Free Web NovelChapter 160: Chapter 160: Counter-Array
The array was a work of profound mastery.
Light and shadow intertwined, runes flowed, and stars shifted across the sky, forming an incomparably sturdy barrier outside the Marketplace.
After the leading Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivator activated the Grand Array, five other Foundation Establishment Cultivators gathered around him, acting as guards and supplying him with Magical Power.
While maintaining control over the array, the Cultivator operating it said:
"I don’t know what kind of grand expert you are, daring to cause trouble for our Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace, but it looks like your little scheme is about to fall apart!"
"Hmph. You should know, this array was created by the former Pavilion Master of our Profound Origin Sect’s Array Pavilion. It is the magnum opus of his Array Cultivation."
"You must have heard some rumor that there are no Golden Core Cultivators in the Marketplace right now, and thought you could come to attack and plunder!"
"But the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations Shift Array in this Marketplace didn’t earn its reputation for nothing. Even if it’s only us few Foundation Establishment Cultivators operating it, with the array’s amplification, we can still defeat a Golden Core Cultivator!"
As the Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Marketplace took control, the barrier outside began to faintly resonate with the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations in the sky. Starlight showered down from the heavens, making the Grand Array look as if it had merged with the starry sky itself.
Su Duo, of course, knew that this array was not to be trifled with.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent so much time deliberately arranging an Array-Breaking Method.
The Twenty-Eight Star Constellations Shift Array had previously defended the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace against countless beast tides of varying scales.
To the Cultivators inside the Marketplace, there was little difference between a beast tide and an invasion by outside enemies.
What they didn’t expect, however, was that an invader’s first target would be this very Grand Array!
The moment the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations Shift Array rose, a sharp light flashed in Su Duo’s eyes. Various Array Formation materials flew through his hands, and Array Flags shifted positions under his control.
Now, Su Duo was about to begin his counter against this powerful array!
Twenty-eight pieces of Netherworld Stone Marrow rose up from within the Marketplace. Just like the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations Shift Array, they all corresponded to the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations.
In the sky, the showering starlight had all been landing on the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations Shift Array. But after the twenty-eight pieces of Netherworld Stone Marrow were fully arranged, a portion of the starlight that should have landed on the Grand Array actually fell onto the Netherworld Stone Marrow instead!
And that wasn’t all. The Netherworld Stone Marrow didn’t just hijack the starlight from the heavens; it even began to compete for the starlight within the Grand Array itself, causing the array’s luster to dim!
Logically, this should have been a good thing, as the Marketplace’s Grand Array was clearly showing signs of weakening. If this continued, he might be able to break it completely.
But Su Duo felt that the arrays he had planted inside the Marketplace felt inexplicably strange to operate.
Some parts responded as smoothly as ever, but others acted like rebellious children. Tell them to go east, and they’d head west; tell them to chase a dog, and they’d go after a chicken.
They weren’t following his commands at all!
If things had gone according to his original plan, the Marketplace’s Grand Array would likely have been destroyed by now, perhaps even exploding from an overload of channeled starlight.
Then the Marketplace would be in ruins, making it easy for Su Duo and his men to clean up the mess.
But as it stood, the Marketplace’s Star Constellation Array was only weakened; it still retained its basic defensive capabilities. Even if Su Duo continued his assault, he would be held up for several days.
This was a world apart from the blitzkrieg Su Duo had hoped for.
The Counter-Array he had so carefully laid out was now like a jigsaw puzzle with mangled pieces that simply wouldn’t fit together. This left Su Duo both confused and furious.
’What in the world is going on?! Did I make a mistake with the array, or did the Black Demon Guards mess up the placement? Or... could there be an Array Master in the Marketplace that I don’t know about?’
Although Su Duo was exasperated, he had no time to dwell on such questions.
Because in his moment of frustration, the force of the Magical Power he channeled from his hands increased by just a fraction.
But this sliver of power, which normally wouldn’t have even made a ripple, passed through a Multiplication Array Pattern that Jiang Xu had accidentally rewritten.
In an instant, this amplified power surged through countless Array Patterns, rampaging wildly within them, and ultimately became the fuse that caused the entire Counter-Array to begin collapsing.
Only then did Su Duo realize where the problem lay.
Because he wasn’t physically inside the Marketplace and was only controlling the array remotely, he couldn’t directly sense the internal problems.
However, Su Duo was an Array Master, after all. With a bit of deduction, he arrived at the truth.
"Who the hell rewrote my Array Patterns!"
The array was on the verge of catastrophic failure, perhaps even total collapse. A common Array Master would have been helpless at this point, powerless to salvage the situation.
But Su Duo was different. He was considered an outstanding figure even among Array Masters.
Faced with this situation, Su Duo chose an extreme method.
He directly ripped out and discarded the puzzle pieces that wouldn’t fit—in other words, he abandoned the very Array Patterns that Jiang Xu had damaged and modified.
But with a piece of the array missing, it should have been rendered useless.
But Su Duo’s next move was shockingly unconventional. He dismantled the Demon Array behind him, extracted some of its Array Patterns, and inserted them directly into the Counter-Array.
He had demonstrated this technique before in a Secret Realm. He had used this same method to form the Yin Yang Tai Chi Five Elements Array and break Yan Demon Venerable’s seal.
This was possible because he was skilled in Chain Arrays and possessed a unique secret technique that allowed him to dismantle and reassemble arrays at will.
The reassembled array wasn’t perfect—its attack power was diminished, and other functions were broken—but it was still usable. And that was better than nothing.
And so, the array-breaking formation remained operational, but its effectiveness was significantly reduced.
Furthermore, the Demon Array outside the Marketplace vanished, meaning it could no longer stop the Cultivators inside from fleeing.
Although Su Duo’s goal wasn’t slaughter, but rather to make a huge scene and act as the vanguard for Canglang State, conquering an empty city wouldn’t sound very impressive, nor would it be much of an accomplishment to show for his efforts.
After a moment of silent consideration, Su Duo shouted:
"Where are the Black Demon Guards!"
"Here!"
"Block the city gates! Don’t let a single person escape!"
"As you command!"
...
After the alarm for the enemy attack sounded, the Marketplace erupted into chaos.
Those who were well-informed had already packed their belongings and made all the necessary preparations, simply waiting for the chaos to begin.
The greedy had already found their way into certain shops, intending to loot them for profit amidst the turmoil.
And then there were the unperturbed ones. These were typically veteran Cultivators who had weathered many battles alongside the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace. Knowing the power of the Grand Array, they had almost too much faith in it, and simply went about their business as if nothing was wrong.
And as for Jiang Xu, he was staring blankly outside the Marketplace.
