The Quest for Immortality-Chapter 1251: Tracking (3)

"It’s time to head back..."

Elder Xun squatted in a tree, stretching his shoulders. He felt it was about time to return to the sect, but when he glanced down, Mo Hua was still completely unaware, strolling through the mountains without any sign of wanting to return.

Elder Xun paused, his brows furrowed.

This kid... could he be planning to spend the night in the mountains?

Any mountains inhabited by Monster Beasts become extremely dangerous once night falls.

The night was pitch black, with the sun setting and the moon rising. Dense Yin Qi filled the air, and Monster Beasts often became bloodthirsty and agitated.

Some eerie Monster Beasts that couldn’t move during the sunlit day would emerge in swarms at night, prowling through the darkness to hunt for flesh.

Refining Demon Mountain was no exception.

Thus, there was an unwritten rule in the mountains:

Unless you’re at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and part of a team of five, hunting Monster Beasts should not lead to staying overnight in the mountains except in extreme necessity.

Nighttime in Refining Demon Mountain was incredibly perilous.

During the night, even the Elders on duty would not have enough hands to deal with emergencies. If trouble arose, timely rescue wasn’t guaranteed.

Even genius disciples at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, in teams of five, faced overwhelming danger when staying overnight in the mountains.

Let alone this frail, middle-stage Foundation Building young boy roaming the mountains alone.

Elder Xun’s head throbbed.

"This kid is too bold..."

Yet Mo Hua looked completely indifferent.

His reasoning was actually quite simple.

Heading back now meant having to return tomorrow, costing another hundred Merit Points—too much of a loss.

Merit Points, after all, were precious. The more the merrier; better to save them whenever possible.

Mo Hua remained focused, carefully observing the terrain and marking important locations on his map.

Only when night deepened, the sky turned desolate with no stars, and the surroundings became so dark that he couldn’t even see his hand before his face, did Mo Hua start thinking about spending the night.

By now, the Monster Qi in the mountain seemed even thicker amidst the cool night air.

Low growls from Monster Beasts echoed intermittently.

In the darkness, countless eerie beasts seemed to stir, ready to act.

Even Elder Xun, a cultivator at the Late Golden Core Stage, felt an unease creeping into his heart.

He turned to look at Mo Hua again, seeing him standing in place and looking around, seemingly searching for a foothold. Unable to hold back a bitter smile, he thought to himself:

"If you’re planning to spend the night in the mountain, you should have prepared earlier. At this hour, it’s too late to scramble; where are you going to find a decent spot now?"

If it really came down to it, Elder Xun would have to come forward and drag this kid down the mountain...

But doing so wouldn’t align with the ancestor’s orders.

The ancestor had specifically instructed him to watch over Mo Hua discreetly.

While Elder Xun was mulling this over, he suddenly noticed Mo Hua moving.

It seemed Mo Hua had found a spot to settle.

Elder Xun looked on with some curiosity, scanning through the shrouded night.

What he saw left him shocked—Mo Hua gracefully climbed up a tall tree, leaped onto a mountain peak, scaled halfway up the slope, then jumped across to another cliff, using the cover of dense shrubs to trek a bit further until he found an extremely hidden cave.

Mo Hua headed for the cave.

Elder Xun froze, then sharply inhaled.

A Monster Beasts’ lair!

No, this place isn’t meant for people! ƒ

This is the den of a fierce Monster Beast! And judging from the remaining Monster Qi, it belonged to at least a Second Grade Late Stage Monster Beast!

You silly child, are you trying to get yourself killed?

Elder Xun immediately prepared to intervene, ready to yank Mo Hua out of the cave. But as his Divine Sense swept the area, he suddenly paused.

"No Monster Beast?"

He scanned again, now feeling somewhat reassured.

It seemed the Monster Beast had gone hunting.

Or perhaps it had "multiple lairs," and this was just one of its dens. Despite the heavy Monster Qi lingering here, the beast clearly wasn’t home tonight.

Elder Xun let out a slow breath.

Then he stood dumbfounded as Mo Hua brazenly "occupied the nest," walking boldly into the lair of a Second Grade Late Stage Monster Beast—one that could swallow him whole without spitting out his bones.

Inside the lair, Mo Hua first took out some refreshing herbs and sprinkled them around to cleanse the pungent Monster Beast scent.

Then he chose a safe corner and set up multiple formations.

First was an Early Warning Formation, followed by a Concealment Formation, a defensive Earth Stone Formation, and lastly a counterattacking Di Sha Formation.

After setting up the formations, Mo Hua pulled out some dried meat to fill his belly.

He followed it with a few gulps of fruit wine.

Once fed and hydrated, he pulled out a soft blanket, wrapped himself like a cocoon, and fell into a long, peaceful sleep...

Elder Xun, standing outside, was utterly dumbfounded.

Wait a minute...

This is a Monster Beast’s lair! How on earth do you treat it like your own home?

Under such conditions, how are you able to sleep so soundly?!

Your heart is really something else...

Elder Xun let out a deep sigh, lost for words. Eventually, he resigned himself to silently standing guard at the cave entrance.

He didn’t dare rest, merely closed his eyes to meditate.

What if a Monster Beast really returned to its den and swallowed this wildly audacious kid whole? That would be a disaster.

The ancestor would skin him alive...

The night grew deeper, the mountain winds colder.

Mo Hua slept peacefully inside.

Elder Xun kept watch outside, anxious and on edge.

And so the night passed until dawn arrived, the east lightened, and Mo Hua opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He stretched and looked invigorated.

Outside the cave, Elder Xun’s gaze was dull, his face weary.

The hour was no longer early.

Mo Hua got up, tidied his blanket, erased the formations, and marked the location of the lair with a small "campfire" icon on his map.

He thought about how he could return here in the future if he ever needed to stay overnight in the mountains again.

After eating a quick breakfast, Mo Hua packed his gear and continued on his way.

Time was tight, and he aimed to map out at least another quarter of the area by the end of the day.

Elder Xun rubbed his brow and sighed helplessly, then began silently trailing Mo Hua again.

And so, Mo Hua spent another day exploring Refining Demon Mountain.

Elder Xun diligently followed him throughout the day.

Yet Mo Hua remained completely unaware.

By the end of the day, Mo Hua had completed nearly half of his bespoke map of the mountain, achieving his goal.

Once his week-long field break was over, Mo Hua returned to Taixu Gate.

After cultivating for eight days, another field break arrived.

This time, Mo Hua returned to Refining Demon Mountain, spending another hundred Spirit Stones to purchase the Demon Refining Command and re-entered the mountains.

With his familiarity of the area—the terrain, threatening Monster Beasts, miasma, poisons, and more—Mo Hua advanced rapidly in his survey.

Two days later, the map was fully completed.

Now it was time to start designing a hunting strategy, combining formations and spiritual artifacts into a comprehensive plan.

The goal was to prepare for leading his Junior Brother Cheng Mo and the others into Refining Demon Mountain.