Chapter 1450: Earth-Ground Formation Expert?

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Chapter 1448: Earth-Ground Formation Expert?

The Primordial Magnetic Formation and the Thunder Magnetic Formation were categories of Array Formations that Mo Hua had invested significant effort into researching within the Qianxue Prefecture realm.

Now, after so many years, Mo Hua hadn’t used the Thunder Magnetic Formation for a long time, and many of its intricacies had grown somewhat rusty.

However, his Divine Sense was no longer what it used to be.

At the Early Golden Core Stage, with his Dao-Transformed Divine Sense at the Twenty-Nine Peak Pattern Runes level, his perception of Secondary Thunder Runes was now countless times deeper than it had been during his Foundation Establishment period.

Some previously indistinct Magnetic Runes could now be detected by Mo Hua using his Divine Sense alone, without relying on Primordial Magnetic Decryption.

His Sea of Consciousness was already showing signs of evolving toward a “Humanoid Radar.”

Mo Hua’s hand, hidden within his sleeve, quietly retrieved a Jade Slip. He recorded the Magnetic Runes captured by his Divine Sense onto the slip and then proceeded to decrypt them one by one in secret, utilizing the principles of Magnetic Runes.

This method of Primordial Magnetic Decryption was already quite extraordinary, though naturally, its difficulty was also very high.

Relying solely on his Divine Sense, Mo Hua actually couldn’t capture overly complete Magnetic Runes.

Fortunately, the Message Transmission Tokens used by Iron Mountain Tiger and his companions weren’t of particularly high quality, lacking sufficient encryption, which increased the probability of Magnetic Rune leakage.

Therefore, Mo Hua was still able to decrypt some fragmented Magnetic Rune segments:

“…Is that right?”

“It’s the one we’re looking for.”

“Hard to say, we’re just trying our luck.”

“What’s the background of this Black-Faced Fiend… Is he reliable? Wearing such an ugly mask, what kind of taste is that?”

“If we find the right one, ten million Spirit Stones.”

“Shut up.”

“The Message Transmission Token should be fine.”

“Caution ensures a long life.”

“Don’t rush to conclusions, let’s probe this Black-Faced Fiend’s background.”

On the surface, Mo Hua remained calm and composed, not showing the slightest change, but his mind was constantly racing.

These people seemed a bit strange.

Ten million Spirit Stones… What did that refer to?

Where did ten million Spirit Stones come from?

And also, what’s wrong with my “taste”?

Feeling displeased, Mo Hua wanted to investigate more clearly.

Unfortunately, his Primordial Magnetic Attainment had lacked refinement over the past decade or so, ultimately falling behind too much.

In this rushed situation, and unable to use Array Formation instruments, he simply couldn’t eavesdrop on the entirety of these people’s conversation.

If you don’t put in the effort during ordinary times, when a critical moment arrives, you’ll often find yourself lacking here and there.

“It seems that when I have time in the future, I’ll need to pick up the skill of Primordial Magnetic Formations again.”

“And that Thunder-Magnetic Little Figurine… I should also continue researching it, developing and expanding it.”

He hadn’t tinkered with these things for a long time.

He had learned too many miscellaneous things before. Once many things go unused for a long time, they’re easy to forget, and that just won’t do.

Mo Hua silently thought to himself.

He eavesdropped a bit longer, but these few individuals held their breath and concentrated, no longer chatting about anything.

Mo Hua could only continue to close his eyes and rest his spirit.

The carriage galloped along the road, and after a day and a night, they reached their destination.

This destination was set by Mo Hua, precisely the place where the Earth Ghost had led the way before, the endpoint of Elder Tian’s funeral procession.

With his own abilities, Mo Hua couldn’t find the entrance to this tomb for the time being.

Therefore, he could only act as the “leader,” pulling others into the partnership to explore the tomb for him.

After getting off the carriage, Iron Mountain Tiger and the others surveyed the hill, all frowning.

The hill appeared ordinary, with scattered rocks, yet it seemed to exist and not exist at the same time. In terms of Graveyard Feng Shui for a Yin Residence, it was indeed somewhat strange.

Skinny Cicada sniffed his nose and suddenly said, “There’s blood.”

Everyone’s expressions changed.

Skinny Cicada pointed to the right, and the group followed his direction. Sure enough, they saw a pool of flesh and blood on the ground. It had been dead for some time, gutted and torn open, with the blood turned black and the flesh gnawed on.

Mo Hua knew this was the Tian family cultivator named “Tian Xiu.”

After Uncle Ping killed him, no one had bothered to dispose of the body. Left in the desolate wilderness of the graveyard, it was only natural it wouldn’t end well.

Deep bite marks were visible on his bones, though it was unclear whether they were from a demon beast or some Mountain Monster.

Iron Mountain Tiger looked at Mo Hua and asked, “This…”

Mo Hua, wearing a ghost mask, replied in a hoarse voice, “It’s nothing. Just a dead man in the wild mountains. Probably came here for Entering the Earth like us, just had terrible luck and died here.”

Iron Mountain Tiger nodded. What this Black-Faced Fiend said wasn’t impossible.

“Let’s go,” Mo Hua said, unwilling to dwell on it further.

The others nodded and followed Mo Hua forward.

Only the fair-skinned cultivator named “Smiling Face” couldn’t help but stare intently at Tian Xiu’s corpse as they left, swallowing hard.

His movements were subtle, unnoticed by the others, but they didn’t escape Mo Hua’s perception.

Mo Hua glanced over, feeling a slight sense of curiosity. Just as he was wondering, Iron Mountain Tiger asked, “Black-Faced Fiend, you’re leading this trip. Where’s the tomb entrance?”

Mo Hua replied, “I don’t know.”

Everyone was taken aback.

Mo Hua was frank. “I only discovered there’s a tomb here, but I can’t find where it is.”

The group exchanged glances. Iron Mountain Tiger asked, “You really… can’t find the entrance?”

Mo Hua looked as if it were obvious. “If I’d found it, what would I need you all for?”

They were stunned again, realizing it made sense.

But Iron Mountain Tiger was still puzzled. “Aren’t you the Grave Head? You don’t even know the basics of Tomb Exploration, tomb locating, or Tomb Breaking?”

Mo Hua thought to himself, This Iron Mountain Tiger is a big guy, but why is he so talkative and nagging, asking endless questions?

Mo Hua said coldly, “Different skills for different trades. My abilities lie elsewhere.”

Intimidated by Mo Hua’s imposing presence, Iron Mountain Tiger stopped doubting him.

Cultivators each had their own specialties; no one could master everything.

If this Black-Faced Fiend wasn’t skilled in Tomb Exploration or Tomb Breaking, his abilities must lie within the tomb itself.

After all, anyone who could become a Grave Head must have some real skills.

Iron Mountain Tiger nodded. “In that case, leave the small tasks of Tomb Exploration and Tomb Breaking to us brothers.”

They also wanted to show off their skills and prove their worth in front of Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded.

After that, Iron Mountain Tiger, Skinny Cicada, Pangolin, and Smiling Face began using their methods to search for the tomb entrance.

Mo Hua, the “leader,” stood with his hands behind his back, watching and silently observing their techniques.

Iron Mountain Tiger used a massive stone pillar, driving it into the ground and turning it with brute force.

His arms were like steel rods. With each turn, he would pause, using the resistance of the pillar’s rotation to determine the terrain’s orientation.

Skinny Cicada, on the other hand, excelled at listening to the wind, like a golden cicada listening to the earth. Whenever the wind blew, he would tilt his ear to listen, discerning the flow of wind and soil.

Pangolin, much like Old Mo, enjoyed eating soil, discerning the intensity of corpse qi by tasting the earth.

Mo Hua watched from the side, inwardly astonished.

These people truly employed all sorts of methods for tomb raiding.

Curious, Mo Hua wanted to ask about the origins and cultivation paths behind their tools and techniques, but he hesitated, fearing they might see him as a “big amateur” or an outsider to tomb raiding.

Among them, the only unusual one was the man called “Smiling Face.”

He, too, stood aside watching, but his focus was on the terrain, topography, and feng shui, occasionally recording something on a jade slip.

Compared to these four “professionals,” Mo Hua seemed somewhat out of place.

Fortunately, he wore a ghost mask—both ugly and cool—making him look like a “villainous boss,” so at first glance, he didn’t appear too out of his depth.

After what felt like a long time, through observing shapes, discerning trends, listening to the wind, and tasting the soil, Iron Mountain Tiger and the other three narrowed down the tomb entrance.

Eventually, they pinpointed it to a small earthen slope at the foot of the mountain, only about four or five zhang in size.

Pangolin, his rough-skinned hands resembling those of a rodent monster, burrowed into the soil, pulled out a handful of black earth, and tasted it, saying: “This is the spot.”

Iron Mountain Tiger nodded. “Good.”

Strong, robust, and agile, he played the role of the tomb raiding mountain mover.

Every tomb raiding gang needed someone like him to handle the dirty, tiring, and labor-intensive tasks.

Iron Mountain Tiger began channeling his strength to dig the tomb entrance. After a while, he encountered resistance and grew alert, saying, “Trouble—there’s an array formation.”

Skinny Cicada asked, “What kind of array formation?”

Iron Mountain Tiger replied, “A tomb formation. Rare and not simple.”

Everyone exchanged glances.

Mo Hua, wearing the ghost mask, spoke hoarsely, “Let me give it a try.”

Iron Mountain Tiger asked, “Brother Black-Faced Fiend, are you skilled in array formations?”

For secrecy, Manager Zhao hadn’t revealed a single detail about Mo Hua.

Mo Hua nodded. “I know a little.”

Iron Mountain Tiger suppressed his surprise and cupped his hands respectfully. “Then we’ll trouble you, brother.”

Without hesitation, Mo Hua stepped up to the tomb entrance, released his divine-sense, and began sensing the flow of energy within the tomb to deduce the internal structure of the array formation.

Formation Masters were most adept at array formations.

But the biggest challenge lay precisely here—Formation Masters relied too heavily on array formations.

If they encountered an array they were skilled with, many seemingly unsolvable problems could be easily resolved.

But if the array fell outside their “comfort zone” and beyond their grasp, many issues would leave them helpless.

Even though Mo Hua’s knowledge of array formations was already extensive, he was no exception.

He, too, would inevitably encounter array problems he couldn’t solve immediately.

At such times, he had no choice but to rely on others’ help.

Elder Tian’s tomb issue was a case in point.

Now, these tomb raiders had used their unique skills to locate the tomb entrance.

This was equivalent to revealing the Life Gate of the Earth-Ground Formation to Mo Hua.

Indirectly, it also narrowed the scope of his derivative algorithm for the Earth-Ground Formation by at least a hundredfold, greatly reducing the difficulty.

Naturally, Mo Hua could now continue attempting to crack the Earth-Ground Formation using his derivative algorithm.

However, this process was still rather cumbersome.

Mo Hua then began to spread out a sheet of white paper, preparing to perform Talismanic Calculations for the Earth-Ground Formation.

But before starting the calculations, he first conducted a simple simulation of the nearby Five Elements Transformation, then began to deduce the Earth-Ground Formation.

He had only taken a few steps in his deduction when he heard someone say: “Forget it.”

Mo Hua turned his head and saw that the speaker was none other than Smiling Face.

Smiling Face looked at the rough, messy, irregular, and seemingly nonsensical Formation Patterns Mo Hua had just deduced with his brush, shook his head, and said: “That’s not how it’s done… Let me handle it.”

Mo Hua was somewhat taken aback. “You?”

Smiling Face nodded. “I also have some understanding of Array Formations.”

After a moment of thought, Mo Hua nodded and said, “Go ahead.”

Smiling Face did not stand on ceremony. He took out his own sheet of white paper, performed some calculations, and soon had a plan.

He then took out various Foundation Stones and embedded them around the tomb entrance to serve as Formation Mediums.

He himself dipped his brush in Spirit Ink and began drawing various formations on the mediums.

These formations were based on Earth-Element Formation Runes but differed from them, incorporating more profound Formation Rune Variation Formulas.

This was… an Earth-Ground Formation.

After watching for a while, Mo Hua was stunned, his heart greatly shaken:

“What Smiling Face is drawing… could it actually be… an Orthodox Earth-Ground Formation?”

Mo Hua observed for a few more moments, his heart once again filled with astonishment:

“This person’s Earth-Ground Formation Attainment… is actually above mine?”

A Tomb Raider he had casually recruited… his Earth-Ground Formation Attainment could actually surpass his own?

Mo Hua was momentarily lost in thought.

Sensing someone watching him, Smiling Face turned his head and glanced at Mo Hua, his eyes flickering slightly as he asked: “Brother Black-Faced Fiend, do you recognize this formation of mine?”

Mo Hua snapped back to reality, shook his head, then nodded, and snorted coldly, saying: “Not bad, just some Soil Formation variations… nothing too difficult.”

Smiling Face inwardly dismissed Mo Hua as a half-baked “amateur,” sneering to himself, but his expression remained neutral as he flattered: “Brother Black-Faced Fiend, you have a keen eye.”

Mo Hua gave a light “hmph,” acting quite arrogant.

Smiling Face turned back and continued drawing the formation.

Mo Hua’s heart was in turmoil for a moment.

This Smiling Face… could actually draw such a sophisticated Earth-Ground Formation?

Mo Hua glanced at Iron Mountain Tiger and the others, noticing that they looked indifferent as they watched the formation under Smiling Face’s brush, finding nothing strange about it.

Mo Hua then understood that his companions, Iron Mountain Tiger and the others, had no idea just how sophisticated Smiling Face’s formation was.

The field of Array Formations had a high entry barrier and was profoundly deep, inherently the most deceptive.

Without decades of diligent study, ordinary amateurs could hardly discern what a sophisticated formation looked like.

Even if a highly complex formation were drawn right before their eyes, they would remain clueless and unable to distinguish it.

They had no idea what kind of formation Smiling Face was currently drawing.

“This Smiling Face… is actually more skilled than I am.”

Mo Hua gave Smiling Face a deep look, his gaze sweeping briefly over his formation before he quickly began “recording” the Earth-Ground Formation Runes in his mind.

Smiling Face felt a slight tension and immediately turned to look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua instantly shifted his demeanor, his gaze disdainful, as if he were both confused and dismissive of the formation.

Smiling Face inwardly sneered.

Mo Hua then asked him directly, “Are you finished?”

Smiling Face shook his head, “Still a bit short.”

Mo Hua nodded and said nothing more.

Smiling Face then turned back to continue deciphering the Earth-Ground Formation near Elder Tian’s burial site.

Mo Hua continued watching him.

After roughly half an hour, Smiling Face finally set down his brush and said, “Done,” before activating the Formation Eye to trigger the Array Formation.

As the Earth-Ground Formation’s light brightened, the ground beneath seemed to begin collapsing.

Mo Hua could sense that the Qi Mechanism of all the Earth-Ground Formations across the entire hill had formed a “vortex” at this spot.

Originally airtight, not a trace of aura had leaked from the Earth-Ground Formation, but now a gap was torn open, revealing a Qi Eye.

At the same time, as the Earth-Ground Formation was broken, dense Death Qi began slowly seeping up from beneath the earth.

Mo Hua felt the temperature before him drop several degrees, turning eerie and chilling.

“Where exactly… was Elder Tian buried?”

Mo Hua’s expression shifted slightly.