Chapter 254: Chapter 253: Encirclement_1 Mo Hua finished drawing the Formation without alarming the Sin Cultivator, and then quietly retreated back behind the cover of the bushes. “I’ve finished drawing the Formation, leaving only a gap. We will pass through there tomorrow.” Mo Hua pointed out the gap in the Formation to Zhang Lan. Zhang Lan nodded, “You’ve worked hard.” Lu Hui said, “Court Leader Zhang, do you know if Young Master Kong Sheng is inside the valley?” Zhang Lan shook his head, “I’ve been watching all afternoon and have not seen Young Master Kong.” Mo Hua had also used Divine Sense to scout the area just now. All that were inside were Sin Cultivators; not a single other Cultivator to be seen, let alone Kong Sheng. It seemed likely that he truly was beyond saving now. Lu Hui’s expression gradually became grave. If Kong Sheng really was dead, how would he explain it to the Kong Family? Zhang Lan stopped paying him any attention, instead picking out several Cultivators to take turns on guard. Everyone else rested in their clothes, closed their eyes to restore their spirit, waiting for daybreak to make a move. Noise persisted for a while inside the cave, then gradually subsided with occasional soft snoring and mumbling. As dawn approached, these Sin Cultivators were still lying askew, with the few standing guard near the mouth of the valley dozing off as well. This location was hidden; having sheltered here for so long without being discovered made them inevitably become lax. Zhang Lan drew his sword, exchanged glances with the people behind him, and said in a low voice, “Let’s move!” The group entered the valley through the gap in the Earth Fire Formation, and upon seeing a Sin Cultivator, they directly covered his mouth and nose and slashed his throat with a blade. After killing a few this way, they were suddenly discovered. A Sin Cultivator shouted, “Who is it? How dare you!” Noises erupted, and a melee began. Mo Hua did not enter the valley. In this situation, his participation in the fight was of little significance, so he watched from the outside for the time being. Before long, a Sin Cultivator who was losing scurried toward the mouth of the valley and stepped on the Earth Fire Formation there. With a flash of fire, these Loose Cultivators were blown by the Earth Fire Formation into the air and crashed to the ground, looking pitiful. Not far away, Lu Hui’s eyelid twitched upon seeing this scene. The power of this Earth Fire Formation was much stronger than he had imagined. What level of Formation Master was that young Cultivator after all? Meanwhile, the battle inside the valley also began to reach a deadlock. These Sin Cultivators were tough opponents, proving rather troublesome to deal with. Fortunately, they were groggy from being suddenly awakened from drunkenness, so the overall situation was still favorable for the Taoist Court. Zhang Lan, using his movement technique, was able to move freely among the Sin Cultivators, while condensing Sword Qi in his hand to attack several Spiritual Cultivators among the Sin Cultivators. Suddenly, his gaze shifted as he spotted Bald Tuo trying to escape and shouted: “Bald Tuo! Don’t let him get away!” Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai rushed to engage Bald Tuo in combat, with Lu Hui also joining the fight. Zhang Lan wanted to provide support, but he was currently unable to extract himself; he had to deal with several Spiritual Cultivators among the Sin Cultivators first, otherwise, his own Cultivators would become living targets for those Spiritual Cultivators. Bald Tuo had profound cultivation, but he could not hold his ground against three opponents and gradually fell into a disadvantage. Ji Qingbai spotted a flaw in Bald Tuo’s defense and chopped down with his concealed wooden sword technique, the blade wreathed in surging pale green Spiritual Power. Bald Tuo couldn’t dodge in time and was about to be cleaved by the blade when suddenly Lu Hui’s sword veered to stab directly at the back of Ji Qingbai’s neck. “Be careful!” shouted Mo Shan. At the warning, Ji Qingbai tried to retract his blade to parry, but it was already too late. Mo Shan, who was engaged in combat with Bald Tuo, seeing this, angled his blade to forcefully deflect Lu Hui’s sword, but the shock numbed his arm, sent his blood boiling, and stalled his movement, exposing a weakness. Bald Tuo, fighting Mo Shan, saw the opportunity, his gaze flashed viciously, and he chopped with a blade wrapped in a pale white Wind Blade at Mo Shan. Bald Tuo, possessing the rare Wind-based Spiritual Root, had extremely fast movement techniques and was equally quick with his strikes. Mo Shan, having just forcefully parried Lu Hui’s sword, was out of breath and unable to evade the slash. Ji Qingbai, however, turned around, held his sword across, and stood in front of Mo Shan, taking Bald Tuo’s strike for him. He was shaken by the Spiritual Power, causing him to spit out blood. With the opportunity, Bald Tuo, as swift as the wind, immediately escaped from amidst their encirclement. Lu Hui paid no heed to Bald Tuo but continued to attempt to sword Ji Qingbai. Zhang Lan summoned a Water Sword Technique, slashing it down in front of him. “Court Leader Lu, what do you think you’re doing?” Zhang Lan said coldly. Lu Hui appeared composed, “I naturally intended to kill Bald Tuo, but it’s a pity he escaped.” “Really?” Zhang Lan’s expression darkened. “What else then?” Lu Hui sneered darkly. Zhang Lan sneered, “Don’t let me catch you playing dirty again, or I’ll really kill you.” Lu Hui refused to back down, “Is Court Leader Zhang trying to smear my name without proof?” Zhang Lan no longer paid him any attention but chased after the Bald Tuo instead. A venomous look flashed briefly in Lu Hui’s eyes. Among this group, the only one he feared was Zhang Lan, but it was just fear and nothing more. Although Zhang Lan’s clan status was higher than his, they were both Supervisors under different Taoist Courts, so he didn’t need to take Zhang Lan’s attitude too seriously. His original intention for coming here was to rescue Young Master Kong and owe the Kong Family a great favor. But now it seemed that Young Master Kong’s chances of survival were indeed slim. Given this, killing Ji Qingbai would allow him to return to Qingxuan City with an explanation. The Ji father and son had feuded with the Kong Family and then fled to Tongxian City. If they could live without harm, how could the Kong Family continue to intimidate the Loose Cultivators of Qingxuan City? If other Loose Cultivators followed suit, the Kong Family would find it hard to command respect. Lu Hui, who lived a life of luxury funded by the Kong Family, knew their interests were his interests. He was bound to act against the Ji father and son sooner or later. If the Ji father and son were in Qingxuan City, he had a myriad of ways to imprison them. When the time came, making an example out of them would be much easier. Since they did not return and were under the protection of a Monster Hunter, he would have to execute them on the spot, as long as he was discreet about it. Ji Qingbai was just an ordinary Loose Cultivator. He could “accidentally” kill Ji Qingbai, then go back and accept a token punishment, and the matter would be put to rest. And he was a Supervisor for the Taoist Court. He didn’t believe anyone would dare attack him brazenly, whether it was Zhang Lan or these Monster Hunters. If they laid a hand on him, the Taoist Court would seek justice. “It’s a pity I didn’t succeed just now, but there’s still plenty of time; an opportunity will present itself.” Killing Ji Qingbai would curry favor with the Kong Family, while killing the Bald Tuo would earn him great merit—a win-win situation. The failed assassination attempt on Ji Qingbai would surely put him on alert, and there might not be another chance in the short term. Therefore, he could not let the Bald Tuo escape now. A sharp light glinted in Lu Hui’s eyes as he also chased after the Bald Tuo. Ji Qingbai wanted to follow but was stopped by Mo Shan, “Brother Ji, Lu Hui wants to kill you.” Ji Qingbai said angrily, “I’ll go kill him first, or else he’ll keep dragging you all into this.” “He’s a Supervisor of the Taoist Court; things will only get worse if you kill him,” Mo Shan replied seriously. “But…” Mo Shan said in a firm voice, “Let’s deal with these Sin Cultivators first, then we’ll talk.” After hesitating for a moment, Ji Qingbai sighed and could only nod in agreement. Overcome by a lingering drunkenness and caught by surprise, the Sin Cultivators were gradually getting the worst of the fight. One by one, they fell, with only the one-eyed cultivator desperately holding on, though not for much longer. The one-eyed cultivator lacked skill in movement techniques. He had only escaped last time through luck, and now trapped in the valley, he was practically unable to fly away. Thanks to his proficiency in Wind-based spiritual power, the Bald Tuo moved like the wind and had already reached the mouth of the valley, naturally encountering the Earth Fire Formation that had been laid out there. The Bald Tuo cursed, “Where the hell did this Formation come from? Blocking my way!” Yet he didn’t dare to charge through recklessly, his mind racing, until suddenly his eyes turned cold, and he grabbed a Sin Cultivator and threw him towards the valley entrance. Caught off guard, the Sin Cultivator was flung out by the Bald Tuo and then blasted into critical injuries by the Earth Fire Formation, collapsing on the ground, his life hanging by a thread. The Bald Tuo began throwing other Sin Cultivators to trigger the explosions of the Earth Fire Formation. These Sin Cultivators, who called each other brothers when it suited them, now showed no loyalty whatsoever when the benefits were gone. The Earth Fire Formation laid out by Mo Hua was powered by Spirit Stones. These Spirit Stones were obtained from Zhang Lan. Although many were used, their numbers were finite; after several explosions, there were none left. And ordinary rocks weren’t high-quality Formation media; after several blasts, the Earth Fire Formation Patterns would gradually become damaged. Therefore, it wasn’t long before a breach appeared in the Earth Fire Formation. At that moment, both Zhang Lan and Lu Hui had reached the valley entrance. Seeing this, the Bald Tuo became frantic, no longer hesitating, and using his movement technique, he fled out of the valley. Mo Hua was hiding in the grass outside, and his right hand slightly lifted, his Spiritual Power beginning to circulate rapidly. With the casting of the Water Prison Technique, he could trap the Bald Tuo. But after consideration, his eyes flickered, and he gently lowered his hand, watching as the Bald Tuo escaped from the Earth Fire Formation, leaving behind a shadow as he fled into the distance.