Chapter 60 The Conspiracy of the Three Great Families (Part 4)

"They already know the locations of the remaining three auction venues?!"

Faced with the swordsmen's shocked words, Han Zhou calmly nodded.

"Ranluo's father provided some help; he had been here before."

Han Zhou didn't have a deep impression of Che Yu; she rarely encountered people from her own clan. In her childhood, she preferred to stay deep in the mountains and rarely ventured out.

She had only heard the name Cheyu by chance from another member of her clan. This red-haired clansman was highly talented and very strong, but also a solitary and aloof person.

Centuries had passed since she last heard from him. Even she hadn't expected that Che Yu would come to the political arena and fall in love with a human. To uncover the secrets of the three great families, he had even sacrificed his soul.

"As long as a soul remains, even a wisp of it, I have a way to nurture it and reshape the body. But Cheyu's soul has long since vanished."

Even Han Zhou was at a loss in this situation.

"My lord, are you planning to handle the auction house located in the three major families all by yourself?" Kasen Kanesada asked, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Yes, those three venues are all located in the heart of the three major families' territory. It'll be more discreet and faster for me to go alone."

Han Zhou was unsure what the three major families' ultimate trump card was; the so-called "ominous presence" was an unknown quantity, and she never did anything without certainty.

After a moment of silence, Yagen broke the stillness in the main hall.

"General, what if I return to my original form?"

Short swords have always been a type of sword carried close to the body. As a defensive weapon, their effectiveness is beyond doubt.

When Han Zhou realized that the swordsmen were determined to follow, he had already guessed that they had conspired in advance.

"I understand. Yagen, you can come with me then. As for the rest of you who remain in the citadel, I have other tasks for you."

...

"You mean, Lord Hanzhou wants you to lead the tsukumogami to clean up the disqualified Saniwa?!" Qingye looked at the slightly naive young girl in disbelief.

Even Ranluo felt uneasy, worried about whether she could handle the task, but she had no room to back down.

Ranlu looked down at the sachet hanging from her waist, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Heaven knows she received a message from Han Zhou in the middle of the night last night, which startled her so much that she jumped out of bed and accidentally knocked over items on the bedside table, causing a chaotic clattering sound.

This prompted Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, a close attendant from the previous day, to come and check on the situation in the middle of the night.

["The sachet will guide you to the Honmaru of the Disqualified Ones to ensure your safety. Please go and eliminate them."]

"I'll cover for you, so don't worry about being exposed."

With a gentle smile on her face, Yu Yuwu patted Ranluo's shoulder encouragingly.

"Don't be nervous, Qingye and I will assist you. Lord Hanzhou must have a reason for appointing you to lead; trust yourself."

Ranluo is leading not only the tsukumogami from her own citadel, but also those from Hanshu citadel. The number of disqualified A-rank Saniwa is naturally considerable; if they are all eliminated...

The sharp decrease in the number of Saniwa (Masters/Masters) will surely attract the attention of the three major families.

However, these were no longer her concerns. Ranluo knew that all she could do now was to arrange everything to the best of her ability. She didn't want to betray Hanzhou's trust.

While Ranlu was in a state of panic, Hanzhou had already arrived at the first auction venue located at the Senchuan family's residence. Since it wasn't auction time, the entire venue was quite deserted, with only the staff maintaining the basic operations of the venue.

Once Yagen Toushirou reverts to his original form, he is also able to clearly perceive the external environment.

A dazzling golden halo illuminated the surroundings, and a magnificent and concealed array unfolded centered on Han Zhou, then rapidly expanded to cover the entire auction hall. This array was like a time bomb, and the trigger was in Han Zhou's hands.

After setting up the formation, Han Zhou didn't rush to Gu Yu's house. Instead, she concealed her presence and aura, taking the opportunity to investigate the Sen Chuan family's situation. She wanted to know who the three major families were seeking help from.

"General, this place feels very uncomfortable."

Yagen Toushirou's voice echoed in his ears, and Hanshu did not deny it because it was indeed the truth. The entire Morikawa family was shrouded in a thick black mist, formed from resentment, obsession, and unwillingness.

In other words, this is all the result of the Morikawa family's own actions. The black mist is firmly held back by the array; once the array is broken, this resentment will invade the Morikawa family, consuming every living person before dissipating.

"Those who reap what they sow will not live."

The Morikawa family compound was riddled with array formations, mostly for defense. There were also attack formations to prevent intruders, but Han Zhou ignored them and used the complexity of the formations to pinpoint the Morikawa family patriarch's residence.

The entire mansion was filled with an aura of death, and the servants inside were like puppets, numbly performing their tasks.

Han Zhou's light golden eyes gleamed slightly.

"The souls of these people have all vanished, leaving only empty shells."

Hearing this, Yagen, nestled in Hanzhou's arms, asked with some confusion, "After the soul disappears, can it still move?"

"Without a soul, the body cannot move. It's like the living dead; to make the body move, something else must replace the soul."

"For example, special formations and talismans, while in the mortal realm... studying the soul is an inviolable taboo."

The cold boat, floating in mid-air, looked down at the puppets below, its expression indifferent and devoid of any pity. She already had a rough idea of ​​what these people's souls had been used for.

It was a sacrifice, a sacrifice to that ominous being. Used to pay the price for dealing with him.

Yagen, nestled in Han Zhou's arms, had already keenly sensed the other's emotions—

anger

The subsequent situations of the Gu Yu family and the Qi Shan family were almost identical to those of the Morikawa family. It should be said that they truly deserved to be called the three great families, as they had an unusual tacit understanding at this time.

A rough estimate suggests that the three major families have over a thousand puppets combined. All of these individuals are spiritual practitioners, and the souls of spiritual practitioners are far more "nourished" than those of ordinary people. Spiritual power originates from the soul, and the purer the soul, the stronger the power.

And the soul is also the carrier of spiritual power.

Besides these spiritual practitioners, Han Zhou was still unclear whether the three major families had sacrificed the souls of ordinary people, and how many they had sacrificed.

"They really went to great lengths just to deal with me. Looks like I need to get serious too."