Chapter 245: Chapter 244: Backtracking_1 The one-eyed cultivator showed a look of disbelief. If Zhao Hu was not gravely injured or dead, his storage bag could not have possibly ended up in someone else’s hands. Originally, he had thought that after Zhao Hu killed that Ji surnamed brat, he would come back and help out, and they would be able to kill all these cultivators. Now, not only had Zhao Hu failed to kill the man, but he might also have been killed by someone else. The one-eyed sin cultivator spat out a curse. In this current situation, he had no time to think about who exactly Zhao Hu had fallen to. If they dragged this out any longer and the Monster Hunters arrived, they would be the ones to die. After weighing the situation for a moment, the one-eyed sin cultivator could only grit his teeth and say, “Retreat first!” The other sin cultivators were reluctant, but they also knew they were powerless in the current situation and could only prepare to retreat with resentful glares. Seeing them planning to retreat, Mo Hua’s eyes flickered slightly, and suddenly he said: “That short one, are you called Diao Laosi?” The short-statured hidden cultivator stopped in his tracks, his gaze chilly. He had been mixing in the Cultivation World for a hundred years; when had he ever been called out by a brat like this? Mo Hua pretended to advise, “Your Concealment Technique is no good; I saw through it at a glance. Next time you see me, just hide and walk away, otherwise, if I see through you, you’ll lose face again.” Diao Laosi couldn’t help but have anger surging up. Mo Hua mockingly added, “Or you might as well change your name. Don’t call yourself Diao Laosi anymore, change it to Diao Wei instead, and run away with your tail between your legs whenever you see me.” Diao Laosi was so angry he almost crushed his teeth, feeling a surge of blood rush to his throat and almost vomiting it out. The one-eyed sin cultivator said coldly, “Don’t fall for his provocation; we’ll settle the score with him later!” Diao Laosi looked at Mo Hua hatefully, as if to imprint Mo Hua’s face in his memory. Afterward, the sin cultivators no longer spoke and gradually retreated towards the back until their figures disappeared into the dense forest. Ji Qingbai and the others all let out a long sigh of relief. Mo Hua felt somewhat regretful that he couldn’t keep the hidden cultivator named Diao Laosi. In his Divine Sense, he had already sensed the figures of the Monster Hunters; they would soon have Monster Hunters coming to support. Uncle Ji and the others were all injured and couldn’t rashly pursue, and Mo Hua alone couldn’t retain those sin cultivators. However, it was good that everyone was safe; Mo Hua was relieved. Mo Hua distributed the pills refined by Old Mr. Feng to the three of them. The two Monster Hunters thanked him, took the pills, and began to meditate to heal their injuries. Ji Qingbai, however, was worried and looked at Mo Hua, hesitating to speak. Mo Hua then said, “Brother Ji is indeed still alive, but badly injured. You better quickly heal yourself, so you can go and see him sooner.” Ji Qingbai quickly nodded, gulped down the pill, and began to regulate his breathing and heal. Before long, Monster Hunters arrived. The sudden fog had arisen earlier, hindering everyone’s sense of direction, and some Monster Hunters got separated. Now that the fog had dispersed and the Monster Hunters who saw the smoke signals were able to come for support. Meanwhile, the one-eyed sin cultivator and Diao Laosi, along with others, fled along the rugged mountain path and reached a section of the woods. While walking, the one-eyed cultivator suddenly looked up and saw someone ahead, then instructed his companions to scatter and hide in the bushes on both sides. Soon after, more than ten cultivators appeared, all clad in black and with sinister faces. Seeing this, the one-eyed cultivator breathed a sigh of relief, stepped out, and greeted with a fist, “Big brother!” The sin cultivator addressed as “big brother” was a bald man with the Qi Refinement of the ninth level, of average height, with eagle-like eyes and sharp ears. He frowned and asked: “How did it go?” The one-eyed cultivator showed a look of shame, “We failed.” “How did you fail? Where’s Zhao Hu?” The one-eyed sin cultivator found it hard to speak. How did they fail? Could he admit that he had been played by a greenhorn kid with movement techniques, which caused a delay, so they failed to kill Ji Qingbai, And that Zhao Hu’s whereabouts were unknown, whether he was alive or dead? In front of so many people, he couldn’t afford to lose that face. The one-eyed sin cultivator could only bite the bullet and say: “The Monster Hunters’ support came fast, and brother Zhao Hu’s life or death is uncertain.” The bald cultivator called “big brother” had his gaze turn cold. Diao Laosi gauged the number of sin cultivators present, then, turning his gaze, he cupped his hands and said: “Big brother, now that we have more people, why not turn back and catch them off guard?” Diao Laosi’s voice contained hatred. He wished to kill the little cultivator who used the Fireball Technique! He had suffered greatly at the hands of that kid several times. Upon leaving, the kid even mocked and ridiculed him; those words still provoked feelings of anger and frustration as he thought about them. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? What was critical was that his Concealment Technique and all his skills were completely restrained by that brat. If he didn’t get rid of that brat, he would surely fall into his hands sooner or later! Unless he really did as the brat said, tucking his tail and scurrying away whenever he saw him. But if he really did that, he would lose all his face, and never again have the dignity to mix in this Black Mountain State Boundary. This was even more unbearable than killing him! Diao Laosi continued, “They must not have gone far. If we turn back now, that Ji Qingbai is as good as dead, and the other Monster Hunters can be killed too!” Especially that damn little cultivator, he couldn’t extinguish the hatred in his heart until he ground that brat’s bones to dust and scattered his ashes. Upon hearing this, the one-eyed Sin Cultivator’s eyes lit up: “Brother, this plan is feasible. We have many people and a strong advantage now, we can make it quick and decisive.” The bald cultivator pondered for a moment, then said slowly: “Only by killing Ji Qingbai will the Kong Family pay the remainder of the Spirit Stones. Let’s all go, act quickly, and retreat after the kill!” All the Sin Cultivators agreed with a chorus of “Yes,” before their figures flickered and they all headed towards the small hillside. Mo Hua was still on the small hillside, and more and more Monster Hunters were arriving, their numbers growing. This was beyond Mo Hua’s expectations. The Inner Mountain was so vast, he couldn’t have expected so many Monster Hunters to come just because he set off a few firecrackers. After learning the full story, Mo Hua was somewhat stunned. Previously, because of the fog, many Monster Hunters had been separated. Generally speaking, it’s best to stay put in dense fog, but this was the Inner Mountain, a dangerous situation where accidents always happened. Whether it was encountering Monster Beasts, poisonous swamps, or attacks from cultivators, Monster Hunters had to keep navigating in the fog, leading to inevitable separations. After the fog had lifted, the Monster Hunters began to gather in small groups. Those who saw the fireworks hurried over to provide support, passing the message to each other. A few Monster Hunters who had seen Mo Hua said, “Someone is injured, and Mo Hua is there too.” This message spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and as it spread, it turned into “Mo Hua is also injured.” Upon hearing this, the Monster Hunters were immediately incensed. Mo Hua injured, that was unacceptable! Any Monster Hunter who heard the news, no matter how far, rushed over to this location. Some were still hunting wounded Monster Beasts, some were skinning and deboning them, and some were packing their storage bags ready to descend the mountain. Upon hearing the news, they all stopped what they were doing, drew their swords, and came running. Therefore, the number of Monster Hunters gathering on the small hillside was increasing, almost reaching a hundred… After understanding what had happened, Mo Hua felt touched, yet couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. A while later, Yu Chengyi also arrived. He had been hunting Monster Beasts on another side, and coming from a distance, he arrived panting. Upon seeing Mo Hua, he asked, “Are you alright?” “I’m fine.” Mo Hua had said this several dozen times already. Yu Chengyi finally sighed in relief, “As long as you’re fine.” Then he looked puzzled and said, “But I heard someone say you were injured?” Mo Hua replied helplessly, “Someone was injured, but it wasn’t me.” “That’s good.” Yu Chengyi nodded, then became slightly angry and instructed, “Tell everyone, Mo Hua is fine, stop spreading rumors.” If this went on, his father Elder Yu would probably come up the mountain himself. Yu Chengyi looked around before asking, “What happened?” Mo Hua briefly explained how Ji Li was being hunted, and how Ji Qingbai and two other Monster Hunters were ambushed. Yu Chengyi was furious, “These bastards, staying in the mountain they’re bound to be troublesome sooner or later, we’ll eventually slaughter them all!” Mo Hua also felt it was a pity. If the Inner Mountain weren’t so vast, the Monster Hunters could have come a bit earlier, or if those Sin Cultivators were provoked by him, could have been delayed a bit longer, they could have kept all of them here. Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, scanning around again, feeling somewhat disappointed. “That short guy who knows the Concealment Technique can really endure, after all the insults I hurled at him, he still doesn’t think to come back and bother me?” Is he, like Qian Hong, one of the turtle kin?” Mo Hua thought to himself. A little while passed, and when Ji Qingbai was done healing, eager to check Ji Li’s injuries, everyone prepared to descend the mountain. Suddenly, Mo Hua’s Divine Sense stirred, his eyes gradually brightening as he quickly said, “Wait.” All the Monster Hunters stopped and looked at him with confusion. Mo Hua held his breath and focused, extending his Divine Sense to its limit, then after opening his eyes, he smiled and said: “The big fish has been lured back.”