Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2069 Chapter 986: Grade 3

After stepping into the Refining Demon Mountain, moving beyond the mountain gate and heading directly uphill, Mo Hua abruptly halted and called out to the woods nearby:

"Elder Xun."

Moments later, Elder Xun gradually stepped out from the thick woods.

Mo Hua figured it was just as he expected, then he bowed with a grin:

"Elder Xun, I'm heading up the mountain to practice a minor skill, nothing major, so you don't need to trail after me."

The Godslaying Sword technique counts as an advanced form of channeling Divine Thought into sword True Jue.

And the Taixu Mind Transforming Sword True Jue stands as a prohibited sword art from the Taixu Gate.

When Patriarch Dugu passed it on to Mo Hua, he sternly warned him against sharing it with anyone.

Mo Hua also felt uneasy about letting Elder Xun Ziyou witness it.

Elder Xun Ziyou pondered briefly and quickly caught on.

What Mo Hua aimed to practice was likely some hidden legacy.

Perhaps a Formation, a Taoist Skill, or maybe a movement technique...

Such legacies had to come from the patriarch himself.

Given the patriarch's deep affection for Mo Hua and his remarkable gifts, the techniques shared with him were far from commonplace secrets, and truly not for him to snoop on.

Elder Xun Ziyou's guess hit the mark.

Only, what he couldn't foresee was that the "patriarch" was indeed a patriarch, but not the one he had in mind.

Elder Xun Ziyou double-checked, "You're certain there's no issue?"

Mo Hua gave a nod, "Yes, don't worry, I'll handle it myself."

Elder Xun Ziyou mulled it over and consented. Inside the sealed tomb of Solitary Mountain City, he'd dealt with numerous Late Golden Core Stage Demon Heads, and Mo Hua managed flawlessly. No doubt, this was under the clear light of day on Refining Demon Mountain.

"Very well." Elder Xun Ziyou nodded, "I'll stay at the mountain gate sipping tea. If trouble arises, send word with the Taixu Token."

"Yes, thanks, Elder Xun." Mo Hua clasped his hands and replied.

Elder Xun Ziyou dismissed it with a wave, "Go on and practice alone, I won't bother you."

With Mo Hua preferring solitude, he was glad to relax.

After all, stationed right at the mountain gate with his tea, he could dash to Mo Hua's aid the instant something went wrong.

With those words exchanged, Elder Xun Ziyou spun around and descended the mountain path.

Yet midway, he halted briefly, a question stirring in his thoughts:

"How did young Mo Hua spot me concealed in that thicket earlier?"

Was it a hunch?

A hunch would explain it; this kid had a sharp intellect beyond normal, and since he trailed him often, guessing wasn't out of the question.

But a mere hunch probably wouldn't pinpoint his exact hiding spot so precisely...

Perhaps... he sensed it?

Elder Xun Ziyou's pulse quickened.

As a Late Golden Core Stage expert with years of know-how, his "tailing" of Mo Hua was done with utmost care, his aura fully masked...

How was he still noticed?

This seemed utterly impossible...

Elder Xun Ziyou's brows knit tightly.

...

Meanwhile, Mo Hua had ventured deeper into Refining Demon Mountain.

He sought a suitable monster beast to "test his sword" against.

Monster beasts boasted sturdy frames, profound demonic power, and savage bloodlust; their might often surpassed a cultivator's by a minor realm.

Thus, a mid-phase Second Grade beast suited him best.

A late-phase Second Grade might prove tricky, yet still manageable.

Regarding Third Grade...

Mo Hua set it aside for now.

Third Grade meant Golden Core Realm monster beasts, brimming with overwhelming blood qi that felt almost solid, and their demonic power left him hopelessly outmatched.

Truth be told, Mo Hua had zero desire to clash with a Third Grade monster beast.

There was no benefit in it.

One slip-up, even a graze from a Golden Core monster beast, and he feared his life would end right there.

Besides, Mo Hua doubted whether his Godslaying Sword technique could even scratch a Third Grade monster beast.

At peak condition, if he could unleash the full might of the Godslaying Sword—fused with the Five Elements Sword Formation, Tai Xu Sword Intent, and Taishang Emotion Cutting Sword—without any drain, Mo Hua believed he could fell the awareness of a Third Grade monster beast.

But currently, treating his eyes as the gateway, guiding with his Spirit Power, and piercing the divide between illusion and reality via his outward Divine Thought sword technique, the strength dropped to merely a tenth.

That made outcomes uncertain.

Reduced to a tenth of its power, what results could he expect?

Hence, picking a mid-level Second Grade beast for sword testing was the wisest move; even if slaying failed, retreat remained easy, free of strain.

Mo Hua resolved himself and roamed the mountain slopes.

Surprisingly, he hadn't hunted monsters on Refining Demon Mountain in ages, so the landscape felt familiar yet oddly changed.

But as he roamed, Mo Hua sensed something off.

The monster beasts across Refining Demon Mountain appeared to have dwindled sharply all of a sudden.

The whole mountain exuded an unusual tranquility.

After trekking several li, not a single monster beast's trace appeared.

Mo Hua furrowed his brow, "Where have the monster beasts gone?"

"Did someone wipe them all out?"

"Who could have done that?"

Mo Hua paused to think, then gradually pieced it together—it seemed like...

His fellow disciples from Taixu Gate were behind it...

It had to be them, still applying his "Monster Hunting Strategy," deploying the Demon Hunting Formation he outlined, wearing the demon hunting armor he crafted, and using the Spiritual Artifacts Master Gu forged specially for beast slaying... they took down these monsters...

Through teamwork and shifting into Taoist Soldiers for hunts, their pace naturally surged, accelerating the slaughter.

Normally, though, it wouldn't deplete so swiftly.

The rapid drop likely stemmed from the Three Sects Unification.

Taixu Gate, Tai'a Sect, and Rushing Void Sect had united as one, swelling their disciple numbers over threefold.

Mo Hua's group of Junior Brothers had grown accordingly.

With the three sects now fused under a single banner.

Disciples from Tai'a Sect and Rushing Void Sect likewise addressed Mo Hua as "Junior Brother" and adhered to his "Monster Hunting Process."