Chapter 520

Once the Nether Sand in the hourglass ran out, the stone platform in the center of the auction house began to sink, the stone surface gradually disappearing into the ground bit by bit.

This was like a signal; in an instant, whether at the human stalls or the Nine Nether stalls, the already bustling and crowded aisles turned into a chaotic mess.

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

For no other reason than that when the stone platform completely sinks into the ground, the Five Directions Array will activate!

The Five Directions Array is a seventh-grade trapping array.

The reason for setting up the Five Directions Array at the auction site stems from the 'incompatibility' between the Nine Nether and the human world.

Generally speaking, when human cultivators and Nine Nether creatures meet, both sides consider the other 'evil' and intend to slay demons and eliminate monsters.

During the auction, to ensure the normal conduct of trade, both parties must restrain their inner emotions and trade 'amicably.'

Now that the auction is over, both sides are in urgent need of an emotional 'outlet,' and thus, the Five Directions Array was created to meet that need.

After the Five Directions Array is activated, everyone trapped within will face a brutal slaughter until only one person remains in the array, at which point the trapping array will reopen.

"Move! Everyone get out of my way!"

On the Nine Nether stall side, creatures of all Nine Nether races were roaring, barbarically knocking over anyone in their path, completely disregarding the lives of others.

Pushing, trampling, and colliding occurred one after another; everyone cared only about frantically fleeing the auction site, showing not the slightest concern for others.

On the human stall side, although everyone was panicked and anxious, they still maintained a bottom line of looking out for one another and not causing mutual harm.

Although everyone was in a hurry to leave, with panicked footsteps and tense expressions, very few people collided with others maliciously.

On one side was a barbaric flight of survival of the fittest, trampling over others; on the other was a sense of restraint and mutual support amidst the panic.

Such a scene, on both sides of the sinking stone platform, laid bare the true colors of the Nine Nether and the human world.

On the balconies on both sides of the stone platform, Nine Nether powerhouses and human powerhouses stood up one after another, walking to the railings and watching expressionlessly as the crowd below pushed and shoved, blindly fleeing the auction site.

The powerhouses all had tense faces, and no one spoke; a heavy, oppressive atmosphere began to spread and permeate the air, just like the silence before a storm.

All the Nine Nether creatures were fleeing the auction site, and after getting out, they continued heading west, all the way toward the Ghost Gate Pass.

All the human cultivators were rushing toward the Dui Gate Pass, and only after crossing the wooden bridge spanning the tributary of the Nether River did they stop being so panicked and hurried.

The Nine Nether creatures and human cultivators, one heading west and the other east, had clearly distinct directions of flight.

However, there were human cultivators stranded in the Nine Nether aisles, and Nine Nether creatures stranded in the human aisles.

Consequently, those heading east and those heading west refused to give way to each other, causing the major aisles to become incredibly crowded and chaotic.

In the Nine Nether fourth-grade aisle, Hua Hua Changxi was swept up by this suddenly chaotic torrent, forced to retreat continuously against her will.

She watched helplessly as the backs of Chu Chu Junyi and his four companions flickered in and out of sight amidst the surging crowd, moving further and further away from her.

Hua Hua Changxi looked at the sinking stone platform; eager to retrieve the Buddhist bead bracelet, she gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and decided to continue the pursuit.

However, this chaotic scene of flight far exceeded her expectations.

"Move!"

Just as Hua Hua Changxi used her elbow to push aside someone blocking her, she was bumped by a ferocious-looking demon, causing her to stagger.

She gritted her teeth to steady herself and was about to continue forward when a ghost creature carrying a Nine Nether yin object cut across, impatiently shoving her.

"You're blocking this commander's path, looking for death!"

Hua Hua Changxi was furious; the current flow of people was like a thick quagmire, and every step forward required immense effort.

Seeing that the figures of Chu Chu Junyi and his four companions were about to leave her line of sight, she was so anxious she wanted to fly through the air.

But she couldn't.

Didn't she see that even the arrogant and barbaric demons didn't dare to use their demonic power right now?

Before the stone platform sank into the ground, anyone who used magic power would be forcibly transported into the Five Directions Array.

Therefore, at this moment, everyone was relying on raw physical strength.

Watching the Nine Nether creatures rushing toward her and the five human cultivators getting further away, Hua Hua Changxi stopped holding back her strength and, like the Nine Nether creatures, began to force her way through the crowd barbarically.

Having stepped into the eighth level of body refining, Hua Hua Changxi's physical body was extremely powerful; even without deliberately triggering an explosion of Qi and blood, her raw physical strength alone was something no ordinary cultivator could block.

Thus, in the congested and difficult Nine Nether aisle, a striking figure appeared.

Wherever she passed, people were sent flying, and she managed to plow a straight path through the dense and chaotic crowd.

The powerhouses on the balconies noticed this bizarre scene immediately.

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

Just the fact that she, a Nine Nether rogue cultivator, was moving against the current instead of fleeing the auction site was enough to draw attention.

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

For no other reason than that, following the path cleared by that Nine Nether rogue cultivator, many stranded human cultivators were following behind her, using her as a 'vanguard' to escape the Nine Nether aisle.

Even the human powerhouses were somewhat astonished by this.

On the Nine Nether balcony, Cang Ming was almost going crazy, wishing he could fly down directly, knock that guy out, and take her away.

On the human balcony, Tong Yao whispered to Yan Yan Zhenzhen and Jing Le: "That Nine Nether rogue cultivator seems to be chasing someone."

Yan Yan Zhenzhen nodded and pointed: "Nine times out of ten, she's chasing those five people."

Tong Yao and Jing Le looked in the direction of her finger and immediately showed surprise, saying uncertainly: "Kirin masks, are those five the Demon-Suppressing Army?"

Not far away, Wei Wei Zhenjie also noticed this, his brows knitting together; looking at the stone platform about to sink completely into the ground, a look of anxiety flashed in his eyes.

"Chief, that guy is catching up."

Chu Chu Junyi and his four companions, weaving through the crowded and chaotic aisle, although not as conveniently positioned to observe as those on the balconies, still sensed Hua Hua Changxi rapidly approaching at the first opportunity.

"Ignore her!"

"When we cross the central plaza in a moment, do not stop for any reason, and cross the Nether Bridge at the fastest speed possible."

Chu Chu Junyi ordered his four subordinates in a low voice.

Meng Meng Ziyu: "And you?"

Chu Chu Junyi narrowed his eyes: "That guy hasn't forgotten to chase us even at this time; her goal must be significant. I want to lure her into the Five Directions Array."

Meng Meng Ziyu and the other three showed expressions of worry upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Chu Chu Junyi reassured them: "Don't worry, I won't let myself get trapped in the array."

As they spoke, Chu Chu Junyi and his four companions finally walked out of the Nine Nether fourth-grade aisle.

To go from the Nine Nether stalls to the human stalls, one needs to pass through the central plaza where the stone platform is located.

The Five Directions Array covers the entire auction site, and the location of the stone platform is the center of the array.

At this moment, Nine Nether creatures are rushing from the human stall side toward the Nine Nether stalls, while human cultivators are running from the Nine Nether stall side toward the human stalls.

The central plaza is also a scene of crowding and chaos.

Chu Chu Junyi and his four companions did not separate immediately; instead, they waited until Hua Hua Changxi caught up, and then Meng Meng Ziyu and the others pretended to be separated in the crowd halfway through.

"That Nine Nether rogue cultivator is indeed targeting the Chief."

"I can't figure out why that guy would target the Chief?"

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

"No wonder the Chief insisted on luring that person into the Five Directions Array."

The struggles in the Ghost Realm Fortress are intense, and other Nine Nether tribes do not want the Ghost Race to have another Ghost King; the current Ghost King Su Mingyue can be said to be facing internal and external troubles.

The Chief has a close relationship with Ghost King Su Mingyue; luring that rogue cultivator into the Five Directions Array is likely an attempt to help Ghost King Su Mingyue deal with that rogue cultivator.

On the balcony, Cang Ming saw that Hua Hua Changxi was still approaching the stone platform and could no longer remain calm; he jumped down from the balcony and ran toward Hua Hua Changxi.

His anxious appearance drew side-glances from the Nine Nether powerhouses.

The Ghost Carriage Mo Xiao thought of something and quickly followed.

On the plaza, amidst the chaotic crowd, although Hua Hua Changxi was determined to retrieve the Buddhist bead bracelet, she was also keeping an eye on the situation of the stone platform at all times.

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

Although she had confidence in her Somersault Cloud, she was not clear about the power of the Five Directions Array.

Lady Chi Yan's memory was very blurry, only highlighting one point—only one person can survive in the array.

Chu Chu Junyi noticed that Hua Hua Changxi's pursuit speed had slowed down; after frowning, he deliberately stumbled and fell when a demon bumped into him head-on.

On the crowded and chaotic plaza, once you fall, it is not easy to stand up again.

Seeing this, Hua Hua Changxi's eyes lit up; she saw an opportunity to retrieve the Buddhist bead bracelet and immediately moved closer quickly.

"Fool, get out of the plaza quickly!"

Cang Ming rushed toward Hua Hua Changxi with an anxious face, reaching out to grab her.

Seeing him, Hua Hua Changxi's eyes sank, her body turned, she quickly avoided his capture, and lunged fiercely toward the fallen Chu Chu Junyi.

However, just as her hand was about to reach the Mysterious Yellow Sword in Chu Chu Junyi's hand, Chu Chu Junyi stood up with a 'whoosh' and moved away from Hua Hua Changxi at the fastest speed.

"You..."

Hua Hua Changxi knew she had been set up, but she couldn't care about Chu Chu Junyi; the Nether River man who had been targeting her reached out and grabbed her left shoulder.

"Let go!"

Hua Hua Changxi extended her right hand, grabbed the Nether River man's wrist in return, and with a burst of strength, not only pried his hand off but also threw him several meters away.

Cang Ming was thrown back several steps, his face full of shock.

What a powerful physical body!

But there was no time to care about that now; he grabbed at Hua Hua Changxi again and shouted to the Ghost Carriage that had moved over: "Mo Xiao, help this King catch this guy, the Nether River clan will reward you heavily."

After hearing this, Mo Xiao hesitated for a moment and then decisively joined the attack.

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

The powerhouses on the balconies thought Hua Hua Changxi would be caught quickly, but the actual situation exceeded their expectations.

The Ghost Carriage is a great demon, and the demon race's physical body is inherently powerful; Cang Ming is a King-level powerhouse, and his physical body is not weak either, yet the two of them combined couldn't subdue that rogue cultivator.

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

The Nine Nether powerhouses were surprised.

On the human powerhouse side, Wei Wei Zhenjie saw that Chu Chu Junyi had successfully withdrawn from the auction site, his tightly knitted brows finally relaxed; he glanced at the stone platform about to disappear and signaled with his eyes that all parties could withdraw.

On the plaza, except for the three still locked in combat, the surrounding crowd was becoming increasingly sparse.

At the same time, the number of people on the Nine Nether and human balconies was also decreasing.

"Stop!"

"If we continue to tangle, we will all be trapped in the Five Directions Array."

Hua Hua Changxi was entangled by Cang Ming and the Ghost Carriage, feeling extremely irritable; at this moment, she clearly realized the shortcomings of her physical body.

Although her body was powerful, she was not proficient in any physical combat techniques.

"Not good!"

Seeing the stone platform disappear, Mo Xiao's expression changed; he immediately turned back into his nine-headed demon form and spread his wings to fly away.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Bang!"

On the central plaza, the moment the stone platform completely sank into the ground, the ground began to vibrate slightly.

Immediately after, countless brilliant light patterns erupted from the ground, spreading and intertwining like living creatures, instantly outlining a complex and bizarre closed-loop array diagram.

"Hum~"

The moment the array diagram formed, five-colored light curtains of red, yellow, cyan, black, and white shot into the sky from all directions, completely sealing off the entire auction site.

At the same time, the Nine Nether and human balconies dissipated like bubbles, and the powerhouses from both sides roared, turning into streams of light and crashing fiercely into the opposing camp.

Violent spiritual power, soul power, demonic power, and ghost energy swept across the entire field, and one figure after another was blasted away like a kite with a broken string under the reflection of the light curtain, crashing heavily within the area covered by the light curtain.