The bell marking the auction's end still echoed through the hall, but the crowd was already surging toward the exits like a tide. Han Li mingled with them, his steps seemingly hurried, though each one actually landed where the crowd was thickest and sightlines most confused. He could clearly sense at least seven or eight strands of spiritual sense, brimming with malice and greed, clinging to him like maggots burrowing into bone. Two were particularly cold and vicious, coming from the Black Fiend Cult and the Shadow Killer Sect. Their killing intent had almost taken physical form.
The fish have taken the bait... but they're fiercer than I expected. Han Li sneered inwardly, while his face showed just the right amount of "panic" and "unease" for a Foundation Establishment cultivator facing powerful enemies. He even deliberately let his aura falter slightly. He needed to feign weakness and lure the hunters deeper into his trap.
He did not head straight back to the Seven Mysteries Sect's temporary quarters on Hanging Mountain. Spies had probably already placed that location under close watch. Instead, he followed the majority of the independent cultivators toward the main rainbow bridges leading to the outer areas. One of them, called Broken Soul Bridge, led to an abandoned mining area with complex terrain and pervasive fiendish qi-the "hunting ground" he had chosen beforehand.
The instant he stepped onto Broken Soul Bridge, something suddenly changed!
On either side of the bridge entrance, the seemingly ordinary empty air suddenly distorted. Four black shadows appeared like ghosts, surrounding him in the middle of the bridge! All wore black cloth over their faces, revealing only their eyes, and all were at Foundation Establishment late stage! Their attacks were ruthless and merciless. One unleashed a skyful of poisoned flying needles to seal off