I have a city in another world

The pale golden halo, like shackles set by the gods, slowly contracted at the edge of the city.

Ripples spreading from the edges tore through the thick clouds, casting a blood-red curtain.

The once majestic inner city had long been reduced to ruins in the earthquake that destroyed the spiritual veins. The dark blue fragments of the city walls, like the skeletons of a giant beast, were scattered across the ravaged land.

As the aperture continued to shrink, this desolate ruin was completely transformed into an arena for competitors. The air was thick with tension, and every glance exchanged carried undisguised killing intent.

On the earth, countless abyss-like cracks crisscross, the deepest parts of which even sunlight cannot penetrate, revealing only dark outlines, as if ancient ferocious beasts are lurking.

The cracks echoed with chilling chewing and wailing sounds, swallowing countless creatures that couldn't escape in time.

Even more chilling was the thick, piercing gray-black mist rising from the cracks, wandering among the ruins like maggots clinging to bones, instantly withering vegetation and turning rocks to dust wherever it passed.

"Watch out! This is deadly poison gas, mixed with demonic energy!"

As soon as a cultivator in a blue robe approached the edge of the crack, the mist clung to his sleeves, instantly producing a sizzling, corrosive sound.

He cried out in alarm and retreated, his face ashen, warning his companions: "This poison is extremely potent; even a tiny bit will sever your meridians. You must not be careless!"

Before the words were finished, a cultivator who was eager to find treasure accidentally inhaled a little mist. His eyes bulged out, blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and his body withered away at a visible speed.

In just a few breaths, it turned into a pool of black blood, and even its soul could not escape.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding competitors gasped in shock, instinctively circulating their spiritual energy to protect themselves, no longer daring to approach the crack area easily.

In addition to the deadly poison gas, the inner city was also filled with violent and chaotic spiritual energy.

The unusual environment caused the previously invisible spiritual energy to manifest, making it clearly visible even to ordinary people.

The spiritual energy sometimes transformed into crimson flames, sometimes condensed into icy fragments, and sometimes transformed into sharp wind blades that raged erratically among the ruins.

They collided and intertwined like wild horses, forming bizarre energy vortexes.

"Although the chaotic spiritual energy here can accelerate cultivation, it also poses great hidden dangers!"

An elderly man with white hair stroked his beard, his gaze fixed intently on the spiritual energy particles floating in the air ahead. "Look over there—"

Following the direction of his finger, everyone looked and saw that beneath the broken wall not far away, the spiritual energies of water and fire were strangely swirling together, with crimson and blue halos intertwining to form a brief and delicate balance, causing the surrounding space to distort slightly.

It appears exceptionally beautiful, yet it is extremely dangerous.

"These are deadly traps made of chaotic spiritual energy. Once someone disrupts this balance, they will trigger a violent explosion!"

The old man warned in a deep voice, "If you accidentally enter a similar vortex of spiritual energy, you will be burned by the flames and instantly reduced to dust."

If one encounters the energy of an ice explosion, they will be instantly frozen into an ice sculpture, their soul and spirit annihilated; if the spiritual energy mutates and fuses, forming a corrosive acid, touching it will result in complete obliteration!

No sooner had the words been spoken than a black-clad cultivator in the distance, unable to suppress his greed, took the initiative to approach the energy gathering points.

When he saw a treasure floating in the center of the spiritual energy vortex, he ignored everyone's advice and rushed over.

The moment they stepped into the area of ​​balanced spiritual energy, the fragile balance was instantly shattered, with water and fire energies colliding violently and producing a deafening roar.

"not good!"

The crowd gasped in shock as the black-clad cultivator was engulfed by violent energy, his body instantly enveloped in flames, followed by an attack of icy cold, his skin cracking inch by inch from the alternation of extreme heat and cold.

Even more terrifying, a thick, green acid suddenly surged into the air, engulfing him like a tidal wave.

The screams abruptly stopped, leaving only a pool of steaming liquid on the spot, without even a trace of clothing.

Within just half an hour, dozens of competitors had met a tragic end after touching the energy trap.

Some were struck by lightning and turned into charred remains, some were crushed into minced meat by earth-elemental spiritual energy, and some were torn apart by spatial rifts.

The monks were terrified and dared not act rashly again. They were cautious with every step they took, their eyes filled with vigilance and fear.

However, the crisis is far from over.

With a piercing roar, a blue-faced, fanged zombie crawled out of the crack. Its body was covered in rotting flesh and blood, its eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty red light, and its fingernails were as sharp as blades.

Immediately afterwards, more monsters emerged from the cracks: winged demons, enormous pythons, and three-headed, six-armed evil spirits. They roared and charged at their competitors like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

"These are all monsters created by demonic energy!"

A cultivator clad in silver armor, from a certain sect, stood with a solemn expression, holding a long sword to fend off the zombies' attacks. "The otherworldly demon god created these monsters to kill all the competitors so he could reclaim the rewards... What a vicious scheme!"

"Enough talk, let's fight our way out!"

Another cultivator roared, unleashing his magic weapon to bombard the charging demons, "If we don't kill these monsters, we'll all die here!"

The battle erupted instantly, the sounds of clashing swords, booming spells, screams, and the roars of monsters mingling together to create a symphony of death. Inside the inner city, blood stained the broken floor tiles, and corpses piled up like mountains, making the already perilous environment even more terrifying.

Feng Jiu Kui hid in the ruins of a collapsed pavilion, his black robes blending seamlessly with the shadows.

His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were cold as he watched the fighting outside, his right hand gripping the sword at his waist tightly.

He had no intention of participating in this battle, nor did he want to compete for a ranking. He only wanted to protect himself in the chaos and find an opportunity to leave this place.

But as the aperture continued to shrink, the places to hide became fewer and fewer, and the monsters and competitors around him kept getting closer. He knew that he could no longer hide.

"It's either kill or be killed; it seems I have no choice but to take action."

Feng Jiu Kui muttered to himself, a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from his fingertips.

He knew perfectly well that in this dog-eat-dog world, mercy would only bring death, and only by hardening his heart could he survive.

At this moment, cultivators from various factions were gathering together in the inner city arena.

The righteous Qingyun Sect and Tianyan Pavilion, the demonic Blood Demon Sect and Wandu Valley, as well as the neutral Tianji Sect and Baicao Hall, all the forces that were originally hostile to each other, are now beginning to gather their allies.

"In the current situation, only cooperation can ensure survival!"

The leader of the Qingyun Sect was a young cultivator in white robes. Holding a whisk, he solemnly addressed the group, "The light circle is still shrinking, and the number of monsters is increasing. We must all work together to clear the obstacles and reduce the number of competitors!"

The leader of the Blood Demon Sect was a woman dressed in a red robe. She was stunningly beautiful, but her eyes held a hint of ruthlessness.

"As far as I know, there are only a thousand slots for the Demon God's reward. As long as we keep the number of competitors within that limit, everyone will receive a reward. We can decide who's better after we've received the rewards!"

The various factions reached a tacit agreement to temporarily cease their attacks on each other and instead turn their attention to the lone cultivators.

Like a pack of wolves hunting, they divided the work, cooperated, and relentlessly slaughtered the rogue cultivators.

"Don't kill me! I'm willing to hand over all the treasures!"

One of the rogue cultivators was unlucky and was surrounded by several other cultivators. He was so frightened that he trembled all over and hurriedly took out his personal storage bag to try to save his life.

"Too late!" A black-clad cultivator sneered, and with a flick of his longsword, severed his head.

"The more people there are, the greater the threat becomes. You cannot be allowed to live!"

The independent cultivators were suffering greatly. They dared not easily trust others, fearing betrayal by their accomplices, and were unable to fight against well-organized forces on their own.

Some independent cultivators tried to band together to resist, but lacking unified command, they were quickly defeated.

Some fled for their lives, but could never escape the pursuit of the forces.

In this extremely harsh living environment, they are destined to become stepping stones for various forces and sacrifices to the demon god.

From time to time, shrill screams could be heard from the edge of the huge crack. Some were killed by independent cultivators from various factions, some were swallowed by monsters after accidentally falling into the crack, and some died after encountering energy traps.

However, the more dangerous the place, the more treasures it will spawn.

Elixirs shimmering with spiritual light, ores containing powerful energy, and ancient-looking magical artifacts continuously emerged from the cracks in the ruins.

All sorts of treasures, like poison, stimulated the nerves of the competitors, making them increasingly frantic.

"That's a Mind-Concentrating Pill!"

Upon seeing the pills on the ground, a cultivator disregarded the surrounding dangers and rushed towards them, exclaiming, "With this, my cultivation can advance another step!"

"And there's Xuan Iron Stone!" another cultivator exclaimed, his eyes reddening. "This is an excellent material for refining magic weapons!"

The demon god, like a vendor setting up a stall, displays his inventory, giving competitors a temporary chance to acquire treasures.

These dazzling treasures are nothing but tempting bait; they may look magnificent but contain deadly poison. If one becomes greedy, one may lose their life.

Ultimately, all the rare and precious materials we see will belong to the demon god.

Feng Jiu Kui maneuvered through the ruins, dodging three waves of pursuers and killing hundreds of zombies that pounced on him.

His situation was becoming increasingly difficult. His spiritual energy was being greatly depleted, and he had also sustained several wounds. If he continued to act alone, he would probably perish here sooner or later.

"The situation has changed, and we need to find a backer to stay temporarily."

Feng Jiu Kui's gaze swept across the battlefield, and he ultimately chose the Blood Demon Sect's team. At present, only by joining his own faction's team could he temporarily save his life.

Gritting his teeth, Feng Jiu Kui charged towards the Blood Demon Sect's ranks with lightning speed. (End of Chapter)