Chapter 444: Battle

Chapter 445: Battle

“I’ll sneak in first, rescue Instructor Yan, and then dismantle the formations of the Walking Corpse Stronghold. Once the stronghold’s defenses are gone, attacking it will be much easier.”

“The ordinary corpse cultivators and walking corpses, I can tamper with the formations a bit, but there are too many of them and too little time. I won’t be able to handle it well, so that part I’ll leave to you.”

“But those Iron Corpses… I’ll find a way to deal with them…”

Mo Hua calculated carefully.

Situ Fang, hearing this, was surprised:

“How are you going to deal with the Iron Corpses?”

Mo Hua raised two small fingers: “There are two methods…”

“The best way is to steal Zhang Quan’s Corpse-Control Bell. Without it, Zhang Quan can’t control the Iron Corpses—he’d essentially be cutting off his own arms.”

“But the Corpse-Control Bell is extremely important. Zhang Quan will surely carry it on him, so it’s not certain I can steal it.”

“If I can’t steal it, I’ll tamper with the formations on the Iron Corpses, causing them to go out of control. That way, the stronghold will descend into chaos, and when everyone attacks, the Walking Corpse Stronghold will surely be finished.”

Mo Hua’s plan was laid out clearly.

Situ Fang frowned.

It sounded simple when spoken, but in practice, the risks were huge.

She couldn’t help but worry: “Will it work?”

Mo Hua calculated: “Dismantling the formations is easy; I’m nine-tenths certain…”

In truth, he wanted to say ten-tenths, because for him now, dismantling a first-grade formation—or even a partially incomplete first-grade formation—was trivial.

But one shouldn’t be overly confident; always leave some room for uncertainty, so he only said nine-tenths.

“…Stealing Zhang Quan’s Corpse-Control Bell has a very low chance, maybe only ten to twenty percent;”

“Tampering with the Iron Corpses has roughly a fifty to sixty percent chance. One, I don’t know exactly what formations are on them, I haven’t studied them. Two, the Iron Corpses are heavily guarded, so I might not get the opportunity to get close…”

Mo Hua’s voice was crisp and clear.

Situ Fang felt slightly embarrassed.

This kid could gather intelligence, analyze it, and devise strategies based on it.

His thinking was meticulous, his actions careful and composed.

And he was a formation master…

No wonder, as Zhang Lan said, Yang Jiyong had tried every method to recruit Mo Hua into the Dao Military Division.

Situ Fang nodded:

“Good, let’s do it your way.”

Afterwards, Situ Fang invited two elders from the Situ family.

One was Situ Jin, and the other was a tall, lean Foundation Establishment cultivator.

They discussed the finer details again, including the attack timing, hiding spots, spiritual tool preparation, pill purchases, and overall coordination of the cultivators.

Once the plans were finalized, two days later, at night, over two hundred Situ family cultivators gathered and set out for the desolate mountains outside Nanyue City.

The mountains were dark at night, the moon cold, and the forest dense.

Withered grass and strange trees cast bizarre shadows.

Occasionally, a low cry of a demonic beast echoed, as if weeping or lamenting, adding to the eerie silence.

Dressed in black, the group moved swiftly and silently, not uttering a word. By midnight, under Mo Hua’s guidance, they reached the outskirts of the Walking Corpse Stronghold.

Before them lay a bare stone forest.

Mo Hua lowered his voice: “I’ll go in first to take a look. Wait for my signal.”

Without waiting for Situ Fang to respond, he vanished silently.

Situ Fang was slightly stunned.

The two elders behind her were also momentarily frozen, then their faces showed shock.

He’s gone?

And with no trace left?

They were Foundation Establishment cultivators, yet they couldn’t detect how Mo Hua disappeared. Even using Divine Sense, the surroundings were empty.

They couldn’t even detect a Qi-Refining cultivator’s concealment?

What kind of concealment technique was this?

While they were astonished, Mo Hua had already used the Flowing-Water Step to sneak into the Walking Corpse Stronghold.

In front of the stronghold’s gate, there were four or five more guards than before.

It seemed Zhang Quan was still uneasy.

Around the gate, a fake version of Instructor Yan’s “Dust-Revealing Formation” had been set up.

Mo Hua, concealed, swaggered past the formation, then lightly leapt onto the roof, moving deftly to find Instructor Yan’s room.

It was late, and Instructor Yan was still reading a formation manual.

Mo Hua extended his Divine Sense, confirmed no one was around, and quietly entered, whispering:

“Instructor Yan, I’m here to rescue you tonight. Pack your things first.”

Instructor Yan, immersed in study, was startled by the sudden whisper from the shadows.

Upon seeing who it was, he was surprised but remained calm, nodding slightly.

He then began to quietly pack up his formation manuals and charts.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua used this time to dismantle the Walking Corpse Stronghold’s defensive formations.

He worked quickly.

There was no need to conceal traces or worry about damaging the formations, so his movements were bold and efficient.

At daybreak, when the battle began, these formations would be destroyed anyway.

Thus, Mo Hua didn’t hold back.

Simple formations were dismantled outright.

More complex ones, he left partially, drawing reverse-energy arrays.

Once activated, these formations would destabilize due to conflicting spiritual energy, causing partial self-destruction.

This self-destruction was minor and wouldn’t collapse the formations entirely.

Mo Hua’s goal was only to disable the formations, not harm the corpse cultivators in the stronghold.

He didn’t have the ability for that yet.

In the large stronghold, Mo Hua moved with ease, climbing walls, leaping rooftops, traversing beams, or crawling through caves…

Dismantling or disabling each formation one by one.

The route had been planned and simulated multiple times in his mind.

He aimed to disable the maximum number of formations in the shortest time.

After two to three hours, the stronghold’s formations were mostly destroyed.

Mo Hua, slightly tired, rested briefly, then went to Zhang Quan’s private chamber.

Zhang Quan was meditating.

His Corpse-Control Bell was in a storage pouch at his waist.

Mo Hua had observed him for many days—Zhang Quan never separated from the pouch or the bell.

Unless he knocked Zhang Quan unconscious, he couldn’t access the pouch or the bell.

Mo Hua, being only Qi-Refining, wasn’t a match in direct combat.

He lacked the talent and cultivation of his senior brothers and sisters.

Even trying to knock him out would fail.

Mo Hua felt slightly disappointed.

It seemed his guess was correct—stealing the Corpse-Control Bell was impossible under normal circumstances.

Zhang Quan wasn’t foolish enough to give that chance.

Mo Hua then went to the corpse storage chamber.

This was where the stronghold cultivated and stored walking corpses.

The Iron Corpses’ coffins were placed in the deepest part.

Mo Hua saw several corpse cultivators on night watch, with nearby warning formations, so he couldn’t approach.

Previously, these Iron Corpses were unguarded.

It seemed Zhang Quan had learned from past mistakes and was now extremely cautious.

“This is troublesome…”

Mo Hua frowned.

The bell couldn’t be stolen, the Iron Corpses couldn’t be tampered with.

If he acted now, they would surely suffer losses.

He thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.

It seemed he couldn’t handle this alone for now.

Mo Hua stood up and left the stronghold.

Outside, he reported to Situ Fang:

“I’ve dismantled the formations, but I couldn’t steal the Corpse-Control Bell, and the Iron Corpses can’t be touched.”

Situ Fang was slightly surprised.

Dismantling the formations alone had exceeded her expectations.

As for the bell and the Iron Corpses, she had never expected them anyway.

“That’s fine. Being able to dismantle the formations is already excellent,” she said. “Next, do we proceed as planned?”

“Yes.” Mo Hua nodded. “But there’s no need for a full assault. Focus on harassment to create chaos inside.”

“Good.” Situ Fang replied.

Mo Hua glanced at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi:

“During the chaos, let’s rescue Instructor Yan first.”

“Mm.” They nodded.

So, before dawn, while people were fatigued,

Situ Fang and the two Situ family Foundation Establishment elders led over two hundred Situ family cultivators, dressed in black, sneaking into the Walking Corpse Stronghold.

At the gate, a few corpse cultivators were drinking by the fire, speaking indistinctly.

The Foundation Establishment elders led the attack, moving swiftly to the guards and striking with overwhelming force, eliminating all the gate guards!

After ensuring the area was clear, the rest of the Situ family cultivators followed.

After a few waves of attacks, the corpse cultivators discovered them.

The stronghold alarm sounded.

Torches flared in the dark night, illuminating the stronghold.

The bandits drew their swords; the corpse cultivators shook the Corpse-Control Bells.

Coffins trembled, lids lifted, and walking corpses crawled out…

Situ Fang’s eyes flashed with cold light as she shouted:

“Kill!”

The Situ family cultivators revealed their presence, drawing swords, channeling spiritual power, and shouted in unison:

“Kill!”

In an instant, the stronghold was filled with killing intent.

Swords clashed, spiritual energy surged.

Meanwhile, Mo Hua had already rescued Instructor Yan, accompanied by Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi.

“Senior Brother, Senior Sister, get Instructor Yan out first,” Mo Hua instructed.

“What about you?” Bai Zisheng asked.

“I have a little business to take care of.”

Bai Zisheng shook his head: “No, it’s too dangerous. You and Zixi escort Instructor Yan out; I’ll stay behind to cover the rear!”

His tone was resolute.

Mo Hua immediately saw through his thoughts: “You want to stay and fight…”

Bai Zisheng protested: “Nonsense, am I that kind of person?”

Though his words sounded defensive, there was some doubt in them.

Mo Hua advised: “I’ll go after Zhang Quan, keep an eye on him, don’t let him escape…”

“You escort Instructor Yan out, then come back to me. We’ll meet up and take Zhang Quan down.”

Bai Zisheng’s eyes lit up: “Good!”

Bai Zixi looked at Mo Hua and whispered:

“Be careful.”

“Mm, mm.” Mo Hua nodded.

Instructor Yan looked at Mo Hua with concern, about to speak, but Bai Zisheng led him away.

The earlier they went, the sooner they’d return.

He also wanted to come back quickly and deal with that bastard Zhang Quan.

After Instructor Yan left, Mo Hua glanced around and reinforced some formations inside the room.

This way, even if the corpse cultivators sensed something was wrong and tried to break in, it would cost them more effort.

After completing the formations, Mo Hua concealed himself and slipped into Zhang Quan’s private chamber.

To Mo Hua, Zhang Quan’s chamber was like a free inn—come and go as he pleased.

Zhang Quan, oblivious, was serious, talking with a few leading corpse cultivators:

“…How are there enemies?”

“…How did they discover the stronghold?”

“How many?”

“Too dark to see clearly.”

“Maybe one or two hundred, maybe four or five hundred…”

“Which faction? Dao Court Division?”

“Doesn’t look like it… dressed in black, identities unknown.”

“Probably another faction.”

“Damn it, they came unprovoked! Too much insolence!”

“Any Foundation Establishment?”

“Seems like one or two…”

“Leader, what should we do?”

…

Zhang Quan thought for a moment, then sneered:

“Do they really think the Walking Corpse Stronghold is a pushover?”

A dark gleam appeared in his eyes:

“Order everyone to awaken all walking corpses and Iron Corpses. Since they’ve come, don’t let them leave. It’s been a long time since we opened the stronghold; it’s time to feed some ‘stock’.”

One corpse cultivator hesitated:

“Leader, controlling the Iron Corpses might be difficult for a few of us, afraid that…”

Zhang Quan was silent, seemingly deliberating.

After a moment, he grit his teeth and shouted angrily:

“No matter, I’ll set up the altar, burn incense, worship the ancestor’s portrait, and offer the Corpse-Control Bell!”

“Let these intruding petty villains become blood food for the Iron Corpses!”

The corpse cultivators rejoiced, their spirits lifted: “Leader is wise!”

Mo Hua was startled.

Setting up the altar to offer the bell?

Worship the ancestor’s portrait?

Offering the bell… does that mean he’ll take it out?

If it’s taken out, do I have a chance to steal it?

After all, if I fight directly against these corpse cultivators and fearless walking corpses, our casualties will be high.

If I can seize the bell, many casualties could be avoided.

There was one more thing that caught Mo Hua’s attention.

Worship the ancestor’s portrait?

Which ancestor?

What portrait is this?

Could it be…