Chapter 267: Chapter 266 Cliff_1 Elder Yu finished speaking and suddenly slapped the table, angrily saying, “This is outrageous!” For over two hundred years, so many Monster Hunters have disappeared in Big Black Mountain. While some were certainly killed by Monster Beasts, who knows how many were killed by these evil men in the deep mountains and then dragged further into the depths? The key is that for all these years, everyone was completely unaware. Elder Yu thought for a moment and concluded that perhaps it was precisely because Big Black Mountain was so perilous, and it was common for Cultivators to go missing, that they used this as a cover to kill without anyone noticing. A chill grew in Elder Yu’s heart. This group of people had done much evil and had been plotting for a long time, their schemes truly deep and profound! Elder Yu took a deep breath and said to Mo Hua: “I will notify others about this. Whether truth or falsehood, everyone should be on their guard. Even though your movement technique is good, you must also be careful.” Mo Hua nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Elder Yu, I’ll be careful.” Elder Yu nodded in relief. If not for Mo Hua’s keen mind and discovery of this anomaly, perhaps it would have taken another ten or a hundred years to realize the danger lurking atop Big Black Mountain. It’s like having a fierce tiger sleeping by the side of one’s bed! Elder Yu sighed, his eyebrows furrowed tightly. Afterward, Elder Yu passed on the news about the deep mountains, and the Monster Hunters were greatly shocked to hear it. Among the Monster Hunters who had gone missing over the years were their fathers, elders, brothers, or friends. Monster Hunting is inherently dangerous and life or death unpredictable, and when they went missing, there was nothing that could be done. They could only keep their sorrow in their hearts and continue struggling to live. But now, learning of such a secret within the deep mountains, these Monster Hunters may not have just disappeared but been cruelly murdered, their bodies gone without a trace. Everyone felt a mix of shock and anger in their hearts. In the following days, any Monster Hunter entering the mountain became extremely vigilant, both seeking clues of the Sin Cultivators and paying attention to the marked locations on the maps. Yet, they still found no clue at all. These evil people had been hiding for two to three hundred years, making them very hard to find in a short period. The Monster Hunters were filled with righteous indignation, yet they were helpless. In Big Black Mountain, within Inner Mountain. Mo Hua sat cross-legged on a large boulder. In front of him was the deep mountain, the miasma spreading, shrouding the mountains. Releasing his Divine Sense, he sensed only the vague, chaotic, and intermingled remnants of Spiritual Power. It was like threads of different-colored Spiritual Power tangled into balls and patches, covering everything in Inner Mountain. “The fog of Black Mountain, thick enough to conceal deep pools…” Mo Hua muttered to himself, then opened the Map and began to cross-reference it at the boundary between Inner Mountain and deep mountain. With the heavy mists of the deep mountain, heading straight in without knowing one’s orientation offers an unknown peril where death is almost certain. That the Sin Cultivators could enter the deep mountain implies they must have a special pathway. If Mo Hua was correct, the map Bald Tuo had was actually a guide to enter the deep mountain. When Sin Cultivators who have committed heinous crimes and are beyond redemption are wanted by the Taoist Court, they can follow this map to find their way into the deep mountain when they have no other choice. Otherwise, with such dense and heavy mists in the deep mountain, not only would the Sin Cultivators from outside not be able to find their way, but even the local Monster Hunters would be lost. Since it’s a guide, it must lead from Inner Mountain to deep mountain. That means, part of the map’s route is for Inner Mountain, and part is for deep mountain. This is also why Mo Hua felt it was both familiar and strange. The familiar part was Inner Mountain, and the strange part was deep mountain. As long as one finds the location on the map, one can navigate through the thick fog and enter deep mountain to find where these evil people are hiding. However, relying solely on this incomplete map to find the exact spot is not easy. The map’s handwriting is sloppy, suggesting it was hastily copied, and it is incomplete, lacking a full representation of the mountain’s terrain. It’s uncertain who copied this map, from where, and how it ended up in Bald Tuo’s hands. Bald Tuo killed for the Map, actually seeking a way out for himself. As a Sin Cultivator who kills, one might also be killed. With this Map, if things became untenable, he could enter into the deep mountains and find a place to stay. But the map was incomplete, and he could not find the entrance to the deep mountains. Moreover, his relied-upon movement technique couldn’t escape Mo Hua’s grasp; thus, before he could enter the deep mountains, he was captured and thrown into Taoist Prison. He didn’t want to tell the truth before, perhaps still harboring some unrealistic hopes. The stolen goods he had hidden in the valley were confiscated; all his savings over the years were gone. If by chance he could escape, then retreating into the deep mountains would be his only choice. It was also the only choice for these desperate fugitives. Fortunately, having a direction gave him a starting point for Mo Hua to search. After several days of fruitless searching, Mo Hua finally found a place that was six to seven points similar to the Map. This was the boundary between Inner Mountain and the deep mountains. The mountain formations on both sides vaguely faced each other, supporting one another in their rises and falls. And even though it was located in Inner Mountain, the fog was thicker, faintly carrying the essence of the deep mountains, conveyed through the mist. Mo Hua’s spirits lifted as he looked at the Map, walking and checking it simultaneously. As he walked, Mo Hua could no longer continue. Spread out before Mo Hua was a vast cliff. The cliff was wide, its edges unknown. Below the cliff was a deep, bottomless abyss shrouded in mist, daunting to anyone who looked upon it. Mo Hua felt disappointed. After searching for many days, this was the most similar place to the Map, and yet it turned out to be a dead end. To give up just like that was something Mo Hua couldn’t quite accept. He surveyed the surroundings again, thinking to himself: “Black Mountain’s fog can conceal the abyss… This ‘abyss’ could refer to the Sin Cultivators as vile as a deep abyss or the literal chasm…” In that case, could they be hiding within the abyss below the cliff? Mohua’s eyes shone slightly. It seemed not entirely impossible. “So, what to do? Just jump down?” Mo Hua lay on the edge of the cliff and peered down, immediately feeling the goosebumps. The cliff was too deep; a fall would likely result in certain death. “Perhaps the cliff isn’t deep, just obscured by the thick fog?” Mo Hua guessed again. He found a large rock nearby and, with great effort, dragged it to the edge of the cliff and dropped it over. The falling rock plunged into the mist below with a “crunch”, seemingly hitting a boulder, then rolled down the cliffside before its echoes disappeared completely. “It truly is unfathomably deep…” Mo Hua then released his Divine Sense to scan the area. In the pale vision of Divine Sense, a myriad of essences in the world came to life. There was the faintly distinguishable Spiritual Energy, the turbid yellow miasma, the pale white fog, and other hazy outlines of mountains, stones, and trees. But still, there was no path to be found. Mo Hua sighed, perhaps it was not this place. Afterward, Mo Hua searched for several more days with no reward, and the matter had to be temporarily put aside. The Monster Hunters entering the mountains would be vigilant; with more people, there was more strength, and they might have some clues. Mo Hua had another important task to attend to. He had finished drawing the Nine-and-a-half Reversed Spirit Formation and could now seek Mr. Zhuang to learn the Concealment Formation. Once he learned the Concealment Formation, even if his Spiritual Root had some flaws, he would be able to use the Concealment Technique.