Mo Fan’s words caused You Er to shiver involuntarily.
For some reason, he felt that Mo Fan’s words did not sound like a compliment. Instead, they seemed more like talk of raising a pig.
However, living under someone else’s roof, he dared neither show anger nor speak out. He could only lament bitterly to himself in his heart, though this naturally included some muttered curses.
At this moment, Mo Fan naturally paid no attention to whether You Er was mentally cursing his ancestors eighteen generations back. Instead, he was thinking about how to firmly tie this little ancestor to him in the future.
In Mo Fan’s heart, was this fellow You Er not precisely a treasure akin to a little ancestor?
A rare commodity worth hoarding. That was exactly what this guy represented.
Mo Fan retrieved the inheritance golden lotus, then looked at the divination image displayed on the compass in the form of a cyan and red Taiji diagram. He saw gusts of yin wind and dense ghostly qi, which did not seem like a place in the yang world at all.
Next, he noticed that the pointer on the Destiny Compass had returned to its initial position, as if nothing had happened.
“What does this mean?”
Mo Fan looked at You Er. The latter scratched his head in confusion, then shook it with a bitter smile. “I do not know either. This is the first time I have encountered this situation. It has never reset before. But this divination should have succeeded, so I think we can investigate based on the direction the compass pointed.”
“For now, that is our only option.”
Mo Fan nodded, then turned to the Ghost Demon King and Black Water Old Demon. He said solemnly, “I will have to trouble the two seniors.”
He understood that in searching for someone, these two far surpassed him in both divine sense and tracking methods.
“This old man alone will suffice. On land, I am more skilled than that old demon.”
The Ghost Demon King spoke up. The Black Water Old Demon also nodded. “I admit that is true.”
Next, the Ghost Demon King said nothing more. Using his supernatural arts, he extended many tendrils that spread through the earth towards the direction indicated by the compass.
This search lasted an entire day.
When the Ghost Demon King opened his eyes, Mo Fan immediately sensed it and looked over.
“This White Holy Mountain is indeed fraught with dangers. It has numerous restrictions and formations. The slightest carelessness could alert the enemy. Moreover, the number of great demons here exceeds our expectations. There are far more than I imagined. Several times, we nearly got discovered.”
As soon as the Ghost Demon King opened his eyes, he spoke with lingering fear.
“Old ghost, can you get to the point?”
The Black Water Old Demon, hearing this, spoke irritably.
“What is the rush?”
The Ghost Demon King snorted coldly, then looked at Mo Fan and frowned. “This time, I only probed five hundred li, but found nothing. There are three formation areas I could not see through, so I suspect Princess Qing Lian is likely in one of them.”
Mo Fan’s heart lit up with joy upon hearing this. He immediately asked the Ghost Demon King to sketch out the locations of those three formations.
“These three formations are all extraordinary. I could sense the hidden killing intent within them, so we must proceed with extreme caution.” The Ghost Demon King looked grave, then asked Mo Fan, “When do you plan to set out?”
At these words, You Er and the Black Water Old Demon also looked towards Mo Fan.
“Set out for what?”
“We have not even pinpointed Yun Rou’s exact location yet. There is no need to rush and alert the enemy.”
Mo Fan shook his head, then grinned at You Er. “Do we not have a ready-made divine calculator right here? We can wait until we have thoroughly divined it before setting out.”
You Er’s body trembled immediately. Stared at by Mo Fan, he felt chills in his heart and spoke with a tearful expression, “Great King… I have not yet recovered from yesterday’s consumption… Is this not a bit too hasty?”
“Enough nonsense. You are the most enthusiastic when it comes to eating. Why so reluctant when asked to do some work?”
“When the time for divination comes, get to it quickly.”
Seeing Mo Fan’s fierce expression, You Er could only accept his fate with a bitter face.
The two great lords opposite him looked at You Er with sympathy, thinking to themselves that this lad Lai Bao really knew how to play it. This way, they could indeed reduce many troubles and minimise risks.
You Er’s divination could be performed once per day, so Mo Fan did not have to wait long before the second session began.
This time, it was targeted divination, checking each of the three formation locations sketched by the Ghost Demon King in turn. It was not too difficult, so it did not consume as much essence blood as before. Only two drops were used.
Yet even these two drops still made You Er wail like his parents had died, crying that he was about to perish.
Mo Fan could not be bothered with him. It was not that he was cold-blooded, but at this point, You Er was still not thin. He weighed at least two hundred pounds, much fatter than when he first arrived at Black Wind Mountain.
This meant there was still room to squeeze more out of You Er.
Mo Fan’s gaze fell on the Destiny Compass. He saw the ominous red light flickering, while the divination image revealed a sword tomb filled with swords thrust into the ground. Some were intact, others mere fragments.
Though he had not entered it personally, even through the image, Mo Fan could feel a solemn killing intent.
Clearly, this was a sword formation, and a killing formation at that.
“Little fatty, what does this hexagram mean?”
The Black Water Old Demon looked at You Er and asked.
“This hexagram indicates misfortune. Since we were divining whether Princess Qing Lian is there, it means she is not in this formation.” You Er shook his head.
Everyone felt some disappointment at these words.
However, Mo Fan was not anxious. There was still plenty of time. Even if they divined once a day, he refused to believe they could not figure it out.
Over the next two days, You Er was once again exhausted to the point of collapse. Four drops of essence blood directly burned off about forty pounds from him. Even Mo Fan’s eyelids twitched at the sight, thinking to himself what a fellow. The weight loss effect was truly guaranteed.
However, the results were not ideal, as neither of the remaining two formations revealed Princess Qing Lian’s traces. Instead, the divination images allowed Mo Fan to gain insight into these two formations.
One was a flame-based killing formation. The other, unexpectedly, was not a killing formation but a treasure vault of White Holy Mountain. It was filled with all manner of treasures, from spiritual plants to spiritual stones to demon weapons. Almost everything one could want was there. This made Mo Fan’s eyes burn with desire.
On the surface, he appeared indifferent, but in reality, he quietly used a transmission talisman to send a message outward.
“Could it be that the search distance is not far enough?”
After the three formations yielded no results, even the Ghost Demon King frowned. He decided to intensify efforts and continue searching farther afield.
Mo Fan also stepped out of the hut and came to a grove of purple bamboo, where he voiced his request.
In a cave dwelling dozens of li from Chang Gui Mountain, the purple bamboo demon ancestor Zi Lan, who had been meditating, suddenly opened her eyes. A flash of surprise crossed them.
“What does he need so much food for?”
“This little toad’s appetite is really something.”
Zi Lan shook her head with a smile, but asked no further questions. It was just food. To White Holy Mountain, it was nothing.
Presently, she instructed her subordinate demons to prepare food and deliver it to Chang Gui Mountain.
In this way, another half month passed in a flash.
Mo Fan was no longer as calm and composed as before. He had been in White Holy Mountain for a full month now, yet apart from probing a few killing formations and a treasure vault, he had not even caught a glimpse of Yun Rou.
During this time, the Ghost Demon King had thoroughly searched the entire direction indicated by the Destiny Compass.
Mo Fan looked at the dishevelled You Er. The fellow had slimmed down considerably, returning to his appearance when he first ascended Black Wind Mountain. He just seemed utterly listless, as if he had been completely drained.
Seeing Mo Fan look over, You Er immediately shuddered and waved his hands frantically. “Great King, I really cannot go on. I am about to die. Please spare me…”
“Ahem… Rest assured. This king is merciful and would not do anything utterly heartless.”
“Not long ago, this king requested another batch of food from Senior Mo Luo and the others. When it arrives, your only job will be to gorge yourself for me. We will continue after you have recovered for half a month.”
Mo Fan spoke with a pained expression, his words quite gentle. Yet what he said made You Er tremble in fear.
“That damned toad demon. How can I recover in just half a month?”
“I am going to die. Truly going to die this time.”
You Er wailed inwardly, but soon spoke weakly, “Great King, that Miss Hu who delivered the food last time seemed quite nice. Very understanding and considerate. Could she stay to keep me company? To comfort my wounded soul?”
“Miss Hu?”
Mo Fan was startled, then recalled the vixen who had delivered supplies last time. He could not help laughing and cursing, “You damned dog. You are nearly drained dry, and still thinking about female demons?”
“Behave yourself for this king. Work hard. Once we rescue Princess Qing Lian, this king will help you claim that vixen.”
“Thank you, Great King.”
You Er’s spirits lifted instantly upon hearing this.
