Chapter 133: Searching for People (Second Update)_1

Elder Yu finished speaking and led the crowd into Big Black Mountain.

In a camp at the entrance of the outer mountain, everyone met with Yu Chengyi.

Elder Yu asked, “How did it go?”

Yu Chengyi’s clothes were wet from rain and dew, his face slightly pale, frown deeply furrowed:

“The rain was too heavy. After the downpour, there were no traces left in the mountain, no idea where he could have gone.”

Elder Yu sighed deeply, “This is troublesome now.”

Big Black Mountain is so vast, even just the outer mountain, if one were to stroll around, it would take seven to eight days, and even longer if searching thoroughly.

If Old Zhao is fine then all is well, but if something indeed happened, I fear the worst.

The Monster Hunters in the camp all had gloomy expressions.

“Where did Uncle Zhao enter the mountain?”

A crisp and youthful voice rang out from the crowd.

Everyone turned towards the source and saw Mo Hua following behind Mo Shan.

Though Mo Hua was young, he was quite familiar with most of the Monster Hunters there, and they all called him “Junior Formation Master,” so nobody ignored him due to his age.

Yu Chengyi hurriedly called Mo Hua over, spread out a map, and pointed to a mountain path:

“Old Zhao entered the mountain through this pass in the evening.”

Mo Hua glanced at it, then closed the map, and took out the map he had drawn from his storage bag.

When Mo Hua unfolded his map, everyone was somewhat taken aback.

This map was exceedingly detailed, not only showing paths, poison marshes, miasma zones, but also marking points for spices, spirit grass, and mineral veins.

At a glance, it was densely marked with information; had space allowed, it seemed that Mo Hua would have marked the number and types of trees in every piece of forest…

Mo Hua pointed to a location on his map, “Is it here?”

Yu Chengyi nodded his head.

Mo Hua compared the location with the nearest stone needle on the map, then took out the compass marked with the Compass Mother Formation pattern and looked at it for a moment; his brow furrowed gradually.

A tightness gripped Yu Chengyi’s heart, and he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Mo Hua pointed to several positions on the map and said, “There were fluctuations of spiritual power here.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that someone was using force here!”

The crowd exchanged looks, momentarily astonished.

“You can tell all that?” a Monster Hunter couldn’t help but ask.

Mo Hua nodded his head, “This is the Compass Parent-Child Formation. I’ve placed stone needles in the mountain, so if there’s spiritual power fluctuation nearby, it will show on this compass.”

The crowd was shocked, and their gazes towards Mo Hua became much more solemn.

Elder Yu’s expression lightened slightly, “There’s no time to waste, we go there now!”

Without further delay, everyone set off immediately, Mo Shan cautioned “Be careful,” and silently followed behind Mo Hua.

An hour later, the group reached the spot Mo Hua mentioned.

This was a small hillside. Below was a narrow mountain path, and above was a stretch of woodland, with a cliff on the right side.

Mo Hua found the stone needle and noticed that the formation patterns on it were somewhat dim and distorted, caused by the excessively strong spiritual power fluctuations.

“How is it?” Yu Chengyi asked anxiously.

Mo Hua nodded, “Indeed someone took action, and their cultivation is not low. They caused quite a stir, there should be traces nearby.”

Yu Chengyi then ordered, “Spread out and look around.”

Shortly after, someone shouted, “Here!”

The group went over to see that the stones on the ground were mottled and shattered; some trees were snapped in half, and on the stone wall nearby, there was a slanted palm print with faint earth series spiritual power lingering in it.

Yu Chengyi looked and said, “Mountain Splitting Palm, it’s Old Zhao.”

Mo Shan also stepped forward, wiping the stone wall with his finger, then brought it to his nose to sniff. His expression turned cold as he said:

“There are blood traces, washed away by the heavy rain.”

The faces of the crowd all took on a grave expression.

Elder Yu asked Mo Hua, “Are there any other traces?”

Mo Hua looked at the compass, noticing many points had dimmed, even disappeared. He shook his head:

“Too much time has passed, the spiritual power fluctuations are very weak now, I can’t make them out.”

The Compass Parent-Child Formation had a time limit; when the spiritual power fluctuation began, the points would be very bright, but as time passed, the points would fade until they vanished.

Elder Yu and the others all furrowed their brows.

Feeling a sense of urgency, Mo Hua suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked:

“Uncle Yu, when did Uncle Zhao enter the mountain?”

Yu Chengyi thought for a moment and said, “It was about midway through the 5 p.m. hour, so it’s been nearly two hours already.”

Mo Hua’s eyes gleamed slightly. As a Formation Master, he had an exceptional memory. He had glanced at the compass before dinner; although he hadn’t committed it to memory intentionally, some impressions still lingered in his mind.

He spread out the map and marked a few spots.

“These spots might indicate battles that took place after 5 p.m., but they might not necessarily be related to Uncle Zhao. It could be other Cultivators or Monster Beasts. Moreover, these spots may not be precise…”

“That’s alright,” Elder Yu said. “Having a direction is always better than searching aimlessly.”

Elder Yu patted Mo Hua on the shoulder. “You’ve done your best. If we really can’t find him, it just means that Old Zhao has bad luck.”

Mo Hua nodded somberly.

“Any other clues?” Elder Yu asked.

Mo Hua reviewed the map again, then drew several lines on it.

“There have been fluctuations in spiritual energy along these routes. We should search them carefully.”

Elder Yu’s gaze became focused, and the hearts of the other Monster Hunters were also lifted.

Continuous fluctuations in spiritual energy meant that battles were consistently taking place, indicating that someone was being pursued!

But who was pursuing him? Was it Monster Beasts, or was it other Cultivators…

Elder Yu’s expression turned stern as he decisively ordered:

“Split up and search. Groups of three for small areas, five for larger ones. For these routes, more than ten people each. Be careful, and blow the whistle to signal any findings.”

With commands issued by Elder Yu, the Monster Hunters swiftly scattered in all directions.

Elder Yu then reminded Mo Hua, “Stay with your father, and don’t get separated.”

“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded.

As night fell, everyone searched for the missing Monster Hunter in the damp Big Black Mountain after the rain.

Two hours later, the group discovered more signs of battle and even fragments of Rattan Armor, but the person in question was still not found.

Mo Hua marked all the battle sites on the map.

Then, staring at the map, he furrowed his brows in thought.

With signs of battle and a trail indicating a pursuit, one would most likely be seriously injured; in that case, they couldn’t have gone far and should be somewhere near the mountain paths marked on the map.

But why hadn’t they found him with so many people searching?

In life, you should see the person; in death, you should at least find the body…

Confused, Mo Hua turned to Mo Shan standing behind him and asked, “Dad, how do you search for people?”

“How to search?”

“I mean, do you use Divine Sense to search?”

After considering for a moment, Mo Shan replied, “We look for traces with our eyes, listen for movements with our ears, smell for traces of blood with our nose, and Divine Sense is just used for a cursory perception.”

It seemed there was no problem with that approach…

Mo Hua nodded but then suddenly wondered – what if he disregarded his five senses and searched purely with Divine Sense?

Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, and he closed his eyes, releasing his Divine Sense.

Immediately, everything around him turned into a void of white.

In the darkness of the night, the mountains, woods, streams, and Cultivators had their contours and original colors obliterated, turning into faint shadows of spiritual energy.

The shadows of all things in the world, according to spiritual energy, were primarily a light blue, while the shadows of the Cultivators’ spiritual energy varied in the colors of the Five Elements, depending on their Spiritual Root and the attributes of the Cultivation Technique they practiced.

The items within the Divine Sense were clearly delineated.

Mo Hua further discarded his senses, pushing his Divine Sense to its limit.

The boundary of his perception expanded further, and the shadows of spiritual energy he perceived became even clearer.

“Nothing…”

Mo Hua opened his eyes, moved to the next intersection, and again closed his eyes, releasing his Divine Sense.

Mo Shan, not understanding what his son was doing, did not interrupt, simply silently following behind him.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing…”

Mo Hua continued to walk and release Divine Sense. After passing several cliffs, he suddenly stopped.

Mo Shan felt a tightening in his heart, only to see Mo Hua suddenly open his eyes and point towards a nearby cliff:

“There’s someone over there!”

Mo Shan and a few Monster Hunters nearby immediately leapt forward, pushed through the underbrush, and shone a torch down.

Hanging from the branches and entangled beneath the cliff, they found the barely alive Old Zhao!