Chapter 162: Concealment (Part 1)_1 Mo Hua went to ask Elder Yu, “Elder, how much longer do we need to guard the Spiritual mines?” Elder Yu took a sip of wine, thought for a moment, and said, “Hard to say.” Mo Hua didn’t quite understand. Then Elder Yu explained, “If things keep going like this, the Qian Family is bound to lose without a doubt, and that old guy Qian Zhongxuan won’t be able to turn the tide. But since this is about Spiritual mines, I estimate the Qian Family won’t just let it go and will probably think of other ways.” Mo Hua nodded in agreement. In the following days, the Qian Family kept a low profile and made no major moves. It was not until one morning, before dawn, in the midst of a thin mist, that a large group of cultivators of various appearances entered Big Black Mountain, reaching the base of Nameless Peak to greet Elder Qian. It was then that Qian Zhuang realized what Elder Qian meant by “even if it costs a fortune.” He really did spend a fortune, hiring a large team of cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refinement from outside Tongxian City. “How many Spirit Stones must that have cost…” Qian Zhuang thought with a wince. Upon receiving the news, Elder Yu widened his eyes and said, “This grandson Qian Zhongxuan, he really is willing to spend.” Mo Hua then asked, “Elder, where are these cultivators from?” “Hired from outside the city with Flower Spirit Stones, these cultivators generally roam around. Whoever gives them Spirit Stones, they will risk their lives for; they only recognize Spirit Stones, not people. But the cost of hiring them is also considerable; Qian Zhongxuan is likely bleeding money.” “Can we win against them?” “Let’s fight and find out,” Elder Yu sighed. Both sides started to line up, but the uniform silver-white robes of the Qian Family cultivators were now mixed with many other cultivators, varied in appearance and attire, making the formation look somewhat ragtag. Elder Yu opened his mouth and said, “Qian Zhongxuan, is this motley crew of yours up to the task?” Qian Zhongxuan’s eyelids twitched, “Old man, spare me your clever words!” “Must have cost you a fair amount of Spirit Stones…” Elder Yu clicked his tongue, “Slashing at your own flesh to invite wolves and tigers, that’s really something.” Qian Zhongxuan didn’t want to talk; he truly had spent a fortune, so just mentioning it made his heart bleed. “We had an agreement beforehand; this was a dispute over the Spiritual mines between the Qian Family and us Monster Hunters. Can these mercenaries you hired with money be considered Qian Family cultivators?” Elder Yu cried out loudly in inquiry. Qian Zhongxuan snorted coldly, “I gave them Spirit Stones, so they are people of the Qian Family.” Elder Yu spat, “Then if I slept with your old mother and gave her Spirit Stones, would she count as mine too?” “You!” Qian Zhongxuan was so angry he couldn’t speak. Elder Yu didn’t let him off, saying, “By that logic, am I not your cheap father? Unworthy son, come and kowtow to your father! Haha!” The Monster Hunters all laughed along. Qian Zhongxuan’s defenses were completely shattered, and he pointed forward with trembling fingers, “Kill them!!” Elder Yu also suppressed his laughter, his voice deep as he ordered, “Kill!” The momentums of both sides surged instantly, as a great battle was about to erupt. After a few moments of combat, Elder Yu observed the situation, his brow slightly furrowed. The Qian Family cultivators were still not a threat, but these hired cultivators were quite troublesome. The Monster Hunters were experienced from a hundred battles, though mostly against Monster Beasts, while those hired by the Qian Family were used to collecting Spirit Stones in exchange for risking their lives against other cultivators. In terms of coordination, they couldn’t match the Monster Hunters, but they had an endless supply of devious and bizarre tactics, and their Taoist Skills were varied and tricky. At first, they were not easy to handle. “Elder Yu, can we win against them?” Mo Hua asked somewhat worriedly. After pondering for a moment, Elder Yu replied, “We should be able to.” After saying this, he explained, “These hired cultivators seem tough only because they have just joined the fray, and we are not familiar with them. If we engage in prolonged battle, once we familiarize ourselves with the methods of these cultivators, matters will become much easier.” “Monster Hunters hunt year-round and fight side by side, developing a mutual understanding. They hold an advantage in such large-scale battles. Besides, we have iron armor; as long as they can’t break through our iron armor, we will eventually have the upper hand.” Mo Hua nodded, feeling relieved. At the start of the battle, the Monster Hunter, hired by the cultivators, indeed struggled to cope, but once he adapted, the situation gradually stabilized. The iron-armored Monster Hunter, moving as if he were in a land uninhabited, killed slowly yet wherever he went, both Qian Family cultivators and hired cultivators could only evade his sharpness. Gradually, more flaws appeared in the Qian Family’s defenses and they were slowly suppressed by the Monster Hunter. Watching the iron-armored Monster Hunter, Qian Zhongxuan remained unflustered, even revealing a cold smile. At the same time, Mo Hua detected a trace of abnormality through his Divine Sense, furrowing his brow and staring intently toward the battlefield. He saw an iron-armored Monster Hunter suddenly have his throat slit open by a blade, blood gushing out. The Monster Hunter clutched at his throat, half-kneeling on the ground while the surrounding hired cultivators pounced like hungry wolves. Fortunately, Yu Chengyi was nearby and immediately intervened to save him, strenuously holding back the attacking hired cultivators. With Mo Shan coming to assist, the two of them together managed to rescue the Monster Hunter. Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart filled with sudden doubts. What exactly happened? He had seen nothing, and then the Monster Hunter’s throat was cut. Although the iron armor was sturdy, it couldn’t cover the whole body, and vital areas like the neck, eyes, and joints were still exposed. If it had been an open battle, one could take precautions beforehand, but that attack had been imperceptible. Mo Hua had only sensed a trace of abnormality with his Divine Sense; with the naked eye, nothing was visible. Mo Hua looked toward Elder Yu, noticing that Elder Yu was also deeply concerned, murmuring, 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 “It must be the Concealment Technique.” “The Concealment Technique?” Mo Hua was taken aback, “Can it conceal one’s presence?” Elder Yu nodded and said, “Yes, the Concealment Technique, as the name suggests, is a spell that can hide one’s presence. After using the Concealment Technique, the person will become invisible, completely unseen by the naked eye.” Mo Hua was astonished and couldn’t help asking, “Can I learn it?” Knowing the Concealment Technique would make traveling in the Cultivation World much more convenient! “It requires a water series Spiritual Root to learn, and you have the Small Five Elements Spiritual Root, which, although includes water series, might not be solely suitable for mastering it,” Elder Yu dampened the enthusiasm a bit. Mo Hua was somewhat disappointed but then worriedly asked, “Then how do we counter this spell?” Elder Yu sighed, “It depends on Divine Sense. The Concealment Technique can only hide one’s form and to some extent mask one’s aura, but it can’t hide the presence of Spiritual Power. As long as your Divine Sense is stronger, you can see through the Concealment Technique.” “That will be tricky,” Mo Hua said. Monster Hunters were not known for their strong Divine Sense, and if they could not see through the Concealment Technique, they would be like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of their adversaries. On the battlefield, quite a few Monster Hunters fell to surprise attacks, bleeding profusely. Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened. In such a chaotic fight, still being able to move with ease indicated that the cultivator was not only skilled in the Concealment Technique but also extremely experienced and agile, with sharp Divine Sense. What to do? Mo Hua was getting anxious. Just then, Mo Hua suddenly felt a disturbance around Mo Shan, who was fighting valiantly. “Be careful!” Mo Hua couldn’t help shouting out. But he was too far away, and in the chaos, his voice couldn’t reach. Mo Shan, who was in close combat and exposed to vulnerability, was subject to an attack by the hidden cultivator. At the critical moment, relying on his extensive experience, Mo Shan instinctively tilted his neck to the side as a dagger slid past, grazing him and drawing a streak of blood. Although he bled, the wound wasn’t severe. Mo Shan turned cold eyes around, retaliating, but there was nothing but empty air, no one in sight. Gone? Mo Shan frowned, realizing that if things continued this way, the situation would become dire. He wiped the blood from his neck and felt somewhat fortunate; good thing he had sensed the killing intent and ducked just in time, or it would have been dangerous. Watching this scene, Mo Hua’s heart relaxed a bit, and then his little face turned serious. “Dare to ambush my dad, I’ll remember you!”