The spherical object didn't manage to land as the previous cultivator influenced it, locking it in midair. The crowd looked on in curiosity, examining the object in caution.
"Maybe it's some sort of distraction? The auctioneer did say that many try robbing this place right, so wouldn't it be a smart idea to distract the cultivators from acting as reinforcements?"
"That's plausible but I don't think a simple sphere will be enough to stall all these cultivators..." Just as he said that, heaps of purple gas emitted from the sphere. Diffusing through the area it filled up the entire venue in under a minute.
Thankfully all the cultivators had instinctively covered themselves in a thin layer of qi not allowing the gas to enter through their pores of other orifices. The venue was silent as no one knew what was going on but that was when strange and inaudible whispers appeared. They seem to have come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, causing chills throughout the crowd.
The whispers seemed to contain a strange charm as they slowly affected the minds of cultivators. The ones who didn't have any external defenses had their eyes glowing with an ominous purple light. They seemed absent-minded as they kept looking at the sphere with a blank expression.
"What's going on?! What's happening to them?!" asked one of the cultivators that hadn't been affected by the mysterious gas. He shook his friend trying to snap him out of his stupor, but it was to no avail as the man refused to gain clarity of mind.
On the balcony, the teen and his group were left unaffected due to the protection provided by the balcony itself. The grandfather squinted his eyes wary of the ongoing.
"What's happening??" asked Astrid with cautious eyes. It was apparent the spectacle had her on edge. Though she wasn't the only one as even the teen had his eyes wide open. Wide open as if he knew something the rest didn't...
* * *
[Reader]: Let me guess he knows something...