Mo Hua told Zhang Lan and Leader Yang about this matter. Both were from noble clans, so they should know something about it. "Lifespan Transformation Elixir?" Zhang Lan’s brows gradually furrowed, and his expression became solemn, "I have never heard of such a pill." Zhang Lan looked toward Leader Yang, who also shook his head, "Neither have I." Mo Hua was somewhat surprised; this pill was so obscure that even Zhang Lan and Leader Yang had never heard of it. Zhang Lan then said, "Copy the drawings of the pill furnace and the herbs for me, and I will take them back to my clan to ask around." Leader Yang also said, "Give me a copy too, and I will ask as well." Mo Hua copied a set for each of them and asked: "How long will it take to get a response?" Zhang Lan pondered, "It’s hard to say, if it’s quick, less than a week, if it’s slow, maybe half a month." "With low cultivation, many means of communication aren’t available, so it takes longer," Zhang Lan added with a sigh. Mo Hua nodded. About six days later, Zhang Lan received a reply from his clan. Zhang Lan found Mo Hua, his expression grave, "This is not an ordinary evil pill!" "Lifespan Transformation Elixir, it refines the life of a cultivator, transforming cultivation into medicinal power; it is a pill passed down in some great demon sect traditions, a true demon path method!" "These several herbs here, Soul-refining Herb, Life-extinguishing Vine, are indeed used to refine the Lifespan Transformation Elixir." A chill went through Mo Hua’s heart, "How could the Patriarch of the Qian Family possess such a pill recipe?" Zhang Lan shook his head, "Maybe he obtained it unintentionally, or perhaps someone deliberately gave it to him. With so few clues right now, it’s impossible to know." The next day, Leader Yang also received a reply from his clan. The response in the letter was similar to what Zhang Lan had said, but with an additional point. "The Lifespan Transformation Elixir, even within demon sects, is an extremely precious pill; the method for its alchemy is a secret of demon sects, and it is unlikely to leak out easily." "In refining this pill, one must commit grave acts of murder. First, people are refined into Human Life Pills, and then these pills are used as a catalyst. Human flesh and blood serve as the medicinal ingredients to transform lifespan and boost cultivation." "To refine a furnace of pills, it could take decades or even a hundred years of continuous killing and alchemy before the Lifespan Transformation Elixir is completed." "Therefore, even for a demon sect, refining this batch of pills is very strenuous." A coldness settled in Mo Hua’s heart. This tallied with the actions of the Patriarch of the Qian Family. The Patriarch of the Qian Family established Black Mountain Stronghold, raised evil cultivators, and murdered for alchemy. First, he refined Human Life Pills to extend his life and that of the Chief Elder of the Qian Family; then, using the Human Life Pills as catalyst, he crafted the Lifespan Transformation Elixir. Mo Hua asked Old Mr. Feng; although Human Life Pills could extend life, there were limits. If continuously taken, the medicinal power of the Human Life Pills would gradually wear off, the life extended would become shorter, and eventually, the medicinal power would fail completely. The Patriarch of the Qian Family could not possibly rely on the Human Life Pills to live forever. So his goal was to cling to life with the Human Life Pills, hang on for another hundred years until the Lifespan Transformation Elixir was refined; then, he would take the Lifespan Transformation Elixir to boost his cultivation, break through realms, and become a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator. Breaking through from the middle phase of Foundation Establishment to the late stage could add a hundred years of life; thus, he would have another hundred years to live! And once in the late stage of Foundation Building, with a hundred years of time, he would no longer be limited to the area of Tongxian City. He could travel to a higher grade state boundary to seek the Core Formation method! In a hundred years, anything is possible! Zhang Lan and Leader Yang also realized this, and their expressions turned to shock. "But there’s one problem," Zhang Lan said with confusion, "The pill furnace in Black Mountain Stronghold was destroyed, doesn’t that mean that his batch of pills has also been ruined?" Leader Yang pondered, "It seems so..." But everyone’s faces did not show any sign of relief. The Patriarch of the Qian Family was immensely crafty; things probably weren’t that simple. "Does the Qian Family have a pill furnace?" Mo Hua asked. Zhang Lan nodded, "Yes, there are several pill furnaces in the cave dwelling of the Patriarch of the Qian Family. They were destroyed during the battle the day we tried to kill him." "What about the other pill furnaces of the Qian Family?" "You mean those furnaces that, on the surface, look like legitimate pill furnaces?" Mo Hua nodded. Leader Yang nodded and said, "I will have the Taoist soldiers go and destroy all pill furnaces of the Qian Family, without leaving a single one behind!" Zhang Lan continued, "I will also go and speak to the Court Leader; all privately owned or family sects and alchemy businesses in Tongxian City must report their pill furnaces, to be checked one by one. We cannot afford to overlook any." After speaking, Zhang Lan thought for a moment and then said to Leader Yang: "The area around Black Mountain Stronghold needs another thorough search." Leader Yang nodded, "I will personally lead a team to search, we’ll leave no stone unturned!" "As long as we find and destroy the Patriarch of the Qian Family’s pill furnace, preventing him from completing the Lifespan Transformation Elixir, he won’t be able to stir up any more trouble." Mo Hua frowned, feeling like he was overlooking something. Something very crucial… Zhang Lan noticed his serious expression and thought he was still worried, so he comforted him: "Don’t worry, even if the Patriarch of the Qian Family schemes in the shadows, it’s all futile once everything is out in the open—their tricks and conspiracies become useless." Mo Hua had his concerns, but he still nodded his head. Afterward, the investigations of the Qian Family, the examination of pill furnaces, and the search for Black Mountain Stronghold went on methodically. These tasks were handled by the Taoist Court and the Taoist soldiers Court, and Mo Hua couldn’t be of help, so he turned his attention to the collapse of the Compound Formation. Nearly a month passed, and Mo Hua, working on and off, finally completed the calculation of the Compound Formation’s collapse. It shouldn’t have taken this long, but with one thing after another cropping up, the delay was somewhat lengthy. Fortunately, it was now complete. Mo Hua was very curious whether the collapse of a Compound Formation could truly injure a Foundation Building Cultivator. He wanted to find an opportunity to test the power of the Compound Formation. But there was no way a Foundation Building Cultivator would let him test it, and a Second Grade Monster Beast wouldn’t do either. Mo Hua didn’t know whether his Concealment Technique could deceive the senses of a Second Grade Monster Beast. Monster Beasts differ from cultivators; in addition to vision and Monster Sensing, they have an acute sense of smell. Moreover, each species of Monster Beast has different innate talents, so their perceptions of the external world vary—some have keen eyesight, others have sensitive Monster Sensing, and some are responsive to Blood Qi. Even if the Concealment Technique could fool one type of Second Grade Monster Beast, it might not work on others. After all, while human bodies are made the same, Monster Beasts vary greatly. Without prior understanding, rashly jumping in front of a Second Grade Monster Beast would be akin to courting death. In this case, a peak late-stage First Grade Monster Beast was the limit that Mo Hua could challenge. If anything unexpected happened, he might not be able to fight back, but he could still run away. Mo Hua proceeded to set up the Formation beforehand. This was a set of First Grade Earthfire Compound Formation. The power of a Compound Formation’s collapse has nothing to do with the type of Formation, but it is dependent on the Formation’s Divine Sense strength, the abundance of Spiritual Power, and the number of Formation Patterns. As long as the Formation is powerful enough, even a Concealment Formation can produce a formidable force when it collapses. Mo Hua chose the Earthfire Compound Formation to make a comparison. Mo Hua had tried before; when this Earthfire Compound Formation was triggered, it was capable of severely injuring a peak late-stage First Grade Monster Beast. Now he wanted to see the effect of the Compound Formation’s collapse and its power. Would it be stronger than the explosion of an Earthfire Compound Formation? And if so, by how much? Once everything was prepared, Mo Hua saw a Black Bear Demon appear in his field of vision. The Black Bear Demon had black fur like bristles, eyes like copper bells, and a huge stature, making it one of the most powerful species in Big Black Mountain. It was also a type of Monster Beast that Monster Hunters greatly feared. But now, looking at it, Mo Hua didn’t feel much fear at all. All fear stems from one’s own weakness. Although Mo Hua’s current cultivation couldn’t be considered formidable, he had enough power to protect himself even against Foundation Building Cultivators, let alone a late-stage First Grade Monster Beast. He might not be able to kill this beast, but the beast also couldn’t kill him. But that would soon change. What Mo Hua wanted to do now was to prove whether he could vanquish this peak late-stage First Grade Monster Beast by leveraging his mastery of formations and relying on the collapse of a Formation! Setting traps, deploying Formations, concealing tracks, using Demon Smelly Grass to mask the scent... The entire process was like second nature to Mo Hua. The Black Bear Demon, unguarded, walked along the path Mo Hua had anticipated. In Big Black Mountain, there weren’t many cultivators or Monster Beasts that posed a threat to it—it killed whatever it wanted to kill and ate whatever it wanted to eat. Moreover, it detected no abnormalities. Soon, it walked into the trap Mo Hua had set, triggering the Formation he had created. The moment the Formation was triggered, Spiritual Power reversed abruptly. The Compound Formation began to collapse! Mo Hua’s pupils shrank. Just like when he previously collapsed a Single Formation, the reversal of Spiritual Power followed by breakdown and annihilation was not dramatic, silent and noiseless. But differently, this time the collapse was much larger in scale, the reversal of Spiritual Power covering more than half of the Black Bear Demon’s body. Half of the Black Bear Demon’s body vanished in an instant, turned to black ash, obliterated from existence. It was as if suddenly someone had crushed the void, along with half of the Black Bear Demon’s body, into nothingness! The formidable Black Bear Demon, left with only half a body, fell thunderously to the ground, dead on arrival! Mo Hua’s expression was shaken, and he was astounded, muttering: "This... is the true power... of Formation collapse..." This is the true... Power of Annihilation of the Dao!