Chapter 332: Searching the Mountain

Mo Hua gradually figured it out.

When they broke through Black Mountain Stronghold, the pill furnace was destroyed, yet the pig had vanished—there was no trace of blood on the ground. That could only mean the pig had been moved beforehand, and it never appeared again afterward.

Every evil cultivator in Black Mountain Stronghold was either captured or killed—none escaped. Only that pig was missing.

That could only mean the pig was extremely important—perhaps even more important than the entire stronghold and all the evil cultivators combined.

And everyone, including Mo Hua himself, had overlooked this point.

Why did the evil cultivators feed people to the pig? Because the pig itself was the true pill furnace used for refining!

Feeding people to the pig was the same as throwing human “ingredients” into the furnace.

The fact that Black Mountain Stronghold had been feeding the pig humans meant the pill was still being refined.

In other words, the Life-Transmutation Essence Pill had likely been in the process of refinement for a very long time—perhaps even completed already.

After all, who knew how long the stronghold had been feeding people to that pig?

If it had been happening for over a hundred years, that pill could already have been perfected!

A chill ran through Mo Hua’s heart, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Seeing his reaction, Bai Zixi asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Mo Hua snapped out of his thoughts. “I just remembered something—something very important!”

Then he turned and dashed down the mountain.

“Not fighting anymore?” Bai Zisheng called out regretfully behind him.

Mo Hua waved a hand without looking back. “Later!”

He used Flowing-Water Step, disappearing within moments, leaving the two Bai siblings staring after him in confusion.

Mo Hua quickly found Commander Yang—Zhang Lan happened to be there as well. Mo Hua blurted out, “The pig!”

Both of them froze. “You’re… not insulting us, are you?”

Panting heavily, Mo Hua shook his head and managed to say between breaths,

“That pig… is the furnace!”

Zhang Lan and Commander Yang were stunned. After a brief pause, realization struck—and their faces changed drastically.

“What did you just say?!”

Mo Hua steadied his breathing and said solemnly,

“Flesh and blood as the array medium, blood traces as the runes, a demon core as the array’s eye, and bones as the structural pivots…”

“That pig itself is the pill furnace used to refine the Life-Transmutation Essence Pill—and it might’ve been refining for over a hundred years already.”

Commander Yang’s pupils contracted sharply. He turned to Zhang Lan. “Then that means…”

Zhang Lan exclaimed, “The pill is almost complete?!”

Commander Yang’s face darkened. He immediately called for a Dao soldier and ordered sharply:

“Go summon Elder Yu, Supervisor Zhou, and Patriarch An—immediately! Tell them it’s a matter of utmost urgency!”

The Dao soldier rushed off, and within half an hour, everyone was gathered.

Commander Yang repeated Mo Hua’s words. Everyone’s expressions changed; shock filled the room.

“Where is Patriarch Qian now?”

“At Great Black Mountain.”

“Great Black Mountain is vast…”

“He’s most likely deep in the mountains.”

“What do we do?”

Elder Yu frowned deeply. “Find him! We must locate Patriarch Qian. If he consumes that pill and advances to the late Foundation Establishment stage, none of us will be able to subdue him!”

Within a second-grade prefecture, late Foundation Establishment was the absolute peak—those cultivators could move unhindered. Killing one would require a terrifying price.

If they didn’t kill him now, all of Tōngxiān City would face grave danger!

Commander Yang nodded grimly. “Then we mobilize every Dao soldier—search the deep mountains thoroughly, every inch!”

“Dao soldiers alone won’t be enough,” said Supervisor Zhou, shaking his head. “We need the Dao Court Division, the demon hunters, and every clan cultivator in Tōngxiān City. Not a blade of grass, not a pebble can be overlooked.”

“This concerns the safety of the entire city. We must work together!”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Then Supervisor Zhou turned to Mo Hua. “We’ll need your help too.”

“Alright!” Mo Hua agreed immediately.

After the meeting, everyone went to mobilize their forces. The next day, they began a massive sweep of the Great Black Mountain’s depths.

The Dao Soldier Division, Dao Court Division, demon hunters, and every clan and sect joined the search.

A dense wave of cultivators advanced from the mountain’s outer rim inward, leaving no corner unchecked.

Meanwhile, under Mo Hua’s direction, they dismantled the fog arrays one by one, replacing them with stone needles inscribed with Compass Child Arrays at key points to monitor all movement within the mountain.

Mo Hua himself began to draw a detailed topographical map—every peak, every stone, every blade of grass.

He had done this before in the outer mountains and the inner range—now he repeated it once more in the deep mountains.

The inner depths had once been a forbidden zone within Great Black Mountain—a terrifying abyss feared by all cultivators.

But fear, after all, was born from the unknown.

Once they uncovered its secrets and dispersed the concealing mists, there would be nothing left to fear.

The mountain search progressed steadily.

And the map gradually took shape.

Yet there were still several blank areas—these were the lairs of second-grade demon beasts.

With so many cultivators sweeping the mountain, lesser demon beasts had long fled in panic.

But second-grade beasts were different—brimming with blood energy and demon power, far beyond what Qi-Refining cultivators could handle.

Even if they joined forces to slay one or two such beasts, the casualties would be severe.

And their priority was to find Patriarch Qian—they couldn’t afford to waste time fighting monsters.

Thus, they avoided those areas entirely.

After seven days of searching, they had combed through the entire deep mountain—yet found no trace of Patriarch Qian.

“Could Patriarch Qian have left the mountains?” Commander Yang asked, doubtful.

Elder Yu shook his head. “Impossible. If he went to another city, he would’ve been spotted. The Great Black Mountain is the perfect hiding place—and don’t forget, he still has that pig, and the pill refinement must continue…”

“Then there’s only one possibility left…”

Commander Yang’s gaze turned to the blank spots on the map.

The uncharted regions—the places left unsearched—were the second-grade demon beast lairs.

Everyone’s faces grew heavy.

Those lairs were dangerous beyond measure, guarded by powerful beasts.

A demon beast of equal rank was often far stronger than a human cultivator.

Even if Commander Yang, at Foundation Establishment, led his Dao soldiers into one, provoking a beast could mean many deaths.

“How could Patriarch Qian think of something like this?” Supervisor Zhou frowned.

Elder Yu sighed. “Before rising to power, Patriarch Qian was a demon hunter.”

That explained everything—using demon lairs as hiding places, faking the Grand Elder’s death, refining pills inside a beast’s den… it all bore the hunter’s cunning mark.

Supervisor Zhou shook his head regretfully. “His methods are brilliant—but it’s a pity he didn’t walk the righteous path.”

“Any news from the Third Leader?” Elder Yu asked.

“He won’t talk,” said Commander Yang. “Not a word.”

“Then what do we do?” Zhang Lan frowned. “Search the second-grade lairs?”

Searching them would cost many lives. But if they didn’t, and Patriarch Qian finished refining the Life-Transmutation Essence Pill, even more would die by his hand.

No matter what they chose, it was a grim dilemma.

Mo Hua thought for a moment. “How about this—I’ll go take a look.”

Everyone stared at him. Commander Yang asked, “Look at what?”

“The formations.”

“The formations?” Commander Yang frowned in confusion.

Mo Hua nodded.

“Patriarch Qian relies heavily on formations. Whether it was building Black Mountain Stronghold or refining pills from cultivators, his work is filled with formation traces.”

“If he’s hiding in a demon lair, there must be formations nearby—concealment, alarms, or defenses.”

“I can see the traces of formations.”

“If there are formation marks within a second-grade demon lair, it means someone has been there. And if someone went into such a place deep in these mountains, odds are—it’s Patriarch Qian.”

At those words, everyone’s eyes lit up.

“That could work!”

Elder Yu said, “I’ll go with you.”

He wasn’t comfortable letting Mo Hua take the risk alone.

Commander Yang shook his head. “We’ll all go—the Foundation Establishment cultivators together.”

Though Mo Hua was skilled at concealment and quick-witted, the danger was too great—either a second-grade beast or Patriarch Qian himself.

Besides, Commander Yang already intended to recruit Mo Hua into the Yang family—he wasn’t about to let a future family member get hurt.

“Agreed!” everyone said.

And so, the group of Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounded Mo Hua for protection, venturing into the depths of the Great Black Mountain—to seek out the lairs of the second-grade demon beasts…

(End of Chapter)