Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2031 - 973: Destroying the Evidence (2)

Mo Hua panted heavily, his voice filled with urgency as he spoke:

"We need to leave now!"

If Elder Xun were to actually slay this Mr. Tu, he might become entangled in a mysterious karma that could lead to his demise.

Noticing the gravity in Mo Hua's expression, Xun Ziyou felt a surge of tension. In the vastness of heaven and earth, nothing was more vital than Mo Hua's safety. Realizing this was no time to invite further complications, he gave a submissive nod:

"Very well."

The party ceased their hesitation immediately. Following Mo Hua's persistent urging, they retreated without looking back.

Mr. Tu stood watching the departing silhouettes of Mo Hua and his companions, lost in thought.

"Perhaps I should release the Evil Path seal and slaughter them all within the depths of this Solitary Mountain..."

"That Elder of the Sword Dao might prove difficult to kill, but that strange little Foundation Establishment brat is a complete anomaly. It might be best to eliminate him now to avoid future headaches..."

"I should hunt them down and end it..."

Mr. Tu found himself reflexively stepping forward.

Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the earth and the mountains rumbled, accompanied by the thunderous echoes of multiple fire explosions.

"The Shen Family? Have they finally commenced their operation?"

Mr. Tu's brow furrowed, a hidden resentment bubbling within him.

Every detail had been meticulously planned, yet an unforeseen variable had ruined everything at the final moment. The Divine Lord’s Divine Fetus had vanished, stripping Solitary Mountain of its protection. As the evil fog faded away, the hidden karma was laid bare.

The Shen Family had clearly deduced the secrets hidden within.

It wasn't just the Shen Family; other noble clans and Sects had likely caught the scent and were converging on the location.

"No matter, I have already obtained what I required."

Mr. Tu's murderous eyes swept across the area as he muttered coldly, "When the Divine Lord descends, everyone is destined for death. Whether they perish now or later makes little difference..."

With those words, his demonic shell shifted and contorted. New human skin sprouted over his form, reshaping him into a nondescript Shen Family Elder. He then began walking calmly toward the shrine's exit.

...

In the area of the mass grave.

Xun Ziyou and the others were concealed in the shadows, observing a battalion of Shen Family cultivators.

These cultivators were busy setting up fire formations and activating fire talismans throughout the pit, using diverse flame techniques to incinerate the piles of corpses.

Plumes of thick smoke rose as fires broke out everywhere.

The entire region was marked by the chaos of fire explosions and raging blazes.

As the bodies burned, the foul-smelling smoke was systematically cleared away by a Clear Rain Formation.

The Shen Family was actively erasing the evidence!

Master Gu seethed with inward rage, thinking bitterly: "The Shen Family has truly abandoned all morality."

Fan Jin scanned the horizon, his brow tightening at the sight of so many Shen Family cultivators. "There are too many of them... must we fight our way through?"

Xun Ziyou shook his head in disagreement. "The numbers are too great for a direct confrontation. We must find a way to slip away unnoticed..."

An open attack would only draw a swarm of Shen Family Golden Core cultivators to trap them.

The enemy was burning the remains of the mining cultivators to hide their crimes, terrified that their secrets might be exposed.

If the group were discovered, the Shen Family would stop at nothing to silence them permanently.

Fortunately, the scale of the mass grave was immense and the number of corpses vast, making the "cleanup" a monumental task.

The Shen Family's attention was entirely consumed by the cremation process, leaving them distracted.

The constant explosions and scattered fires created a chaotic environment, making a quiet escape feasible.

Xun Ziyou identified a small, isolated group of Shen Family members and moved in for the kill.

Those assigned to destroy evidence were undoubtedly trusted associates of the Shen Family, fully involved in the mine's atrocities. Since none were innocent, Xun Ziyou showed them no mercy.

After dispatching several cultivators, he stripped them of their robes and Shen Family tokens. He threw their remains into the pit and used fire talismans to burn them alongside the miners.

Disguised in the stolen robes, the group posed as Shen Family members and blended into the throngs of people exiting the tomb.

Xun Ziyou was a Sect Elder, Fan Jin a supervisor, and Master Gu ran a refinery; they all possessed a natural air of authority.

Xun Ziyou, in particular, looked imposing in the Shen Family Taoist robes. The pressure radiating from his late Golden Core stage cultivation ensured that no one dared to question him.

The only weak link in the disguise was Mo Hua.

Being small of stature, the Shen Family robes were far too large for him, with the hem dragging across the ground.

However, the dim lighting of the tomb, combined with the swirling smoke and dancing flames, allowed Mo Hua to stay hidden between Xun Ziyou and the others.

He chose not to employ any concealment techniques.

The tomb was crawling with Shen Family Golden Core cultivators, many of whom possessed Divine Sense superior to his own. Any magical concealment would likely be detected and trigger an alarm.

It was safer to hide in plain sight.

Under Xun Ziyou's lead, they acted like Shen Family members, handing out fire talismans and messing with formations to fuel the disorder while looking for an exit.

Mo Hua occasionally added to the turmoil, covertly sabotaging the Shen Family's formations to cause unexpected explosions.

He would also subtly alter formation lines, causing them to fail and "accidentally" injure the Shen Family's own men.

The level of confusion continued to rise.

Amidst this anarchy, Xun Ziyou successfully guided Mo Hua and the rest out of the mass grave and toward the upper tomb tunnels.

Navigating the tunnels was much easier.

Mo Hua had already mapped this path with his compass and knew every turn perfectly.

With Mo Hua quietly giving directions, the group managed to avoid the main force of the Shen Family.

Anyone they couldn't bypass was swiftly silenced.

Gradually, they approached the tomb's main entrance.

However, the entrance was heavily fortified by Shen Family guards, making a normal exit impossible.

After a moment of thought, Mo Hua identified a weak point in a tunnel about half a mile away. He disabled a formation there, allowing Xun Ziyou to use his Golden Core strength to smash through the stone wall, creating a path out of the Solitary Mountain tomb.

Even outside, Shen Family members were everywhere.

Because of the ongoing explosions and tremors caused by the evidence destruction below, the sound of the wall collapsing went entirely unnoticed by those nearby.