Mo Hua gradually figured it out. Why, when Big Black Mountain Stronghold was breached and the Pill Furnace broken, the pig had vanished without a trace or a large pool of blood on the ground. It indicated that the pig had been moved beforehand and had never reappeared since then. Of the Evil Cultivitors in Black Mountain Stronghold, those who weren’t killed were captured, none managed to escape, except for this pig. This suggested that the pig was extremely important, far more than Black Mountain Stronghold and all the Evil Cultivitors. And everyone, including Mo Hua, had overlooked this fact. Why did the Evil Cultivitors feed people to that pig? Because that pig was the actual furnace for Alchemy. Feeding people to the pig was tantamount to tossing humans into the Pill Furnace as ingredients. The continuous feeding of people to the pig by Black Mountain Stronghold suggested that the pill was still in the process of being refined. Or to put it another way, the Lifespan Transformation Elixir might have been in the making for a very long time and may even have been completed. After all, no one knew how long Black Mountain Stronghold had been feeding people to the pig. If it had been for over a hundred years, then the efficacy of the Lifespan Transformation could already be enormous! A chill surged through his heart as Mo Hua’s expression fluctuated. Observing his demeanor, Bai Zixi asked with confusion, "What’s wrong?" Coming back to his senses, Mo Hua hurriedly said, "I’ve remembered something, something very urgent!" No sooner had he spoken than he ran down the mountain. "Are we not fighting anymore?" Bai Zisheng called after him with a tinge of regret. Mo Hua waved his hand, "We’ll talk about it later..." Using the Water Passing Step, Mo Hua quickly disappeared from sight, leaving Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi looking at each other, unsure of what had just happened. Mo Hua found Leader Yang and noticed that Zhang Lan was there too, and he blurted out, "The pig!" Zhang Lan and the others were startled, "You’re not cursing us, are you..." Out of breath, Mo Hua shook his head and managed to say in broken sentences: "That pig... is... the Pill Furnace!" Zhang Lan and Leader Yang both looked stunned, pondered for a moment, and their expressions changed dramatically! "What did you say?!" After catching his breath, Mo Hua spoke with a grave tone: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞 "Flesh serves as the Formation media, bloodstains as the Formation Patterns, Demon Core as the Formation eye, bones comprise the Formation Pivot..." "So that pig is the actual furnace for concocting the Lifespan Transformation Elixir! And it may well have been refining for over a century." Leader Yang’s pupils shrank drastically, and he glanced at Zhang Lan, "Doesn’t that mean..." Zhang Lan blurted out, "The pill... is about to be refined?!" Leader Yang’s face darkened, and he immediately called over a Taoist Soldier, commanding sternly: "Quick, go and invite Elder Yu, Court Leader Zhou, and Family Head An. Tell them to come over at once, we have an emergency on our hands to discuss!" The Taoist Soldier acknowledged the order and set off posthaste. In less than half an hour, everyone had gathered together. Leader Yang repeated Mo Hua’s words, and everyone’s color drained from their faces, their hearts filled with alarm. "Where is the Patriarch of the Qian Family now?" "At Big Black Mountain." "But Big Black Mountain is so vast..." "It’s highly probable he’s deep in the mountains." "What do we do?" Elder Yu’s brow furrowed as he spoke coldly: "We search! We must find the Patriarch of the Qian Family. Otherwise, if he takes that pill and advances to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, we will not be able to contain him." Within the Second-Grade Prefecture Border, reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage represented the cultivation ceiling. One could come and go freely within this state boundary, beyond anyone’s control. To kill him then would necessarily exact a terribly painful cost! And if we don’t kill him, the entirety of Tongxian City will be faced with grave peril! Leader Yang nodded, "Then let’s gather all the Taoist Soldiers and search the deep mountains thoroughly and meticulously!" "Taoist Soldiers alone won’t suffice." Court Leader Zhou shook his head, "Taoist Soldiers Court, Monster Hunters, and all the cultivators from the families and Sects within Tongxian City must join the search. We cannot overlook a single blade of grass or pebble." "This matter concerns the security of the entire Tongxian City. We must all pull together and cooperate!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Court Leader Zhou then turned to Mo Hua, "We need your help with this matter." "Alright!" Mo Hua agreed. After the discussion, they mobilized their forces. By the next day, they had entered deep into Big Black Mountain and began a thorough search. The Taoist Soldiers Court, Taoist Court, Monster Hunters, and all the cultivators from various families and Sects mobilized. A dense throng of cultivators started from the outer edges of the deep mountains and pushed inwards, leaving no nook unexamined. Meanwhile, under Mo Hua’s arrangement, they removed the Fog Formations in the deep mountains one by one. At the same time, they placed stone needles painted with the Compass Child Formation made by Mo Hua in every corner of the deep mountains to monitor any stirring of the wind and grass. Mo Hua began the task of drawing the map of the deep mountains. He would draw every peak, every stone, every blade of grass, every tree on the map. He had done this work in the Outer Mountain and the Inner Mountain, and now, he was doing it all over again in the deep mountains. The deep mountains were once a taboo in Big Black Mountain, a place that instilled fear in all cultivators. And most of the fear comes from the unknown. As long as all the secrets hidden in the deep mountains are unearthed, and the mists dispelled, the deep mountains that once made the cultivators pale with fear would no longer be frightening. The process of searching the mountains progressed bit by bit. The map of the deep mountains was also being perfected little by little. But on the map, there were still several blank spots, locations where Second Grade Monster Beasts lived or had their nests. With so many cultivators searching the mountains, ordinary First Grade Monster Beasts had long since fled at the sight of them. But Second Grade Monster Beasts were different, robust with Blood Qi, surging with demonic power, not something Qi Refinement Realm cultivators could provoke. Even if they gathered the strength of many to kill one or two Second Grade Monster Beasts, the casualties would be quite heavy. Moreover, the pressing matter was to search for the whereabouts of the ancestor of the Qian Family, and they couldn’t waste time entangled with these Monster Beasts. Therefore, when everyone searched the mountains, they could only avoid these Second Grade Monster Beasts. After nearly seven days, everyone worked together to search the whole of the deep mountains, but still, they found no trace of the Patriarch of the Qian Family. "Could the Patriarch of the Qian Family not be in the deep mountains?" Leader Yang wondered. Elder Yu shook his head, "Impossible, if he went to other Immortal Cities, he would have been discovered by now. Big Black Mountain is secluded, the most suitable place for him to hide. Moreover, he has to take a pig with him and to refine Pills..." "Then, there’s only one possibility left..." Leader Yang looked towards the blank spaces on the map. The blank spaces on the map were areas that hadn’t been searched, which means... the lairs of Second Grade Monster Beasts! The expressions of everyone became grave. Second Grade Monster Beasts were powerful, and their lairs were deep and perilous. Monster Beasts of the same realm were much stronger than cultivators. Even Leader Yang, who was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, leading Taoist Soldiers into the lair, would likely suffer numerous casualties if they enraged a Second Grade Monster Beast. "How could the Patriarch of the Qian Family think of this method?" Court Leader Zhou frowned. Elder Yu sighed, "Before he made his fortune, the Patriarch of the Qian Family was also a Monster Hunter." Thus, using the Monster Beast’s lair to fake the Chief Elder’s death, using Monster Beasts as Pill Furnaces to cultivate Pills, all of these, bore some hallmarks of a Monster Hunter’s practices. Court Leader Zhou said with regret, "The Patriarch of the Qian Family indeed has clever means; it’s just a pity, they were not used for the Righteous Dao." "Any clues from the third Householder?" asked Elder Yu. "He’s tight-lipped, not saying anything," said Leader Yang. "So what do we do?" Zhang Lan frowned, "Shall we search the Second Grade Monster Beasts’ lairs?" If they went to search, the loss would be heavy, possibly costing many lives. But if they didn’t search, once the Patriarch of the Qian Family successfully refined the Lifespan Transformation Elixir, the number of cultivators dying at his hands could be even more. Whichever option they chose, it was a difficult decision. Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "How about I go take a look." Everyone was slightly stunned, with Leader Yang asking, "What are you going to look at?" "I’m going to look at the Formations." "Formations?" Leader Yang was somewhat puzzled. Mo Hua nodded, explaining: "The Patriarch of the Qian Family relies on Formations for his actions, whether establishing Black Mountain Stronghold or using cultivators to refine Pills—all have traces of Formations." "If he’s hiding in the lair of a Monster Beast in these deep mountains, he would definitely have set up some Formations around, whether to hide, for early warning, or for defense." "I can see the traces of Formations." "If there are traces of Formations in the lair of Second Grade Monster Beasts, then it means a cultivator definitely has been in there. And someone who can enter the lair of a Second Grade Monster Beast in the deep mountains, that person is most likely the Patriarch of the Qian Family!" On hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up, and they agreed: "It’s worth a try!" Elder Yu said, "I’ll go with you." He was a bit concerned for Mo Hua and didn’t want him to take risks. Leader Yang shook his head, "We few at Foundation Establishment will all go together." Although Mo Hua was skilled at concealment and acted with astuteness, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t encounter danger. And in searching for the Second Grade Monster Beasts’ lairs, the dangers faced were either the Second Grade Monster Beasts or, facing the Patriarch of the Qian Family himself. Leader Yang was also hoping to get Mo Hua to join his Yang Family; viewing Mo Hua, albeit presumptuously, as ’his person’, he was therefore even less willing to let him get hurt. "Sure!" everyone nodded in agreement. So a group of Foundation Building Cultivators surrounded Mo Hua, protecting him as they searched in the deep mountains for the lairs of Second Grade Monster Beasts...