Chapter 751: Lavish and Imposing
This familiar figure stunned Xiao Chen slightly. He stopped what he was doing and revealed a gentle smile on his face. He said, “I have not seen this girl for almost two years since the Five Nation Youth Competition.”
Tsk tsk! That is the little fox I carried in the past? It is hard to imagine that she not only succeeded in changing forms but also became so charming. Ao Jiao also revealed astonishment in her eyes.
Hey, who is that male standing beside her? His eyes look rather shifty.
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze and pulled his hood lower. Then he said calmly, “He is probably one of her pursuers. Let’s go. It is time for us to go in.”
Wait, don’t you intend to meet with this girl?
“It is not time yet.”
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On the road to the Flourishing Heaven Pavilion, Mu Xinya’s group of four chatted softly.
“I heard that aside from the Thunder Emperor’s broken sword, there will be several peak quality Superior Grade Secret Treasures in this auction. Even valuable Sage Grade Secret Treasures—which are much more precious than Superior Grade Secret Treasures—will appear.”
Jiang Zimo did not seem any different from when he was at the Sky Dome Realm, looking very calm as he spoke.
“That’s right. This auction is the annual auction of the Flourishing Heaven Pavilion. Although the Flourishing Heaven Pavilion in Hunluo City is not big, it will no doubt have many good things. We will surely find many Secret Treasures we want for the Star Grave Palace.”
The one to speak next was the elegant man beside Xiao Bai. His pretty looks gave off a bewitching atmosphere.
This pretty man’s facial features looked exquisitely carved, very picturesque. Together with his pitch-black eyes, his was a face that would make many women jealous.
The only flaw in his countenance was its lack of masculinity; its aspect had more of a feminine gentleness. However, that was not a bad thing. Some girls might find this softness even more attractive.
Mu Xinya smiled slightly and said, “Haha! Young Master Xuan Yu is the absolute genius of the Silver Moon Spirit Fox Race. It looks like we will definitely obtain pieces of the Great Roc Spreading Wings Painting this time.”
It turned out that this person was a Fiend Race cultivator of the Silver Moon Spirit Fox Race. No wonder he looked so pretty. When spirit foxes took human form, regardless of gender, they would be thoroughly charming.
Xuan Yu smiled faintly and glanced at Mu Xinya. An indiscernible desire to possess her flashed in his eyes. He smiled and said, “Well said. The both of you are Xiao Bai’s friends. The benefits we gain this time will certainly include you two.”
Just at this moment, Xiao Bai, who was walking in front suddenly stopped. She frowned lightly, gently knitting her eyebrows. Surprise appeared on her face, then puzzlement.
Xuan Yu immediately went forward and asked, “Xiao Bai, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Bai said uncertainly, “I thought I felt Elder Brother Xiao Chen’s aura just now. However, that aura immediately disappeared. I don’t know if it was really Elder Brother Xiao Chen.”
When Mu Xinya and Jiang Zimo heard Xiao Chen’s name, their faces lit up in joy. Then, they said, “Unlikely. That can’t be, right? This is Hunluo City, which is relatively far from Supreme Sky City.”
Xiao Bai squinted her eyes and smiled embarrassedly. “I must have been mistaken. If Elder Brother Xiao Chen was nearby, then why did he not come look for Xiao Bai?”
When Xuan Yu, who was at the side, heard Xiao Bai mention Xiao Chen’s name, his expression appeared unnatural. A look of jealousy flashed in his eyes.
Then, Xuan Yu reverted to normal. He smiled warmly and changed the topic. “Let’s go. The auction is about to start. If we still don’t enter, we will be late.”
The four did not notice that a black-cloaked person watched them enter the Flourishing Heaven Pavilion’s doors while he stood on the pavilion across it.
You are really heartless. You actually even hid your own aura, Ao Jiao laughed.
Earlier, when Xiao Chen saw the four, he immediately felt a mysterious connection. Even though An Zixuan had erased the blood contract between him and Xiao Bai, the two had spent a lot of time together sharing danger. Some things could not be broken just on a whim; such miraculous feelings were hard to define.
Xiao Chen had no choice but to completely draw in his aura before he could hide himself from Xiao Bai.
“The trouble with Wu Yuankai is still unresolved. That Mo Lingtian is also nothing good. Meeting up with her now will only endanger her. It is enough to know that she is safe. We will have opportunities to meet again in the future,” Xiao Chen said softly after a while.
That Silver Moon Spirit Fox cultivator called Xuan Yu is very strong, no weaker than Mo Lingtian. Furthermore, it seems like he is not a good thing, either.
Ao Jiao had always had sharp eyes. The things hidden in the depths of Xuan Yu’s eyes could not escape her notice.
Naturally, it was impossible that Xiao Chen had not noticed those, either. He said indifferently, “I hope he will not do anything silly.”
Xiao Chen continued walking forward. Soon, he entered the Flourishing Heaven Pavilion’s hall.
The hall now looked entirely different from when Xiao Chen came two days ago. All the display cases housing the auction goods were gone, swapped out for rows of seats.
The place was boisterous. People could be heard shouting at each other, making the place extraordinarily bustling. All sorts of discussions rang out.
Xiao Chen looked at his ticket and soon found his seat. The auction platform stood just five hundred meters in front of him. This location was a rather good place; he had not spent his Astral Coins for nothing.
“The auction this time is rather extraordinary. Not only have many previously hidden Martial Sages come out, but the top true inheritors of the Eternal Heavenly Sword School, Bone Mausoleum Sect, Blood Shadow Sect, Magnificent Fiend Hall, Heavenly Tiger Sect, and Soaring Serpent Mansion are all here, too.”
“Most of these Martial Sages are here for the Thunder Emperor’s broken sword. However, I do not know what the top true inheritors of these major factions are here for.”
“Indeed, this is very strange. There have been similar auctions in the past. However, I’ve never heard of one that all the top true inheritors of the six major factions attended.”
“Never mind, they have nothing to do with us. I just want to see if I have any chance of obtaining a weapon suitable for me.”
Xiao Chen just sat down, and he heard the nearby discussions.
Unexpectedly, the top true inheritors of the six major factions had all rushed over. Xiao Chen could not help feeling slightly surprised.
He quietly extended his Spiritual Sense and soon found several strong auras no weaker than Wu Yuankai’s. Furthermore, the possessors of these auras were still quite young.
If Xiao Chen guessed right, they should be the top true inheritors of the six factions.
Xiao Chen felt several more, even stronger auras in the second floor’s VIP rooms. Finger-width Heavenly Sage Laws surrounded these people, numbering in the hundreds.
These auras were out of a half-Sage’s league. Clearly, there were many Martial Sages present as well.
Xiao Chen withdrew his Spiritual Sense and sank into deep thought. He did not know why, but he felt like a storm was brewing, that this was a prelude to something else.
Aside from the true inheritors of the six major factions, there were also a few strong half-Sages hidden. They should all be here for the same purpose.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the matter Mo Lingtian came to seek my help with.
Suddenly, the noisy hall turned quiet. Xiao Chen looked up and saw a white-haired man wearing clothes with golden embroidery slowly walking onto the auction platform.
“Welcome, everyone, to the annual auction of Hunluo City’s Flourishing Heaven Pavilion. My humble self is Old Qin, and I will be your host for this auction. I shall cut to the chase and immediately bring out the first item.”
Old Qin seemed extremely experienced. After a simple introduction, he opened black curtains on the auction platform. A small, exquisite pagoda appeared in everyone’s view.
“Boom!”
Old Qin casually waved his hands and sent in a strand of Quintessence into the pagoda. The surrounding Spiritual Energy shook violently as an ethereal, sagely sound came from the pagoda.
Xiao Chen’s pupils constricted as he infused his eyes with his Spiritual Sense. When he looked carefully, he noticed strands of slender Heavenly Sage Laws around the pagoda.
Unexpectedly, this was a Sage Grade Secret Treasure, which surpassed a peak quality Superior Grade Secret Treasure. Even if they bankrupted themselves, several half-Sages would not be able to afford such an item. Even if they bought it, they would not be able to sustain the expenditure for such a level of Secret Treasure.
The cultivators here were all at least Superior Grade Martial Monarchs. They had seen many things in their lives and soon made out what this Secret Treasure was.
“It actually is a Sage Grade Secret Treasure. This is just the first item, and it can already make our eyes go red with desire.”
“Usually, pagoda-type Secret Treasures are defensive in nature. If I can win this auction, I will be able to protect myself from Martial Sages.”
“Fool! Not to mention if you can afford it or not, you have not formed any Heavenly Sage Laws and would find it hard to bring out the might of that sort of Secret Treasure. You would even find it hard to activate it once.”
“Hehe! I know, that was just a casual remark. I’m sure they prepared this Sage Grade Secret Treasure for those big shots and the true inheritors of the six major factions. We can only watch with envy.”
The Sage Grade Secret Treasure immediately stirred up the atmosphere of the entire auction hall. Old Qin smiled faintly, clearly pleased with the results.
“As all of you guessed, this is a low-quality defensive Sage Grade Secret Treasure. It has a total of thirty-two Heavenly Sage Laws. It can keep you from dying at a critical moment. The starting bid is fifty thousand Astral Coins.”
Old Qin stroked his beard, speaking in a calm voice.
If one changed fifty thousand Astral Coins into Spirit Stones, they would be able to obtain at least fifty million Superior Grade Spirit Stones—a relatively large sum, a suitable starting bid for a Sage Grade Secret Treasure.
“Two hundred thousand!”
The moment Old Qin finished speaking, someone immediately called out a bid. Furthermore, that person raised the price to a considerable sum of two hundred thousand Astral Coins in one go.
When Xiao Chen looked over, he saw that the bidder was a young half-Sage with a sinister gaze like that of a venomous snake.
Eleven threadlike black Heavenly Sage Laws radiated from his body. This young half-Sage seemed to be just slightly weaker than Wu Yuankai.
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze and made a mental note of this person. Hunluo Province was not large, but there were quite a lot of demonic geniuses gathered here.
For this person to advance to half-Sage and form Heavenly Sage Laws at such a young age, his talent equaled that of the Tianwu Domain’s seven giants.
Unfortunately, when Xiao Chen first fought Bai Wuxue, he had been only a Medial Grade Martial Monarch, so he had not had an acute sense for Heavenly Sage Laws.
If Xiao Chen had realized it back then, he could have gathered his Spiritual Sense in his eyes and seen how many Heavenly Sage Laws Bai Wuxue formed.
By comparing this person to Bai Wuxue, Xiao Chen would have been able to gain a good understanding of the gap in strength between him and Bai Wuxue.
Someone recognized this person and said, “That is the Soaring Serpent Mansion’s top true inheritor, Zuo Guangyuan. He is extremely lavish and imposing, directly raising the bid fourfold in one go.”