Chapter 100: End of Forbearance

“The Four Symbols Heart Guard Array.”

Within the Esoteric Arts, it was one of the few simple defensive arrays.

This array dissipated easily, lacking in stability and endurance. Additionally, Su Chunfeng, without any talismans, magical artifacts, or proper materials prepared in advance, had relied solely on his rich experience in Art Casting and his personal cultivation. By harnessing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and treading the Gang steps, he had laid down this array. It was even more incapable of maintaining its existence and operation for a long time.

This was not out of Su Chunfeng’s helplessness, but rather his deliberate choice.

Considering that making a big scene would surely attract the attention of the Physiognomy Expert who had set up the Feng Shui Magic Array, especially since the area for several miles around was covered by that expert’s array, Su Chunfeng only needed to set up a small Arcane Array. When the young occultist opposite him cast his art to activate his array, it would serve as a reminder. It would let the other party know that the Fukang Combine Harvester authorized dealership had an occultist in residence. Based on Su Chunfeng’s knowledge and experience of the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts, and his understanding of occultists, he believed that a simple reminder should be enough. The young occultist opposite, whose cultivation level was not high, ought to know his limits and retreat.

This was the so-called Jianghu Code. Although many conflicts in the jianghu arose from disregarding the code, the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts was now in an era of revival, and many jianghu occultists still respected traditional rules.

Moreover, even if the young occultist later brought the esoteric arts expert behind him to investigate, to understand the so-called truth or to try to befriend the occultist stationed here, by that time the “Four Symbols Heart Guard Array” would have already dissipated into the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. All the expert could possibly detect would be the Feng Shui tree array set up by that Physiognomy Expert.

Thus…

The most likely outcome of this matter was that it would simply end there.

Because according to the rules, both sides should have minded their own business in the first place. After all, the Physiognomy Expert had been courteous first, giving a warning in the form of Art Casting.

And this one who set up the Feng Shui Magic Array… was an expert, you know!

Su Chunfeng’s idea was that if he could silently defuse a major issue into a minor one, and a minor issue into nothing, that would be the best outcome.

After a while, the opponent’s Arcane Array was clearly ready and began to operate, channeling the array’s energy. The previously stable Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy in the vicinity suddenly began to fluctuate violently. From the dark wasteland blocked by that minivan to the north, the intensely fluctuating Qi of Five Elements surged towards the Fukang Combine Harvester dealership like ripples on spring water disturbed by a breeze.

Su Chunfeng didn’t rush to activate his own Four Symbols Heart Guard Array. Instead, he held his breath and concentrated, carefully sensing the function and nature of the opponent’s array.

Soon, from the abnormal fluctuations of the Five Elements, he keenly captured the details and frequency of the fluctuations.

Then, based on his experience, Su Chunfeng deduced the general conclusion: the magnetic field disorder caused by this type of Arcane Array would lead to changes in the magnetic field at the targeted location, affecting the emotions of anyone present there. It would make people irritable, confused in their thinking, and prone to losing control, triggering arguments and conflicts.

From this, one could judge that the mastermind behind the opponent and their motive were likely just simple business competition tactics.

At most, the mastermind probably just wanted this shop to fail in its business, so they could replace Su Cheng as the authorized sales agent for Fukang Combine Harvesters in Pingyang City.

This kind of array had no direct lethal power against people.

However, it easily indirectly triggered violent conflicts between people, leading to unpredictable consequences.

Su Chunfeng felt a surge of anger, but after thinking for a moment, he still decided to endure it. A reminder to the other side would suffice. There was no need to seriously injure the opponent; that would create a deadly feud, which would be unfavorable for him and his family.

Thinking this, Su Chunfeng stood at the eye of the Four Symbols Heart Guard Array, silently reciting the Spell Incantation, forming hand seals with both hands.

His left foot suddenly shifted half a step to the northwest. He bent his body slightly, extended the index finger of his right hand which was forming a seal, pointing it obliquely downwards, and softly uttered: “Activate!”

Whoosh!

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, like dense natural gas encountering an open flame, suddenly exploded and expanded outward in all directions.

Under Su Chunfeng’s control, the spiritual energy, chaotic as if from an explosion, had just expanded outward when it was restrained by the array’s power. Guided, it did not rush past the wall. Instead, without any leakage, it spread dozens of meters east and west along the wall. After dispersing the immense impact force, it gradually gathered back under the guidance of the esoteric technique, forming a completely controllable wall of Five Elements Qi. This wall pushed against the incoming ripples of spiritual energy fluctuation from the opposite side, counterattacking back.

At that moment, diagonally opposite, less than a hundred meters away.

That young occultist had just walked out from the dark wasteland to the roadside. Looking pale and weak, he leaned against the passenger side window of the minivan and said to the middle-aged man inside, “It’s done. Just wait and watch the fun from now on, haha.”

“That’s good,” the middle-aged man said, a sinister, smug smile appearing on his face.

“It’s a small matter, for me…” The young occultist’s words were cut short as his expression suddenly changed drastically. He hurriedly turned and rushed back into the wasteland where he had just performed his Art Casting to set up the array.

Standing at the eye of the array he had laid in the uneven wasteland, the young occultist frowned tightly, a vicious look on his face. His left hand formed a seal, his right hand raised high above his head with his index finger pointing at the sky, silently reciting a Spell Incantation. Simultaneously, his left foot lifted and fell, lifted and fell with a steady rhythm, lightly tapping the array eye.

The array had been activated for less than two minutes. He had only left after confirming it was operating normally.

Unexpectedly, just as he reached the roadside, intending to catch his breath before leaving, he sensed the Five Elements Spiritual Energy fluctuations generated by his array suffering a strong Backlash, which instantly caused the array to stop functioning.

What was going on?

Standing on the array eye, the young occultist finally sensed the powerful, chaotic energy field surging back wave after wave like raging, counterattacking tides…

However, that vast, surging energy field soon disappeared without a trace.

The young occultist’s first thought was not that he had encountered an esoteric arts expert countering his Art Casting, but rather that it was a natural Backlash after casting. Only when that powerful energy field vanished in a strangely controlled manner did he realize it might be an esoteric arts expert on the other side countering his move, or perhaps a defensive array had been set up in advance.

Since it was an expert, and it was clearly a warning-type countermeasure… then, according to the rules, he should immediately stop his Art Casting and remove the array he had set up.

Moreover, the other party was a mysterious expert, right?

He shouldn’t overestimate his own strength, should he?

But the young occultist did not do this. Instead, with a fierce and vicious expression, he performed his Art Casting again, reactivating the array to accelerate its operation. He waved his hand, took out several talismans, ignited them, and threw them onto several of the array’s supporting points to enhance the array’s offensive power. Furthermore, he made the chaotic energy field caused by the array carry lethal force.

It was rather laughable to say…

The reason he acted this way was because this young occultist believed he himself was also an esoteric arts expert.

Over here, as an old hand in the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts and an esoteric arts expert, Su Chunfeng, after casting his art to activate the fragile Four Symbols Heart Guard Array, was already preparing to stop and go back to sleep.

He thought the other party should have the sense to retreat.

After the Four Symbols Heart Guard Array erupted with several powerful counterattacking waves, it quickly collapsed and disappeared due to the simplicity of the array’s setup and because the caster himself had no intention of maintaining a prolonged counterattack. Therefore, it only burst forth with a few counterattacking waves before the entire array vanished. Su Chunfeng, as the one who cast the art and set up the array, calmly squatted down, intending to hide in the darkness and watch the minivan leave before returning to sleep.

Unexpectedly, less than a minute later, violent magnetic field fluctuations arose again, waves of them rolling and surging from the northeast.

Moreover, this violent energy field clearly carried direct lethal force against the human body.

If an ordinary person encountered such a sudden fluctuation of the Five Elements energy field, it would inevitably cause chaos in their Qi and blood, and imbalance in their internal organs. In mild cases, physical discomfort would leave some hidden roots that might cause illnesses in the future. For those in poor health, under the influence of such Five Elements disorder, a serious illness could directly break out, or even sudden death could occur.

Su Chunfeng flew into a rage: “Damn it, is this guy trying to get himself killed?”

He wasn’t a person with a good temper to begin with, especially during Art Casting. The fierce and ruthless nature of the Esoteric Arts would directly affect the caster’s emotions. However, out of a desire to avoid trouble, Su Chunfeng had endured and endured, thinking that just warning and reminding the other side would be enough. He never expected the other party to advance instead of retreat…

Trying to get himself killed!

In a towering rage, Su Chunfeng abruptly stood up. His left foot stepped forward, the toe tilting inward. His right foot shifted, its toe pointing inward towards the center of his left foot.

His left hand formed a seal resembling an orchid, raising it to shoulder height. His right hand formed a seal, extending the index finger to his mouth. He opened his mouth and bit the fingertip until it bled.

Immediately, without moving his feet, Su Chunfeng forcefully twisted his upper body to face the wall. Using the bleeding index fingertip of his right hand as a brush, he pointed at the wall. The fingertip neither fully touched nor completely left the wall’s surface, swiftly sketching dozens of faint strokes, strokes that even in daylight would appear utterly normal and unnoticeable.

However, this constituted an Arcane Array composed of six talismans—the “Dual Polarity Counter-Kill Array!”

This kind of array could not be formed without talismans, and simultaneously, the formation of the array itself constituted the six talismans. Without the array, these six talismans were not really talismans at all. They complemented each other.

Most importantly, its lethal power was extremely strong!

“Troops!”

Whoosh…

Quick as it is to tell now, at the very moment the powerful invisible fluctuations generated by the opponent’s operating array hit the wall, the “Dual Polarity Counter-Kill Array” Su Chunfeng had set up was also activated.

An energy field collision, barely perceptible to the naked eye, occurred. The resulting shockwave spread along the wall like expanding ripples.

Then, as if a film were rewinding, the expanding shockwave rapidly gathered back. In an instant, it condensed into a mass on the Dual Polarity Counter-Kill Array Su Chunfeng had set up, held gently by his right index finger. He abruptly turned, and his right index finger actually flicked that mass of frenzied shockwave energy. It drifted eerily, neither hurried nor slow, floating leisurely through the air towards the northeast, towards the location of that young occultist and the array he had set up.

Time seemed to suddenly become stagnant and slow.

It seemed like a long time later…

“Ah, ah, ah…” A series of terrified, shrill screams came from the dark night sky in the northeast.

Su Chunfeng watched as that young man staggered onto the road and fell headfirst in front of the minivan. Under the lights, he saw him curled up on the ground, convulsing incessantly. The middle-aged man from the minivan got out of the vehicle in panic and anxiety to help the young occultist, shouting, “Cao Ming, Cao Ming, what’s wrong with you?”

“They brought this calamity upon themselves!” Su Chunfeng sneered coldly, turned, and hurried back from the shadows under the wall.

Woof, woof, woof…

At the same time, that beast Lulu also began barking fiercely.

…