Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2070 Chapter 986: Grade 3_2

What was once a single squad of "Taoist Soldiers" has expanded into three full teams.

Hunting efficiency surged as a result.

And that's hardly the full story...

Now in his eighth year at Taixu Gate, Mo Hua has advanced to late-stage Foundation Establishment as a disciple.

Two fresh waves of disciples have joined since then.

All these newcomers stick to the monster-hunting routine pioneered by "Brother Mo," heading into the mountains to take down beasts.

This swells the ranks of hunters even further...

The mere thought sends a chill crawling across Mo Hua's scalp.

Refining Demon Mountain stretches endlessly with hordes of Monster Beasts, so wiping them all out seems improbable, yet the Taixu Gate's claimed portion can't sustain Mo Hua alongside his fellow disciples anymore.

Besides, Monster Beasts aren't dim-witted.

As the "Taoist Soldier" hunting method solidifies, Monster Beasts scatter to remote mountain zones.

Thus, Taixu Gate's "territory" ends up even barer of Monster Beasts.

"Won't even spare me a scrap..."

Mo Hua gazed at the desolate mountaintop and heaved a sigh.

He understood this trend had to stop.

Such wild, unchecked hunting can't endure forever, or Refining Demon Mountain risks total exhaustion one day.

"I must devise rules to secure the steady breeding of Monster Beasts across Refining Demon Mountain..."

Mo Hua mused inwardly in silence.

Lest before his arrival, Refining Demon Mountain flourished undisturbed.

But post-arrival, its Monster Beasts face extinction.

Wouldn't that brand him a "calamity"?

No, absolutely not...

Mo Hua wagged his head back and forth.

Afterward, he resumed scouting for Monster Beasts.

Yet after prowling the area briefly, no ideal prey turned up. He glimpsed a handful sporadically, but they proved too feeble to justify drawing his blade.

Left with little recourse, Mo Hua pressed somewhat deeper into Refining Demon Mountain.

Greater numbers of Monster Beasts should lurk in the inner reaches.

Beyond Taixu Gate's domain, he ventured onward into jagged landscapes, haunting woodlands choked with thick miasma; as expected, Monster Beasts began emerging in greater numbers.

Before long, Mo Hua crossed paths with a Huang Diao rat demon.

At mid-phase Second Grade, its fur gleamed dark yellow as it barreled forward amid howling winds, standing human-height despite its rat demon nature.

Catching sight of the lone Mo Hua, the rat demon wrinkled its snout, inhaling the crisp human aroma, and charged with savage intent.

Monster Beasts show no courtesy when feasting on humans.

Mo Hua unleashed the Fireball Technique to engage the Huang Diao rat demon.

Man and demon clashed in a frenzy, gales of yellow whipping about while fireballs streaked wildly; after dozens of exchanges, Mo Hua's brows began to crease slowly.

Fighting the Huang Diao rat demon brought a certain issue to light for him.

The tangible world starkly contrasts the Sea of Consciousness.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, kills unfold as bare Divine Thought clashes; lethal assaults from either side can strike the Divine Thought outright or even the Divine Soul.

Yet in the physical realm, human Divine Sense nestles securely within the Sea of Consciousness.

A demon's Monster Sensing dwells similarly in its cranial sea.

This imposes restrictions, yet offers defense too.

Mo Hua's Divine Thought lacks the might to bore through bodily tissue and assail a cultivator's or Monster Beast's core Divine Sense or Monster Sensing.

Not yet, in any case.

The lone avenue lies through the eyes.

Shaping Divine Thought into a Sword that bursts from Mo Hua's eyes demands entry via another cultivator's or Monster Beast's eyes to wound their inner sense.

He needs to stare straight into the Monster Beast's eyes.

The Monster Beast must peer back into his.

Only so can the Godslaying Sword's emergence prove potent.

Such understanding hit Mo Hua right in the thick of his skirmish with the Huang Diao rat demon.

Yet the snag was this: for all its bulk, the Huang Diao rat demon sported minuscule eyes.

Blood-red slits like a cat's, set wide on the sides of the rat demon's skull.

Achieving mutual gaze with it challenged Mo Hua greatly.

On top of that, the Huang Diao rat demon zipped about nimbly, weaving side to side while churning yellow gusts that blinded with swirling sand and debris; Mo Hua barely glimpsed its eyes at all.

Lacking a view of the eyes, the Godslaying Sword fails to slice past flesh into its Divine Soul.

This Huang Diao rat demon wouldn't serve for "testing the sword."

Dozens more clashes passed, but the rat demon's tiny eyes yielded no gap whatsoever to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua finally relented.

He could dispatch this mid-phase Second Grade rat demon if inclined, employing particular tactics.

Still, it would drain him excessively.

His mountain trek aimed at sword-testing, not routine Monster Hunting.

Besides, Refining Demon Mountain posed risks; a lingering brawl with undue racket might summon other Monster Beasts and spark complications.

Mo Hua shot the Huang Diao rat demon a parting glance, then his silhouette wavered, dissolving into vapor and fading away.

In that instant, the Huang Diao rat demon had no inkling its puny eyes had preserved it.

Watching Mo Hua melt into mist and slip out of view.

The Huang Diao rat demon paused in bewilderment, then bellowed in rage.

It mashed its nose against the soil, snuffling persistently until it latched onto a lingering, mouthwatering trace.

Greed tugged at the Huang Diao rat demon, though its steps faltered.

Its cunning may have been scant, but primal caution gripped it. Following near a hundred bouts, it perceived this youthful human strayed from the norm of cultivators.

He displayed no real techniques, merely cycling the Fireball Technique endlessly, yet an ominous chill emanated from him.

The Huang Diao rat demon exposed its fangs, yet in the end shied from pursuit, tunneling into the earth and bolting the reverse route.

Deeper in the woodland elsewhere, Mo Hua kept probing for Monster Beasts.

Soon after, he met a handful more—a Wolf Demon, Dog Demon, Snake Demon, and Bear Demon—each hovering between mid-phase and late-stage Second Grade in realm.

Not one granted him a solid shot at testing the sword.

Monster Beasts diverge wildly from humans, boasting freakish and manifold shapes.

These specimens bore eyes twisted, askew, slim, diminutive, or solitary... barring any chance of locking gazes.