Chapter 361 360: Obtaining Information on 9 Great Realms, Finding an Acquaintance in the Arena

When he heard the noble from the Celestial Star Shop address Old Tu Tou as "City Lord," the pickpocket who had started it all froze completely, body and soul, like a man on death's door.

His eyes bulged, nearly popping from their sockets. An indescribable, convulsive emotion ran rampant through his mind like exploding fireworks, and he felt the world begin to spin.

Yes, the world truly was spinning. He had just been slapped—mercilessly—and blood was only now returning to his pale right cheek, turning it red.

It grew redder and redder, until it was almost purple.

Blood trickled from his nostrils and the corners of his mouth twitched. Lying on the ground, he stared blankly at the stooped figure of Old Tu Tou and his granddaughter.

Neither of them was tall. The girl was only fourteen, of average height for her age, but still just a child compared to an adult like him. As for Old Tu Tou, he was aged and shrunken, his back bent at a right angle—a very short old man. Yet now, the pickpocket had to crane his neck to look up at them.

Suddenly, they seemed towering, distant, and utterly untouchable. They had ascended in an instant to a status he could never hope to reach, a status where a single downward glance from them was enough to send a chill of terror through his groin.

'It's wet... I've pissed myself...'

"I pissed myself... I pissed myself..." the pickpocket muttered. His face twitched, his gaze clouded and chaotic. The handprint on his right cheek began to seep blood as it swelled, making him look like a fattened pig. "Ahaha... I pissed myself..."

'The slap he had just taken was from a noble—a noble who had cultivated their physical strength. How could he possibly have withstood such power?'

'If that noble hadn't held back, he would likely be dead already.'

"Lord City Lord, how should we deal with this lot?"

The lead noble didn't spare the crazed pickpocket a single glance, respectfully awaiting Old Tu Tou's command. He couldn't care less whether these natives lived or died.

"They..." Old Tu Tou faltered, not yet having adjusted to his new status. His heart pounded wildly with an incredible, thrilling sensation. "Er..."

'He longed to say something, to savor the taste of authority. But in that moment, the storm of thoughts in his mind quieted. There was no need for many words.'

The acrid stench of urine filled the air. He glanced at the pickpocket on the ground. The man's face was a mess of snot and tears, his milky, unfocused eyes darting around nonsensically. He had gone completely mad.

The cheeks of the others were still twitching. The mouths of those who had cursed him and his granddaughter trembled as if they'd been shocked, and their legs were shaking...

"Ni'Er," he said, finally turning to his granddaughter. Her eyes were as clear and pure as ever. *Huuu...*

After a long exhale, Old Tu Tou waved his hand. In that instant, a flicker of joy appeared in everyone's eyes, as if they were witnessing the arrival of dawn.

They began to believe in miracles again. 'Maybe we'll survive this,' they thought. 'Maybe we'll survive at the hands of the nobles. Maybe the new City Lord will pardon our crimes.'

'Of course,' they thought. 'Someone from our own stock will surely understand us...'

Just as they stared at Old Tu Tou with these longing thoughts, they saw him open his mouth. Taking Ni'Er by the hand and walking away, he said, "Deal with them according to your own rules."

CRACK—

Something shattered. It was as if their hearts, engorged with hope, had just burst. The natives who had just seen a glimmer of light collapsed, a permanent cloud of despair settling over them.

'According to the nobles' rules?'

'What rules do the nobles have? Their only rule is to kill.'

'They eliminate anything that displeases them or goes against their wishes. And clearly, we are displeasing. We've even angered the City Lord...'

"Yes."

The lead noble gave a slight bow and a nod. The corner of his mouth curled into a dangerous arc, the killing intent in his eyes as tangible as a needle's point.

"Kill them all."

"No—"

"Honorable Lord Noble, don't... AHH—"

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The dozens of nobles surrounding the area made their move. They killed a native trying to struggle free with a single punch. Blood splattered, bones shattered, and bodies fell one after another.

In the face of such brutality, none of the natives dared to fight back—they knew it meant certain death. But nearly all of them tried to flee, desperate to live.

But no one could escape. The difference in physical prowess between a noble and a native was a chasm—an uncrossable abyss.

Yet one person did not flee—the pickpocket who had started it all. He remained on the ground, giggling foolishly, having lost all capacity for rational thought.

"Hahaha..."

As his laughter faded, so too did the lives of several hundred natives.

By this point, Old Tu Tou had already led Ni'Er out of the crowd. Under the escort of several nobles, they were on their way to the City Lord's Mansion.

Along the way, his mind was still racing. He hadn't yet grown accustomed to his change in status, which was perfectly normal. While everyone dreams of a meteoric rise to power, no one ever truly believes it will happen to them.

But in the days to come, they would adapt.

Not only would they adapt, but they would also surpass the station given to them by the masked lord.

Because before that lord departed, he had left behind a Cultivation Technique that only the two of them could access. In a place like Little Oasis City, where the strongest cultivators were barely at the Spirit Body Realm, this technique was sufficient to reach the Dharma Realm.