Chapter 331: Search the Mountain

Ink Painting gradually understood.

Why, when attacking Black Mountain Stronghold, the alchemy furnace broke, but the pig disappeared, and there was no large pool of blood on the ground. This meant the pig was transferred away in advance and never appeared again afterward.

The evil cultivators of Black Mountain Stronghold were either killed or captured; none escaped, only that pig disappeared.

This explains that the pig was extremely important, even more important than Black Mountain Stronghold and all the evil cultivators.

And everyone, including Ink Painting, overlooked this point.

Why did the evil cultivators use people to feed that pig? Because that pig was the true alchemy furnace for refining pills.

Using people to feed the pig was equivalent to throwing people as medicinal ingredients into the alchemy furnace.

Black Mountain Stronghold always used people to feed the pig. This meant the pill was still being refined.

Or rather, for a very long time, the Transfer Life Transform Essence Pill had always been in the process of being refined, possibly even successfully refined already.

After all, no one knew exactly how long Black Mountain Stronghold had been using people to feed the pig.

If it had been fed for over a hundred years, then this Transfer Life Transform Essence might have already been greatly accomplished!

A chill surged up in his heart, and Ink Painting's expression changed unpredictably.

Bai Zi Xi saw the situation and asked puzzledly, "What happened?"

Ink Painting came back to his senses and hurriedly said, "I thought of something, a very urgent matter!"

After speaking, he ran down the mountain.

"Not fighting anymore?" Bai Zi Sheng asked regretfully from behind him.

Ink Painting waved his hand. "Talk later..."

Ink Painting used Passing Water Step and soon disappeared, leaving Bai Zi Sheng and Bai Zi Xi looking at each other, not knowing what had happened.

Ink Painting found Commander Yang and discovered that Zhang Lan was also there. He then said, "Pig!"

Zhang Lan and the other person were startled. "Are you not scolding us or something..."

Ink Painting gasped for breath, shook his head, and said intermittently:

"That pig... is... the alchemy furnace!"

Zhang Lan and Commander Yang were both startled. After thinking carefully for a moment, their expressions changed dramatically!

"What did you say?!"

Ink Painting breathed evenly and said in a heavy tone:

"Blood and flesh as the array medium, blood marks as array patterns, demon pill as the array eye, bones construct the array hub..."

"So that pig is the alchemy furnace for refining the Transfer Life Transform Essence Pill! And it might have been refined for over a hundred years."

Commander Yang's pupils shook violently. He glanced at Zhang Lan. "Doesn't that mean..."

Zhang Lan said in a lost voice, "This pill... is about to be successfully refined?!"

Commander Yang's face sank. He immediately shouted to a Dao Soldier and sternly instructed:

"Quickly go invite Elder Yu, Officer Zhou, and Family Head An. Tell them to hurry over. There are ten thousand urgent matters to discuss!"

That Dao Soldier received the order and set off quickly. In less than half an hour, everyone gathered in one place.

Commander Yang repeated Ink Painting's words, and everyone's faces changed, horrified in their hearts.

"Where is Old Ancestor Qian Family now?"

"In Great Black Mountain."

"Great Black Mountain is too big..."

"Very likely in the deep mountain."

"What to do?"

Elder Yu's eyebrows were tightly locked. He said coldly:

"Search! We must find Old Ancestor Qian Family, otherwise, once he takes the pill and advances to the late stage of Foundation Building, we simply cannot control him."

In a second-grade state boundary, the late stage of Foundation Building is already the ceiling of cultivation. One can come and go freely in this state boundary, and no one can do anything to him.

If they want to kill him again, they will inevitably pay an extremely tragic price!

And if they don't kill him, the entire Tongxian City will face huge danger!

Commander Yang nodded. "Then gather all the Dao Soldiers and carefully and thoroughly search the deep mountain completely!"

"Relying on just Dao Soldiers is not enough." Officer Zhou shook his head. "The Dao Court Office, Demon Hunter Masters, and all the cultivators from Tongxian City's families must all go search. Not a single blade of grass, a single tree, a single inch of soil, or a single stone can be missed."

"This matter concerns the safety of the entire Tongxian City. Everyone must unite their efforts!"

Everyone successively nodded.

Officer Zhou turned his head again and said to Ink Painting, "For this matter, I still need to ask for your help."

"Good!" Ink Painting agreed.

After everyone finished discussing, they went back to mobilize people. The next day, they entered the deep mountain of Great Black Mountain and began a thorough search of the mountain.

The Dao Soldier Office, Dao Court Office, Demon Hunter Masters, and cultivators from various families and sects were all dispatched.

Dense cultivators started from the outer edge of the deep mountain and advanced little by little towards the depths, not missing every corner.

At the same time, under Ink Painting's arrangement, they removed the fog arrays in the deep mountain one by one. Simultaneously, they inserted stone needles painted with Si Nan Zi arrays, made by Ink Painting, into various corners of the deep mountain to monitor every move in the deep mountain.

Ink Painting also began to draw a map of the deep mountain.

He wanted to draw every peak, every stone, every blade of grass, and every tree in the deep mountain on the map.

He had done these things in the outer mountain and the inner mountain, and now he was doing it again in the deep mountain.

The deep mountain was once the taboo of the entire Great Black Mountain, a fierce abyss that made all cultivators fear.

And people's fear mostly comes from the unknown.

As long as all the hidden secrets of the deep mountain are excavated and the fog of the deep mountain is dispersed, this deep mountain, which once made cultivators change color upon hearing its name, will no longer be something to fear.

The process of searching the mountain advanced little by little.

The map of the deep mountain was also gradually perfected.

However, there were still several blank areas on the map. These were the habitats or nests of second-grade demon beasts.

With so many cultivators searching the mountain, ordinary first-grade demon beasts had already fled in alarm.

But second-grade demon beasts were different. Their blood energy was thick, and their demonic power surged. They were not something that cultivators in the Qi Refining period could provoke.

Even if they gathered everyone's strength to kill one or two second-grade demon beasts, the losses would be quite heavy.

Moreover, the current urgent matter was to search for the whereabouts of Old Ancestor Qian Family and could not waste time entangled with these demon beasts.

Therefore, everyone could only avoid these second-grade demon beasts while searching the mountain.

After spending nearly seven days, everyone united their efforts and completely searched the deep mountain once, but still did not discover the figure of Old Ancestor Qian Family.

"Old Ancestor Qian Family isn't inside the deep mountain?" Commander Yang said doubtfully.

Elder Yu shook his head. "Impossible. If he went to other immortal cities, he would have been discovered early. Great Black Mountain's concealment is the most suitable place for him to hide. Moreover, he still needs to bring a pig and still needs to refine the pill..."

"Then there's only one possibility left..."

Commander Yang looked at the blank areas on the map.

The blank areas on the map were the places that were not searched during the mountain search, which were... the nests of second-grade demon beasts!

Everyone's expressions became grave.

Second-grade demon beasts were powerful, and their nests were even deeper and more dangerous.

Demon beasts of the same realm could be much stronger than cultivators.

Even Commander Yang, in the Foundation Building period, entering a nest with Dao Soldiers, would likely suffer many casualties if a second-grade demon beast was angered.

"How could this Old Ancestor Qian Family have thought of this method?" Officer Zhou frowned and said.

Elder Yu sighed. "Old Ancestor Qian Family was also a Demon Hunter Master before his rise."

So utilizing demon beast nests, letting the Great Elder fake death, using demon beasts as alchemy furnaces to refine pills, and various other things, all had some of the characteristics of Demon Hunter Masters.

Officer Zhou said regretfully, "This Old Ancestor Qian Family's methods are indeed clever, it's just a pity they weren't used on the righteous path."

"Are there any clues from the Third Master?" Elder Yu asked.

"He keeps his mouth shut like a bottle, doesn't say anything," Commander Yang said.

"Then what do we do?" Zhang Lan frowned and said, "Do we want to search the nests of second-grade demon beasts?"

If they went to search, the losses would be heavy, possibly sacrificing many lives.

But if they didn't search, once Old Ancestor Qian Family refined the Transfer Life Transform Essence Pill, the cultivators who died at his hands would likely be even more.

No matter how they chose, they were in a dilemma.

Ink Painting thought for a moment and said, "Or, I'll go take a look."

Everyone was slightly startled. Commander Yang asked, "What are you going to look at?"

"I'll go look at the arrays."

"Arrays?" Commander Yang was a little puzzled.

Ink Painting nodded and explained:

"Old Ancestor Qian Family's actions rely on arrays. Whether it's building Black Mountain Stronghold or using cultivators to refine pills, there are shadows of arrays everywhere."

"If he hides in the nests of the demon beasts in this deep mountain, he will certainly set up some arrays around, either for concealment, for warning, or for defense."

"I can see the trajectories of arrays."

"Inside the nests of second-grade demon beasts, if there are traces of arrays, that means cultivators have definitely entered, and being able to enter the deep mountain and the nests of second-grade demon beasts, this person is highly likely to be Old Ancestor Qian Family!"

Everyone heard this, their eyes brightened, and they praised, "We can try!"

Elder Yu said, "I'll go with you."

He was a little worried about Ink Painting, and even more unwilling to let Ink Painting take risks.

Commander Yang shook his head. "Several of us Foundation Building cultivators will all go together."

Although Ink Painting was skilled in concealment and clever in action, it didn't mean he wouldn't encounter dangers.

And searching the nests of second-grade demon beasts, the dangers encountered were either second-grade demon beasts, or, directly facing Old Ancestor Qian Family.

Commander Yang was still thinking of letting Ink Painting join his Yang Family, as Ink Painting was his "pre-determined" own person, so he was even more unwilling to let him be harmed in the slightest.

"Good!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

Thus, a group of Foundation Building cultivators protected Ink Painting in the middle and began searching the nests of second-grade demon beasts in the deep mountain...