Chapter 680: The Dragon Crosses the River

Another fisherman said helplessly, "It's no good, son. You're useless, you'll be poor your whole life. There's nothing we can do."

He pinched the gills of a lively, randomly jumping spiritual fish and threw it into a bamboo basket. "Dad, hurry up and work! The water demons might come ashore in a while."

The old fisherman then buried his head and continued working.

Beside him, a child in the Qi Refining realm, about ten years old, was picking up first-grade small fish from the ground. Hearing the words, he raised his head and said,

"Grandpa, third-grade is useless too. Even if third-grade family disciples enter the sect, they will still be bullied."

The old fisherman was startled.

The small fisherman in the Qi Refining realm said,

"Really, Zhu family's third son, relying on his Gold Core realm grandfather, looks down on people. When he played with us, he was always so arrogant..."

"Later, when he entered the sect, he could only follow behind the disciples of other big clans, subservient and obedient, like a lackey, without his previous prestige..."

"Sometimes when the sect has a break, he comes back for the holiday, but he's like a simpleton, not speaking for half the day. We go and call him to play, but he ignores us."

The old fisherman shook his head and said, "That's called entering the sect, learning knowledge, and understanding etiquette. What do you little brats understand?"

"Worldly families have continued for millions of years, and their disciples are all dragons among men. It is his good fortune that Zhu San'er can study in the same sect as these heaven's favored ones."

"People don't become useful without learning. It's always right for him to follow the worldly family disciples and learn..."

The small fisherman pouted, not daring to contradict his grandfather, so he just didn't say anything more.

After the old fisherman finished nagging, he looked at Mo Hua again and quickly waved his hand, saying,

"Little child, hurry up and go. With your small body, if you are dragged into the water by a water demon, I'm afraid your life won't be saved."

Mo Hua was still very concerned about the previous matter, so he asked,

"Uncle, you said before that among the six people who were killed by water demons, was there a 'young master'?"

The old fisherman nodded.

"Which family's young master was it?"

The old fisherman shook his head and said, "How would I know that? He was just a young master from a family nearby. As for whether it was a big family or a small family, that's not clear..."

Mo Hua didn't understand. "What did a family young master come to this Yan Shui He for?"

Another Foundation Establishment fisherman pouted and said, "What else could he do? Play, I guess."

"Play?" Mo Hua was startled.

"Just a...rouge boat..."

This Foundation Establishment fisherman didn't finish before his dad slapped him on the shoulder. "Don't just say anything, you'll lead the child astray."

However, Mo Hua's ears were sharp and his eyes were bright, and he still remembered those three words.

"Rouge boat?"

The old fisherman then waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, child. Just cultivate in peace. Don't ask about this kind of thing."

The less he said, the more curious Mo Hua became.

But no matter how Mo Hua asked, this fisherman didn't say anything more.

The other fishermen also all started to get busy, throwing fishing nets, dividing and categorizing the various spiritual fish caught, packing them into fish baskets, and then using simple arrays to seal them.

This was their livelihood, the way their whole family lived on these spiritual fish.

Mo Hua also didn't want to disturb them too much.

But since they had already told him so much, it counted as helping him out, so Mo Hua felt that he should "return a peach for a plum."

He swept his gaze around and saw that the fishing nets and fish baskets were mostly old, and the arrays on them were worn and torn.

Mo Hua estimated slightly and then said, "The arrays on these fishing nets can probably only be used five or six more times before they break. Do you want me to help repair them a bit?"

Several fishermen were all stunned for a moment.

The old fisherman said, "Little brother, you...are still an array master?"

"Um!"

Mo Hua nodded.

The old fisherman looked at Mo Hua with even more astonishment, and immediately said a little shyly, "We...this, we don't have any spirit stones."

"It doesn't matter." Mo Hua smiled. "It's just a small effort."

Mo Hua stretched out his hand, just about to point a finger, but then he thought about it and decided he usually wanted to be more low-key, to draw arrays like ordinary array masters.

"I am an ordinary array master, just an ordinary array master..."

Mo Hua silently repeated it twice in his heart, then honestly took out a brush, dipped it in ink, and repaired all the crude arrays on the fishing nets and fish baskets.

His brushstrokes were neat and at ease, looking very "professional."

The small fisherman in the Qi Refining realm looked on with admiration.

The two fishermen in the Foundation Establishment realm were also extremely grateful, and they all thanked Mo Hua.

"Little brother, thank you so much. If you don't mind, follow us home in a while, and I'll stew a few fresh spiritual fish for you to taste."

The old fisherman pointed to the distance. "It's not far, just at that small fishing village over there."

Fresh spiritual fish!

Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he really wanted to taste them. However, he still had important matters to attend to and couldn't be too lazy.

Just at this moment, the Tai Xu Ling shook.

Mo Hua took it out and looked, seeing that there was a message from Hao Xuan. His spirit vibrated, and he immediately took his leave, saying,

"Uncle, the fish I'm fishing for has taken the bait! I'll go first!"

After finishing, Mo Hua's body was like water, wrapped in faint blue light, and wind was born under his feet. He was far away in just a few blinks.

The several fishermen were startled and exclaimed in their hearts,

What an exquisite body technique! As expected of a disciple from a big sect...

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mo Hua met up with Hao Xuan, and Cheng Mo was also there.

Hao Xuan said to Mo Hua,

"There was movement in the water just now."

He showed the array disc to Mo Hua. Mo Hua glanced at it and then had an idea in his heart.

There was indeed a cultivator who swam over from near the water ripple array just now. The stirred spiritual power touched the array, and a trace was left on the array disc.

The river was dangerous and had water-born demonic beasts.

A cultivator who could swim freely in the water was certainly not an ordinary person. They must cultivate water-type merit laws and be proficient in water nature. It was very likely that "crossing river dragon."

But at this time, the trace on the array disc had already gradually faded.

Obviously, that crossing river dragon had hidden at the bottom of the water and was now unknown where he had swum to.

"What should we do?"

Hao Xuan softly asked Mo Hua.

He had a good understanding of himself, knowing that his cultivation and dao law were only ordinary among the crowd of favored ones, and his experience in cultivating the dao was also lacking. He was not smart enough when encountering matters...

So when doing things in the sect, he must hold on to a good "big leg"!

Hao Xuan looked at Mo Hua with a clear expression.

Mo Hua raised his head and looked at the water surface, comparing it with his experience as a "demon hunter," and pondered, saying,

"Mountains are dangerous with many demonic beasts. Demon hunters going into the mountains generally have fixed mountain paths."

"By the same token, water is dangerous with many water demons. Crossing river dragons swimming in the water should also have fixed 'water paths'..."

"The crossing river dragon swam over from here, which indicates that this is one of his 'water paths'."

"The water is dangerous, we can't go down. We can only 'guard the stump and wait for the rabbit' here and wait for him..."

Cheng Mo doubted, "Even if we wait for him, then what?"

Mo Hua thought of Gu Chang Huai's reminder, "Trap him with an array, capture him ashore, do not touch the water, and then go and arrest him."

Capture him ashore...

Mo Hua thought for a moment, his eyes bright, and said, "You all wait for me for a while..." After finishing, without waiting for the others to reply, he ran off in a puff of smoke.

Cheng Mo and the others looked bewildered.

Half an hour later, Mo Hua returned, carrying a storage bag in his hand. Inside the storage bag were two sheets of fishing net stained with water, tangled with water weeds, and emitting a fishy smell.

These two sheets of fishing net were bought by Mo Hua from the fisherman uncle just now.

That fisherman uncle didn't know what Mo Hua wanted to use them for, only saying, "They are all old nets, little brother. Feel free to take them and use them. Just remember to return them when you're done."

But Mo Hua still gave him spirit stones.

Because this fishing net had been handled by him, he didn't know what condition it would be in, so he didn't feel right returning it.

Moreover, old nets were better than new nets.

Old nets were soaked in water all year round and still had water weeds and fishy smells. With a little means, they could be thrown into the water and wouldn't be easily detected.

Fishing nets were also a type of spiritual tool.

Mo Hua asked Cheng Mo and the others to help him dismantle the fishing nets completely.

After dismantling them, the internal arrays of the fishing nets were exposed.

Unlike the simple repair before, Mo Hua now wanted to use this fishing net as an array medium to reconstruct its internal array.

Mo Hua first drew a first-grade hidden array.

A first-grade hidden array's effect wasn't particularly good, but underwater, the line of sight was hazy, so it could still be used.

Furthermore, Mo Hua also drew a second-grade fifteen-pattern 《Shui Wang Zhen》 (Water Net Array).

A second-grade thirteen-pattern 《Shui Du Zhen》 (Water Poison Array).

A second-grade fourteen-pattern 《Yi Mu Shu Shen Zhen》 (Yi Wood Bind Body Array), and 《Yan Shui Zhen》 (Drown Water Array), etc...

And for good measure, Mo Hua also hung some barbed hooks on the fishing nets, coating the hooks with paralyzing poison.

The dense arrays and the eerie green poison made Cheng Mo and the others' scalps tingle.

Only then did they understand what Mo Hua meant by "prepare for everything, or it's useless."

After preparing properly, Mo Hua asked Cheng Mo and the others to exert their force together and spread the fishing nets in the water, blocking the "water path" that the "crossing river dragon" had to pass through.

Then Mo Hua instructed again, "Once the crossing river dragon enters the net, you should immediately work together and pull him ashore..."

"After pulling him ashore, don't stop. Continue to pull him towards the small woods over there. Don't let him get close to the river bank, to prevent him from jumping back into the river and escaping..."

Mo Hua led them to find a good position in the small woods, nodded, and then took out an array disc from his chest and buried it underground.

Cheng Mo opened his mouth and said in surprise, "Do we need to set up an array here too?"

"Of course," Mo Hua said. "One more array means one more method, one more chance of winning, and one less risk."

"The more thorough the methods, the better. Naturally, the more arrays, the more beneficial."

"Oh..." Cheng Mo, who was always "reckless," seemed to understand but not entirely, and nodded.

Si Tu Jian and Yang Qian Jun looked at each other, their eyes full of admiration.

This junior brother of theirs was too steady...

Although Yang Qian Jun didn't attend Mo Hua's array class, he had been with Cheng Mo and the others for a long time and had gradually learned from them, recognizing Mo Hua as his "little junior brother" from the bottom of his heart.

On the other hand, Hao Xuan, who was watching from the side, furrowed his brows.

"Little junior brother, your method seems a little...off..."

Mo Hua was startled. "How is it off?"

Hao Xuan recalled for a moment and slowly said,

"The last time I saw you set up an array, it didn't seem like this, and I didn't see you use any array discs or array flags. In the blink of an eye, there was an array on the ground."

"Those black-clothed people, one came and exploded, a team came and a pair exploded..."

"How come you...still need to slowly bury the array disc now?"

Cheng Mo and the others all silently looked at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's expression was serious, and he said to Hao Xuan, "You remember incorrectly."

Hao Xuan was stunned for a moment.

Mo Hua said with a serious face and a firm tone, "I've always set up arrays like this!"

"That night the sky was too dark, you didn't see clearly, and because you were being chased and killed, you lost too much blood and were too nervous, so you saw it wrong..."

Mo Hua patted Hao Xuan on the shoulder. "Think about it yourself, isn't it like this?"

Hao Xuan was confused by Mo Hua's words.

He thought carefully for a moment. That night was dark, the mountains were pitch black, and his eyes were still bleeding. It seemed that he really didn't see things clearly...

If Mo Hua was squatting on the ground burying the array...

The sky was so dark, and he was so nervous, and he was quite far away. It was also very normal not to see it.

Hao Xuan nodded and suddenly said,

"Little junior brother, you're right, I must have seen it wrong!"

Mo Hua nodded with satisfaction.

Cheng Mo and the others also didn't doubt him. They couldn't understand arrays better than Mo Hua...

After setting up the array, Mo Hua explained some key points again, and then several people hid by the shore and waited.

They waited until the sky gradually darkened, the sun set behind the western mountains, and the evening glow reflected the river water red. There was no movement at all.

No matter how alert Cheng Mo and the others were, they eventually couldn't stand it anymore. Their eyelids fought, and their spirits were a little tired.

Mo Hua was also a little bored, but he had already sat down early, drawing and solving arrays by himself.

While solving, Mo Hua was suddenly startled. He raised his head and looked at the Yan Shui He. His divine sense swept over the water, and his gaze narrowed slightly. He shouted in a low voice,

"He's here!"

Cheng Mo and the others were all startled and immediately grasped the rope of the fishing net as they had discussed before.

But they remembered Mo Hua's instructions and didn't put out their divine sense to spy on the water surface.

Cheng Mo and the others were all only in the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, while the crossing river dragon was in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. There was a gap in cultivation. Rashly putting out their divine sense to spy could easily be detected.

So they strictly guarded the array and waited. They were all just waiting.

Only Mo Hua was using his divine sense to spy on the movement in the water.

In a vast expanse of white, everything in the water lost its original shape, appearance, and color, turning into miscellaneous spiritual power states.

In the hazy colors, a long human figure swam with the waves in the water, like both a flood dragon and a large white fish.

When this "big white fish" leisurely swam into the fishing net that blended with the mud and grass in the water, Mo Hua's pupils lit up, and he said in a low voice,

"Receive!"

Cheng Mo and the others received the news and immediately urged their full strength, suddenly tightening the fishing net.

In the originally empty water, a net-shaped light interwoven with blue and green suddenly appeared. The hidden "fishing net" appeared, layer upon layer of arrays were activated, and then it was quickly tightened.

The originally leisurely "big white fish" was suddenly shocked. Before it could react, it was caught by the fishing net and dragged towards the shore.

The "big white fish" was angry and struggled, but found that this fishing net was extremely tough and had dense arrays on it. Although it didn't know which arrays were on it, they were hidden, trapped the enemy, and bound them together. It must have come from a high-level array master.

No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from the bind.

The "big white fish" took out a hook-claw spiritual tool and was about to tear open the fishing net.

But while he was struggling, the barbed hooks on the fishing net had already pierced his skin and flesh, and the poison seeped into his blood, paralyzing his body, and he couldn't move for a moment.

Although this poison was not strong and the paralysis only lasted for a while.

But in this short time, he had already been caught by the fishing net and pulled onto the river bank.

Mo Hua watched from the side and saw an array light flash, the fishing net was tightened, and under the dim evening light, a "big white fish" was caught and pulled ashore.

This "fish" was a person, bare-chested, with fair skin and flesh, very faint eyebrows, a strange face, and a shape like a water demon.

It was precisely the evil cultivator who called himself "crossing river dragon."

As soon as crossing river dragon came ashore, he cursed, "Who is this petty person who is ambushing me!"

Mo Hua didn't waste words with him and waved his hand.

Cheng Mo and the others understood, and then according to the previous plan, the four of them dragged the fishing net rope and continued to drag him towards the small woods by the shore.

Once he left the shore and entered the small woods, this crossing river dragon had no "river," so he was no longer a "dragon," but just a "worm."

Crossing river dragon obviously knew this.

At this time, the poison in his blood gradually dissipated, and his hands and feet were no longer paralyzed. He was still carrying river water on his body, and his merit law could still flow fully.

Crossing river dragon exerted all his strength and suddenly pulled with three鲛 hooks, but the fishing net did not move at all.

"His mother, what kind of net is this!"

Crossing river dragon cursed in his heart, and then drew several times with his sharp three鲛 hooks at the edge of the net.

Finally, there was a place where the array was weak, and he drew a crack in the fishing net.

Crossing river dragon's physical body melted into water, like a鮫 dragon, and he drilled out of the gap, wanting to shake off the fishing net's bind.

He had just drilled out halfway when Mo Hua discovered him.

Mo Hua pointed a finger and trapped the crossing river dragon with the water prison technique.

Crossing river dragon chuckled coldly and said with a cold snort, "Water system dao techniques, do you want to trap me?"

He shrunk his body and, like flowing water, broke free from the water prison technique.

But while delaying this moment, Cheng Mo and the others also noticed something was wrong. They exerted force and flipped the fishing net, twisting it around the crossing river dragon's neck like a rope.

Crossing river dragon was choked by the fishing net and couldn't move for a while.

Just at this moment, Hao Xuan's body was like the wind, and he came to the crossing river dragon's back, raised the Qian Jun Stick that Mo Hua had given him, and hit the back of the crossing river dragon's head with a stick.

Crossing river dragon's head was stunned.

Cheng Mo and the others took advantage of the situation, using the net as a rope, twisting it around the crossing river dragon's neck, and dragging him to the depths of the small woods.

Mo Hua hid in the dark, his pupils slightly bright, and lit up the array with his divine sense.

The second-grade earth burial array opened.

Grey light flowed above the ground, and the land sank, like a coffin for a funeral, swallowing the crossing river dragon into the ground.

Earth counters water.

The water qi on the crossing river dragon's body was gradually consumed by the earth burial array, and the water system spiritual power in his body was also accelerating its loss...

Everywhere he was targeted, everywhere he was calculated, step by step sinking into the other's trap, a sense of despair that could not be resisted surged in his heart.

Crossing river dragon's face turned pale, and he scolded angrily,

"His mother, who are you all exactly?!"

"Are you the running dogs of the Dao Ting Si?"

"Or are you fellow daoists?"

"Who exactly set up this array and ambushed me?!"

Crossing river dragon scolded angrily and struggled at the same time. Finally, relying on his Foundation Establishment middle stage cultivation, he broke free from the earth burial array.

Mo Hua didn't speak, just waved his hand.

Cheng Mo raised his double axes, Si Tu Jian wielded his Li Huo sword, and Yang Qian Jun held his long spear.

Hao Xuan then raised his stick—he originally didn't use a stick, using a sword like other worldly family disciples, but in actual combat, he found that his not-so-outstanding sword law was useless, and a stick was better.

The four of them then began to surround and attack the crossing river dragon.

Crossing river dragon was full of anger and immediately engaged with Cheng Mo and the others. However, after fighting for a moment, he was startled in his heart.

These were...a group of little brats?

They looked like a group of little brats who had just entered the sect and whose cultivation was only in the initial stage of Foundation Establishment?

Impossible!

Crossing river dragon's pupils shook.

How could a group of shallow-experienced little brats set up such a step-by-step killing formation?

Moreover, how about those strict arrays...

Behind these little brats, there must be an array master with high skill, a deep mind, and experienced and cunning methods directing them in the dark?

Who exactly is this person?

Did he design to trap and kill me for the reward from the Dao Ting Si, the sect's merit, or for revenge, or...

Does he know my secret?

Crossing river dragon's heart turned cold.

He wanted to escape, but things had already reached this point, and he had no opportunity.

Cheng Mo and the others were not easy to deal with either.

If the full-strength crossing river dragon drilled into the water, stirring up waves, they would certainly not be his opponents.

But now the crossing river dragon was already ashore, becoming a "walking dragon," and was weakened by Mo Hua's arrays one after another. Now his full set of skills was folded in half. How could he be the opponent of Cheng Mo and the others?

Mo Hua didn't even lift a finger, just stayed hidden, sitting on a big tree, observing the crossing river dragon's actions to prevent him from escaping.

As for the other matters, Cheng Mo and the others should be able to solve them.

Indeed, not out of half an hour, Hao Xuan flashed his body and smashed the crossing river dragon's right hand.

Crossing river dragon cried out in pain, and the three鲛 claws fell to the ground in response.

Yang Qian Jun took advantage of the situation and thrust a spear into the crossing river dragon's left leg. Si Tu Jian wielded his Li Huo sword, piercing the crossing river dragon's right leg.

Crossing river dragon groaned twice, cold sweat pouring down.

Cheng Mo kicked him from behind, kicking the crossing river dragon to his knees, and then two large axes were placed on the crossing river dragon's neck.

This Foundation Establishment middle stage, who dived into the water to kill people, the notorious "crossing river dragon" near the Yan Shui He, was thus subdued.

Several people who had fought all breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua also nodded and was about to show his face to let the crossing river dragon experience the taste of his "array iron board" which had improved over several iterations, to see if he could extract some secrets from the crossing river dragon's mouth.

But before he could jump down from the tree, his gaze suddenly turned cold, and he immediately reminded in a clear voice,

"Cheng Mo, be careful!"

Cheng Mo was startled by the words and immediately detected the danger. He quickly turned his body and protected his head with the two large axes.

A sharp golden sword qi in the distance instantly broke through the air and split onto Cheng Mo's axe head.

The golden light was brilliant, and the sword qi was radiant.

Cheng Mo's giant axe blocked the sword qi, but the residual spiritual power still numbed his hand and he continuously retreated three steps.

Standing firm, Cheng Mo was surprised and angry, and cursed,

"Sneak attack in the dark, which bastard?!"

"Watch your mouth!"

A young but gloomy voice came from afar.

A moment later, a group of cultivators slowly walked over. The person in the lead was a magnificent young master in a gold-threaded brocade robe, with fair features, but a proud gaze.

"A group of little brats, how dare you even steal this young master's 'hunting object'?"

(End of chapter)