"It's a raid! They sent an Elder to shut us down!"
"Run!"
"NOBODY MOVES!" Jiu Zui's voice exploded across the cavern, accompanied by a wave of Sovereign-level spiritual pressure that physically slammed the entire crowd to the floor, pinning thousands of cultivators to the cobblestones like insects under a boot.
Jiu Zui stepped up onto the railing beside Ji'an, crossing his arms, looking down at the terrified auctioneer.
"The bid is five million, you sweaty pig," Jiu Zui sneered. "Going once. Going twice. Sold."
Ji'an didn't wait for the gavel.
She leaped off the railing, her Wind-Step Boots activating to completely negate the fifty-foot drop.
She landed in the center of the pit with a silent, graceful crouch, right next to the kneeling, terrified form of Lin Xuan.
The heavily armored guards surrounding the boy didn't even try to stop her. They were too busy pressing their faces into the dirt, paralyzed by Jiu Zui's aura.
