Chapter 73: The Third Trial Is About to Begin

Not just the mayor’s side, everyone in Xuanjian City who saw this scene froze in place.

Most people’s minds conjured the same thought: Could this be another demonic cultivator causing trouble?

It wasn’t their fault—after all, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner incident hadn’t been long ago.

And even that Ten Thousand Souls Banner had some packaging, made to look like a celestial artifact.

Chi Jiu Yu parked her tricycle by the roadside and looked up.

Dozens of light trails shot into the sky, and the weakest among them was a Soul Transformation cultivator.

“I just submitted mine—Uncle, you’re moving too fast.” She muttered under her breath, “But judging by this, the secret realm must be sizable.”

Then she walked into a jewelry shop by the roadside.

The shopkeeper and several customers were also standing outside, gazing upward—only when Chi Jiu Yu entered did the shopkeeper snap back to reality.

“What are you doing?!”

“You’re not here to rob us, are you?” “I’m buying things—what else would I do?” Chi Jiu Yu replied, puzzled. “It’s broad daylight—aren’t you open for business?”

“….”

But the sky’s in chaos—how can you still have time to shop?

Are you here to pick a fight? Chi Jiu Yu plucked a small yellow duck ornament hanging at the door, shook it in her hand, and the duck’s expression shifted from smiling to angry.

Shake it again, and the expression changed from angry to pouting.

Hey! This one’s pretty good.

“Boss, how much for this?”

“You’re really here to buy stuff?” “Three spirit coins.”

The price is reasonable—after all, my master’s rich, and if I buy something too expensive, she won’t even notice.

She plucked another one.

“Here! I’ll take these two.”

Chi Jiu Yu pulled out two spirit coins—one worth five, one worth one—and tossed them to the shopkeeper.

“You’re really here to buy stuff?”

At the door, she glanced up at the sky: “Pfft, what’s so interesting about that?”

At last, someone couldn’t hold back: “Aren’t you worried this is another demonic cultivator’s doing?”

“Relax—it has nothing to do with demonic cultivators, not even a single spirit coin’s worth.”

“You know?”

“Of course I know.”

“Then explain.” The shopkeeper spread his hands, holding the spirit coins Chi Jiu Yu had just thrown him. “I won’t charge you.”

Six spirit coins? Do you think I’m that cheap?

Chi Jiu Yu didn’t take the coins, but she seemed to recall something—her expression turned serious, and she lowered her voice deliberately.

Everyone watching tensed, staring at her.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

With that, she turned, mounted her tricycle, and rode off.

“….”

The group felt a herd of grassy horses stampede through their minds.

This person is definitely here to pick a fight! Of course, the worst off weren’t them—it was those who’d moved from Hengjian City.

How long has it been? And it’s happening again—again and again!

You moved out of Hengjian City—why is it still not peaceful?

Seeing such a massive entity appear in the sky, most people felt a deep sense of oppression.

But a few were different.

Jiang Yujiu stood on the hotel balcony, phone aimed at the sky.

She didn’t even need to speak—the flood of comments never stopped.

This was a cultist’s Kuanghuan —even if most were just here for entertainment, as long as one or two stayed, it was profit! “Holy shit, is this still the Central Continent? Or is this the Starfield Battlefield?”

“If this were an immortal sect’s base, I wouldn’t be surprised—but Xuanjian City is just a remote little town!”

“This is a divine opportunity manifesting! Fellow cultivators, seize it—follow me to explore it!”

“Middle-schooler syndrome, get lost! Where’s the streamer? I’m here for the streamer!”

“This is obviously fake—so many fools believe it.”

“You’re the exact opposite of spiritual insight—you’re the smartest and most awake person in the world!”

Comments scrolled endlessly; Jiang Yujiu remained motionless, her eyes fixed on a line of golden text nearly fading away.

【Third Trial About to Begin】【Location: Moonshadow Secret Realm】

Trial. Moonshadow Secret Realm. So that thing in the sky is…! She stepped to the balcony’s edge, turned the camera toward herself.

“The streamer’s here.”

Watching the flood of comments, aside from a few who claimed to be Qingxing , most were debating what the object in the sky was.

“Actually, the streamer already knows what it is.” A mysterious smile touched Jiang Yujiu’s beautiful face.

Instantly, comments surged even thicker, all urging her to speak.

Haha!

All my hard work to reach the third trial—it’s time to reap the traffic!

Just as she wanted to drag it out longer, waiting for more viewers to join.

“Announcement.”

“The red object appearing above our city is the secret realm for the third trial.”

“Residents, please remain calm.”

Jiang Yujiu froze, turning her head stiffly.

No way!

How did they know? Is there a third-trial participant in city hall? But this is too fast!…

…

On the other side, the Xiao brothers had just reached their front door and saw the anomaly in the sky.

They also saw the golden text.

Third trial… It started so soon.

Only after hearing the announcement did they exchange glances.

“Let’s go inside,” Xiao Ming said.

“Alright,” Xiao Fan nodded.

At the door, he turned back for one last look.

Huh? In that glance, he seemed to see strange purple threads coiling around the hidden secret realm above the sky.

What Xiao Fan didn’t notice was that his eyes now glowed with an eerie seven-colored light.

“Since ancient times, my Dao…”

A voice from the distant past, cut off mid-sentence.

The strange purple threads vanished; Xiao Fan felt dazed.

Hallucination? Lately, strange things happening to me keep increasing.

“What, feeling nervous?”

It was Xiao Ming, noticing he’d stopped, asking.

“Yeah, a little,” Xiao Fan smiled.

…………

Still at the top of that hospital, Hu watched Xiao Fan’s direction—distance meant nothing to him.

“What do you think, brother?” Hu asked.

That old thing keeps acting, yet each move seems disconnected.

Xu Xing wasn’t beside him, yet his voice sounded right beside Hu.

“Just as we lured Him out, He is using Xiao Fan as bait.”

The purple threads had retreated as if sensing Hu’s attention—but was that truly the case? And precisely after the connection on the Harmonized Body shifted to Hu, He intensified His focus on Xiao Fan.

“Your words remind me of something I saw from Yuan,” Hu recalled. “When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.”

“Gaze?”

“Yuan didn’t notice me when he wrote that,” Hu explained.

That fellow villager… must’ve left a psychological scar on Hu.

“So you mean He’s planning to take you down?”

“Not quite. He has another goal,” Xu Xing’s voice grew fainter. “Just stay vigilant.”

By the end, his voice was nearly inaudible.

“Vigilant…?”

No matter how you looked at it, that old thing couldn’t possibly threaten him.

What is He truly scheming for?