The cave was a mess, with some of the Formations destroyed, books and Array Plates crushed by Spiritual Power, and several more holes in the walls, where blood was splattered all over the floor. The Third Householder had a long spear pierced through his shoulder, pinning him to the wall; both hands and feet were locked in silver shackles. These were shackles used exclusively by the Taoist soldiers Court, a Second Grade Spiritual Artifact, inscribed with a Spirit Locking Formation, designed specifically to confine prisoners. Leader Yang was a descendant of the Noble Clans and also commanded the Taoist soldiers. With numerous battles under his belt and personal strength and combat experience far beyond that of the Third Householder, it was no contest. The only thing the Third Householder was good at was Formations. But now, with Mo Hua’s help, his expertise in Formations was utterly useless, and naturally, he was no match for Leader Yang. After about a dozen exchanges, he was captured by Leader Yang. Mo Hua walked into the cave. Upon seeing him, the Third Householder’s eyes widened in shock, "It’s you?!" Mo Hua nodded, "Yes, it’s me!" The Third Householder struggled to rise but was pressed down by a slap from Leader Yang, rendering him immobile. The Third Householder winced in pain and gave up struggling, but said in disbelief, "You... are actually a Formation Master?" "You figured it out?" Mo Hua didn’t deny it. The Third Householder’s eyelids twitched, and a chill settled at the bottom of his heart. He understood everything now. Who had infiltrated the Black Mountain Stronghold, who had broken his Formations, who had destroyed his Contemplation Map... It was indeed this little devil who did all of it! But deep down, he found it unbelievable, "How could it be? How could you have such a powerful Divine Sense?" Merely in the Qi-refining Realm, yet his Divine Sense almost rivalled that of the Foundation Establishment. This was far beyond his understanding of Tao Cultivation. Mo Hua just smiled slightly, not bothering to answer. He certainly didn’t want to reveal his true abilities. If the Third Householder wanted to guess, then let him keep guessing. The Third Householder’s expression changed, eventually revealing unwillingness, and he asked another question, "Did you really break my Formation?" "Sort of," Mo Hua replied casually. To the Third Householder’s dismay, these words turned his face ashen, and he looked utterly dejected. A strong Divine Sense might just be a testament to the little devil’s talent, but being able to break his Formation meant that his understanding of Formations was far superior to his own. A small cultivator in his teens, with far superior mastery over Formations... The Third Householder’s Taoist Heart even began to show cracks... This simply couldn’t be possible! If such a person existed in this world, they should belong to those Noble Clans of Daoist heritage or the descendants of Ancient Sects – not someone from such a remote place, not this lowly born Loose Cultivator. The look the Third Householder gave Mo Hua was initially one of disbelief, which then turned to despondency, followed by jealousy and resentment. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 "You little lucky son of a..." He hadn’t finished his curse when Mo Hua drew the Thousand Jun Stick and struck him in the face with it. Mo Hua huffed coldly, "It seems you still don’t understand your situation." Leader Yang also frowned and drove the spear deeper into the Third Householder, the cruel Spiritual Power eroding his flesh. The agony from the wound sobered the Third Householder somewhat. He suddenly realized that the little devil before him wasn’t to be trifled with. This little devil dared to infiltrate the Black Mountain Stronghold boldly and, even after being discovered, managed to keep a straight face while dealing with him, cunningly deceiving him, and effortlessly killed several Evil Cultivators... Such courage and cunning was definitely not ordinary. Even if this little devil wasn’t an Old Demon’s reincarnate, he was still a sly little fiend. Offending him now was indeed unwise. Suppressing the various resentful emotions in his heart, the Third Householder tried to summon his composure. Seeing that the Third Householder knew his place, Mo Hua stopped beating him. Of course, his weak physique meant that even if he swung the Thousand Jun Stick with all his might, he could only express his dissatisfaction; it wouldn’t inflict any serious injury on the Third Householder. Mo Hua then inquired about what concerned him: "You didn’t tell your Camp Leader about me, did you?" "No," "Why?" Mo Hua was puzzled. The Third Householder was reluctant to speak. Mo Hua huffed again, "Don’t push your luck!" After saying this, he lifted the Thousand Jun Stick again, preparing to hit the Third Householder’s face, not to hurt him but simply to humiliate him further. Grinding his teeth, the Third Householder said, "I’ll talk!" He didn’t want to be humiliated by a young cultivator in his teens. Mo Hua put away the Thousand Jun Stick, "Speak." The Third Householder hesitated a bit before saying, "I’ve discovered that the formations of Black Mountain Stronghold have been tampered with, and I suspect it was you who did it, but I’m not sure. After all, solving formations is not something that a regular Formation Master could learn." "You’re too young to have such a level of mastery in formations." "However, later on, I thought about how strong your Divine Sense is, and I felt that it was very likely you." "Then why didn’t you tell your Camp Leader?" Mo Hua asked. The Third Householder sneered, "If I had told him, and you fell into the Camp Leader’s hands, then all your secrets would belong to the Camp Leader..." "But if I don’t tell him, and I catch you instead, I can probe the secrets of your Divine Sense and force you to divulge the spell point for solving formations. By doing so, I can enhance my own Divine Sense, and my formation level could soar significantly." "If it were you, how would you choose?" the Third Householder asked in return. Mo Hua stroked his chin. What he said seemed to make sense... Every man for himself, heaven takes the hindmost, let alone an Evil Cultivator like the Third Householder. "Additionally, there’s one more thing..." the Third Householder looked at Mo Hua, his gaze slightly intensifying as he said: "I’m afraid you’ll side with the Camp Leader." Mo Hua was startled, "Side with the Camp Leader?" The Third Householder coldly said, "I’ve seen the way you solve formations. To tell you the truth, it makes me feel inferior and afraid." "Someone as young as you with such a powerful Divine Sense and deep formation mastery." "If the Camp Leader finds out, no matter what, he will invite you to join Black Mountain Stronghold. If you’re unwilling, he’ll use all sorts of methods, coercion, and inducements to make you one of the Stronghold’s Evil Cultivators." "And once you join Black Mountain Stronghold, with two Formation Masters, there won’t be room for both of us—as the saying goes, ’A mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.’ I think you understand this." "Moreover, you’re so young. Your future in formations is boundless. Even if you wanted to kill me, the Camp Leader would probably do it himself." "It’s not that exaggerated..." Mo Hua was somewhat surprised—he didn’t know he had such clout... The Third Householder sneered, "I’ve followed the Camp Leader for many years; I know him very well. As long as you are talented, you can pretty much have anything you want, but once you’re useless, he’ll discard you like a worn-out shoe." Mo Hua nodded slightly. This also matched his impression of the Patriarch of the Qian Family. As the Third Householder was talking, he suddenly came to his senses, his expression abruptly shifted and he asked, "Wait, how do you know Black Mountain Stronghold has a Camp Leader?" Mo Hua was momentarily speechless. This Third Householder was so slow to react... But judging by his reaction, he probably didn’t know that the Patriarch of the Qian Family’s identity had been revealed, nor that the Patriarch had been besieged by the Taoist soldiers, seriously injured, and had escaped. In other words, he had been hiding here without any contact with the Patriarch of the Qian Family. "Your Camp Leader has already been slaughtered!" Mo Hua bluffed him. The Third Householder looked as if he had been struck by lightning, but then he regained his composure and scoffed, "Impossible." "Why not?" Mo Hua asked curiously. The Third Householder sneered but did not wish to answer. "What’s the purpose of these Evil Formations you’ve drawn?" Mo Hua asked again. The Third Householder closed his eyes and remained silent, even as Leader Yang thrust his spear deeper and activated his Spiritual Power to twist the wound, the Third Householder just endured the pain without a word. It seemed that these issues were top-secret, and the Third Householder would not disclose them easily. Leader Yang said, "Take him back and lock him up in the Taoist Prison for a severe interrogation." Mo Hua nodded, it seemed that was the only option for now. Leader Yang withdrew his long spear and prepared to escort the Third Householder back to Tongxian City. Just before leaving, the Third Householder suddenly asked, "What exactly happened to the Camp Leader?" Mo Hua thought about it and decided not to hide the truth, saying plainly, "His identity was exposed, he was besieged, and he fled with severe injuries. It’s unlikely he’ll stir up any trouble again." The Third Householder showed a disappointed look. He probably still hoped that the Patriarch of the Qian Family would find him again, so that they could regroup and rise from the ashes, rebuilding another Black Mountain Stronghold. As if such good fortune were common. Mo Hua sneered in his heart. As the Third Householder was being escorted away by Leader Yang, his face was defeated, but just as he turned around, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up, revealing a subtle, sinister smile. This smile was very subtle, and Mo Hua wouldn’t have noticed it if not for his sharp Divine Sense. What was this crafty fellow, the Third Householder, smiling about? Mo Hua furrowed his brow. He went through the items in the cave again, from start to finish, but found nothing special. The Third Householder’s Storage Bag, which he and Leader Yang had already searched through before, contained only some Spirit Stones, some Blood Ink, some Human Life Pills, and a damaged Contemplation Map. The Contemplation Map was missing the Little Green-faced Ghost that transformed into a Taoist Child—because that ghost had been eaten by Mo Hua. Out of all the items, the only thing that caught Mo Hua’s attention and seemed a bit special was the Evil Formation that the Third Householder had drawn. This Evil Formation... what was it used for?