Chapter 185: Chapter 185 Method_1 Afterwards, the Qian Family harassed them repeatedly. Elder Yu caught them one by one, beat them until they vomited blood, and then threw them at the doorstep of the Qian Family, incidentally demanding some spirit stones. But the Qian Family was not disheartened, and finally, there came a time when Elder Yu could not keep watch. It was like catching mice, one after another, both bothersome and disgusting—if a few were missed, there would be future troubles. Some craftsmen were injured, some buildings were destroyed, and several formations were smeared; the overall progress of the project was thus delayed. Elder Yu could only have Monster Hunters guard day and night, watching the people from the Qian Family to prevent them from causing trouble. But for such a large Refinery Shop that was not yet complete, there were gaps everywhere. It was easy to cause trouble and difficult to guard against it. The Qian Family’s cultivators acted like thieves, smashing one place then shifting to another—by the time the hunters arrived, the Qian Family’s cultivators had already run away. And the Monster Hunters could not possibly keep watch here day and night without wasting a lot of manpower. Elder Yu was also somewhat irritable at the time. Mo Hua was also unhappy; whether it was Elder Yu stepping in or the Monster Hunters intercepting, Mo Hua never needed to lift a finger. However, with the Qian Family causing trouble and ruining the formations that Mo Hua had just finished painting, Mo Hua would have to repaint them all over again. After several such incidents, both Elder Yu and Mo Hua could no longer tolerate it. If the mice weren’t driven out, the house couldn’t be lived in! Mo Hua approached Elder Yu and gave him some Earth Fire Formations which were not top-grade, containing only seven formation patterns, but they should be enough to handle those troublemakers acting like cats and dogs. Mo Hua also revised the Architectural Formation Map, adding a Compass Parent-Child Compound Formation around the original planned map. In this way, as soon as a battle occurred, producing fluctuations in spiritual power, the Monster Hunters could reach the scene at the fastest speed to provide support. Even if the Qian Family’s cultivators smashed things, as long as they used spiritual power, they would be quickly discovered. With this arrangement, as long as some Monster Hunters were stationed in various places, with a few teams holding the Compass Mother Formation patrolling in support, the Qian Family’s cultivators would no longer have an opportunity to take advantage of. Once everything was in order, Mo Hua spent two days prioritizing the drawing of the Compass Parent-Child Compound Formation, then instructed the patrolling Monster Hunters regarding the use of the Compass Disk. After that, the matter no longer needed his concern. But for some destroyed formations, he still had to repaint them. Mo Hua sighed and could only calm down and continue his Drawing Formation work. As night descended, Qian Shunzhi led some Qian Family disciples and a group of ruffian cultivators gathered, hiding beneath a mound not far from the Refinery Shop. The surrounding vegetation was lush, shielding their view, and they were not easily discovered. Despite having suffered losses during these days, they also had considerable successes. With these casualties, they delayed the construction progress of the Refinery Shop. At the very least, they gained Elder Qian’s recognition, and the Family Head rewarded them with plenty of spirit stones. This boosted their morale. Qian Shunzhi said, “We shed blood for the Qian Family, and the clan will not forget us. The Family Head will reward us even more. As long as we succeed, you and I will have lots of spirit stones!” The Qian Family disciples and ruffian cultivators, having tasted the sweetness, nodded in agreement. Qian Shunzhi gave the instruction, “Proceed as we have before. If you can hit, hit; if you can smash, smash. Retreat immediately if the situation turns dire.” The group was divided into teams, each finding places to hide, then seeking gaps to infiltrate the Refinery Shop and cause destruction. Everything went as usual; the Qian Family’s cultivators had become adept at these tasks. Just then, the sound of explosions erupted, and flames burst through the night. Several Qian Family cultivators had stepped onto Earth Fire Formations. Those with higher cultivation suffered lighter injuries, but the pain was sharp, heads throbbing, ears buzzing. Those with lower cultivation bled, some with burns, lying on the ground and wailing. There were also a few ruffian cultivators whose clothes and hair caught fire, rolling back and forth in the mud. “` Qian Shunzhi’s heart skipped a beat, and he also took in a sharp breath of cold air. It was the Earth Fire Formation! He did not join the battle for the spiritual mines with the Monster Hunters, but he learned from the participating Qian Family disciples that there was a Formation Master among the Monster Hunters who could draw the Earth Fire Formation. The Earth Fire Formation was powerful and quite hidden, extremely insidious, difficult to avoid, and impossible to guard against. His Qian Family had suffered greatly at the hands of the Earth Fire Formation, and not just once. “What should we do?” In a moment of urgent crisis, Qian Shunzhi made a quick decision to take a gamble. They had caused trouble here two days ago, but at that time, there were no Earth Fire Formations on the ground; evidently, they had been set up only recently, so there couldn’t be too many of them. If they did not enter now, giving the Monster Hunters time, and after a few days they managed to lay Earth Fire Formations everywhere, every step would then be thorny, and it would be suicidal for them to proceed. But while Qian Shunzhi was willing to gamble, the other Qian Family cultivators were not. Especially those who had participated in the struggle for spiritual mines, who were either blown up by the Earth Fire Formation themselves, or watched their companions or at least the Family Head get blasted by it. To this day, they were still haunted by the Earth Fire Formation and dared not act rashly. Although at this moment the Earth Fire Formation actually had only seven Formation Patterns, and for convenience, Mo Hua had not even drawn a Compound Formation. But as soon as the Qian Family disciples saw the Earth Fire Formation, they flinched and could hardly be bothered to take into account all the specifics. Having no other choice, Qian Shunzhi decided to lead by example. As a cultivator at the Qi Refining Ninth Level, even if he were to be blasted, his injuries should not be severe. Qian Shunzhi, along with his fellow cultivators, bravely moved forward, carefully placing each footstep, trying their best to avoid the dangers below. But this cautiousness was actually meaningless because he himself had no idea where the Earth Fire Formations might be. Each step was, in fact, a gamble. What looked like extreme caution was, in reality, just for show. Qian Shunzhi bet correctly—he did not step on an Earth Fire Formation. But one of his subordinates made the wrong bet; not following exactly in Qian Shunzhi’s footsteps, he, in his panic, stepped in the wrong spot and triggered an Earth Fire Formation. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞 Engulfed by the Earth Fire Formation, Qian Shunzhi got a close-up experience of its power. The spiritual power fluctuations from the explosion made his blood churn, and the roaring sound left him dizzy and disoriented. Part of his skin was scorched, with blood seeping out from the charred flesh. To him, the seven Formation Patterns of the Earth Fire Formation were not fatal, but it was still unpleasant, and such unexpected pain and injury were most likely to instill deep fear. Qian Shunzhi finally understood why some disciples in the family always paled at the mention of the Earth Fire Formation and why it cast a shadow in their minds. The explosion of the Earth Fire Formation alerted the Monster Hunters, who rushed over and attacked them. It seemed that due to being harassed repeatedly, they had become quite agitated and spared no mercy in their assault. The Qian Family cultivators could not hold on and were forced to flee in disarray. Limping, Qian Shunzhi ran back to the Qian Family and reported the incident with the Earth Fire Formation to the Qian Family elders. He was capable of arranging a sneak attack, but such Formation tactics were beyond his ability to deal with. The Qian Family elders consoled Qian Shunzhi, and then informed Family Head Qian Hong of the situation. Upon hearing the words ‘Earth Fire Formation,’ anger surged within Qian Hong. Earth Fire Formation again! Couldn’t they come up with something new? Qian Hong then sought out Master Qian to ask for a method to break the Formation. After all, in the entire Qian Family, Master Qian’s expertise in Formation techniques was the highest.