Chapter 1331: Chapter 753 Jungle_2 His top priority in Refining Demon Mountain was to ensure Mo Hua’s safety. Everything else was secondary. Now that Mo Hua was safe, he finally had some time to investigate that monster cultivator. Thin mist hung amidst the forest, with towering trees exuding a sense of primal desolation. Xun Ziyou walked in circles through the forest, extended his Divine Sense and scanned several times, yet found nothing. He frowned deeply. As a Golden Core Late Stage cultivator chasing a Foundation Establishment Late Stage monster cultivator, how could this prey slip from his grasp? True, he might have relaxed somewhat over these years, but there was no way he had become so incompetent. No, it wasn’t because of him. Xun Ziyou, slightly offended, turned to his right and said: "You lost the trail too, didn’t you?" On his right, light and shadows shifted. A man dressed in a Rushing Void Taoist Robe emerged, his expression slightly awkward. Yet he responded: "I was keeping an eye on Xiaoer; I didn’t pay much attention to anything else." "What?" The Chongxu Sect Elder looked at Xun Ziyou and feigned calmness: "You lost the trail?" Xun Ziyou was in no mood to humor him. The two each extended their Divine Sense, searching the forest once more. Then, they both furrowed their brows. "It’s truly gone..." The Chongxu Sect Elder’s expression turned serious, and his confusion showed: "What kind of method could that monster cultivator possibly use to evade the Divine Senses of two Golden Core cultivators?" "Concealment Technique? Concealment Spiritual Artifact?" Xun Ziyou shook his head. The cultivation world was vast, filled with myriad cultivation techniques, Taoist skills, and spiritual artifacts. It was hard to determine anything definitively. By logic, given the towering disparity in cultivation realms and Divine Sense strength, even if there were concealment methods or breath-hiding techniques, they shouldn’t be able to escape their perception. Moreover, there was an even more pressing question. Xun Ziyou frowned and asked: "Why would a monster cultivator appear in Refining Demon Mountain?" The Chongxu Sect Elder’s gaze grew intense: "The surrounding formations seal the mountain, and near the mountain gate, there’s a formation that detects demon monster qi. Every sect disciple entering the mountain undergoes a repelling evil scan. Meanwhile, we elders patrol the mountain regularly..." "Within the mountain, there should only be sect disciples and us Golden Core elders conducting patrols. No other cultivators should be present." "Why would there be a monster cultivator?" "How did it enter the mountain? How is it hiding here? And just what could its intentions be?" Their expressions grew solemn. "Should we conduct a mountain-wide search?" "No, such widespread activity would only provoke panic, cause unnecessary trouble, and might not even yield results..." After all, this monster cultivator disappeared right under the noses of two Golden Core cultivators. "Should we wait here for a while?" Xun Ziyou shook his head: "We don’t have that much time." Their foremost duty was to protect Mo Hua and Ling Huxiao. Both of them sighed. The Chongxu Sect Elder took another look at the forest ahead. The more he looked, the more puzzled he felt. He murmured under his breath: "What kind of method could possibly obscure our Divine Senses..." Xun Ziyou also stared at the forest, frowning in incomprehension. After a while, Xun Ziyou’s expression suddenly shifted, his gaze darkening: "Xuan Jian, you’ve been stationed at Refining Demon Mountain for quite some time. Have you ever seen this piece of forest before?" The Chongxu Sect Elder froze, scrutinizing the forest in front of him once more as his brows slowly knit together. "It does seem... unfamiliar." Refining Demon Mountain was vast, with many forests. But as an elder who had been stationed there for years, he was familiar with most places. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 The forest before him appeared ordinary—just another stretch of woodland indistinguishable from others. At most, it extended far to the horizon, with no end in sight. But in comparison, its aura was unnervingly unfamiliar... "Are you suggesting that it’s not the monster cultivator’s concealment skill at work but... there’s something odd about this forest?" The Chongxu Sect Elder asked. Xun Ziyou nodded slowly. The Chongxu Sect Elder extended his Divine Sense and swept it around. But though they were Golden Core cultivators with powerful Divine Senses, they hadn’t undergone a quality change, lacked sharp perception, and had no expertise in formations or array techniques. The sweep of Divine Sense revealed nothing but empty forest. The Chongxu Sect Elder asked: "What’s strange about it?" Xun Ziyou shook his head. He hadn’t figured it out yet. Xun Ziyou frowned deeply in thought, and all of a sudden remembered Mo Hua. He recalled that earlier, Mo Hua had been staring at this forest for quite a while, his eyes gradually lighting up as if he’d discovered something. Afterward, he’d taken a step toward the forest, hesitated briefly, then left without entering. Yet before he left, he’d turned back for one last look at the peculiar dense woods—a glance laden with meaning. Xun Ziyou pondered this carefully, finding it hard to believe. Could that kid, Mo Hua... have figured something out? "How could that be possible?" If even two Golden Core cultivators failed to notice anything, then how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator have seen through it? Xun Ziyou frowned. But if it was true... If that kid Mo Hua really had uncovered something... Then it meant the strange secret of this forest was tied to something Mo Hua was highly skilled in—something Xun Ziyou himself was less proficient at. That meant... formations! Had this dense forest been shrouded in a formation, rendering it capable of subtly blocking the Divine Sense of two Golden Core cultivators and serving as a hiding place for the monster cultivator? What kind of formation could it be? Xun Ziyou looked ahead, seeing no trace of an array, no hint of a pattern. The forest appeared utterly ordinary. His face showed confusion. What kind of formation could it possibly be? And how could Mo Hua, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, have noticed it? He was Golden Core, after all. He’d lived for over two hundred years, yet somehow he couldn’t discern it—while this teenager, not even twenty years old, managed to notice... Xun Ziyou sighed deeply. Geniuses were annoying. Especially geniuses skilled in formations. Array techniques were too obscure, their depths unfathomable.