The ground shook violently, but it only lasted for a moment before returning to normal.
The crowd wasn't overly panicked. After all, Chizhang City was located in a volcanic region, and the surrounding volcanoes had been active recently, erupting frequently. It was likely just some aftershocks being transmitted over.
Chizhang City was protected by a powerful formation, and it had never encountered any problems in all these years, so there was no need for worry.
No one took the earthquake seriously. Only the proprietress felt uneasy, knowing in her heart that this was no accident. It must have been the work of the demon race, and the protective formation beneath Chizhang City was undoubtedly compromised.
She feared that disaster would strike before long.
The wisest course of action now would naturally be to leave Chizhang City as soon as possible.
But for some reason, she felt a connection, unable to let Ji Mo go, unwilling to see him die.
"How can I save you?"
The proprietress sighed, resting her forehead in her hand, her delicate face filled with worry.
Beneath Chizhang City.
Within the crisscrossing underground passages, a grey-robed old man walked. He was the third master of the Seven Fiends Alliance.
In the surrounding soil, the foundation of the city's protective formation could be faintly seen, emitting a soft glow.
The third master held a thin silk scroll, on which was drawn the formation diagram of Chizhang City's protective array, with detailed markings of each formation node.
He had obtained this from Tang Qian under the pretense of maintaining the formation.
With this diagram in hand, and relying on his skills as a formation grandmaster, he could alter the formation within a short period.
A sinister smile spread across the third master's face as he began his sabotage, making modifications to these formation nodes.
While claiming to maintain the formation, he harbored malicious intent, aiming to turn the protective array into a tool of slaughter.
"It won't be long before the entire Chizhang City turns to dust in my hands. I can't wait to witness the scene of millions of people despairing and wailing. It will surely be magnificent. Just thinking about it makes me excited."
Cruelty flickered across the third master's face.
He intended to use the lives of millions in Chizhang City to forge a powerful demonic artifact, which would then be used to re-establish the gateway to the demon realm.
Tang Qian would never have imagined that he had invited a wolf into the fold. The third master was actually a lackey of the demon race, insanely plotting to destroy the entire Chizhang City and slaughter millions of lives.
...
After the top ten contenders for the ranking competition were decided, the intense matches temporarily concluded. The Tang family arranged a five-day rest period.
Song Wei Qian, fearing harassment, confined herself to her room and refused to come out.
Lin Meng Meng, Xuan Yang, and Wang Wen Jian, in their pursuit of first place, were diligently cultivating every moment and also stayed in their rooms.
Ji Mo, with nothing to do and fearing being bothered by the proprietress if he stayed at the inn, secretly slipped out.
He had been in Chizhang City for several days but hadn't had the chance to explore. Now that he had rare leisure time and a considerable sum of money, he decided to indulge himself.
He crept out of the inn and onto the street.
The streets were bustling with traffic, the cries of vendors rising and falling, creating a lively scene.
Ji Mo, not lacking money, bought a variety of things indiscriminately, trying out any novelties he encountered.
However, he soon found it all rather uninteresting.
The so-called heavenly priced spiritual food, advertised as capable of strengthening one's bones and cooked with the flesh of powerful demons, cost hundreds of taels of gold per portion. He took one bite and spat it out.
It was simply inedible.
Moreover, it had no effect whatsoever, far inferior to the wild game he prepared himself.
There was also a golden beverage, said to be a rare spiritual liquid with extraordinary effects.
Ji Mo spent a large sum to buy a small bottle. As it turned out, it didn't even taste as good as the well water from his own home.
"It seems cultivators are all foolish and rich."
Ji Mo shook his head inwardly as he watched the cultivators eagerly shelling out money for these items.
He felt that these cultivators were too easily fooled, all suckers.
It was a shame that Chizhang City was so far from his home. Otherwise, if he sold the well water from his home, giving it a cool-sounding name, he would definitely make a fortune.
An auction house caught Ji Mo's attention.
Coincidentally, an auction was underway, attracting a large crowd.
Ji Mo also wanted to witness it and broaden his horizons, so he walked over.
The guards at the entrance, with their haughty eyes, saw Ji Mo's ordinary attire and lack of cultivation, and blocked him. "Kid, this is no place for you."
Ji Mo didn't waste any words. He immediately loosened his belt and publicly pulled out a large wad.
Under the stunned gaze of the guards, he swaggered into the auction house.
"You nouveau riche dog, who the hell ties a stack of gold notes to their belt like that."
The guard swallowed hard and spat.
That thick stack of gold notes, he reckoned, must be worth at least ten million taels.
He harbored wicked intentions and almost couldn't resist making a move to rob Ji Mo.
Unfortunately, the public security in Chizhang City was quite good. Even if he managed to seize the massive sum, he wouldn't be able to escape. Thus, his heart was tempted, but he dared not act.
From the shadows.
Tang Heng frowned. He was responsible for keeping a close eye on the group from Langya Academy, looking for an opportunity to kidnap them.
However, Song Wei Qian and the others simply wouldn't leave their rooms, leaving him no choice but to trail Ji Mo, the least valuable target.
Tang Heng thought for a moment and followed them into the auction house.
The gold notes Ji Mo had were earned from the Tang family's gambling house. Moreover, the principal amount was the ten taels of silver that Tang Heng had thrown away earlier to humiliate Langya Academy.
For this, he had even been severely reprimanded by Tang Qian.
Today, he felt compelled to find an opportunity to teach Ji Mo a lesson and vent his anger.
The auction hall was already packed.
Those with status and prestige naturally had their own private VIP boxes. As for nobodies like Ji Mo, they could only stand, not even deserving a seat.
The auction had been underway for some time, and the atmosphere in the hall was fervent, with people eagerly bidding, not hesitating to spend a fortune on items they desired.
Hearing bids of tens or even hundreds of thousands of taels of gold, Ji Mo couldn't help but gasp.
Although he possessed tens of millions of taels of gold, in a place like this, it clearly wouldn't last long, and he wouldn't be able to buy much.
The Treasure-Collecting Snake, which had been coiled around Ji Mo's wrist, seemed to sense treasures in the vicinity and excitedly raised its little head.
Ji Mo's heart leaped with joy. This little darling could sense the presence of treasures. Perhaps he could find a bargain and make a profit.
In a VIP box, someone's gaze fell upon Ji Mo, their eyes subtly revealing a bone-chilling killing intent.
This person was Zeng Qi Yan.
He had a bet with Ji Mo on which academy, Sheng Ling or Langya, would win the competition.
Initially, he hadn't taken Langya seriously, believing they posed no threat to Sheng Ling.
However, Langya Academy's strong performance in reaching the top ten had made him feel immense pressure. Furthermore, the strength displayed by Langya's three genius students had indeed earned them the qualification to contend with Sheng Ling.
"What, you have a grudge against this kid?"
Beside Zeng Qi Yan, a young man dressed in luxurious attire with a noble bearing asked.
His name was Tan Yun Ao, hailing from the top force of the Western Regions, Floating Mountain, and he was the current Saint Son of Floating Mountain, holding a noble status.
Zeng Qi Yan wished to curry favor with Floating Mountain and had been deliberately trying to ingratiate himself with Tan Yun Ao these past few days.
"Saint Son Yun Ao, this is the Ji Mo I mentioned to you. He's the one who bet with me using a mid-grade immortal sword from Langya Academy."
Zeng Qi Yan introduced.
"Interesting. Then let's have some fun with this ant today."
A proud smile curved Tan Yun Ao's lips. He also desired the immortal sword from Langya Academy.
Suddenly.
The Treasure-Collecting Snake hissed, its ruby-like eyes fixed on the auction stage.
Ji Mo's face lit up with excitement. "Could it be that a good treasure has appeared?"