The affairs of Black Mountain Stronghold had essentially come to a close.
The identity of the Patriarch of the Qian Family had been exposed, and the Qian Family could no longer rely on Black Mountain Stronghold to commit evil acts.
Without the support of the Qian Family, Black Mountain Stronghold could not develop further;
without the backing of Black Mountain Stronghold, the Qian Family could not continue to grow.
Even though the instigator, the Patriarch of the Qian Family, was still in hiding within Big Black Mountain, it was unlikely he could stir up any trouble in the short term.
No matter how strong a Foundation Building Cultivator is, without the support of a clan or power, he is just a Foundation Building Cultivator, with great cultivation but nowhere to apply it.
Besides, the seriously injured Patriarch of the Qian Family wouldn’t have much strength left.
But to completely wrap up the matter of Black Mountain Stronghold, there were two things left to do:
First was to find the third householder.
He was an Evil Formation Master who could draw Evil Formations and could not be left unattended, or he would undoubtedly bring endless disasters.
Formation Masters were extraordinary to begin with, let alone the third householder who was an Evil Formation Master at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Even if his talent was subpar and he was unwilling to put in effort, still being a first-grade Formation Master, he should not be underestimated.
After all, without those Formations he drew, Black Mountain Stronghold might have been discovered long ago, and it wouldn’t have been able to remain hidden in Big Black Mountain for so long.
The second thing was to hunt down the Patriarch of the Qian Family.
Mo Hua always felt that the Patriarch of the Qian Family wasn’t so simple.
The Patriarch of the Qian Family was very calculating, with more twists and turns in his mind than a rat’s burrows.
The day he was besieged, even though he seemed to be at his wit’s end, the Patriarch of the Qian Family remained too calm.
Mo Hua couldn’t understand.
Did he truly have something to rely on, or was it merely that he was very calculating, with emotions that never showed on his face, even if death was imminent, never exposing the desperate or cornered ugliness?
Mo Hua didn’t know if he still had any conspiracies or schemes.
However, as long as they caught or killed the Patriarch of the Qian Family, all these matters would ultimately settle.
Even if he had any schemes, as long as he took them to his grave, Mo Hua wouldn’t mind.
The first clue Mo Hua found was that of the third householder.
The main householder, hiding within the Qian Family, had already been executed.
And the third householder was very likely still hiding in the depths of the mountains.
Taoist Soldiers were still searching the mountain, and for several days in a row, there had been no news of the third householder or the Patriarch of the Qian Family.
So, Mo Hua volunteered to help with the search.
Ever since he learned the Calculation Method of Divine Sense, his perception of the spiritual power trajectories of formations became even more sensitive.
If the third householder were hiding in the mountains, he would definitely set up formations, and as long as he deployed formations, the running of the formations would generate spiritual power trajectories, shining like bright fires in the dark night, unable to escape the detection of Mo Hua’s Divine Sense.
Leader Yang, worried, decided to accompany Mo Hua into the deep mountains.
The mountains were vast, and Black Mountain Stronghold was only a part of them; besides, there were many desolate, overgrown, and miasmic places without a soul in sight.
Under Leader Yang’s protection, Mo Hua observed his surroundings while extending his Divine Sense, searching for traces of formations.
A Formation Master who does not deploy formations is not a good Formation Master.
As long as a formation is deployed, it can’t hide from Mo Hua’s Divine Sense.
Half a day later, Mo Hua finally spotted traces of a formation on a cliff.
And it was the familiar Concealment Formation!
In the area near Tongxian City, other than himself, probably only the third householder could draw a Concealment Formation.
The engrossed third Householder had no idea that despite hiding in such a secluded cave, he still couldn’t escape Mo Hua’s "prying eyes."
Mo Hua craned his neck curiously to take a closer look at the third Householder, hoping to find out what he was actually doing.
After a while, he understood.
The third Householder was drawing a Formation, and it was an Evil Formation at that!
It was an Evil Formation again...
Mo Hua’s heart grew cautious, and he became more alert, wanting to see what the Evil Formation actually looked like.
After a while, Mo Hua felt somewhat disappointed.
Indeed, as Bai Zixi had said, the Evil Formation belonged to the dubious and unorthodox practices but wasn’t any profound knowledge of Formation art.
The Evil Formation derived from orthodox Formations. In the pursuit of quick success, it changed the Formation media, brushes, ink, and some Formation Pivot structures.
Using flesh and blood as the Formation media could save on Divine Sense; using human blood as ink could enhance the power of the Formation. However, the essence of the Formation Patterns were oversimplified, cutting corners and thus shallow.
The so-called Evil Formation was more like a "shortcut" in the practice of Formations,
a "quick-fix" approach to Formation arts.
Though they seemed profound and terrifying, the true "Dao" behind them was crude, superficial, and scarcely commendable.
Whether in the practice of Tao Cultivation or in Formation arts, seeking quick success may lead to a faster start, but ultimately, it is impossible to go far or to comprehend the ultimate Great Dao.
Mo Hua tried to perform the Calculation in his mind again, and the patterns of the Evil Formation clearly emerged in his thoughts.
No wonder Bai Zixi said he might "learn it in one go."
Mo Hua lost interest.
The insidious, evil tricks of the Evil Formation might look fierce, but in reality were not very interesting.
The technical content was too low...
Mo Hua didn’t bother to continue watching and tiptoed out.
Outside the cave, Leader Yang was on full alert, staring intently at the cave entrance.
Suddenly Mo Hua appeared beside him, giving him a start.
"When did you come out?"
"Just now..."
Leader Yang coughed to cover his embarrassment and asked with feigned composure, "Is the third Householder inside?"
Mo Hua nodded, "He is inside. There’s a secret passageway. You go in and catch him; don’t let him escape!"
Mo Hua took out some paper and a pen and drew a rough map of the cave, marking everything clearly.
Where the Formations were, what they were, their function, the safest way to go to avoid traps and not alarm anyone, what mechanisms were inside the cave, and where the secret passageway was...
Mo Hua told Leader Yang all of it.
Leader Yang couldn’t help but be impressed.
He even wanted to keep Mo Hua like a Magical Treasure on him at all times.
With him around, conducting military operations would be so much easier!
But Leader Yang knew that this was just wishful thinking.
Such a fanciful notion was utterly impossible.
Having memorized the route, Leader Yang followed in Mo Hua’s footsteps, sneaking into the cave. Soon after, the cave echoed with sounds of a scuffle and the third Householder’s cries of alarm and anger.
Some time passed, and the noises subsided.
Inside the cave, Leader Yang called out, "Mo Hua!"
Mo Hua knew then that the third Householder had been subdued. Revitalized, he swaggered back into the cave.