Chapter 244: Stalling
The fireball spell exploded, and the situation changed, forcing both sides to pause temporarily.
The hidden cultivator froze for a moment, then flew into a rage.
Some unbearable and humiliating memories resurfaced.
Damn fireball spell again!
The hidden cultivator shifted slightly, retreating to a distance, scanning the surroundings with anger. "Who's using fireball spell?"
Silence answered him.
The one-eyed criminal cultivator barked, "Diao Laosan, forget the others for now—kill the Ji family first!"
Hiding in the shadows, Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.
This black-clad, small-framed cultivator with a sinister gaze, skilled in concealment, was called Diao Laosan.
(TN: Lao=Old; San=Third/Three; Diao Laosan == Old Third Diāo)
He silently memorized the name.
Diao Laosan glanced around and extended his Divine-Sense, still seeing no one. His heart sank.
That feeling of being ambushed, and not knowing by whom, rose again.
The one-eyed criminal frowned. "It's just a fireball spell, why are you so scared?"
His cultivation was stronger than a typical Qi-Refining ninth layer, and Ji Qingbai had been at ninth layer for years, holding comparable strength, allowing this stalemate to last.
Originally, the criminals planned to use the hidden cultivator's ambush to quickly kill Ji Qingbai and the others, then retreat calmly.
Now it seemed Ji Qingbai and company could no longer hold out.
Unexpectedly, Diao Laosan hesitated just because of a single fireball spell.
He didn't want to admit it, but he had to:
"The one using fireball spell… saw through my concealment. Last time, I fell to him."
The one-eyed criminal sneered. "Didn't you say your concealment couldn't be seen through by anyone below Foundation Establishment?"
Diao Laosan's gaunt face flushed bright red.
Seeing this, the one-eyed criminal stopped pressing and asked, "Are you sure the cultivator using the fireball is the same one who saw through your concealment last time?"
Diao Laosan paused, suddenly uncertain.
The feeling was so familiar.
It was as if some Divine-Sense clung to him like maggots on bone—impossible to shake off.
This convinced Diao Laosan that it was indeed the same person.
But the fireball spell's power had increased significantly.
Previously, it was only mid-Qi-Refining, but now it had late-Qi-Refining spell strength—roughly seventh or eighth layer.
Had this cultivator leveled up, boosting the spell's power?
Yet if so, their cultivation was only seventh or eighth layer—how could their Divine-Sense see through his concealment?
Diao Laosan hesitated.
The one-eyed criminal, seeing his indecision, cursed:
"Stop hesitating! Do as you're supposed to, leave that cultivator to me!"
Diao Laosan's gaze darkened, then he vanished. The other criminals simultaneously attacked Ji Qingbai and the two hunters, forcing them to reveal weaknesses.
Diao Laosan also found an opening, slashing a dagger toward one hunter's throat.
But he was cautious, wary of fireball spells.
Sure enough, another fireball flew toward him.
Diao Laosan hurriedly stepped back and dodged; the fireball missed.
The one-eyed criminal, who had been monitoring the surroundings, suddenly had a sharp gleam in his eye.
He turned and charged toward the fireball's origin, the place where Mo Hua was hiding.
"You sneaky bastard, show yourself!"
The one-eyed criminal shouted, flashing behind a large tree, spotting Mo Hua concealed there.
Small in stature, youthful face, clear eyes, even smiling at him.
"A kid?"
The one-eyed criminal paused, but didn't stop, reaching for Mo Hua's neck.
Mo Hua used Flowing-Water Step, calmly dodging.
The criminal gasped in surprise, reaching again.
Mo Hua flipped aside, then planted his feet on the tree trunk, moving lightly upward.
The one-eyed criminal drew his blade, slashing at Mo Hua.
Every strike was swift, yet Mo Hua narrowly avoided each one.
The criminal thought the next strike would hit... but it never did.
After a few rounds, he realized:
"This kid is playing me! He's stalling!"
"Damn it!"
The one-eyed criminal raged, helpless, realizing Mo Hua's agility far surpassed his own.
He couldn't even touch the kid's clothes.
Such a young age—truly unnatural.
Spitting a curse, he turned to find Ji Qingbai, shouting: "Kill the Ji family first!"
Once the Ji father and son were dead, they could take spirit stones from the Kong family.
Spirit stones were the priority.
As for the hunters and this kid, they could settle that later.
But when he tried to escape, Mo Hua refused, countering with a fireball striking the criminal's back.
Not fatal, but painful, scorching his meridians with noticeable damage.
The one-eyed criminal furiously pursued Mo Hua but couldn't catch him.
When he tried to flee, Mo Hua threw another fireball.
Fast and precise, Mo Hua's fireballs left him no escape, forcing him to endure the hits.
After three rounds, his clothes were nearly burned to tatters.
Frustrated beyond measure, he could neither chase nor run.
Finally, Diao Laosan and the other two criminals arrived to support him, and Mo Hua stopped.
This gave Ji Qingbai and the others a chance to catch their breath.
The standoff resumed.
Mo Hua's goal was to buy time, the stalemate worked perfectly.
If the criminals killed now, reinforcements would arrive; they couldn't succeed.
With Mo Hua restraining them, four against four, victory was impossible in the short term.
Especially Diao Laosan, whose cultivation and martial skill were mediocre; head-on, he was no match for the hunters.
He relied on concealment, striking unexpectedly.
Now his concealment had been seen through—he was nearly useless.
All cultivators watched Mo Hua.
The criminals glared with rage; Ji Qingbai looked astonished.
He never expected Mo Hua, only seventh layer, could single-handedly restrain the one-eyed criminal.
And that ghost-like, concealment expert could be traced by him.
The fireball spell, too, was used expertly.
Indeed, like father, like son—though different from Mo Shan, not following the Martial Body Path, his skills were formidable.
Seeing the situation worsening, the one-eyed criminal sneered at Ji Qingbai:
"That kid's not your son, is he? Oh right, your son's dead. No one knows where the corpse is—probably being eaten by wolves."
Ji Qingbai's heart clenched, face pale, fingers trembling, nearly dropping his blade.
Mo Hua said:
"Brother Ji isn't dead."
Ji Qingbai's eyes reddened, hope blooming. "Really?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded sincerely.
Ji Qingbai felt renewed strength surge through him, gripping his knife firmly again.
The one-eyed criminal sneered, "Impossible! That Ji kid was surely doomed!"
Mo Hua glanced at him. "How do you know?"
The criminal said coldly, "Zhao Hu chased him—how could he survive? Not being torn apart would be lucky."
"The tall guy Zhao Hu?"
The one-eyed criminal's remaining eye narrowed. "You've seen him?"
Mo Hua nodded.
The criminal sneered, "Impossible! If you've seen him, you'll die too!"
Mo Hua said, "I didn't die, so whether he lives, who knows."
The one-eyed criminal snorted. "Brat, stop spouting nonsense!"
Mo Hua smiled, taking out the half-burned storage pouch, shaking it before him silently.
The one-eyed criminal's pupils contracted.
That pouch... was Zhao Hu's!
(End of Chapter)