Chapter 98: Chapter 6: Heaven-shattering Earth-collapse Array

The Yushan Huang Clan had stood strong on the Western Continent for four hundred years; naturally, its members were not all incompetent fools. Huang Guantao, the Elder tasked with guarding the Spiritual Spring, keenly sensed that someone was secretly probing the Earth Array.

’This is shocking,’ he thought. ’The Huang Family clearly suppressed the news at the first opportunity. How did word of the Spirit Vein still leak out?’

For the moment, Huang Guantao had no good solution. Guiding the Spirit Vein, cultivating Spirit Fields, and setting up Arrays were all massive undertakings that had to be done step-by-step and couldn’t be rushed. What’s more, the Huang Family was planning to take this Spirit Vein entirely for themselves. Without the option to cooperate with other Foundation Establishment Clans, progress was even slower.

Just then, a junior member of the clan ran up in a panic to report.

“Sixth Elder, something has happened to Huang Guanhong of the Seventh House! His Soul Token in the ancestral hall just shattered.”

Huang Guantao’s eyes shot open. He had no fondness for this particular kinsman. It was one thing for the man to run his usual scams, but this time, he had actually tried to swindle the Celestial Treasure Tower.

’Hmph. A Tribulation Cultivator must have thought the Spirit Marrow he was carrying was real. He brought this on himself. After a lifetime of shady dealings, he’s finally messed with the wrong person.’

“But Huang Guanhong’s wife and son are making a scene in the ancestral hall. They’re demanding an explanation, claiming he lost his life while carrying out a task for the Ancestor.”

Huang Guantao’s anger flared.

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Does the clan really have time for this nonsense right now? Give them a stern lecture, and if they keep making a scene, throw them in the dungeon!”

—————–

At the Ghost Ruins Market, the guards watched the three people before them with trepidation. The one leading them was a tall, handsome young man in a silver-white brocade robe. His eyes held a golden glint.

To his left was an old man with white hair and a youthful face, presenting a rather fine appearance. However, his back was slightly hunched, and his eyes were as small as beans.

To his right was a middle-aged man who looked shabby and poor. He had a wretched appearance, with only his sharp eyes showing any sign of spirit.

Judging by their appearances, the three seemed perfectly ordinary. But the overwhelming aura they exuded was a constant reminder to the guards that they were all Foundation Establishment Great Powers.

A moment later, a tall, ruddy-faced cultivator with a thick beard flew over and landed in front of the trio.

“The Ghost Ruins Market is a humble place, unable to accommodate such great figures as yourselves. I must ask you to leave!”

If they were ordinary Qi Cultivation Tribulation Cultivators, the Ghost Ruins Market wouldn’t be afraid no matter how many showed up. After all, with the Grand Array, they could be suppressed with a mere wave of the hand. But against these three Foundation Establishment Cultivators of unknown origin, the backer of the Ghost Ruins Market dared not be so arrogant.

“Fellow Daoist Wen, no need to be so distant. We’ve only come to borrow an Array.”

The Red-faced Cultivator’s expression turned grave. He had run the Ghost Ruins Market for three years, and very few people knew his surname was Wen.

“Which Array?!”

“The Heaven-shattering Earth-collapse Array.”

The Six Great Sects’ regulations on the Heaven-shattering Earth-collapse Array were even stricter than those for the Qi-guiding Dragon-shaking Array, because it was a pure War Array. Once activated, it could trigger violent landslides and earthquakes, powerful enough to shift Spirit Veins and displace Spiritual Acupoints.

It was created specifically to destroy all types of Defensive Arrays.

The Red-faced Cultivator’s eyes widened. ’Three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, plus a Heaven-shattering Earth-collapse Array… That’s more than enough to wipe out a Foundation Establishment Clan.’

He was instantly tempted. ’How much profit was there in robbing ordinary Independent Cultivators? The real money was in taking down Foundation Establishment Clans.’

’The wealth these clans had amassed over hundreds of years was astonishing. Even if he only managed to get ten percent, it would be enough for his own Cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.’

“I want thirty percent!”

He immediately chose to lend it.

“Thirty percent it is. But you must help us break their Array!”

the Iron Armor General said.

The Red-faced Cultivator nodded. They had reached an agreement after just a few sentences.

’I would have to accompany them anyway if I’m lending out the Heaven-shattering Earth-collapse Array,’ he reasoned. ’These three are strangers I’ve just met, and they’re obviously not the benevolent type. If I simply hand the Array over to them, getting it back would be difficult.’

“Do you have the Array with you? There’s no time to lose. Let’s go now.”

Although the Red-faced Cultivator was a bit surprised by their urgency, he nodded in agreement. When Tribulation Cultivators were on a job, the greatest taboo was letting word get out and startling the target.

“Should we round up some of the Tribulation Cultivators in the Marketplace? They’re fearless in the face of death when treasure is involved. They’d make the best cannon fodder, and it would also draw attention away from the Marketplace.”

The Iron Armor General hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“I’ll give you half an hour.”

’He hadn’t even mentioned that their target was the Huang Family, so he wasn’t afraid of the news getting out.’

The Red-faced Cultivator laughed heartily:

“Half an hour? A quarter of an hour will be plenty! But since these Tribulation Cultivators will be my men, I want forty percent.”

Gou Santong, the Mingyi Dog, flushed with anger. ’This cultivator is getting greedy,’ he thought. As the clan leader of the Mingyi Dogs, he was the poorest of the group and was counting on looting the Huang Family’s private treasury to strike it rich.

But a single glance from the Iron Armor General made him shrink back.

“Fine, forty percent it is. But if you try to change the price again, we’ll find someone else to partner with.”

The Red-faced Cultivator offered an apologetic smile and signaled to his subordinate with a look to gather the Tribulation Cultivators.

Before long, a commotion erupted in the Ghost Ruins Market. The Tribulation Cultivators who congregated here were all veteran bandits. Back in the Cai and Wei Kingdoms, they had followed powerful Tribulation Cultivators to breach clan strongholds.

Even though it was only a declining clan whose Foundation Establishment Clan Leader had died, leaving them without a pillar of support, the Tribulation Cultivators who participated in the raid still suffered devastating casualties.

But those who survived made a fortune.

The Red-faced Cultivator summoned a dark cloud and packed all the eager Tribulation Cultivators inside.

This was his Flying Spiritual Artifact, the Ghost Slaughter Pouch. Although its flight speed was only slightly faster than a Tier One Flying Spiritual Artifact, it could hold more than two hundred and fifty people.

After dark, the Ghost Slaughter Pouch was extremely stealthy, capable of silently transporting a large number of Tribulation Cultivators to the outskirts of the target’s clan territory.

The Iron Armor General nodded in satisfaction. ’It’s best to leave specialized tasks to the specialists,’ he thought. ’To break through the Huang Family’s defenses, we have to cooperate with these Tribulation Cultivators.’

Without borrowing the Heaven-shattering Earth-collapse Array, even if the Three Demons used every trick they had, they weren’t certain they could breach the Huang Family’s Array.

Soon, the Ghost Slaughter Pouch transformed into a cloud about two hundred feet wide and rose into the air. The sky was already dark, and this one dark cloud, mixed among the others, was completely inconspicuous.

“Fellow Daoist, now can you tell me who our target is?”

The Red-faced Cultivator flew beside the Ghost Slaughter Pouch and asked the Iron Armor General.

“The Jade Mountain Huang Family!”

the Iron Armor General said.

The Red-faced Cultivator was stunned for a moment. He hadn’t expected their target to be a powerful Foundation Establishment Clan like the Jade Mountain Huang Family, but he quickly put two and two together:

“Fellow Daoist, your information network is truly impressive! You even found out that the Jade Mountain Huang Family discovered a Spiritual Spring with miraculous properties. After that Huang Guanhong sold some Spirit Water in my Ghost Ruins Market, someone was consistently buying it back at a high price. I even got a bottle myself, but I could never figure out what was so special about it. It just had a slightly foul odor.”

The corner of the Iron Armor General’s mouth curled into a smirk. The ones buying back the Spirit Water at high prices were, of course, his own Demons. ’It’s for the best that he misunderstands,’ he thought.

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