"What is the meaning of this tunnel?" Situ Fang asked coldly. The Lu Family cultivator’s face was pale, yet his mouth was firm, "It’s a mine, isn’t it normal to have caves inside?" But his tone quivered slightly. "Let’s go in and have a look," Mo Hua said indifferently, paying him no heed. The Lu Family cultivator’s eyes flickered with panic, and he quickly stepped in front of the entrance, stretching out his arms to block everyone, "This mine shaft is a secret of the Lu Family’s mining operation. Outsiders are not allowed..." Bai Zisheng kicked him directly, sending him tumbling into the hole. Mo Hua nodded and said, "He is a Lu Family cultivator, and he took the lead in going in. We have no choice but to follow." Situ Fang stared at the two in stupor. She thought to herself, these two really are brothers from the same sect... Birds of a feather flock together. Mo Hua boldly stepped into the mine. The others followed him in as well. After entering, Situ Fang silently followed beside Mo Hua. She knew that Mo Hua was innately weak and was not a body cultivator, and it would be dangerous if someone or something got close to him. By staying close, she could protect Mo Hua in case of any emergencies. After all, Mo Hua was risking his own safety to help her by entering the mine; she didn’t want him to get hurt. The Lu Family cultivator who had been knocked to the ground also got up, saying angrily: "You... cough..." He spit out a mouthful of dirt with a "ptui" and continued, "That’s too much! I will report this to the Family Head..." "Stop talking nonsense!" Bai Zisheng kicked him again, "Lead the way!" The Lu Family cultivator was indignant, "Impossible! I can’t lead the way!" Because he actually didn’t know the way either. Mo Hua looked around and then said, "Follow me." He then took the lead deeper into the mine shaft. The others exchanged glances and also followed Mo Hua inside. The Lu Family cultivator’s expression fluctuated uncertainly. Is this little devil a traitor from their Lu Family? How could he be so familiar with this mine shaft? He wasn’t sure what was inside the mine, and he dared not venture deeper. But he also couldn’t let the Supervisor from the Taoist Court Records Office inspect the mine at will. Otherwise, if the clan held him accountable, he would be in deep trouble. The Lu Family cultivator hesitated for a long time, but eventually could only grit his teeth and follow them inside, hard-headed... ... The shaft was as damp and gloomy as the outside, filled with a filthy stench. But there was an added scent of decay, a hint of death, and a bone-chilling coldness permeating the air. And all around were formations. As Mo Hua walked, he used his divine sense to perceive the formations on the stone walls, feeling inwardly surprised. The formations within the mine were mostly first-grade ones. Not only that, these first-grade formations were part of an entire set, complementing each other in a complex first-grade compound formation. This compound formation was intricately designed and executed with skilled strokes using high-quality spiritual ink, completely different from the crude formations outside. Clearly, they came from the hand of an expert, possibly even a veteran first-grade formation master. It seemed that the Lu Family didn’t lack formation masters or the means to hire them. This was very strange... Mo Hua slowed his pace and began to use divine sense calculation to decipher the formation patterns and determine the types of formations. After a moment, he had a rough understanding. The compound formation included an Earth Stone Formation, an Early Warning Formation, a Sound Isolation Formation, and several other types that supported each other. The Earth Stone Formation was for reinforcement, the Early Warning Formation for precaution, and the Sound Isolation Formation to keep out noise... Mo Hua frowned slightly. What was the Lu Family’s purpose for setting up such complete formations in this mine shaft? Mo Hua extended his divine sense further. What he perceived were the complex auras within the mine. There was the essence of earth and stone, filth, and traces of formations. These auras were mixed together, forming a natural barrier that interfered with divine sense perception. Everything and nothing... there were no other findings. Mo Hua could only continue to walk forward. As they walked, several branched tunnel entrances appeared ahead. At the same time, there came an acrid smell. It was like the musty odor of rotting flesh. All of them frowned and covered their noses with their sleeves. The Lu Family cultivator found it unbearable and immediately hunched over, leaning against the wall, and started vomiting. Mo Hua glanced at him with contempt and then swept his divine sense around, noting that the branches were not deep and seemed safe. He then said: "Let’s split up and search." Situ Fang and the others nodded and moved to check each tunnel entrance individually. The tunnels all appeared to have been freshly excavated. The formations on them were all newly drawn. ``` Mo Hua strode through several tunnels, only to halt abruptly; his pupils constricted as his brows deeply furrowed. He had found those Mining Cultivators. Indeed, they were dead, leaving behind only their corpses. But these could hardly even be called corpses... In the small space, the cave was littered with severed limbs, indistinguishable flesh and blood, and pools of blood everywhere. The blood had congealed and due to the dampness, had become half-sticky, half-thick, emanating a strong stench of decay that was nauseating. The Mining Cultivators had died a bloody and brutal death. As if something had gnawed on them... A chill seeped into Mo Hua’s heart. After a while, Situ Fang also entered. Upon witnessing this scene, her expression was one of shock. Then came a bout of retching, as she covered her face with her sleeve, unable to help vomiting a few times. Bai Zisheng also entered. He tried to hold back but ultimately failed and vomited as well. Bai Zixi heard the commotion and started walking over. Mo Huna heard footsteps and, seeing Bai Zixi enter, quickly stretched out his little hand to cover her eyes. Bai Zixi was taken aback, her confusion evident as she asked: "What’s wrong?" "You can’t look," Mo Hua said. "Why can’t I look?" "If you do, you’ll have nightmares..." "Okay," Bai Zixi understood and nodded, staying quiet as Mo Hua covered her eyes. The last to arrive was the Lu Family Cultivator. He had just vomited before, and upon seeing this scene, his face was fraught with horror; he crumpled against the rock wall, almost vomiting out his intestines… Situ Fang frowned and said, "Let’s talk somewhere else." Mo Hua nodded. Thus, the group made their way back, with Bai Zisheng dragging the Lu Family Cultivators by his collar. They didn’t stop until they reached a slightly more open area. It was then that they finally took a breath of relief. Even though the air here still reeked, compared to the fetid stench by the tunnels, it almost felt "refreshingly pleasant"… It took Bai Zisheng quite a while to recover, and seeing Mo Hua looking unaffected, he couldn’t help but ask: "Didn’t you throw up?" "I’m okay..." Mo Hua nodded. Not only was he a Formation Master, but he was also a Monster Hunter. Though he was young, he had spent a long time around Big Black Mountain, witnessed Monster Beasts kill humans, and seen the bloody scenes of Monster Beasts devouring their prey, so he could barely tolerate it. Bai Zisheng gave a wry smile, at a loss for words. Situ Fang also regained her composure and sighed: "Those Mining Cultivators... they’re still dead..." Even though they had anticipated it, her heart couldn’t help but feel heavy. "How did they die?" asked Bai Zisheng, puzzled. "Were they eaten by the Monster Beasts in the cave?" Mo Hua furrowed his brow and shook his head, "It doesn’t quite seem like it. Monster Beasts’ teeth are typically long, and they mainly tear and bite when they eat humans, which is cleaner." "The way they are now... it’s more like they’ve been gnawed or hollowed out..." Mo Hua was precise with his words. Bai Zisheng glanced at Mo Hua with a complex look in his eyes. Even Situ Fang looked at Mo Hua with some astonishment. You child, the things you understand... have you gone off the beaten path a bit? What normal Cultivator would study these things? Situ Fang shook her head, resigned, "Taoist Court has coroners who can examine the bodies. Have them come down later; they should be able to figure out what killed these Mining Cultivators." After saying that, she turned to Mo Hua with concern: "You should head back first. This place is dirty, no place for children like you to linger." "Okay," Mo Hua nodded. Now that the missing Mining Cultivators had been found, his task was essentially complete. However, there was one more thing to do before leaving. He pointed to the Lu Family Cultivator and said: "Interrogate him to see if he knows anything." The Lu Family Cultivator was somewhat slippery. Normally, he might not tell the truth. But now, having witnessed the state of the Mining Cultivators’ deaths and shaken to his core, he was in a state of utter disarray and his mental defenses had been breached—it was an ideal time to interrogate him. Maybe they could ferret out something useful from him. Mo Hua wanted to know why the Mining Cultivators had died. He also wanted to know, what was the real purpose of this Mining Cave? Moreover, there was an even more eerie point... Mo Hua furrowed his brow; in his eyes, a cold light condensed. He had sensed a whiff of the Ultimate Formation’s aura on the bodies of the dead Mining Cultivators in the well…but this aura carried a certain malevolent taint. ```