NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 50: Chapter 601: Baldy
Chapter 601: Baldy
Diancang Mountain was large and desolate, with sparse cultivation resources and little sign of life—an ideal hiding place for criminal cultivators.
Mo Hua followed his senior brothers and sisters to Diancang Mountain.
Towering peaks loomed overhead, shrouded in clouds and mist. Pale yellow miasma drifted about, obscuring directions.
Murong Caiyun spoke,
"The sect's bounty notice included an intelligence report. It says Vulture is hiding alone in a cave about thirty li from here."
"But he's very alert and skilled in formations. He's almost certainly laid traps along the way to prevent pursuit…"
"These formations might not be advanced, but they're very well hidden—not easily spotted. We'll need a skilled array master to check for traps along the route…"
"We must be meticulous—any slip could startle the prey and let that 'vulture' take flight…"
She turned to look at Mo Hua.
"Junior Brother Mo… think you're up to it?"
Mo Hua nodded firmly.
"I can do it!"
Murong Caiyun saw his confidence and—rather than feeling reassured—grew even more worried.
To ease the tension, Ouyang Feng said,
"Junior Brother Mo, just do your best—don't feel pressured."
"This mission isn't something one person handles alone. We'll also keep an eye out along the way and cover any gaps. That Vulture is extremely cunning and his formations are tricky…"
"Mm, thank you, Senior Brother Feng!" Mo Hua replied gratefully.
So the group pressed on.
Before long, Mo Hua paused, pointed to a patch of freshly disturbed soil by the roadside, and asked:
"Is that a formation?"
The others exchanged a look—and nodded.
Murong Caiyun quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Not bad."
Only then did Mo Hua realize—they'd already spotted it, but said nothing just to "test" him.
They really don't trust me, huh…
Mo Hua grumbled silently.
Hua Qianqian stepped forward, placed a golden compass on the soil. It spun briefly, glinting with light, and the formation beneath shimmered and dissipated.
Mo Hua blinked.
"That compass… what is it?"
Murong Caiyun was taken aback.
"You don't know?"
Mo Hua nodded honestly.
Knowing what you know and admitting what you don't—that's true wisdom.
In front of senior brothers and sisters, there was no need to pretend.
Murong Caiyun sighed,
"That's a Formation-Breaking Compass. It can dismantle some simple formations."
"Can it break any formation?" Mo Hua asked.
She shook her head,
"There are different compasses for different formations—Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, positional ones, etc. They have to match. And they only work on relatively simple formations."
"Ohhh."
Mo Hua filed this new knowledge away.
A formation-breaking compass, huh… I've always relied on my own skills to dismantle formations. Never used anything like this lazy-person's tool before…
I wonder how it actually works…
He was curious.
Hua Qianqian had disabled the formation with the compass, then brushed the soil aside with a wave of spiritual energy, revealing a small buried stone disc carved with formation lines.
The markings looked both familiar and unfamiliar—likely a variant.
Unable to recognize it, Mo Hua humbly asked:
"Senior Sister Murong, what kind of formation is this one?"
Murong Caiyun paused.
The others rubbed their temples helplessly.
Shangguan Xu even smiled wryly.
This kind of basic formation and he didn't know it? "Skilled" in formations might have been a slight exaggeration…
Murong Caiyun sighed again and explained:
"That's the Minor Geomagnetic Formation. It's a first-grade formation that uses magnetism within the lines to detect movement and provide surveillance."
"Minor Geomagnetic Formation…"
Mo Hua memorized it instantly.
He hadn't expected that even after mastering so many first-grade formations, there were still some that had slipped through the net.
Clearly, I need to travel more. The cultivation world is vast, full of formations waiting to be learned!
He muttered to himself,
"Minor Geomagnetic Formation… Senior Sister Murong, wait a second, I wanna learn it real quick."
Murong Caiyun was speechless.
This junior… learning formations on the spot mid-mission?
She didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, Mo Hua didn't take long. He quickly memorized the formation lines and the group moved on.
As they walked, Mo Hua pondered:
The Minor Geomagnetic Formation…
A first-grade, nine-line formation, its function was similar to the Twin Compass Surveillance Array he had used before—both used for detection and terrain monitoring.
But this one felt different.
After a long moment of thought, Mo Hua realized that it was actually a variant of the Eight Trigrams formations, specifically a simplified version of more complex lines.
He mentally deduced its logic—and then froze.
The origin patterns of this Minor Geomagnetic Formation could be traced back to… Lightning Runes?
Lightning Runes?
That didn't seem right…
In Mo Hua's memory, "Thunder Formations" were powerful Dao formations inscribed with celestial runes, capable of annihilating all life—terrifying weapons of law.
But what did lightning have to do with magnetism?
Why would the reversed lines of a Minor Geomagnetic Formation evolve into lightning patterns and fall under the "Thunder Trigram" category?
Mo Hua couldn't figure it out.
But this wasn't the time to dwell on it. He tucked the question away in his mind, planning to study it later.
After all, it was just a first-grade formation—simple once learned.
Now, when Mo Hua looked at the mountain, he could clearly see the faint lines of Minor Geomagnetic Formations hidden in the grass, trees, and rocks.
A sweep of his divine sense revealed it all.
"There's a formation behind that big rock…"
"Three zhang ahead, in the middle of the mountain path—another one…"
"Under that tree bark, another Minor Geomagnetic Formation…"
"In the forest to the left—there's a wounded beast. Its right leg has a blade lodged in the flesh… also engraved with the Minor Geomagnetic pattern."
All along the path, Mo Hua pointed out each trap.
Murong Caiyun and the others gradually grew more and more impressed.
It was one thing for him to spot the obvious formations they could see too.
But when he began identifying obscure, hard-to-detect, or distant formations they hadn't even noticed yet—well, that was something else entirely.
Only now did they start to believe—Mo Hua did have real skill.
Maybe "proficient" was a stretch.
But his talent for formations was undeniable.
Everyone sighed in relief. Their gazes toward Mo Hua became much friendlier.
After all, these sect missions were dangerous. No one wanted to drag along a "deadweight," no matter how cute and clever he looked.
After another hour, the group reached a mountainside.
It looked ordinary, but beneath the foliage was a hidden cave entrance.
This was where the Dao Tribunal's most-wanted criminal—the "Vulture"—was hiding.
The group took cover behind some rocks and discussed the capture strategy.
None of this involved Mo Hua.
His job was detecting formations, and now that he'd done most of that, he didn't need to step in further.
As Senior Sister Murong put it:
"Stay hidden. Don't show yourself. Protect yourself. If anything goes wrong—run first."
This wasn't just for his safety, but also to avoid him messing things up by accident.
If Vulture captured him and used him as a hostage, it'd put everyone in danger.
Mo Hua nodded.
"Understood, Senior Sister."
When it came to staying alive—he was a pro.
Still, he worried that if his senior brothers and sisters just rushed in and killed Vulture outright, he'd have no chance to show off his skills… and then they wouldn't bring him along on the next mission…
I gotta make myself useful again somehow…
The mountain forest was remote and quiet.
Thick underbrush, scattered rocks, not a soul in sight.
Mo Hua's divine sense swept the surroundings. His eyes glinted faintly as he whispered:
"About 150 zhang west—there's a Golden Trap Formation. Second-grade, eleven lines."
"Roughly 150 zhang east—there's a Mountain-Locking Formation. Eight Trigram system, Gen-element. Second-grade, fourteen lines…"
"At the cave entrance—there's a Gen Mountain Formation. Second-grade…"
"Ten zhang outside the cave—another Minor Geomagnetic Formation? Also second-grade…"
Mo Hua recited all the formations near the cave like listing off treasures, not missing a single one.
He had practically seen through Vulture's entire lair.
Not only Murong Caiyun, but even Ouyang Feng and the others were visibly stunned.
"You... already studied second-grade formations?"
Mo Hua humbly replied,
"Just a tiny bit…"
The group exchanged surprised glances—only now realizing they had seriously underestimated this innocent-looking junior brother.
To break through another cultivator's layered formations without a single mistake—
That kind of formation mastery and insight was no small feat.
As expected, no one who joins the Eight Major Sects is ordinary.
Their "formation master" had proven well worth inviting.
Ouyang Feng released his divine sense to verify and, sure enough, everything Mo Hua had said was correct. Without Mo Hua pointing it out, he wouldn't have even noticed some of the traps.
He couldn't help but nod in admiration:
"Not bad. Thanks to Junior Brother Mo, capturing Vulture will be much easier."
"Let's proceed with the plan to lure him out…"
Mo Hua smiled brightly, about to speak, when suddenly his expression shifted.
"No need for that anymore…"
Everyone paused in confusion.
Mo Hua lowered his voice:
"Vulture… has already discovered us."
Ouyang Feng and the others immediately tensed. Focusing their minds, they too noticed it—an oppressive, cold divine sense now filled the area, thick and overbearing.
In a split second, Mo Hua made a precise judgment:
"Sixteen-pattern divine sense!"
"Peak mid-Foundation realm!"
"And… it's not just one person…"
Ouyang Feng was briefly stunned. Murong Caiyun and the rest looked shaken too.
They hadn't sensed anything yet—
But Mo Hua already knew it all?!
Still, with danger so near, there was no time to question it.
A sharp light appeared in Ouyang Feng's eyes—
"Kill!"
Suddenly—killing intent erupted!
A surge of sword qi, thick and sinister with a trace of demonic aura, tore through the air, shattering the boulder the group was hiding behind.
But Ouyang Feng drew his sword in time and dispersed each attack.
Debris scattered. Dust settled.
Ouyang Feng now stood at the front, sword in hand—a crimson-gold Maple Blade—his posture tall and imposing, sword brows and starry eyes radiating majesty.
Shangguan Xu whipped out his massive flowing-light sword, exuding unshakable presence.
Hua Qianqian stretched out her delicate hand—dozens of flower-needle spirit tools hovered before her.
Murong Caiyun pinched a hand seal—her hairpin shimmered with five-colored brilliance, while a spell slowly formed at her fingertips…
"Looks like it's go time!"
Seeing how bad things were getting, Mo Hua immediately ran far, far away. He activated a concealment technique, threw on his little cloak, found a deep rock pit, and lay flat, hidden from sight.
A fight like this? Not his turn yet.
With so many powerful senior brothers and sisters, his job was to stay out of the way and stay alive.
Murong Caiyun glanced over. Seeing Mo Hua had already retreated and hidden himself before the enemy's sword qi even landed, she nodded in approval.
The others also sighed in relief.
Especially Shangguan Xu.
He had promised Aunt Wan'er to protect Mo Hua.
If anything happened to him, she'd never forgive him.
Now that Mo Hua had taken cover and even used concealment to vanish from sight, Shangguan Xu could finally breathe easy.
At that moment, several figures emerged from the cave.
At the front was a cultivator in brown robes, narrow-eyed and hook-nosed, middle-aged, gaze sharp and sinister.
Behind him followed five others, all dressed in black—not a single one looked like a decent person.
Though Mo Hua was hiding far away, his vision and hearing were sharp. He took careful note of each face and guessed:
That hook-nosed brown-robed man must be the infamous "Vulture."
But something puzzled him:
"Vulture, huh… Then why isn't he bald?"
"Don't tell me… he's wearing a wig?"
No way…
As the saying goes—you might mess up a name, but never a nickname.
If he weren't bald, who would call him "Vulture"?!
Mo Hua couldn't make sense of it.
Meanwhile, the battle was already about to explode.
On one side: disciples from prestigious sects, here to earn merit and hunt criminals under the Dao Tribunal's bounty.
On the other: a group of vile criminals, all wanted fugitives.
No side had any intention of holding back. They skipped all pretense—and went straight to deadly combat.
Spiritual power clashed. Elemental techniques flew in all directions. Exotic weapons and eerie sword auras crisscrossed the battlefield.
Mo Hua poked his head out from the grass and silently observed. As he watched, he quickly assessed both sides' power levels.
His side had five people…
Well—four, since he was currently "catting" in the bushes.
All four were mid-Foundation stage cultivators.
The enemy had six in total.
Only one was early Foundation.
The rest were mid-Foundation, like his team.
The strongest was clearly the hook-nosed Vulture—peak mid-Foundation, and wielding sixteen-pattern divine sense.
Mo Hua's side had the edge in background. They were disciples from major sects, with better resources, refined techniques, and strong teamwork.
So even four vs six, they weren't at a disadvantage.
Mo Hua nodded.
As expected of Qianxue's elite disciples.
These are the people I should stick with.
But he was still worried.
The fight had reached a stalemate.
That couldn't last.
Especially Vulture—who had the highest cultivation and a silver longsword. Fighting Ouyang Feng with ease, he clearly had more tricks up his sleeve.
In this situation…
Mo Hua began calculating.
"They should first eliminate the weaker ones, then gang up on Vulture. Classic numbers game."
As if reading his thoughts, the battlefield played out as expected.
First to fall was the early-Foundation criminal.
Shangguan Xu found a gap, dashed in, and with just a few strikes, brought him down.
Hua Qianqian followed up with a flurry of spirit needles to finish him off.
The weakest link was gone.
Mo Hua shook his head and thought:
"Idiot. No self-awareness. Early Foundation joining a mid-Foundation brawl, not even thinking of escaping? Deserved to die first…"
Now it was four vs five.
Mo Hua didn't rush to act.
Know thyself and thy enemy, and you'll win every battle.
He carefully studied his teammates.
Their combat was organized and cooperative.
Their strategy was just like beast hunters—swords for close control, spells for pressure, and clean synergy to exploit openings and end enemies fast.
No fancy techniques—just solid fundamentals.
Some used Golden Body defense, spirit-charged sword arts, and basic but practical attack routines.
The criminals fought similarly, though with toxic spiritual tools, strange demonic energy, and unorthodox techniques.
After a while, Mo Hua had seen it all—memorized their habits, rhythms, and movements.
He nodded to himself.
"Alright… it's time."
If he waited too long, they'd never witness how "impressive" he really was.
All his spell practice? Wasted!
The battle raged on.
Stones shattered. Magic surged. Physical cultivators fought up close, blow for blow.
Then— Shangguan Xu slashed his massive sword sideways, forcing a black-robed criminal to retreat in a panic—exposing a fatal opening.
Murong Caiyun's eyes narrowed. She formed a hand seal and sent out a five-colored beam that pierced through the air—
And struck the enemy's shoulder dead-on.
The light tore through his robe and skin, drawing blood before instantly evaporating it—leaving a seared wound.
The man staggered back, cold sweat pouring down his face. He cursed in pain, then turned to flee.
Shangguan Xu slashed down to block him, but his sword was too slow—the criminal escaped.
Murong Caiyun tried to follow up with a finishing spell, but even her magic was half a beat too late—she only grazed his arm.
She couldn't stop him.
The man glanced back, eyes full of venom, and spat out a curse:
"You bitch!"
The injured criminal etched their faces into his memory, then activated his movement technique, planning to escape and recover—then come back later to take revenge on these sect disciples.
But the moment he took a step, a chill ran down his spine.
Someone was watching him.
Before he could even process the thought, a pale blue glow appeared out of nowhere, forming a watery prison that instantly trapped him!
A suffocating, drowning sensation followed.
The criminal couldn't move. His chest was tight, nausea rising—he panicked.
What kind of spell is this?!
Shangguan Xu and Murong Caiyun were momentarily stunned too—but they knew such fleeting opportunities couldn't be wasted.
In a blink, they sprang into action.
Shangguan Xu's sword swept out, intercepting the other criminals who rushed to help.
Murong Caiyun formed a new seal with her delicate fingers, conjuring a bright five-colored spiritual light technique.
The criminal trapped in the water prison struggled fiercely and finally broke free.
He was, after all, a mid-Foundation cultivator, while Mo Hua was only early Foundation, with weak spiritual roots and low spiritual power. His spell was fast—but not overwhelming in power.
Still, those few seconds of entrapment were more than enough.
Just as the criminal broke free, he looked up—only to be pierced through the chest by the incoming spiritual light. It wasn't fatal, but it was a serious wound.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Feng was still engaged with the Vulture himself.
Hua Qianqian, ever elegant and sharp, found a gap in the chaos and flicked two flower-needle spirit tools, striking the criminal right in the heart meridian.
All in just a few breaths.
Trapped by the water prison.
Impaled by the Five Elements Light.
Heart pierced by Hundred Flowers Needles.
No escape.
Dead on the spot.
The tide of battle had turned in a flash.
Now it was four vs four.
And one sneaky Mo Hua, lurking in the shadows, watching like a tiger eyeing prey.
They had already taken out two criminals—one early Foundation, one mid Foundation.
Even Vulture's face had lost its former composure.
His sinister eyes swept coldly around as he growled,
"Who dares ambush me?!"
Ouyang Feng looked surprised.
Murong Caiyun and the others pieced it together—and were deeply shocked.
It was Mo Hua…
They hadn't expected this "little array master" to not only know such strange and devious techniques, but also to cast them so swiftly—and at just the right moments.
Most importantly—he was ridiculously skilled.
As if he did this sort of thing all the time…
No one replied to Vulture's question.
He glared around, divine sense sweeping the area like a radar.
Whoever it was, no matter their cultivation—they were now a threat.
Ouyang Feng narrowed his eyes. Sensing danger, he ramped up his sword aura and launched a new offensive:
"Criminal scum, die!"
Vulture's expression darkened. He clicked his tongue in annoyance but was forced to focus on defending against Ouyang Feng's attack.
Murong Caiyun and the others knew this was their chance—they didn't hold back anymore. They all gave it their all, intending to clean up the remaining criminals before ganging up on Vulture.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua was having the time of his life.
Lying in the grass, humming a little tune, he waited for the perfect timing… then struck with Water Prison Technique.
If he didn't act—fine.
But once he did, someone would get caught.
Act again—and someone would die.
Murong Caiyun and the others were elite disciples. They seized every opening Mo Hua created.
After six or seven Water Prisons, most of the criminals were either dead or seriously injured.
Only Vulture was still hanging on.
Now even he started to panic.
"You coward!" Vulture bellowed.
"Using sneak attacks—what kind of skill is that?!"
Mo Hua had originally planned to just keep ambushing him until he dropped, maybe even trash-talk him to death once he was near collapse.
But as he kept watching…
He realized something was off about Vulture.
So Mo Hua simply stepped out of hiding and walked up beside Senior Sister Murong.
Vulture's eyes widened in shock.
The one sneak-attacking my men… is just a baby-faced brat?!
But the next second, his gaze turned bloodshot and locked viciously onto Mo Hua.
The others are tough. I'll deal with them later.
But this cunning little bastard—must die today.
Only by tearing him to pieces can I vent this rage!
His eyes burned with killing intent.
Ouyang Feng noticed it and his expression turned grim.
Murong Caiyun also frowned in concern,
"Why did you come out?"
Mo Hua pointed at Vulture and said firmly:
"There's something wrong with him!"
Everyone froze.
Murong Caiyun asked,
"What's wrong with him?"
Mo Hua replied with certainty:
"His head!"
"…His head?"
Mo Hua's voice rang out clearly and confidently:
"He's bald!"
The air went completely silent.
All the cultivators on the battlefield froze.
Even Murong Caiyun and the others didn't know how to respond.
Vulture's rage exploded—his eyes bloodshot, face red with fury.
But at the same time, he felt a pang of guilt.
Someone had figured it out!
Without another word, he turned to flee.
Ouyang Feng didn't hesitate and leapt to block his path.
Mo Hua shouted from behind:
"Shave his hair!"
"Little brat!" Vulture roared, but his words were cut off mid-rant as Ouyang Feng's sword strikes forced him to defend.
Though a bit exasperated, Ouyang Feng instinctively followed Mo Hua's command—his yellow maplewood sword started slashing directly at Vulture's hair.
Vulture panicked.
Though he dodged the fatal strikes and ignored smaller wounds—he protected his head with everything he had.
Even if his skin tore and bones cracked—not a single hair could fall!
Soon, Shangguan Xu joined the fight, wielding his massive sword.
Now things got dangerous for Vulture.
Shangguan's blade was huge—if it landed, it'd shave off whole sections at once.
Vulture grew desperate. He began fighting while retreating, trying to escape again.
But Mo Hua was still watching.
One finger pointed—Water Prison Technique!
It locked him in place once more.
Dozens of exchanges later, Murong Caiyun had had enough.
Seizing an opening, she conjured a five-colored beam of light, flicked her wrist, and sent it flying at Vulture.
Caught between attacks, Vulture was thrown off balance.
Shangguan Xu seized the moment.
With blinding speed, his massive sword swept toward Vulture's neck.
Vulture ducked just in time—his head survived.
But…
His hair did not.
A large chunk was sliced clean off.
And the remaining wig he wore slipped off entirely.
Revealing a shining bald head.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
He nodded confidently:
"Just as I thought. A real bald guy."
And not just any bald guy.
Tattooed all over his scalp were strange markings—like a carved array.
Mo Hua narrowed his eyes, analyzing the patterns. As he suspected:
The tattoos formed a formation. But it wasn't any ordinary one.
The lines were carved like eagle claws and beast eyes, forming a beast-like design.
Mo Hua recalled what Elder Xun had told him:
"Beast" is kin to "demon."
These types of arrays came from the southern wilderness of Jiuzhou, passed down by the barbaric clans…
It was none other than a Four Symbols Demon-Beast Formation!
(End of Chapter)