Chapter 520: The Five Directions Great Formation

When the nether-sand in the hourglass ran out, the stone platform at the center of the auction hall began to sink, its surface gradually disappearing into the ground.

This acted as a signal; in an instant, whether at the mortal stalls or the Nine Nether stalls, the already crowded aisles erupted into chaos.

Everyone began to flee in panic for their lives...

For no other reason than this: when the stone platform completely sank into the ground, the Five Directions Great Formation would activate!

The Five Directions Great Formation was a seventh-grade trapping formation.

The reason such a formation was arranged at the auction venue stemmed from the 'incompatibility' between the Mortal Realm and the Nine Nethers.

Generally, when mortal cultivators encountered beings from the Nine Nethers, both sides regarded the other as 'evil' and sought to slay demons and eradicate monsters.

During the auction, to ensure normal transactions proceeded, personnel from both sides had to restrain their emotions and conduct 'friendly' trades.

Now that the auction had ended, both sides desperately needed an emotional 'outlet'; thus, the Five Directions Great Formation arose to meet this need.

Once the Five Directions Great Formation activated, everyone trapped within would face brutal slaughter; the trapping formation would only reopen when only one person remained inside.

"Move! All of you, get out of my way!"

On the Nine Nether side, beings of various Nine Nether races roared, brutally knocking aside anyone blocking their path, utterly disregarding the lives of others.

Shoving, trampling, and ramming occurred incessantly; everyone cared only for their own frantic escape from the auction site, showing not a shred of consideration for others.

On the mortal side, although everyone was flustered and anxious with faces taut with worry, they still retained a baseline of mutual care and avoiding harm to one another.

Though eager to leave, with hurried steps and tense expressions, few people maliciously rammed into others.

On one side was a savage flight based on the law of the jungle, trampling over others; on the other, even amidst panic, there remained propriety and mutual assistance.

Such a scene, unfolding on both sides of the sinking platform, laid bare the true nature of the Nine Nethers and the Mortal Realm.

On the balconies flanking the platform, powerful figures from both the Nine Nethers and the Mortal Realm rose one after another, walking to the railings to watch expressionlessly as the crowd below jostled and shoved, rushing blindly to escape the auction site.

All these powerhouses wore tight expressions; no one spoke, as a heavy, oppressive atmosphere began to spread through the air, much like the silence before a storm.

All Nine Nether beings were fleeing the auction venue; once outside, they continued westward, heading straight for the Ghost Gate.

All mortal cultivators were rushing toward the Dui Gate Pass; only after crossing the wooden bridge spanning the tributary of the Nether River did their panic subside slightly.

The Nine Nether beings and mortal cultivators, one heading west and the other east, fled in directions that were distinctly separate.

However, on the Nine Nether aisles, some mortal cultivators remained stranded; on the mortal aisles, some Nine Nether beings were also stuck.

Thus, those heading east went east, and those going west went west; with neither side yielding, every major aisle became terribly congested and chaotic.

On the fourth-grade Nine Nether aisle, Hua Changxi was swept along by this suddenly chaotic torrent, helplessly forced backward.

She watched helplessly as the retreating figures of Chu Junyi and his four companions flickered in and out of sight amidst the sea of heads, growing ever more distant.

Glancing at the sinking stone platform, and eager to reclaim her Buddhist prayer bead bracelet, Hua Changxi gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and decided to continue the pursuit.

However, this chaotic scene of fleeing for life far exceeded her expectations.

"Get out of the way!"

Just as Hua Changxi forcefully shoved aside someone blocking her with her elbow, a demon with a ferocious face slammed into her, sending her stumbling.

Just as she gritted her teeth to steady herself and prepare to move forward again, a ghost clan member carrying a Nine Nether yin object cut across her path and impatiently shoved her.

"You're blocking this General's path; seeking death!"

Hua Changxi was furious; at this moment, the crowd felt like thick mud, requiring immense effort to move even a single step forward.

Seeing that the figures of Chu Junyi and his four companions were about to disappear from her line of sight, she was so anxious she wanted to take flight.

But she could not.

Had she not seen that even the arrogant and brutal demons dared not use their demonic power at this moment?

Before the stone platform sank completely into the ground, anyone who utilized magical power would be forcibly transported into the Five Directions Great Formation.

Therefore, at this moment, everyone relied solely on the brute strength of their physical bodies.

Watching the Nine Nether beings charging wildly toward her and the five mortal cultivators growing ever more distant, Hua Changxi held back no longer; like the Nine Nether beings, she began to force her way brutally through the crowd.

Having reached the eighth realm of Body Refinement, Hua Changxi's physical body was immensely powerful; even without deliberately stimulating her blood qi to erupt, her sheer physical brute force was something ordinary cultivators could not block.

Thus, on the congested and difficult-to-navigate Nine Nether aisle, a striking figure appeared.

Wherever she passed, people were knocked down; she literally plowed a straight path through this impenetrable, chaotic sea of humanity.

The powerhouses on the balconies noticed this bizarre scene immediately.

Not to mention Hua Changxi's bull-like force of horizontal pushing, which was already eye-catching enough.

Simply put, she was a scattered cultivator from the Nine Nethers; instead of fleeing the auction site quickly, she was moving against the current—an action impossible to ignore.

The expressions of the various Nine Nether powerhouses were extremely ugly at this moment.

For no other reason than this: following that Nine Nether scattered cultivator's path-clearing, many stranded mortal cultivators began trailing behind her, using her as a 'vanguard' to escape the Nine Nether aisles.

Even the mortal powerhouses were somewhat astonished by this.

On the Nine Nether balcony, Cang Ming was nearly driven mad, wishing he could fly down immediately, knock that fellow unconscious, and drag them away.

On the mortal balcony, Tong Yao whispered to Yan Zhenzhen and Jing Liao: "That Nine Nether scattered cultivator seems to be chasing someone."

Yan Zhenzhen nodded, then pointed: "Nine times out of ten, they are chasing those five people."

Following her pointing finger, Tong Yao and Jing Liao immediately looked, their faces showing surprise as they said uncertainly: "Qilin masks; are those five from the Demon-Suppressing Army?"

Not far away, Wei Zhenjie also noticed this; his brows instantly knitted together as he watched the stone platform about to completely sink into the ground, a trace of anxiety flashing in his eyes.

"Boss, that fellow is catching up."

Weaving through the crowded and chaotic aisles, Chu Junyi and his four companions, though not as able to observe as those on the balconies, still detected immediately that Hua Changxi was rapidly approaching.

"Ignore her!"

"When we cross the central plaza shortly, do not stop for anything; cross the Nether Bridge at maximum speed."

Chu Junyi instructed his four subordinates in a deep voice.

Meng Zi asked: "What about you?"

Chu Junyi narrowed his eyes: "That fellow still hasn't forgotten to pursue us at such a time; their aim must be significant. I will lure them into the Five Directions Great Formation."

Upon hearing this, Mencius and the other four all revealed looks of worry.

Seeing this, Chu Junyi reassured them, "Rest assured, I will not allow myself to become trapped within the formation."

As he spoke, Chu Junyi and his four companions finally exited the Nine Netherhood's fourth-grade auction lane.

Traveling from the Nine Netherhood stalls to the Mortal Realm stalls required passing through the central square where the stone platform stood.

The Five Directions Great Formation covered the entire auction site; the location of the stone platform was the very center of the great formation.

At this moment, beings from the Nine Netherhood were swiftly rushing from the Mortal Realm stalls toward the Nine Netherhood stalls, while mortal cultivators were quickly running from the Nine Netherhood stalls back to the Mortal Realm stalls.

The central square was likewise crowded and chaotic.

Chu Junyi and his four companions did not separate immediately; instead, they waited until Hua Changxi caught up, at which point Mencius and the other four pretended to be scattered by the crowd midway.

"That Nine Netherhood rogue cultivator is indeed targeting our leader."

"I cannot understand why that fellow would set his sights on our leader?"

"Perhaps it has something to do with the Mingyue Ghost King..."

"No wonder our leader insisted on luring that person into the Five Directions Great Formation."

The strife within the Ghost Realm Fortress was fierce; other clans of the Nine Netherhood did not wish for the ghost race to produce another Ghost King. The current Mingyue Ghost King faced internal troubles and external threats alike.

Our leader shares a profound connection with the Mingyue Ghost King; luring that rogue cultivator into the Five Directions Great Formation was likely an attempt to help the Mingyue Ghost King eliminate him.

On the gallery, Cang Ming, seeing that Hua Changxi was still moving closer to the stone platform, could no longer remain composed. He leaped directly down from the gallery and rushed toward Hua Changxi.

His frantic appearance drew the attention of numerous Nine Netherhood experts.

Ghost Che Mo Xiao, recalling something, quickly followed suit.

Amidst the chaotic crowd on the square, although Hua Changxi was bent on retrieving the Buddhist prayer bead bracelet, she kept a constant watch on the situation at the stone platform.

Seeing the stone platform about to sink into the ground, she hesitated.

Although she had confidence in her Somersault Cloud, she was unclear about the power of the Five Directions Great Formation.

Lady Chi Yan's memories were very vague, marking only one point emphatically—that only one person could survive within the great formation.

Chu Junyi noticed Hua Changxi's pursuit slowing down. After frowning slightly, he deliberately allowed himself to be bumped by a demon rushing toward him, stumbling and falling to the ground.

On the crowded and chaotic square, once one fell, it was not easy to stand up again.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi's eyes brightened; spotting an opportunity to reclaim the Buddhist prayer bead bracelet, she immediately quickened her pace and approached.

"Fool, leave the square quickly!"

Cang Ming, his face full of urgency, rushed toward Hua Changxi, reaching out to grab her.

Upon seeing him, Hua Changxi's gaze suddenly darkened. She spun her body, swiftly evading his grasp, and then lunged fiercely toward the fallen Chu Junyi.

However, just as her hand was about to reach the Xuanhuang sword in Chu Junyi's hand, he 'whooshed' to his feet and put distance between himself and Hua Changxi with utmost speed.

"You..."

Hua Changxi realized she had been set up, but she could no longer concern herself with Chu Junyi; the man from the Nether River who had been targeting her seized her left shoulder.

"Let go!"

Hua Changxi extended her right hand, gripping the Nether River man's wrist in return. With a surge of strength, she not only pried his hand open but also flung his entire body several meters away.

Cang Ming was thrown back several steps, his face filled with shock.

What a formidable physical body!

But there was no time to dwell on this; he reached for Hua Changxi again and shouted to Ghost Che, who was creeping over, "Mo Xiao, help this King capture this fellow, and the Nether River clan will offer heavy rewards."

Upon hearing this, Mo Xiao hesitated for a moment before decisively intervening to assist.

Thus, the two swiftly attacked Hua Changxi from left and right, surrounding her.

The experts on the galleries, seeing this, all assumed Hua Changxi would soon be captured, but the actual outcome exceeded their expectations.

Ghost Che was a great demon, and the physical bodies of the demon race were inherently formidable; furthermore, Cang Ming was an expert at the King realm, whose physical body was also strong. Yet, even with the two joining forces, they simply could not subdue that rogue cultivator.

"Since when did such a powerful figure emerge among rogue cultivators?"

The various Nine Netherhood experts were astonished.

On the side of the Mortal Realm experts, Wei Zhenjie, seeing that Chu Junyi had successfully withdrawn from the auction house, finally relaxed his deeply furrowed brows. Glancing at the stone platform that was about to vanish, he signaled with his eyes that the various factions could withdraw.

On the square, apart from Hua Changxi and the three others still locked in combat, the surrounding crowd grew increasingly sparse.

Simultaneously, fewer and fewer people remained on both the Nine Netherhood galleries and the Mortal Realm galleries.

"Stop!"

"If we continue to tangle, we will all be trapped within the Five Directions Great Formation."

Entangled by Cang Ming and Ghost Che, Hua Changxi felt immense irritation. At this moment, she clearly recognized the shortcomings of her physical body.

Although her body was formidable, she was not proficient in a single technique of physical combat.

"Not good!"

Seeing the stone platform vanish, Mo Xiao's expression changed. He immediately reverted to his nine-headed demon form, spread his wings, and prepared to fly away.

Alas, it was too late.

"Bang!"

The instant the stone platform completely sank into the ground on the central square, the earth began to tremble slightly.

Immediately afterward, countless brilliant light patterns erupted from beneath the ground. Like living creatures, they spread and intertwined frantically, and within an instant, outlined a complex and bizarre closed-loop formation diagram.

"Hum~"

The moment the formation diagram took shape, curtains of red, yellow, green, white, and black light shot up from all directions, completely sealing off the entire auction site.

At the same time, the Nine Netherhood galleries and the Mortal Realm galleries vanished like bubbles. Experts from both sides roared angrily, their voices shaking the heavens, as they transformed into streams of radiant light and crashed fiercely against the opposing camp.

Violent spiritual energy, soul power, demonic energy, and ghostly qi swept across the entire scene. Under the reflection of the light curtains, figure after figure was blasted away like kites with cut strings, only to crash heavily back down within the area covered by the light curtains.