Translation – Chapter: Overnight in the Beast's Lair
Mo Hua, however, looked utterly unconcerned.
His thinking was actually quite simple.
If he returned now, he'd have to come back again tomorrow—
That would mean spending another 100 merit points, and that was just too wasteful.
Merit points were like spiritual stones:
the more, the better; save them if you can.
So Mo Hua continued focusing on observing the terrain, carefully marking key locations on his map.
It wasn't until night had completely fallen—
The sky dim and starless, the surroundings so dark it was hard to see one's own hand—
that Mo Hua finally started considering where he'd sleep.
At this time, the demonic aura in the mountain had grown even thicker beneath the chill of night.
Low beastly growls echoed from all around.
Within the darkness, many eerie, predatory creatures stirred restlessly.
Even Elder Xun, late-stage Golden Core, felt a chill creep into his heart.
He glanced again at Mo Hua and saw the boy standing still, scanning the area—
clearly searching for a place to stay the night.
Elder Xun pursed his lips, thinking helplessly:
"If you were planning to spend the night in a monster-infested mountain, you should've prepared earlier!
Now you're scrambling? Good luck finding anywhere decent at this hour…"
If worse came to worst, he'd have to show himself and drag the boy down the mountain.
But… that didn't match the Old Ancestor's instructions.
He was told to protect from the shadows, not interfere openly.
Elder Xun was mulling this over when suddenly—
Mo Hua moved.
He seemed to have found a place.
Elder Xun squinted into the deep darkness.
He watched as Mo Hua nimbly climbed a tall tree, then leapt onto a mountain ridge, scaling it halfway.
From there, he jumped to a cliff on the opposite side, used the bushes as cover, and after some cautious trekking…
He found a hidden, well-concealed cave.
Mo Hua headed straight toward it.
Elder Xun froze—
then suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
A demon beast's den!
No, seriously—this wasn't a cave for people!
That was the lair of a vicious demon beast!
Judging from the lingering aura, this was at least the late stage of second-grade!
"You crazy brat, you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Elder Xun almost rushed in to pull him out—
But when he swept the cave with his divine sense, he paused.
"…No beast?"
He scanned it again—
and finally calmed down a little.
It seemed the beast was out hunting tonight.
Or maybe this was one of the creature's "backup dens."
Though the demon aura was thick, the beast definitely wasn't inside—at least, not tonight.
Elder Xun exhaled slowly.
And then… he watched as Mo Hua confidently walked right into the lair—
as if it were his own home.
"This boy… really just claimed a monster's cave…"
Inside, Mo Hua first took out some fragrant medicinal herbs and scattered them around to neutralize the beast's odor.
Then he picked a secure corner and set up several array formations:
First, an alert array
Then a concealment array
Followed by a defensive earthen array
And finally a ground-killing array that could counterattack on its own
Once all the formations were laid, he took out some jerky and filled his stomach.
Then he pulled out a jug of fruit wine, had a few gulps…
And finally rolled himself up in a soft blanket like a dumpling,
lay down peacefully,
and drifted off into a calm, steady sleep.
Outside the cave, Elder Xun was completely dumbfounded.
"Wait, wait, WAIT—
This is a monster's lair!
How are you treating it like your vacation lodge?!"
"And how can you SLEEP in here?!
Are you missing a heart or did you replace it with a rock?!"
Elder Xun let out a long sigh. He truly didn't know what to say anymore.
In the end, he just accepted fate and stood guard at the cave's entrance.
He didn't dare rest himself—only closed his eyes and meditated.
He was terrified that if the beast returned in the middle of the night,
it would swallow this bold little lunatic in one bite.
And then…
The Old Ancestor would probably flay him alive.
The night was deep, and the mountain wind was cold.
Mo Hua slept soundly inside the lair.
Elder Xun stood outside, on edge the entire time.
That was how they spent the night.
At dawn, when the sky began to lighten and the east turned pale,
Mo Hua slowly opened his eyes, sat up, stretched lazily—
his gaze sharp and his spirit refreshed.
Meanwhile, Elder Xun outside looked like a ghost—expression blank, eyes hollow, visibly haggard.
It was getting late.
Mo Hua got up, packed his blanket, erased the array formations,
and marked the lair's location on his map with a small campfire symbol.
"If I need to stay the night again, I'll just come back here."
He ate a quick breakfast, geared up again, and hit the road.
Time was tight—
He needed to complete at least a quarter more of the map today.
Elder Xun rubbed his temples, sighed helplessly, and resumed quietly tailing the boy.
Just like that, Mo Hua spent another full day in Beast-Taming Mountain.
And Elder Xun dutifully followed him for another full day.
Mo Hua had no idea.
His personal map of the mountain was now over halfway complete, meeting his goal.
When this ten-day rest period ended, he returned to the Great Void Sect.
After cultivating for eight days, the next rest cycle arrived.
Mo Hua once again made his way to Beast-Taming Mountain.
Spent another 100 merit points, bought another Beast-Taming Token, and entered.
But this time, he was completely familiar with the area.
He already knew the general terrain, the threats, the miasma zones, the poisons—everything.
So he surveyed much faster now.
Two days later, his custom topographic map of Beast-Taming Mountain was complete.
Next?
He'd officially begin devising a full hunting strategy,
using a combination of formations and spiritual tools.
So that next time—
he could bring Cheng Mo and the other little juniors along for some fun in Beast-Taming Mountain.
(End of Chapter)