Chapter 272: Asking for Directions
Between the cliffs, upon an invisible path, Mo Hua treaded carefully.
After the time it takes for a cup of tea, he finally reached the opposite side.
As he climbed up and set foot on the cliff's edge, the surrounding mist thickened abruptly. The miasma grew so dense that his head started spinning.
He quickly took out two Anti-Miasma Pills and swallowed them. Circulating his spiritual power, he refined the medicinal energy until his dizziness subsided somewhat.
Looking around, he realized he was in a small forest. There was no one else in sight.
Aside from the heavier fog and the faint poison in the air, it looked no different from the inner mountains.
"Where are those Criminal Cultivators? Could it be they're not here?"
Mo Hua murmured to himself.
He carefully wandered about, but the dense fog shrouded the sunlight, making the forest dim and disorienting. He couldn't tell which direction he was heading and soon lost his bearings.
Most troubling of all—there wasn't the slightest trace of any cultivator.
Mo Hua sat down, feeling a bit lost.
Could his deduction have been wrong?
That shouldn't be possible…
He pondered for a moment and suddenly found something odd.
On the other side of the cliff, the sunlight had been bright and the fog not particularly thick. Yet after crossing the stone path into these deep mountains, why had the mist become so heavy?
The sunlight on both sides wasn't very different; even if fog formed here, it shouldn't be this dense.
Extending his Divine-Sense, Mo Hua examined the surroundings and immediately frowned.
Within the fog were faint threads of spiritual power—woven together like rune patterns, condensed all around him.
An ordinary cultivator might not notice, but Mo Hua recognized it instantly—these were array patterns drawn by a formation master!
Realization dawned on him.
The heavy fog in the deep mountains wasn't natural—it was caused by an array formation that condensed and trapped the mist, making visibility nearly zero.
Excitement flickered in his eyes. Following the traces of the array, he found a large tree, took out a dagger, and chiseled away the bark.
Beneath the dry bark, an array was hidden—nine runes in total, a first-grade formation based on water-type spiritual power. The strokes were somewhat unfamiliar in form and execution.
He hadn't seen this type before, but it was likely a Mist Formation.
Its function was to condense water vapor, keeping it suspended between forest and ground, forming a mist that never dissipated.
Finding it interesting, and with no one around, Mo Hua took out paper and brush, carefully copying the formation stroke by stroke.
Normally, studying arrays required array diagrams.
An array diagram contained precise schematics—stroke sequences, ink ratios, rune categories, core structure, and various cautions.
Reverse-engineering a formation just by observing the array itself was far more difficult.
But for Mo Hua, it was only a first-grade array—peculiar in its patterns, yet still within the framework of the Five Elements. Hardly a challenge.
After copying it five or six times, he had grasped most of its structure.
The mist could deceive the eyes—but the array beneath could not deceive a formation master like Mo Hua.
Not only within the tree bark, but also across nearby rocks, soil, and bushes, traces of the same formation appeared.
By tracing their distribution, Mo Hua could roughly infer the path hidden within the mist.
The moment he realized this, his mind cleared as if the fog itself had parted.
He no longer needed to worry about the mist; as long as he used the Mist Formations as markers, he wouldn't get lost.
The formation master who set these up had intended to use the fog to confuse intruders' sense of direction.
Yet ironically, the very same Mist formations had given Mo Hua his compass.
Stowing away his brush and paper, Mo Hua spread his Divine-Sense once more, locating the array nodes and moving deeper into the mountain.
After a few steps, another thought occurred to him—if others could set up formations, so could he.
He still had a few Compass Needles etched with Compass Child Formations left over from the inner mountains. He might as well plant them along the way.
That way, if anything unexpected occurred, he would be alerted in advance.
Preparedness ensures survival; unpreparedness brings ruin.
A little foresight was better than panic in crisis.
As he advanced along the Mist Formation's trail, he discreetly placed the compass needles in hidden spots.
Gradually, he became more familiar with the forest's paths.
However, after walking for quite some time, he still hadn't seen any Criminal Cultivators.
Mo Hua frowned. Had he overlooked something? Or were those fugitives simply hiding too well?
Should he return and try again another day?
Just as he hesitated, footsteps echoed through the mist.
Mo Hua's heart tensed. With no rocks or thick brush nearby to conceal himself, he took three swift steps, activating his [Flowing-Water Step], and silently climbed up a large tree.
Crouching on a branch, he realized he had already activated his [Concealment Technique]. For any ordinary Qi-Refining cultivator, both sight and Divine-Sense would fail to detect him.
Still—better safe than sorry.
What if it was a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
The footsteps grew nearer. Through the swirling mist, two hazy figures emerged, accompanied by indistinct conversation.
"Brother… this the right path? You sure you ain't tricking me?"
"Relax, no mistake."
"This fog's thick as hell… we've been walking forever…"
"If it weren't this thick, we'd have been spotted already."
"...You think we can really get in?"
"What, don't trust me?"
…
As they approached, Mo Hua saw them clearly—one fat, one thin, both late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators.
He exhaled in relief. As long as they weren't Foundation Establishment, it was fine.
Even if they saw through his concealment, he could handle it. And at their level, without Foundation-level Divine-Sense, they couldn't possibly see through his technique.
Through the mist, he couldn't see their faces clearly, but their clothing was mismatched, their voices sharp and shifty. Their behavior reeked of petty villainy.
"Could they be Criminal Cultivators?"
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. If so, that was a lead.
Even if they weren't part of the deep-mountain fugitives, they likely knew the path in.
The two men wandered through the misty forest, occasionally pulling out a map and gesturing at routes. After several twists and turns, they stopped before a massive tree stump.
"Here?" the thin one asked.
"That's right," the fat one replied.
"What now?"
"We wait."
"Wait for what?"
"Midnight."
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat.
Midnight—offer a name and ask for the path.
So they were outsiders seeking entry to the Criminal Cultivators' den.
He frowned. Did he have to wait with them?
It was getting late, and he still wanted to return early.
But now that he'd come this far, if he left, the lead would vanish—and he might never get another chance.
"Then I'll wait too…"
Patiently, Mo Hua settled in.
As noon approached, the two men grew bored and hungry, taking out dry rations to eat.
After a few bites, the thin one spat, "Dry as dirt—tastes like bird crap! What a damn punishment!"
The fat one glanced at him coldly. "Be glad you've got something to eat. You'd rather dine on prison rations in the Dao Court's dungeon?"
The thin one grinned awkwardly. "Eat too much of that, and I'd be having execution rations next."
The fat one shook his head.
Then the thin one asked, "Brother, how many lives you carrying on your back?"
The fat one thought for a moment, then raised a brow. "Six, give or take."
The thin one gave a thumbs-up. "Impressive. I only got four."
He began counting on his fingers. "One old man over a hundred, one cultivator in his thirties, one female cultivator, and her kid."
The fat one looked mildly surprised. "You counted the child too?"
"If I don't, that's only three. Don't wanna lose face next to you."
"No matter." The fat one patted his shoulder. "Stick with me. Once we're in the deep mountains, life'll be good—food, drink, no one to judge us."
The thin one beamed. "Then I'll be counting on you, big brother!"
The fat one pulled out a small bundle—inside was a strip of dried meat and a jug of wine.
"Kept this special. We've come far, escaped those Dao Court dogs, and made it here alive. Worth a toast."
The thin one's eyes lit up. "You think of everything, brother."
They shared the meat and wine—barely enough to fill their bellies, but enough to lift their spirits.
When the meal was done, the fat one suddenly frowned, glancing toward the tree stump.
"Something's there."
The thin one, half-drunk, blinked and stepped forward to check.
The fat one silently followed—and when the thin one bent to look, he drew his sword and thrust it straight through the man's heart.
The thin cultivator froze, eyes widening as he saw the blade tip burst from his chest. His heart was pierced clean through. The sword withdrew—blood spurted in torrents.
He turned slowly, disbelief twisting his face.
The fat one's expression was cold. "Brother… that meal was your last."
The thin man's eyes blazed with rage, but before he could speak, the fat one grabbed his throat, slammed him against the stump, and sliced his head clean off.
The head rolled, blood splattering across the ground—and staining the fat man's robes red.
He didn't care.
"Brothers share everything—wine, meat, and, well… your head. Don't hold it against me."
He picked up the lifeless head, turned toward the shadowy mountain wall, and hurled it.
The head hit the ground with a dull thud—and the mountain wall dissolved into mist.
Behind it appeared a sinister, blood-reeking mountain gate, upon which three ancient characters glowed faintly:
Black Mountain Stronghold.
...
Author's Note:
*Thanks to "Dark Night Star Dust" for the reward~*
This novel isn't exactly a "cautious protagonist" story, haha.
Mo Hua is careful, yes—but not paralyzed by caution.
If something must be done, even if difficult or risky, he'll face it head-on.
A feature recommendation is coming soon, so I'll post more then.
Thanks everyone for your support—may your days be happy and bright!
(End of Chapter)