The air inside the Black Market had grown deathly still. Killing intent hung over Dark Wind Valley like a noose ready to snap. Even the wind dared not stir.
All the cultivators below, each veiled behind layers of concealment, stood motionless and horrified, because they were nothing more than ants.
Ants, awaiting the stomp of titans.
From Green Copper to Sky Ocean Realm, the strongest among them could not even dream of resisting the destructive might of the Purple-Gold Realm.
One such Green Copper Realm cultivator, hidden behind a bronze mask, clenched a pouch with exactly four hundred and thirty spirit stones. His hand trembled. He had just won the bid and was about to buy the stock of Scarlet Blood Crystals from Wu Ming.
But as the atmosphere thickened with the scent of blood and looming conflict, his entire being was paralyzed with fear.
Then—
Shiiing!
A flash of silver light arced through the air.
A cold blade sang and his head fell to the ground.
Seizing the moment, Wu Ming's hand darted to the pouch. In a fluid motion, he snatched the spirit stone pouch from the corpse, and in one clean movement, turned tail and bolted.
His heart pounded like a war drum as he sprinted away from the epicenter of danger. Internally, he screamed, 'This is madness! Absolute madness! I'm just a Green Copper Realm ant. How could I possibly stay here and watch elephants trample each other?!'
His breath came in quick bursts. He zigzagged through panicked figures, avoiding flying swords and wayward qi waves.
Wu Ming had achieved what he set out to do, securing a technique and also the spirit stones.
But now?
None of that mattered.
The situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations. And he was no match for the chaos erupting above.
Only one thought throbbed in his mind: Survive this human calamity!
....
High above, the sky darkened. Blood-red clouds began to churn violently as a terrifying aura expanded.
Demonic Patriarch Xue Yanmo moved first.
A deafening roar erupted as he stomped upon the sky. A blood rune blazed beneath his feet, and in the next breath, an enormous blood dragon surged forth, made of churning crimson mist and bone shards. It spiraled downward, teeth gnashing, as it aimed for the two Elders.
Elder Cheng of the Copper Moon Sect lifted both arms, his skin gleaming with metallic luster. A copper shield, half as large as a mountain, emerged before him with a thunderous clang. While Elder Sun Mu swung his jade fan in a sweeping motion, and in an instant, a column of divine flames shot upward, cleaving the sky in two.
Blood and bone collided with copper and fire.
The sky itself seemed to ripple from the clash!
Amid the chaos, Xue Yanmo smiled.
A terrible, malevolent smile.
Then, in a move that silenced even the bravest of hearts, he plunged his hand into his own abdomen.
Crack!
Blood sprayed like a fountain as he tore out his own ribcage. The bones were steaming, still slick with fresh blood.
"None of you shall escape my wrath today!" he roared, and hurled the ribcage below with inhuman force.
As it flew, the bones expanded rapidly, growing and twisting until they wrapped around the entire Dark Wind Valley like a colossal cage, enclosing the Black Market beneath a canopy of bone.
The scarlet bone structure fused with the very root of the valley, impossible to shake.
Inside the ribcage, panic spread like wildfire. The cultivators were now rats in a cage.
In the sky, Xue Yanmo's body twisted. The remaining bones in his torso shuddered and shrank, reforming into a smaller ribcage. His figure hunched. His flesh clung tighter to his frame, making him look even more frail. Yet his grin grew wider, more twisted.
Xue Yanmo howled, "After I deal with the two of you, I shall slaughter every last rat crawling beneath us."
Elder Cheng snarled, "You dream too much, Xue Yanmo! Under our watch, no righteous soul shall fall!"
"Today, evil shall be purged by our righteous hands!" Sun Mu bellowed.
With a loud boom, the three clashed once more. Flame and copper surged against bone and blood. Qi waves rolled through the sky, ripping clouds apart.
The battle was extremely fierce, but the Elders weren't trying to kill XueYanmo.
No, both Elders had already transmitted urgent messages back to their respective sects.
Their goal was to stall.
Buy time for reinforcements to arrive. Every second counted.
Xue Yanmo knew it too.
His madness flared. He roared and swipped his palm forward, unleashing a torrent of crimson bones, carving through the air like a flood.
Just as Elder Cheng's shield cracked and Elder Sun Mu staggered back, a loud mechanical clank echoed.
From behind Xue Yanmo, a metallic figure appeared.
A giant mechanical spider, the size of a cart, with black steel limbs and glowing red eyes.
One leg stabbed directly into Xue Yanmo's back, sending him hurtling into the clouds, coughing blood like rain.
The Elders didn't hesitate.
Heavenly Flame Cage!
Endless Copper Spear!
Their combined attack followed through, engulfing the skies in blinding light.
Below, Old Man Han stood within the giant scarlet ribcage.
His long robes fluttered as he raised his head calmly.
"Elders... though I typically abstain from such conflicts, in light of our earlier discussions, allow me to assist."
He took one step forward.
"I shall protect the cultivators here. You two handle that evil demon."
The two Elders looked down.
Their expressions shifted from caution to gratitude.
"Old Man Han, your righteousness shall not be forgotten!"
"Protect the people! We'll slay this demon, then drink toast to our new friendship!"
With no more need to worry about the cultivators below, the Elders unleashed their full strength.
Earlier, though engaged in a life-and-death struggle, the two elders had deliberately restrained their power, diverting a significant portion of their focus toward safeguarding the cultivators below.
While this Black Market event operated in secrecy and away from the public eye, those in power were well aware that it was jointly hosted by the Copper Moon Sect and the Sun Sealing Sect.
Should a large number of disciples perish in what could be interpreted as an internal conflict of these two hosting sects, it would inevitably draw suspicion and criticism from the other righteous sects.
Any sign of negligence, favoritism, or silent consent to bloodshed could be used to tarnish their image as a righteous force.
The political cost of that would be immeasurable!
Trust, once lost, could not be rebuilt with apologies. It would poison alliances, strain relations, and open doors for their rivals to move against them under the guise of moral indignation.
The Copper Moon Sect and the Sun Sealing Sect had just emerged from a grueling clash with the Scarlet Bone Demonic Sect. Their wounds were still fresh, their minds still fatigued. The last thing they could afford now was to have their sincerity questioned by the very sects they stood beside.
That was why, even as the battle with Xue Yanmo escalated, the two elders held back, shielding the crowd as best they could. Not because they lacked strength, but because they knew what was truly at stake.
And then there was Old Man Han...
They had not trusted him. How could they? He was not one of theirs. A lone cultivator with ambiguous loyalties. Who knew what his motives were? For all they knew, he could have been waiting to see who came out on top before picking a side.
But then he acted.
He acted against Xue Yanmo and declared that he would protect those trapped below. This created a subtle but undeniable shift in the balance of trust.
Meanwhile, down below, chaos erupted anew.
Many cultivators, including Wu Ming, understood it was time to flee.
He dashed along with the crowd, but suddenly, his eyes widened.
A figure shot past him. Fast. Wu Ming judged this person to have Sky Ocean Realm cultivation base. The man dashed toward the ribcage's edge, aiming to slip between the bones.
Just a hundred meters from freedom—
PCHT!
A hole the size of a fist appeared in the man's chest.
It pierced straight through his back, embedding into the ground behind him.
A bone spike. It held for a breath, then scattered like snow.
Hundreds of cultivators near the exit collapsed moments later, holes punctured through their bodies.
Wu Ming halted.
He couldn't even see what had pierced those cultivators. But one thing was clear: Running away wasn't an option.
His fists clenched. Despair curled in his gut.
'This is bad. Really bad. I can't fight them. And I can't escape. All I can do is put my life in their hands!'
Wu Ming hated that.
He hated being weak.
A deep sense of loathing boiled within him.
But then, something happened.
Old Man Han made a move.
With both hands forming complex seals, he slammed his palms onto the ground.
A ripple spread. Then the earth cracked.
From beneath, a stone door nearly a hundred meters tall emerged. It was shaped like a human face. Its eyes were shut, its mouth sealed.
Then—
Rumble!
The mouth opened.
From its gaping maw, thunderous footsteps echoed.
An army marched forth.
Thousands of mechanical puppets, each three meters tall, painted in rust-red and green. Smooth domes for heads, each bearing a single glowing red eye. Sturdy arms, each puppet wielding twin hooked sabers.
The Thousand-Man Bonebreak Guard!
The cultivators cheered at once.
"It's Master Han, the puppet path grandmaster! He's going to save us!"
"Long live Master Han!"
"Heaven bless this righteous senior!"
Old Man Han smiled kindly. Then he sat cross-legged. Threads of divine sense shot from his brow and latched onto the puppets.
They moved in perfect unity, thundering toward the cage's edges.
One female voice cried with joy, "Master Han is a righteous hero! Look, everyone, he'll free us all!"
Old Man Han laughed.
"Naturally, I shall free you all," he said.
His voice was calm.
"But my methods… might be a bit extreme."
Watching from afar, Wu Ming frowned. Something about that felt off.
But the others cheered louder.
"We believe in your judgment, Master Han!"
"Though you are a lone cultivator, righteousness resides in your heart!"
The laughter in Old Man Han's throat erupted.
Then it stopped.
A cold gleam lit his eyes.
Without warning, the Thousand-Man Bonebreak Guard turned around.
They faced the crowd.
And charged.
Squelch!
The first wave of blades tore through unsuspecting cultivators.
Screams filled the air. Blood sprayed in wild arcs. Bodies toppled like dominoes.
The cheers turned to cries of betrayal.
One man shouted, "No! We're not enemies!"
Then a saber cleaved his skull in two.
"No! Why?" someone cried, clutching a severed arm.
"Master Han, we believed in you!" another yelled, backing away. His foot caught on a corpse. He fell. A puppet stepped forward and brought down both blades, chopping him into four neat pieces.
A woman tried to run, sobbing as she pushed through the crowd. A saber whistled through the air and lopped off her legs at the knees. She crawled for a moment, blood smearing beneath her, until a puppet stepped on her back and silenced her with a downward thrust.
"Mercy—" someone begged, but the plea ended as a blade punched through his open mouth, pinning his head to the stone below.
Wu Ming ducked behind a stone pillar, heart pounding.
'This… this is even worse than I imagined!'