198: Chapter 198 Zhou Jun

This Heavenly Cycle Unity Formation was, in a true sense, the Su Family's Protective Clan Array.

Su Yang stood on the streets of the market, feeling the invisible connection between the Formation and his Divine Sense. He felt a complete sense of security, as if he were in his own back garden.

Countless Cultivators crowded forward, their congratulations and praises echoing incessantly.

Su Yang nodded with a smile in response. He finally managed to break away from the enthusiastic crowd, only to suddenly notice an unremarkable figure in the throng, quietly watching him.

It was still Chu Yutang of the Zhou Army!

The man's appearance was truly ordinary; if Su Yang hadn't been able to see through his Breath Concealment Technique, he would have easily overlooked him.

Su Yang did not stop and strolled toward the outskirts of the market.

Snowflakes fluttered down, but they quietly melted just before landing on his shoulders.

He stopped beneath a towering ancient tree. Behind him on the snowy ground, Chu Yutang's figure appeared.

"I didn't expect the Su Family to be so generous as to directly establish a Third-Order Array for the Qingyuan Market. I am truly impressed!"

Chu Yutang smiled and cupped his hands. While his tone sounded calm, a hint of surprise and astonishment was hard to hide in the depths of his eyes.

He knew the value of a Third-Order Array well.

A First-Order Legacy could still be purchased, and Second-Order ones were already rare. As for Third-Order ones, they were usually only held by Sects, cults, or dynasties, and were rare even at Immortal City auctions.

That the Su Family possessed such Foundations and depth of Opportunity made them no less than an ordinary Sect.

The weight of the Su Family in his heart couldn't help but increase further.

Su Yang smiled indifferently and didn't take the bait. Instead, he changed the subject: "Brother Chu, you've come at the right time. Since the Zhou Army finds it inconvenient to show its face, I didn't inform you about the Formation's setup. However, since the Zhou Army is one of the hidden powers in Qingyuan, there should be a share of the resources required for this Formation."

Chu Yutang was visibly stunned upon hearing this, and the corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.

The Formation was already completed, yet he was turning around to ask them for resources?

He coughed twice, quickly adjusted his expression, and suggested: "Since the Formation is already successful, I imagine the Su Family isn't lacking in these few funds."

"How about this? Although the Qingyuan Market is protected by the array, many Demonic Path Cultivators are still hiding in the shadows. My Zhou Army can act secretly to root out these hidden threats for the market, using that to offset the resource share. What does Patriarch Su think?"

Su Yang had originally planned to refuse no matter how the other party evaded, but hearing this proposal, his mind stirred.

Using the Zhou Army's hand to clear out the malignant tumors in the market's shadows was indeed a worthwhile bargain.

Thus, his smile remained undiminished as he nodded slightly: "These petty scoundrels would eventually disperse in time, but since the Zhou Army has this intention, then let it be as Brother Chu says."

At this point, Su Yang paused slightly and asked as if casually: "By the way, with the Great Wei in such turmoil now, I wonder if the Zhou Army has made any moves lately?"

Chu Yutang was a clever man and immediately caught the underlying meaning.

Su Yang felt that clearing out the demonic Cultivators wasn't enough of a price; he also wanted some information as a bonus.

He smiled knowingly and said frankly: "The Zhou Army has already taken action, but the main force is not in the Luoxuan City Prefecture Region; they are rising in other Prefecture Regions of the Great Wei. Because the two places are far apart and the territory is in chaos, the news simply hasn't arrived in time."

Su Yang nodded and then followed up: "Then I wonder when the Zhou Army plans to bring this Luoxuan City Prefecture Region under its banner as well?"

Chu Yutang's gaze narrowed slightly, and he spoke with deep meaning: "Once our Zhou Army has stabilized the Foundation of one region, the next target will be this place."

He paused and looked at Su Yang, his tone becoming more serious.

"After all, the Su Family is an ally of our Zhou Army. Controlling this territory will make it more convenient to transport Spirit-Attached Artifacts in the future."

...

Qingyuan Market.

Under a set of eaves, several Cultivators dressed in Daoist robes and looking like ethereal immortals sat around a table. A few jars of ordinary wine and common food were laid out on the table.

An old man in white robes, his face weathered, spoke with a raspy voice: "We can't stay in this Qingyuan Market anymore. I didn't expect the Su Family to have such means as to lay down such a magnificent Third-Order Array!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a slightly plump woman beside him said in a low voice: "The demonic Cultivators of the Great Qi are coming soon. Even without this Formation, we would have to leave sooner or later."

Wherever demonic Cultivators go, it is like a plague of locusts.

Once they ransack Qingyuan, this place will surely be turned into ruins. For people like them, leaving is only a matter of time.

But now that there is the protection of a Third-Order Array, the situation is different.

Even if the demonic Cultivators wanted to break in, they would have to think twice. Perhaps Qingyuan really can endure through these troubled times.

"I plan to stay," a young man suddenly spoke, his eyes flashing with a calculating glint. "When our fellow Daoists storm the market, I can get a share of the spoils."

The woman's face changed drastically: "Are you mad? Knowing there's a Third-Order Array, you still dare to stay and seek death?"

The young man smiled disdainfully: "A Third-Order Array is strong, but demonic Cultivators have many methods and countless trump cards. If they really can break the Formation, I'll join them; if they can't, I'll just leave quietly."

He paused, his tone becoming even more smug: "Do you think the Great Qi demonic Cultivators are fools? Would they barge in knowing they can't break the Formation?"

"In a few days, if the market remains peaceful, it means the demonic Cultivators have given up on this place. It won't be too late for me to leave then."

"If the market suddenly falls into chaos, it means the demonic Cultivators have the ability to break the Formation. At that time, I'll strike amidst the confusion; wouldn't that be pure profit?"

The old man raised an eyebrow at this and couldn't help but stroke his beard with a light laugh, finding the plan quite ingenious.

He was just about to voice his agreement and say that he also intended to stay and watch.

Whoosh!

A sound of something cutting through the air, so faint it was almost imperceptible, suddenly pierced the silence!

The old man's pupils constricted, but he had no time to react.

A silver needle shot out from nowhere, accurately piercing his neck.

A bone-chilling cold instantly spread. His eyes were quickly stained with ink-like darkness, and his skin turned a bruised black at a visible rate.

"Not good! Enemy attack..."

The young man stood up in panic, but before he could finish shouting, a dark shadow had already closed in behind him like a ghost.

A hand tightly covered his mouth, while the other held a short blade, plunging it into his heart from behind.

The young man's body stiffened, his eyes widened, and he slumped down.

The woman frantically brought out a Talisman, but a flash of cold light was even faster than her.

Chih!

Her fingers were severed at the base, blood spraying everywhere.

Immediately after, a silver needle sank into her brow.

Her pupils were also stained with ink-like darkness, and her skin rapidly turned black, exactly like the old man.

The others in the room were attacked almost at the same moment, either hit by hidden weapons, having their throats slit, or being stabbed in the back...

Within a few breaths, everyone was dead.

The bodies were quickly dragged away, and the bloodstains were quietly wiped clean, as if this group of people had never gathered here.

The same scene was quietly playing out in various places across the Qingyuan Market.

Inside houses, in alleys, under eaves...

In just a short while, several hundred demonic Cultivators had vanished from the Qingyuan Market without causing any commotion.

A silent purge swept through the city like an undercurrent.

In just a short while, the market was short of several hundred demonic Cultivators.

There were no screams, no fighting, not even a ripple was stirred.

These demonic Cultivators, who usually only associated with their own kind, disappeared completely, and the market remained as bustling as ever.