Chapter 276: Chapter 275 Householder_1 Mr. Zhuang had mentioned Contemplation Maps to Mo Hua. In the Cultivation World, there were no Cultivation Techniques to cultivate Divine Sense, the only method to strengthen one’s Divine Sense through external means was a Contemplation Map. Contemplation Maps were exceedingly rare, and even among those Noble Clans, they were absolutely secretive inheritances. The Third Householder, also known as the middle-aged Evil Formation Master that Mo Hua had seen before. To become a First Grade Formation Master, and even have the hope of breaking through to the Second Grade, he must naturally have an inheritance of Formations. And having been in Black Mountain Stronghold for so many years, killing who knows how many Cultivators and plundering countless Tao Cultivation resources and inheritances, it seemed not strange at all that he would have a Contemplation Map in his possession. Mo Hua was extremely curious. He had long wanted to know just what a Contemplation Map was. Whether it was truly possible to enhance one’s Divine Sense by studying the map. However, Mr. Zhuang had warned him that Contemplation Maps held unknown dangers, they should not be delved into deeply or relied upon, which is why Mo Hua didn’t pay it much heed before. But even without using a Contemplation Map to strengthen one’s Divine Sense, just having a look to broaden one’s horizons would be good. Now the Third Householder might have a Contemplation Map in his hands. If there really was a Contemplation Map, and if meditating on it could indeed enhance the Divine Sense, then perhaps he could achieve the Divine Sense of the Foundation Establishment stage sooner and also become a Foundation Building Cultivator sooner. Otherwise, given the current pace of Divine Sense growth, reaching Foundation Establishment would take a bit too long. Mo Hua felt somewhat excited inside, but after thinking it over, he also felt a bit disheartened. The Third Householder was not only a Foundation Building Cultivator but also an Evil Formation Master. How could he possibly give Mo Hua a chance to steal the map? Not to mention stealing it, even if Mo Hua were to hide nearby and peek at it together with him, it would probably be very dangerous. “Forget it, if one day in the future I manage to overthrow this entire Black Mountain Stronghold, I’ll think of a way to get the map then.” Besides, this was just his own speculation. What the Third Householder had might not necessarily be a Contemplation Map; it could just be a rare Formation Diagram. Right now, it was more important to gather information. Mo Hua calmed his mind and spirit and continued to eavesdrop from the side. After Scarface finished speaking, the Pale-faced Man was somewhat astonished, asking, “What sort of map is it?” Scarface was reluctant to answer. The Pale-faced Man kept prattling on, and unable to bear it anymore, Scarface finally cursed, “How the fuck would I know? That’s the Third Householder’s stuff, do I have the guts to take a look?” The Pale-faced Man felt somewhat disappointed, then he inquired again, “Since you’ve been here so long, have you ever seen the Householder?” The Pale-faced Man had joined the stronghold later and knew less, while Scarface had arrived earlier with more seniority. However, when it came to the Householder, Scarface also shook his head: “The Householder is as elusive as a dragon seen in head but not in tail. Forget me, even some of the older hands in the stronghold who have been around longer than me may not have seen him.” The Pale-faced Man then asked, “What about the other Householders?” Scarface glanced at him, “Why, you want to be a Householder?” The Pale-faced Man sheepishly smiled, but he thought to himself, “Isn’t that obvious?” In this Black Mountain Stronghold, who didn’t want to be a Householder? As a Householder, one could cover the heavens with one hand within the stronghold, a status far beyond that of ordinary Evil Cultivators, and naturally, their power would be much greater, allowing them to do whatever they wanted. Greed flickered in the eyes of the Pale-faced Man. Seeing through his thoughts, Scarface mockingly said, “Then let me tell you about it, and you weigh for yourself whether you’re cut out for it.” “To be a Householder, you must first be a Foundation Building Cultivator.” “The Householders of Black Mountain Stronghold, the top Householder is unfathomable, while the second Householder is cold-blooded, with an extremely heavy killing intent.” “The Second Householder hasn’t been seen these days. It’s said that the Householder has ordered everyone to exercise restraint lately, and the Second Householder, unable to suppress his killing intent, has gone to another Immortal City to kill.” “The Third Householder is a Formation Master. You should naturally understand what status a Formation Master has. All the Formations in this Black Mountain Stronghold, from the beginning to the end, were laid by the Third Householder. In the stronghold, besides the Householder, no one dares to offend him.” “Regarding the Fourth Householder, the previous one is dead, and this one is newly promoted. He likes to drink blood, if you irritate him, be careful not to be sucked dry.” Scarface laughed contemptuously, “Do you think you could take someone’s place and become a Householder?” The Pale-faced Man’s face twitched, but he still put on a brave front and said, “Fortunes shift, who knows what the future will bring?” Scarface snorted, “Thirty years from now, you probably won’t even be alive.” In this Black Mountain Stronghold, being an Evil Cultivator wasn’t a stable affair. Forget about living to reach Foundation Establishment, becoming a Householder or even simply surviving to old age, there were few who could manage it. The two of them looked at each other with cold eyes and continued to drink on their own. Mo Hua silently pondered to himself. His suspicions had been correct: indeed, there were four Householders within Black Mountain Stronghold! He had already encountered the third and fourth Householders. The second Householder was out and had not yet returned. The first Householder, like a dragon glimpsed but never caught, was likely either in seclusion or not present in the stronghold. In other words, Mo Hua still only needed to be wary of the third and fourth Householders. Avoid them, and he himself would be safe. The only thing that concerned Mo Hua was the first Householder’s cultivation level. Being the first Householder, he must be the old Evil Cultivator who had established Black Mountain Stronghold. With so many ruthless Evil Cultivators under his command, his cultivation level had to be high. It just wasn’t clear whether he was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage or the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. If it was indeed the Mid-Late Foundation Building Phase, that would be terrifying. Elder Yu was only at the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, if it really came to a fight, how on earth would one contend… Mo Hua let out a heavy sigh internally. However, that was no longer something he could dwell on now; it was better for him to focus on drawing the map and gathering more information. In the following days, Mo Hua began to draw up the map of Black Mountain Stronghold. Starting from the mountain gate, he marked the roads, buildings, the dwellings of the Evil Cultivators, and the iron prisons where cultivators were held. He also noted what Formation Diagrams were placed where and what to watch out for. And by analyzing the Formations, he could deduce the architectural layout of Black Mountain Stronghold. This way, for those rooms that were tightly shut and completely sealed, leaving no way to investigate, Mo Hua could also roughly guess their purpose. At night, Mo Hua would still eavesdrop on Scarface and the Pale-faced Man as they talked. Evil Cultivators in Black Mountain Stronghold were not very talkative. These two were the exceptions. Probably because they had to stand guard at night; without a conversation, it would simply be too boring. Mo Hua made use of the opportunity to hide nearby, listening to their conversation, hoping to catch some useful information. With dangers lurking everywhere within Black Mountain Stronghold, Mo Hua could not practice Formation Techniques at the Taoist Stele at night. However, when he found the time to immerse himself in his Sea of Consciousness and meditate in front of the Taoist Stele for a while, even without sleep, he would still remain energetic and alert. Moreover, at night when the fourth Householder went out to drink blood and the third Householder did not leave his room, It was actually the safest time for Mo Hua. After Scarface and the Pale-faced Man had chatted for a while, they suddenly started arguing. Mo Hua caught the gist of it. It turned out that Scarface, despite his fierce appearance, cultivated the Life-Extracting Technique. And the Pale-faced Man, with his sickly white complexion, cultivated an Absorption Spirit skill that borrowed the spiritual power of others to replenish his own. The Pale-faced Man was lecherous and wanted to borrow Scarface’s Life-Extracting Technique to replenish his yang with yin. Scarface ignored him. Angered and embarrassed, the Pale-faced Man mocked, “With your looks, why bother with the Life-Extracting Technique? Aren’t you afraid women will find you disgusting at the mere sight?” Scarface retorted, “With your frail appearance, so unsuitable for reinforcement, what good would studying the Life-Extracting Technique do for you? Don’t end up bolstering yourself to death.” The two exchanged a few more insults and then started to fight. Scarface was a Body Cultivator, while the Pale-faced Man was a Spiritual Cultivator. Using his movement technique, Scarface tried to get close to the Pale-faced Man, who dodged using his own movement technique and countered with spells, conjuring and shooting fireballs with a mere gesture. His spell was the Fireball Technique as well. Seeing this, Mo Hua was taken aback, then felt a sense of displeasure: “What sort of man is this noodle-man, using the same spell as me?” After watching for a while, he suddenly made a light exclamation in his heart. The Pale-faced Man’s Fireball Technique seemed indeed more powerful than his own. Though not as quick or precise as Mo Hua’s, the color of that Fireball Technique was more intense, and the power was quite formidable. It shouldn’t be a matter of cultivation level. Generally, a Spiritual Cultivator at the Qi Refining Ninth Level wouldn’t have such potency in their Fireball Technique. Could it be that this Pale-faced Man had some trick to his Fireball Technique?