Chapter 234: Chapter 233 Rescue_1 “` The number of cultivators coming from outside Tongxian City had been gradually increasing. Two months later, Mo Hua sat on a boulder in Inner Mountain, looking at the Compass Disk in his hand and furrowing his brow. Before, when light spots appeared on the compass, Mo Hua rushed over only to find that most of the time it was Monster Hunters hunting Monster Beasts, or Monster Beasts fighting for territory—seldom were there cultivators fighting to the death. Occasionally, there were some unfamiliar Monster Hunters, who dressed differently and practiced Taoist skills and used Spiritual Artifacts that were unlike those from Tongxian City, presumably from afar, but they were few in number and rarely encountered. But now it was different. In the Inner Mountain of Big Black Mountain, Mo Hua often saw unfamiliar faces. The light on the Compass Disk indicating battles had greatly increased, many involving outside cultivators. Conflicts between cultivators were also suddenly on the rise. Some disputes were over Monster Beasts, others were sparked by mere verbal disagreements that escalated into physical confrontations, and there were even cultivators who were clearly looking to cause trouble. What was even worse was the naked robbery and murder! Mo Hua once came across a cargo cart, its goods gone, surrounded by bloodstains and the scattered limbs of cultivators. From the looks of the nearby signs, it was evident that a group of merchants had been ambushed by cultivators, their goods taken, with all the people killed. Subsequently, Monster Beasts attracted by the scent of blood came and consumed the corpses. The sight was chaotic, the state of death was tragic. Mo Hua felt unsettled as he looked on, his heart aching with compassion, and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh. The days to come in Inner Mountain were likely to be anything but peaceful. Fortunately, the Monster Hunters from Tongxian City were gradually growing stronger, with more hands and mostly clad in iron armor, wielding first-grade blades, standing out amongst the several nearby Immortal Cities in strength. These foreign cultivators wouldn’t dare to provoke the local Monster Hunters so easily. But what the future held was uncertain. However, let Elder Yu worry about these things; Mo Hua decided instead to save up some Spiritual Ink, practice his formations, enhance his Divine Sense, and see if he could achieve Foundation Establishment. Mo Hua gathered his thoughts and then ate some dried meat and drank some juice fermented from wild fruits. This juice had been chilled by the Cold Air Formation, giving it a sour, sweet, and icy taste as he drank. Mo Hua felt much better. After a while, the Compass Disk lit up again, and Mo Hua packed his things and, using the Water Passing Step, made his way nimbly through the forest and over the rocks. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎 From a great distance, Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, took a simple sweep, and felt somewhat disappointed. It was another cultivators’ fight. Mo Hua sighed. Generally, Mo Hua did not interfere in brawls between cultivators. He was only at the Qi Refining seventh level, and the only attack spell he knew was the Fireball Technique; though he was quite proficient in the Water Passing Step and self-preservation wasn’t a problem, he had little desire to invite trouble. Moreover, disputes among cultivators were often such that merely passing by and glancing over did not make it easy to discern right from wrong. Those in a weaker position were not necessarily the good ones, and those in a dominant position were not necessarily bad ones. Those with fierce appearances were not necessarily villains, and those with kind-looking faces were even less likely to be good folks. As the saying goes, “Appearances are deceiving.” Mo Hua decided to do as he always did, take a sneak peek for a moment or two—after all, he had nothing else to do at the moment. With his Divine Sense, cultivators at the stage of Qi Refinement would not be able to detect him at all. Mo Hua climbed onto a rocky area, concealed his breath, and surreptitiously peered out from behind the vegetation. On the rugged and narrow mountain path, two groups of cultivators were engaged in combat. The cultivators of both sides were mostly at the later stages of Qi Refinement. One side consisted of only four people: three men and a woman at a disadvantage, desperately defending several boxes of luggage. The other side had seven people, dressed in various outfits and with unfamiliar faces, and they were assaulting the small group of four cultivators. Furthermore, their onslaught was getting fiercer by the minute, and it seemed the four cultivators wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Robbery? Mo Hua frowned and continued to look on, soon realizing that something was amiss. Those four cultivators, he seemed to recognize them. “` A middle-aged cultivator, with a few faint scars on his face, had a good relationship with his father, Mo Shan, and had even made a special trip to visit the Mo Hua family. Mo Hua remembered his name was Ji Qingbai; she called him Uncle Ji. The young, scholarly-looking cultivator beside him was Ji Qingbai’s son, named Ji Li. The father and son, monster hunters themselves, were not cultivators from Tongxian City but came from the neighboring Qingxuan City. Since Qingxuan City was quite far from Tongxian City and the route passed through the Inner Mountain of Big Black Mountain, under normal circumstances, cultivators from the two cities rarely interacted with each other. There was also a burly cultivator with a sturdy build, wearing a wolf-skin belt and wielding a murderous-looking Wolf Fang Club with sharp barbs all over it. Mo Hua remembered that when she had a conflict with Qian Xing, it was this burly man who stepped forward to stop the Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator from the Qian Family. In her impression, this burly man was deeply cultivated and was also quite formidable at cursing others. Now, he was single-handedly holding his own against three opponents, the earthen gray spiritual power wrapped around his Wolf Fang Club creating gusts of wind when swung, clearly showing his immense strength. At the same time, he was also cursing incessantly, with phrases like “a bunch of bastards,” “cowards who ambush,” and “fight me one-on-one if you dare, instead of bullying by numbers.” Among the four of them, the only one Mo Hua didn’t recognize was the female cultivator. She appeared to be about the same age as Ji Li, injured, and was the weakest in terms of cultivation; she was struggling the most but thankfully, Ji Li was taking care of her by her side. However, her entire sleeve had been soaked through with blood, and it seemed she wouldn’t hold on much longer. Based on Mo Hua’s experience observing battles in the Inner Mountain for so long. The cultivator with the Wolf Fang Club would surely be able to escape, Uncle Ji had a high chance as well, but it depended on whether these cultivators pursued them or not. If they were chased, chances were probably slim. Ji Li wouldn’t be able to escape; although he had the cultivation of Qi Refinement Eighth Level, he lacked experience in fighting enemies. At this moment, being entangled by so many cultivators, he found himself trapped and unable to escape. As for the female cultivator, it looked certain she would die. Perhaps dying might be the best outcome… Mo Hua sighed in her heart. What should she do? There were seven people on the other side; the numbers were a bit overwhelming, and even if Mo Hua joined the fight, she might not be able to save all of them. Mo Hua could escape if she could not overpower them. But Ji Li and that female cultivator probably wouldn’t be able to. If Ji Li couldn’t escape, Ji Qingbai would surely not want to leave because of his son. The burly man seemed to have a fiery spirit and a sense of loyalty; he would likely fight to the death. “It would be best to save them all; being alive is better than anything else.” Determined, Mo Hua took out a section of a bamboo tube; the tube was red, with a Fireworks Formation painted inside. Such bamboo tubes were simple to make, and the Fireworks Formation painted by Mo Hua was something almost every monster hunter who entered the mountains carried. In case of an emergency, once the formation was triggered and fireworks were released, nearby monster hunters would come to the rescue. Mo Hua activated the Fireworks Formation with her spiritual power, and a burst of firelight shot up into the sky. The cultivators fighting on the mountain path were all startled by the sight of the fireworks. Mo Hua then used the Water Passing Step to quickly run to a distant spot, activated another firework, then ran to the left crest of the hill, and set off another smoke signal. At three different locations, from near to far, she released the fireworks, creating the illusion that waves of monster hunters from Tongxian City were hurrying to their aid after hearing the news. “It’s the monster hunters from Tongxian City!” exclaimed a foreign cultivator in surprise. “Big brother, what do we do?” “They are many, and they have iron armor; we are no match for them.” The leading cultivator frowned, hesitating and uncertain. It was just a bit more… They had been fighting for half a day, and it looked like they were about to kill these few cultivators, seize the goods, and capture the female cultivator. If they withdrew now, all their efforts would be wasted! Seeing they were not leaving, Mo Hua raised her right hand and sent another Fireball flying. This Fireball Technique was fast and accurate, hitting a foreign cultivator in an instant, who stumbled and fell to the ground, screaming in pain from the burn of the spell. The Qi Refinement Seventh Level spell might not be much against monster beasts, but when it hit a cultivator, its power was not to be underestimated. “A spell?!” exclaimed the leading cultivator.