The rewards were lavish, but who among those at the Chaos River Void Market hadn’t crawled out of piles of corpses, surviving countless life-and-death trials? No reward could outweigh their own lives. So most glanced at the notice and moved on with their business.
It wasn’t until another monitoring screen displayed team-up information that the monks outside the void city suddenly grew interested in hunting Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji.
Watching numerous monks begin forming teams, Mo Wuji, though puzzled, understood their thinking.
One person wouldn’t dare chase them, but ten or dozens together? Teaming up to scour the Chaos River for him and Lan Xiaobu, they’d fight if they found them, or hunt chaos stones if not, why not?
Soon, various teams started forming, the smallest with over ten members.
Mo Wuji found it absurd, merely smiling without a care. This rabble wanted to take them on? Forget their scattered motives, even the two Green-Robed Enforcers, with their own schemes, couldn’t stand against them. If those two had worked together, he and Lan Xiaobu, even with Thunder Sage and the others, couldn’t have taken them down alone.
These monks, far weaker than the Enforcers, might have numbers, but in a fight, they’d muster a fraction of their strength. Once someone fell, most would flee as far as they could, unlike his team, who’d fight to the death.
As Mo Wuji prepared to enter the city, a female monk approached with a beaming smile, clasping her fists, “Greetings, friend, we’re forming a team to make some profit, interested?”
Mo Wuji shook his head, “I’m in my prime, but my strength’s lacking, I’d like to live a bit longer, so I’ll pass on your team.”
The woman lowered her voice, “Friend, do you think these teams are really going to hunt those who offended Mengmu Dayan?”
“Aren’t they?” Mo Wuji blinked, he’d been watching, how could he be mistaken?
The female monk chuckled, “They killed Green-Robed Enforcers, what use is a team? If they were united, there might be hope, but strangers teaming up temporarily, would they be?”
“Then why team up?” Mo Wuji asked, surprised.
She smiled, “I saw you didn’t join a team and headed for the city, so I figured you’re new here. You think these teams are really chasing those powerhouses?”
Mo Wuji paused, realizing if he could see the flaw, so could they, could numbers alone kill those who slew Green-Robed Enforcers?
“Check your Chaos River wristband…” she said suddenly.
Chaos River wristband? Mo Wuji instantly understood, cursing Zhuo Heng inwardly, that guy was a walking disaster. Surely every monk here had a wristband, and Zhuo Heng hadn’t mentioned it. If he said he didn’t have one, wouldn’t that mark him as suspicious?
Thinking quickly, Mo Wuji gave a wry smile, “I lost my wristband, that’s why I’m here to replace it.”
He didn’t know if lost wristbands could be replaced, but if they could, it’d be at the Void Market. He watched the woman’s expression, ready to flee if it shifted.
As expected, after his words, though surprised, she showed no unusual reaction, confirming his guess, wristbands could be lost and replaced here.
She said, “After the team-up notice, a message hit the wristbands, saying those who killed Mengmu Dayan’s Enforcers likely know where Dayan Realm is, and they’re sneaking there. So teams aren’t really hunting them, but tracking their trail. If they can find Dayan Realm, who cares about those guys? They’d follow to Dayan Realm. More people means safety, even if they spot those ruthless ones, right?”
“Dayan Realm?” Mo Wuji feigned shock, he’d never heard of it, but from her words and expression, it was revered among these monks, many yearning to find it, yet unable.
So he had to show shock tinged with longing. But inwardly, he wondered if Dayan Realm was tied to Mengmu Dayan.
The woman, pleased with his reaction, smiled, “Now you know why so many are teaming up, all for Dayan Realm, I’m heading there too.”
Mo Wuji suddenly thought, Dayan Realm’s timing was suspicious, it might be a ploy using them.
Something felt off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.
Clasping his fists, he said, “I’ll replace my wristband first, then think it over. Shall we exchange contact runes?”
Disappointment flashed in her eyes, but she shared a contact rune with him.
Mo Wuji bid her farewell and entered the Chaos River Void City, not to replace a wristband. He realized a grave danger, could the wristband expose their location? If Zhuo Heng had one, that’d be trouble.
Though tempted to message Lan Xiaobu, he restrained himself, sending a message here might let someone trace the rune aura.
Mo Wuji swiftly found a trade tower in the market, bought methods for finding chaos stones and an overview of this vast universe, then hurriedly left the Void City. Worried about issues, he didn’t ask about Thousand Cosmos Void.
Outside the city, he meant to message Lan Xiaobu but stopped.
Zhuo Heng had survived years on the Chaos River, could he overlook something like the wristband? He was kind, not foolish.
Mo Wuji set up trigger array patterns, plunged into the Chaos River’s depths, and entered his Mortal Realm.
In the Mortal Realm, he sensed a mark on himself.
Shocked, he realized with his vigilance, someone marked him in the Void City, and he hadn’t noticed. Had he messaged Lan Xiaobu, their location would’ve been exposed. Mengmu Dayan’s fearsome reputation wasn’t mere talk.
He first suspected the female monk, but soon dismissed it, if she’d marked him face-to-face, he’d have sensed it. She genuinely wanted to team up, not a Mengmu Dayan agent.
After checking again, certain he was clear, Mo Wuji destroyed the mark and fled to another spot.
He didn’t dare attach the mark to a puppet to mislead pursuers. His trigger arrays had been activated by a strong monk, at least Yellow-Robed Enforcer level. No need to track them, he knew Mengmu Dayan sent them.
…
Sure he was unmarked, Mo Wuji sent Lan Xiaobu a message. Within half an incense stick, the Seven Realms Stone reached him.
Seeing the stone safe, Mo Wuji relaxed, guessing he’d been targeted, but his experience thwarted the scheme.
It wasn’t the woman, but every monk entering the Void City was targeted.
First, knowing Dayan Realm would spark joy and longing, not knowing it would show confusion. Every reaction was likely monitored. He’d reacted aptly, showing shock and desire, yet was still tracked. The only reason, he’d said his wristband was lost, and hadn’t replaced it.
“Zhuo Heng, do you have a Chaos River wristband?” Landing on the Seven Realms Stone, Mo Wuji’s first question was about Zhuo Heng’s wristband, and about Dayan Realm.
