Shan, and six late-stage Qi-Refining demon hunters formed a small team. Together with Mo Hua, nine of them set out to hunt a late-stage First-Grade Red-Eyed Goat Demon.
Yu Chengyi and Mo Shan had hunted within the Inner Mountains for years. Their experience far surpassed Mo Hua's, and their planning before each hunt was always meticulous—practically nothing was left unconsidered.
Mo Hua only needed to stand aside, listen carefully, and learn.
Learn the habits of demon beasts, the methods of hunting them, and the key points of caution.
This hunt was the same as usual, yet slightly different—because it would use a formation drawn by Mo Hua himself.
Before this, only mid-stage Qi-Refining demon hunters could use a Earth-Fire Array of seven formation runes to hunt mid-stage First-Grade beasts.
Now, Mo Hua could draw a genuine First-Grade formation, powerful enough to injure a late-stage First-Grade demon beast. Thus, even late-stage Qi-Refining hunters could attempt to hunt late-stage beasts with the aid of a First-Grade Earth-Fire Array.
Using formations for demon hunts—both safer and far more efficient.
After their discussion, Yu Chengyi asked Mo Hua,
"Anything else we should be careful about?"
Since Mo Hua was the one who drew the formation, his opinion naturally mattered.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, realizing they'd covered everything thoroughly.
"No problem," he said.
"Good." Yu Chengyi nodded. "Then we set out tomorrow. Proceed according to plan."
That night, the hunters rested at their Inner Mountain camp. At dawn the next day, the mist still cloaked the mountains, dew beaded on grass and leaves, and the team set off.
Yu Chengyi and several seasoned hunters took the lead, scouting for traces of the Red-Eyed Goat Demon.
Mo Shan was just as experienced, but Mo Hua's safety was more important, so he stayed by his son's side.
Before long, one of the hunters discovered hoofprints, some leftover flesh, and strands of bloodstained white wool.
Everyone immediately tensed, fully alert.
Yu Chengyi and several others released their Divine-Sense, probing for the demon's presence.
Before they could locate it, Mo Hua had already taken out a topographic chart and marked a position.
"Behind the mountain path, there's a small stream. It's drinking water there."
The others exchanged startled looks, secretly shocked.
That distance… was well beyond the reach of their Divine-Sense.
Was Mo Hua's Divine-Sense that much stronger than theirs?
Yu Chengyi leapt up to the mountaintop, using a boulder for cover. Peering down, he indeed saw the Red-Eyed Goat Demon by the stream, drinking after feeding.
Without a sound, he jumped back down and whispered,
"It's drinking. Once it's done, it'll probably head back into the woods. We'll circle around and ambush ahead of it."
The hunters nodded. They split off to the side, took a detour, and stopped at the narrow path leading into the forest, its only route back.
They began setting traps.
Mo Hua took out an iron plate, etched with complex formation patterns.
Yu Chengyi glanced at it curiously.
"What's that iron plate for?"
"I drew the Earth-Fire Array on it," Mo Hua replied.
"And how's that different from drawing it on paper?" Yu Chengyi asked.
"When using paper as the array medium, the Earth-Fire Array can only be used once. After the explosion, the paper burns up, and the formation disappears."
Mo Hua continued, "This iron plate was specially forged by Master Chen for me. It's mixed with refined iron, making it sturdy enough to serve as a reusable formation medium. Once the Earth-Fire Array is drawn on it, it can be used many times."
Yu Chengyi's eyes lit up. "Any special activation method?"
"Same as before," Mo Hua said simply.
"Excellent," Yu Chengyi nodded.
After setting up the traps and placing the formation compass, they inserted several spirit stones into the array, then erased all traces, sprinkling blood and the juice of Demon Musk Grass over the area before hiding behind nearby rocks.
Before long, the Red-Eyed Goat Demon appeared at the path.
It radiated vigorous blood energy—whatever it had eaten recently, it had been fresh. Blood still stained its lips, and its vigilance was intense.
It stared at the trap for a long time, obviously tempted by the scent of the Demon Musk Grass, yet it restrained itself, pacing back and forth warily.
After a while, the demon actually retreated, slowly backing away.
Mo Hua was startled and whispered, "Father, is it really that cautious?"
"A late-stage First-Grade demon beast lives long," Mo Shan murmured, "which means more experience and greater cunning."
"So it's leaving... should we chase it?"
Mo Shan shook his head. "No. We wait."
Mo Hua blinked, then his eyes brightened. "It'll come back?"
"Exactly." Mo Shan's voice was low as his gaze locked on the path. "It's just testing. It'll return soon."
Sure enough, after a short while, the Red-Eyed Goat Demon circled back.
Had they chased earlier, it would've sensed them, and the trap would've been wasted.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
Even the beasts in the Inner Mountains were so shrewd… He clearly still had much to learn.
Finally, the Red-Eyed Goat Demon couldn't resist the lure of the Demon Musk Grass. While glancing around, it stepped cautiously into the trap, lowering its head to lick the blood and taste the pungent grass.
Demon beasts possessed Demon-Sense, similar to a cultivator's Divine-Sense, but usually far weaker. They couldn't project it outward to sense their surroundings.
They mostly relied on special sight, keen smell and hearing, as well as sensitivity to aura and hunger for blood.
The team, all veteran demon hunters, knew how to conceal their presence completely.
So when the demon scanned the area, it found nothing.
And thus... it stepped fully into the trap.
Yu Chengyi rose silently, drew his bow, and released.
The arrow cut through the air, infused with spiritual power, and struck the spirit stone atop the formation.
The spirit stone shattered into dust, releasing its spiritual energy into the Earth-Fire Array plate below.
The demon sensed danger just as the arrow flew, but it was too late.
The trap caught its legs for a heartbeat, then fiery-red formation lines flared across the compass. The First-Grade Earth-Fire Array ignited, flames roared out, the explosion deafening.
When the blast wave dispersed, the Red-Eyed Goat Demon was severely wounded.
To be safe, Mo Hua had prepared three Earth-Fire Arrays, all detonating together—the power was overwhelming.
The demon hunters didn't waste a word. They charged, fanning out to encircle the beast.
Eight surrounded it in two layers—four in the inner circle attacking, four outside covering, preventing escape.
After a while, the inner and outer groups swapped in rotation, grinding the wounded demon down through relentless, coordinated assault.
Precise objectives. Clean execution. Ruthless efficiency. Perfect teamwork.
In less than half an hour, the gravely wounded Red-Eyed Goat Demon collapsed... dead.
(End of Chapter)