Chapter 275: Chapter 274 Visualization_1 Mo Hua was startled and immediately lay flat on the roof beam, motionless. At the same time, a Divine Sense roughly swept over him but failed to see through his concealment. The burly man withdrew his Divine Sense, finding nothing, and bellowed angrily, “Who’s there, sneaking around?” The middle-aged cultivator frowned and also released his Divine Sense, scanning the surroundings. A noticeably deeper Divine Sense passed through the roof beam, condensed upon Mo Hua, and penetrated the concealment of the Concealment Formation on him. However, beneath the Concealment Formation, there was another layer of concealment from a Concealment Technique. It was already night, and the roof beam was dark; even a mediocre Concealment Technique would not be easily detected. The middle-aged cultivator saw through one layer of concealment but still did not discover Mo Hua, and after a moment of hesitation, he too withdrew his Divine Sense and said indifferently, “There’s no one here; there’s no need to be so paranoid.” The burly man said, “That’s impossible—someone is watching me!” The middle-aged cultivator glanced at him, “Nonsense, am I not looking at you?” The burly man did not respond, his expression still carrying a fierce air, “No, there must be someone spying in secret!” Mo Hua felt a sinking feeling in his heart, tensing up. The middle-aged cultivator retorted, “Are you suggesting someone sneaked in?” “It’s not impossible,” said the burly man. The middle-aged cultivator gave a contemptuous smile, “Do you know where this is?” Before the burly man could reply, the middle-aged cultivator scoffed: “This is the deep mountains of Big Black Mountain, the stronghold where we Evil Cultivators live and establish ourselves!” “The entrance has a Concealment Formation I laid down, the high walls have a Compound Formation I arranged, each room, each tile and each brick, was marked with a Formation by me.” “Which ordinary cultivator can discover this stronghold, dare to come here, let alone enter this stronghold? And even more so, who would dare spy under our noses?” Mo Hua listened and was secretly astonished. This middle-aged cultivator turned out to be that Formation Master, and what’s more, a Foundation Building Cultivator! With the middle-aged cultivator claiming no one was present, the burly man wanted to argue but couldn’t. He was less experienced than the middle-aged cultivator; knew nothing of Formations; and his Divine Sense was far inferior. If the middle-aged cultivator said there was no one, then there probably was no one. The bloodshot in the burly man’s eyes slowly faded, the fierceness dissipated, and he apologized with a cupped fist gesture, “Third brother, please don’t be offended; it was my presumption.” The middle-aged Formation Master’s expression softened slightly, nodded, and did not take it to heart, instead asking, “Did you go without drinking blood tonight?” The burly man nodded, “I didn’t drink. I had some liquor and felt a bit restless.” After speaking, the bloodshot in the burly man’s eyes started to appear again. Bloodthirsty and restless, so suspicious and paranoid. The middle-aged Formation Master understood, his gaze turning slightly serious, and said, “Find some time to drink some blood. Don’t let it disturb your state of mind and ruin the big picture.” The burly man nodded, feeling an increasing thirst in his throat, the liquor making him thirstier and his mood more irritable, always feeling like someone was secretly watching him. This sensation was extremely uncomfortable. The bloodshot in the burly man’s eyes grew denser, his eyes almost completely red, and he stood up and said with a fist in hand, “I’ll take my leave first.” The middle-aged Formation Master asked, “Human blood might not be enough, do you need to drink Monster Blood? Do you want me to help?” The burly man replied, “No need, third brother, you’ve got a lot on your plate, and I wouldn’t want to bother you.” After speaking, the burly man left. The middle-aged Formation Master sat for a while, finished his drink, and then entered the depths behind the stronghold. Mo Hua waited in the same spot for two hours to make sure that both men had really gone and were not pretending to fool him, then he finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Elder Yu was right, the effect of these two layers of concealment is that as long as I stay still, even Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators might not be able to find me.” Especially that middle-aged cultivator, who was also a Formation Master, yet he failed to detect the concealed Mo Hua. This undoubtedly showed how hidden Mo Hua’s method of concealment was. But Mo Hua did not dare to be complacent. Eavesdropping under the eye of a Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator was still a very dangerous matter; even if they could not detect him, it’s best not to take such risks again. Mo Hua warned himself. If his Concealment Technique was truly exposed, even with the Water Passing Step movement technique, he might not be able to escape from a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s hands. It seems that the back of the stronghold is a place to be avoided in the future. Especially those two Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators, it’s better to stay away from them. Over the next two days, Mo Hua took the time to study the behavioral patterns of the two Foundation Building Cultivators. The burly man would usually cultivate in the stronghold during the day but would leave alone at night, his whereabouts unknown. Mo Hua guessed he must be going to drink blood. The burly man cultivated Evil Skills and needed to drink human blood, but having reached Foundation Establishment, human blood was insufficient, so he had to drink the blood of Monster Beasts. Some Monster Beasts consume human flesh and drink human blood. So drinking Monster Blood was almost the same for him as drinking human blood. As for the Formation Master, he too must be an Evil Formation Master, staying deep within the stronghold every day, tinkering with something unknown. Mo Hua couldn’t guess and didn’t dare to look. Occasionally, this Evil Formation Master also left the compound, always under the cover of night. Mo Hua speculated that he must be going into the deep mountains to lay out some Formation. But it was just a guess; he certainly didn’t dare to follow, as that would be truly seeking death. Mo Hua had gradually figured out the daily routines of the two Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators. As long as he avoided running into them, there was nothing to fear inside the Black Mountain Stronghold. After all, neither the Foundation Establishment Evil Formation Master nor the burly man had been able to discover him, let alone these Qi Refinement Evil Cultivators. Plus, the Evil Formation Master himself had said that it was impossible for someone to infiltrate the Black Mountain Stronghold and eavesdrop right under their noses. The other Evil Cultivators probably believed it even less likely that someone could sneak in. After thinking it over, Mo Hua decided to stay a few more days in the Black Mountain Stronghold. One reason was to draw a complete map of the stronghold, and the other was to overhear more information about it. Knowing the enemy and knowing yourself, you will not be endangered in a hundred battles. With the Black Mountain Stronghold’s power being so vast, without knowing the ins and outs, one simply couldn’t contend with them. He just needed to be careful to avoid any risks, especially encountering any Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators. With the Evil Formation Master’s strong Divine Sense and the burly man’s keen instincts, neither was an easy opponent to deal with. Right then, Mo Hua grew curious. Just how many Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators were there in the Black Mountain Stronghold? Mo Hua began eavesdropping all around, trying to ascertain this. Finally, one night, two Evil Cultivators were on guard duty, chatting over drinks, and they mentioned the “Householder” of the Black Mountain Stronghold. One had a muscular build with a ferocious scar on his face. The other was pale-faced with a lean figure, looking like a piece of string. Mo Hua didn’t know their names, so he simply referred to one as “Scarface” and the other as “Pale-faced Man.” Mo Hua also learned what their night guarding duty entailed. It involved standing watch at the gate of the Black Mountain Stronghold in the dead of night. If a Sin Cultivator came and presented a severed head to seek entry, they’d open the gate and let that Sin Cultivator in. If there were any unexpected developments, or if a Cultivator tried to flee, they could sound the alarm. Guarding at night was rather dull and uninteresting. The night breeze carried a chill as they huddled around a fire, eating hard dried meat, drinking cheap alcohol, and shooting the breeze. Mo Hua was seated on the roof behind them, listening attentively. The Pale-faced Man, warming himself by the fire, grumbled, “The Black Mountain Stronghold has a curfew, but that Fourth Householder still goes out every night.” Upon hearing this, Mo Hua’s expression changed. Fourth Householder? That must refer to the burly man with bloodshot eyes who liked to drink blood. Mo Hua pondered for a moment and then was abruptly startled. The “Householder” must represent each of the leaders within the Black Mountain Stronghold. If that burly man was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, ranked fourth, then that means there are at least four Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators in the Black Mountain Stronghold! Mo Hua broke out in a cold sweat. Four Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators, plus hundreds of murderous Evil Cultivators. Even if the Monster Hunters from Tongxian City and the officers from the Taoist Court were to mobilize, they’d likely stand no chance at all. The Court Leader of the Taoist Court was old and not adept at fighting, and although Elder Yu was formidable, he was certainly no match for four Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivators. If the Foundation Establishment fell, the remaining fight would be nothing but a one-sided slaughter. Sweating profusely, Mo Hua calmed his mind and continued listening, hoping to overhear more information. Hearing what the Pale-faced Man said, Scarface coldly commented, “If you were a Householder, you wouldn’t have to follow these rules.” The Pale-faced Man gave an awkward smile, somewhat discontented. Then, out of curiosity, he asked, “What do you think the Third Householder does every day, hiding in the back of the stronghold?” “He’s a Formation Master, what else could he be doing?” The Pale-faced Man was skeptical. “Formation practice is so boring. How can the Third Householder not tire of it?” “That’s why the Third Householder is a Formation Master, a Householder, and you’re stuck guarding the gate at night,” retorted Scarface, looking down on him. The Pale-faced Man scoffed, “By that logic, aren’t you just a gate watcher too? Don’t you stand guard with me?” Scarface turned icy, “Are you looking for trouble?” The Pale-faced Man was not pleased, and for a moment, tensions rose between them, though they did not actually come to blows. Evil Cultivators were quick-tempered, yet they knew when to hold back. After a short while, their moods calmed down. The Pale-faced Man, finding the conversation dull, suddenly snickered suggestively, “Do you think the Third Householder might have women hidden in the back, living it up night after night?” Scarface glanced at him coolly and snorted, “Nonsense.” “How do you know?” pressed the Pale-faced Man, a bit deflated. “I’ve seen it.” “You’ve been to the back?” “I’ve delivered some things to the Third Householder a few times.” “What did you see?” Scarface frowned in thought and then said, “The Third Householder, in the back, if he’s not drawing formations, he’s looking at a picture…” Mo Hua, who was listening intently, suddenly had a thought. A picture? What kind of picture? If the Third Householder was a Formation Master and was drawing formations at night, could it be some rare Formation Diagram? “That’s not impossible…” Mo Hua nodded, then suddenly paused, as a term popped into his mind. “Could it be… a Contemplation Map?!”