"Don't overthink it. Our Zhou Family and the Chen Family are allied lineages, and it is our duty to help the Chen Family defend the market. If we flee alongside those rogue cultivators, never mind whether the three seniors in the sky will permit it—even if they let us go, when Old Ancestor Chen returns and holds us accountable, who among you can bear the responsibility?"
"Besides, do you think those people can truly survive if they leave now? You know how vicious the sand bandits are. Without the formation's protection, Foundation Establishment Stage Sand Bandits can kill them as easily as cutting grass. No one will escape!"
A cold voice suddenly came from Zhou Xuanyu. The hesitation in her eyes had vanished at some point, and she fixed the other Zhou Family cultivators before the tower with a gloomy expression. Her gaze swept coldly across their faces, making her resolve unmistakably clear.
"I command you in my capacity as a family elder: every Zhou Family cultivator must participate in the defense of the market and obey the commands of the Chen Family seniors. Should anyone dare harbor divided loyalties, do not blame me for dealing with them according to the family rules!"
The words "family rules" blew from Zhou Xuanyu's mouth into the hearts of the Zhou Family cultivators present like a bitterly cold wind. Everyone, Zhou Yang included, shuddered from head to toe and almost reflexively answered at once, "Yes, we obey Elder's command!"
"Good. That is what worthy sons and daughters of our Zhou Family should be!"
Zhou Xuanyu's expression relaxed. Then she waved her hand and ordered, "Everyone, come into the tower with me and pack up our things. Put every valuable item into Storage Bags and carry them separately. No matter who survives in the end, they must hand everything over to the family."
A new batch of goods had recently been delivered to Jade Spring Tower, and there truly were quite a few valuable items. After Zhou Yang and the others packed everything up, each of them carried several Storage Bags. Zhou Yang and Zhou Xuanyu each had as many as five Storage Bags hanging from their bodies, all of them the kind with a capacity of over one zhang.
While they were packing, the quarter-hour promised by the Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator elapsed. After that quarter-hour, the Low-Grade Tier 4 Formation, the Hun Tian Earth Dragon Formation, which covered the entire market, was fully activated under the control of the three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the sky.
When Zhou Yang and the others emerged from the pavilion, they saw that the white mist of the formation which had previously concealed the market had vanished without anyone noticing. In its place stood a gigantic earthen-yellow light barrier, like an enormous bowl turned upside down, enveloping the entirety of Golden Radiance Mountain.
After extending his divine sense dozens of meters underground, Zhou Yang discovered that even beneath the earth, a web of spiritual power now spread across the entire mountain. It completely eliminated any possibility of the enemy launching a surprise attack on the market from underground.
At that moment, the voice of the Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator rang out over Golden Radiance Mountain once more.
"The Hun Tian Earth Dragon Formation has been activated. Fellow Daoists remaining in the market, please gather here immediately. This old man will assign defensive duties according to your cultivation."
The Hun Tian Earth Dragon Formation primarily drew its spiritual power from the spiritual qi of Golden Radiance Mountain's spirit vein. However, Golden Radiance Mountain's spirit vein was only High-grade Tier 3. If the enemy attacked with all their strength, the spirit vein's spiritual qi would likely be unable to sustain the consumption of a Low-Grade Tier 4 Formation.
Thus, the Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator had summoned the Qi Refining Cultivators remaining in the market in order to divide them into several teams and station them at various formation nodes. At critical moments, they would channel their own spiritual power into the formation to maintain its consumption.
Before then, they could also release magical artifacts and cast spells to attack the enemies outside the formation while those enemies assaulted it.
Just as Zhou Yang and the others followed the arrangements of the Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator and arrived at a formation node alongside a group of Chen Family Qi Refining Cultivators, ten streaks of sword light suddenly flew in through the skies outside Golden Radiance Mountain.
"They're Foundation Establishment Cultivators among the sand bandits!"
"The sand bandits are here!"
The sword lights stopped in midair outside Golden Radiance Mountain, revealing ten black-robed, masked Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Standing upon their sword lights high in the sky, these Foundation Establishment Cultivators looked coldly down at the low-level cultivators on the mountain, whose cries of alarm continued without end. Their eyes were filled with contempt.
Mere Qi Refining Cultivators, no matter how numerous, posed no threat to them whatsoever. There was simply no need to pay them any attention.
Their gazes merely swept over the Qi Refining Cultivators before turning toward the three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators seated cross-legged atop Golden Radiance Mountain.
"Chen Family people, listen up. Open the market formation immediately and hand over all your valuables. For Chen Yaohui's sake, we may yet spare your lives!"
"If you remain stubborn and insist on resisting to the bitter end, then once we break the formation, everyone inside—regardless of background or origin—will be shown no mercy!"
Was this a final ultimatum?
Zhou Yang thought to himself, unable to stop himself from craning his neck and turning toward the three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators atop the mountain. Though he knew the Chen Family would never compromise with the sand bandits, until he heard a clear answer, no one, himself included, dared truly set their minds at ease.
"Cowards who hide their heads and show their tails dare spout such wild boasts!"
"Since Old Ancestor Chen Taizhong established the Chen Family, we have never compromised with sand bandits. Not before, and not in the future!"
"Cut the nonsense. Use whatever tricks you have. We will take them all!"
The three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators stared coldly at the ten Foundation Establishment Stage Sand Bandits outside the mountain, each taking a turn to strike back at the bandits' words. Their eyes were likewise filled with disdain.
As Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they were proud. With the Chen Family behind them, even a clan leader like Zhou Minghan, who controlled an entire Cultivation Family, had to show them a measure of favor, much less rogue cultivators.
Yet these ten mere Foundation Establishment Stage Sand Bandits wanted them, protected by a Tier 4 Formation, to surrender without a fight. It was simply the greatest joke under heaven.
If they truly did so, how could the Chen Family command other Cultivation Families in the future? Where would the Chen Family's prestige remain?
"Good. What a Chen Family. Very good!"
"Since you three old fools refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, do not blame our swords for showing no mercy!"
Rogue cultivators had their dignity too. Mocked so thoroughly by the three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators, fury rose in the eyes of all ten Foundation Establishment Stage Sand Bandits.
"Everyone, attack together! Let's first show these three old fools what we are capable of!"
One sand bandit shouted and directly released his Third-tier Flying Sword, slashing it toward the earthen-yellow light barrier outside Golden Radiance Mountain.
At that moment, a shocking sight appeared.
The fiery-red flying sword, emitting a sword light several zhang long, struck the earthen-yellow barrier, yet it could not even make the light barrier tremble once. Instead, the sword light was shattered by the formation's rebounding force, exposing the flying sword's true body, which was less than three feet long.
The Qi Refining Cultivators who had chosen to remain and defend the market were greatly invigorated at the sight, and a trace of joy appeared on every face.
Although everyone knew that Tier 4 Formations were powerful and could not be broken by anyone below the Purple Mansion Stage, they had still felt uneasy before witnessing the formation's might for themselves.
But now, a full-force strike from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had failed even to make the barrier formed by the formation tremble. This was more persuasive than any words and put their minds far more at ease.
The sand bandits, on the other hand, all drew in the anger in their eyes. Their momentum faltered, and intense shock filled their gazes.
"No. This Tier 4 Formation's defense is too strong. With only us, even if we exhaust all our spiritual power, we will not be able to break its protection. We should wait for those Qi Refining juniors to arrive before attacking together."
A man who appeared to be the leader of the sand bandits gently shook his head and spoke up, stopping the others from trying again.
The three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators atop Golden Radiance Mountain had been sneering as they watched the scene. The instant this man spoke, however, their expressions tightened, and rare solemnity appeared on their faces.
As fellow Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they could naturally tell that this sand bandit leader's cultivation had astonishingly reached the Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment.
With such cultivation, even in the entire Chen Family, only Chen Pingan, known as the Chen Family's foremost Foundation Establishment Cultivator, could compare with him.
"Someone with cultivation such as yours should not be an unknown figure. Might I ask for your esteemed name?"
On Golden Radiance Mountain, the white-haired Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator fixed his eyes on the sand bandit leader. His tone no longer carried its earlier utter disdain.
Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment cultivation was worthy of his serious attention, even if the man was merely a rogue cultivator, merely a sand bandit.
Upon hearing this, the sand bandit leader gave a dark chuckle. "Heh heh heh. Even if I told you my name, you surely would not know it. There is no need to say it."
Seeing this, the Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had killed someone earlier gave a heavy snort. "Hmph. Do you think we cannot guess it if you refuse to tell us? Throughout the tens of thousands of miles around the White Sand River Oasis, there are only so many Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and only one of them came from a rogue cultivator background. If you are not that person, then you must be a cultivator from some other region of the Cultivation World!"
"So what if I am? To tell you the truth, since we dared come here to stroke your Chen Family's tiger whiskers, we naturally made thorough preparations. If you are counting on Chen Pingan to come save you, then you have miscalculated. The moment he dares take a single step out of White Camel Ridge, he will be seeking his own death!"
The sand bandit leader sneered coldly, suddenly speaking words that made the expressions of the three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators change drastically.
"So you truly came prepared!"
The white-haired Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator stared at the sand bandit leader with an icy gaze. His voice suddenly sharpened as he shouted sternly, "Our Chen Family is a vassal of the Yellow Sand Sect, and our Old Ancestor is even a Guest Official of the Yellow Sand Sect. If you dare kill Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators, then even if a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator protects you, you will not escape the pursuit of the Yellow Sand Sect and our Chen Family!"
"Hahahaha! Are you afraid? Chen Family cultivators can fear death too? Hahahaha..."
"Hahahaha..."
The sand bandit leader burst into laughter, prompting the other sand bandits to laugh along with him. Their laughter was immensely satisfying and immensely cheerful.
The three Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators were truly both furious and enraged. They glared at the laughing sand bandits, so angry that they could not speak.
As for Qi Refining Cultivators like Zhou Yang, after hearing that a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator truly stood behind the sand bandits, their hearts turned utterly cold.
How were they supposed to defend this place?
One Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator on the enemy side, along with more than a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators and a large number of Qi Refining Cultivators—the disparity in strength had already become enough to crush the market's defenders.
With such a lineup, even attacking the ancestral grounds of the White Camel Ridge Chen Family, which lacked a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator, would give them some chance of success.
Before you continue