The whole bazaar was sprinkled with gates leading to the Pathworks, each and every one spitting out different invaders, creating a bloody chaos. Dark Elves, humanoids made of stone or with stone skin, the obligatory orcs, and various high-level monsters engaged in battle with cultivators and with one another.
Calling lv.65 Dire Wolves, lv.70 Hell Spiders, and such high-level monsters was a stretch, but compared to the average level of cultivators present, they were overwhelming. They went against them in droves, tens of cultivators ganging on a single beast.
Everything was thrown into chaos with stalls being smashed as energy blades and magical skills collided in brutal combat, causing the damage and fires to spread quickly through the venue still filled with fleeing people.
Seeing this many gates open at once made it clear that this were System God Shenanigans. For example, it was normal for the System Church's Teleport to misfire and drop Ori Humas off in dangerous places for the Divine's entertainment.
In a similar vein, it was not unheard of for the System God to drop some "surprises" into the lives of players who gained his attention. Whenever it became too peaceful, there was a risk of divine intervention disturbing that peace.
Considering Seth had gotten a system quest to resurrect Priest Samuel as a Saint, it was safe to say that he had the god's attention. However, just because there were a bunch of gates didn't mean the players had to engage with the sudden event.
Should we help? Fin asked, kind of itching for a fight, even a small one. Beasts in their 70s were no match for any of the trio, even if they didn't wear their full gear, so it wouldn't have been much of a fight.
We are currently hiding our strength to not draw attention. Look, they can manage Mina answered, pointing at the fact that the cultivators had the upper hand, even though it was no easy fight.
Even these low-level cultivators knew various battle formations that interlinked and increased the overall power of their attacks when fighting stronger opponents. There were no ordinary people in danger of dying either. In the light of that, they simply did it as the gods do and watched the show.
It was not a very long show, though. The various sides had engaged in battle for less than 10 minutes when a bright dome of light suddenly expanded from somewhere in the center of the bazaar.
A wall of pale golden light rushed over stalls, debris, and people, not touching any of them. However, it slammed the beasts and non-humans that had just sprung from the gates and left them prone in golden binds.
Even more peculiar was what happened to the gates it touched during its expansion. The usually blue-glowing gates, which looked like a rip in space itself, became blurred and fuzzy, like a TV image with heavy static being warped or distorted.
No new beasts or invaders poured from the distorted gates, as if the passage had been disrupted by the interference of the golden barrier.
"It's actually the bell from the Spirit Temple..." Seth mumbled, shocked, when he looked up and recognized the overall shape of the barrier and the ornaments and carvings of brighter light covering its outside.
This was the bell that had supposedly vanished from the apparition of the monolithic temple outside of Konan. The blacksmith could hardly believe that this was actually possible, for someone to take away a part of an illusion that was created by the land simply remembering the flow of mana.
"Kill the invaders!" a droning voice echoed within the barrier, prompting the surprised cultivators to take action. The cultivators across the bazaar didn't hesitate for a moment when they saw their chance. The bound and paralyzed beast and invaders that could no longer fight now faced the wrath of an angry mob and were stomped in a one-sided massacre.
"We defeated the demons!" "The demon race is nothing!" " All hail the great senior!" "Senior Golden Bell, our hero!" The crowd cheered in victory. Some called out about their sects and their superiority, but most fell in with the praise for "Senior Golden Bell". They cheered for the great hero who saved the day, despite not even knowing who it was.
But that changed quickly.
In the chaos, nobody knew where the bell had started expanding, but with the end of the fight, it began shrinking again. Curious, Seth paid attention to the gates when they left the influence of the bell. Surprised, he found that the gates actually remained distorted and apparently sealed.
He could feel the slight aura of earth and mana on the gates. Was it a technique to manipulate the power of the land, like the one used on the temple, that made it so that the rifts were blocked by the natural flow of the land's mana?
This kind of concept was too high for the blacksmith. Even though he could come up with a theory, he had no idea how the heck that would actually work. A proper earth wizard might be able to learn something from this, but not him.
Meanwhile, the bell receded back to its origin, and unlike before, all eyes on the bazaar now saw the person who had cast the technique that saved them all. It was a young man, his face revealed because the hood of his cloak was swept back by the winds of techniques and explosions.
A young man Seth actually recognized. Yi Mo, the man who had troubled the chef and owner of The Five-Savoring Seasons and was eliminated by him a couple of days ago. Or rather, the body of that young master, now piloted by the soul that possessed it.
"That's Yi Mo!?" " The young master of the Yi Family saved us!?" "Senior Golden Bell is Yi Mo?!" " All hail young master Yi!" "All hail Yi Mo!" "Yi Mo, the Hero of Konan!"
At first the crowd had watched and recognized him in disbelief, but his deeds were undeniable, and they quickly swung back to praising their savior, even when he was originally a young master of questionable reputation.
Seth not only recognized the man who now held the apparition of the bell in his left hand, but also the weapon he held in his right. The Wrathful Spear that went to Bidder Number 94 for a staggering 340 Medium Grade Spirit Stones. Yi Mo was the mysterious guy who had bought the spear and driven up the price of the bronze coin against him.
Seth had remembered the bidder because of the bronze coin. He was a little peeved that he had driven the price up. Even more so, considering he could have driven it up even more. He bought the spear after all.
Making the connection between Yi Mo, the possessed, the vanished bell in his hand, and the bronze coin... Did the old soul that had possessed Yi Mo maybe have something to do with the original Monolithic Temple on the outskirts of Konan?
Had the blacksmith's salvation of a restaurant led to the resurrection of a great figure from the past? He felt a weird fascination with that; he had not quite known up to this point. He shared his assumptions with the girls.
~It does sound interesting.- Mina agreed, intrigued.
~We should keep an eye out for news of him then,- Fin suggested. Considering Seth might have created the protagonist of a legend. Was this how the gods felt, watching their champions go on adventures?
~Hmm, maybe a little. If he really knows how that temple was built, it might be interesting to take up contact in the future, if he manages to accomplish something,- the blacksmith agreed.
For now, Ye Mo was just a big fish in a small pond. Maybe once he made waves across the XiGuang Province, it would be worth contacting him. The chance was there. That possessor must have powerful techniques to be holding the spear like that without succumbing to it and pulling off such a big move when he was merely lv.35.
~Then we should make sure he owes us now, before he doesn't need help anymore,- Mina suggested exactly what Seth was also thinking about.
~But what? He has already revealed himself. Would he have done so, if he wasn't confident in himself?- Fin mentioned the crucial part. He wouldn't have stepped up if he wasn't confident in himself, or already had a backer.
~Well, let's ask him-