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--- Chapter 125 ---
Everyone in the Central Plains could feel the brewing storm in the atmosphere. It all started with the sudden appearance of a miraculous alchemy pill that could completely heal one's soul.
They aren't dumb. Such a powerful pill could only be peak 8 Tier Pill or even Tier 9 Pill, but who was foolish enough to auction peak Tier 9 Pill to the public?
If powerful factions have it, they will keep such treasure under a heavily protected area. Heck, they might even keep it safe as a family heirloom.
And since the Heavenly Gathering Clan didn't know the origin of the Soul-Recovering Medicine Pill, people believed someone wanted to stir problems in the Central Plains.
The problem is they didn't know who that person was.
At Heavenly Gathering Clan, the Clan Master entered a quick meeting with several elders. They sat down around an oval wood table and looked at each other bitterly.
Even though all of them were Dou Venerate Experts, someone actually pulled strings from the shadow and used them. A bitter smile endorsed their wrinkled faces.
The Clan's Master, Qin Wuxe, looked at his fellow clanmates and calmly said, "We got played by this person."
The elders sighed when hearing this statement.
"Even if we relocate the medicine to Heavenly Slaying Sect, our situation won't be that different." Someone blurted sarcastically. "In this situation, the auction is our only way to survive."
"We are the host. The Eight Ancient Clans and other Factions won't be quiet, but they wouldn't be unreasonable, right?" Another elder added.
Qin Wuke nodded and returned, "Yeah... Even though the Hall of Souls and Hun Clan were pressuring us, other Factions wouldn't let them mess this event around."
"Hall of Souls pretty much hated among the Human, Beast Tribes, and Demonic Factions."
"This auction also could be a chance for us. Heavenly Gathering Clan has been under the control of the Heaven Slaying Sect for five hundred years, and with the result of this action, we can increase our strength."
The elders caught what their Clan Master meant.
Rewards lie behind danger.
There is no such thing as smooth sailing in cultivation.
They might not be able to enter the top ten, but the top twenty should be possible if the Heavenly Gathering Clan survives this auction. That is their hope.
Powerhouses started to appear in the territory of the Heavenly Gathering Clan. They are well-received and escorted to the glamorous pavilion, an inn, and an auction house.
At first, the Eight Ancient Clans appeared. Then One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions. They are the main power of the Central Plains.
Hall of Souls.
Pill Tower.
Profound Sky Sect.
Flower Sect.
Burning Flame Valley.
Ice River Valley.
Sound Valley.
Falling Star Pavilion.
Wind Lightning Pavilion.
Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion.
Yellow Spring Pavilion.
There are also Beast Tribes attending this auction.
And the most noticeable ones are.
Void Ancient Dragon Tribe.
Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.
Sun-Swallowing Nether Bird Tribe.
Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe.
Gold Swallowing Mouse Tribe.
Scorpion Dragon Tribe.
Silver-Scaled T-Rex Tribe.
The people from Demonic Factions also appeared, mainly from three Great Demonic Sects.
Jade Demon Sect.
Heavenly Feather Sect.
And lastly, Moon Purifying Sect.
Everyone stared at each other warily, realizing the Heavenly Gathering Clan had become a pool for experts. It was a deathly pool, as each expert could feel danger rising in the Auction Hall.
The auction hall wasn't too big based on this world's standard, but it could accommodate slightly over 100.000 people.
However, since this matter has become too big, the Heavenly Gathering Clan has decided to do an open auction. So the Auction Hall's ceiling was no longer to be seen, allowing everyone from the outside to see.
So, people who could sit inside the auction hall are famous throughout the Dou Qi Continent. They are the strongest out of the strongest, possessing an influence over the Continent's Forces.
But that also meant war could happen anytime.
The clan master of Heavenly Gathering Clan's complexion is sickly white pale when seeing the row of experts before him. He could only swallow his saliva nervously, hoping no one caused trouble.
The Heavenly Gathering Clan could have escaped by giving the treasure to a higher power, but other Major Factions wouldn't let them be.
Power is everything here.
The suffocating atmosphere overwhelmed the auction house and the surrounding area. Everyone within a ten-kilometer radius could feel it.
Thunderclaps are crackling, despite the bright clear blue sky.
A youth in a black robe observed the auction from afar, standing on the edge of the cliff. Beside him was a faint and almost transparent figure of a woman.
"The auction has started." An anxious but rare smile formed on the youth's face.
"Teacher, please wait. I'll get the medicine and recover your soul."
...
...
Far, far away.
The live replay of the heart-wrenching auction from Fire Shadow's Envoys displayed in Baek Ain's mind. It amused him watching over people bidding and throwing their treasures to win over 9 Tier Pill.
At first, everyone civils, but as the auction goes on, the bidding becomes more and more ridiculous.
The Heavenly Gathering Clan is the center of this chaos, receiving bids such as "an important portion of land and protection of the faction." from the representatives of Eight Ancient Clans and other major powers.
They are fawning over the Soul-Recovering Medicine.
The auction took three hours. But it was the most intense three hours in history. The bidders are on each other's necks, pushing and roping the enemy into traps one after another.
Only peak powers could participate without being afraid of offending others and outbid their enemies, not giving a chance to the lower caste.
But not surprisingly, the Gu Clan won the medicine by sacrificing two good lands on the Central Plains and protection over Heavenly Gathering Clan for two hundred years.
Still, the auction has just started.
Baek Ain's Fire Shadow Envoys have scattered around the area and discovered several people hiding in the shadows.
They also spotted Xiao Yan with a mysterious female ghost but haven't made their moves yet because this woman is irregular.
Everyone knew this hadn't finished as the Gu Clan's Representatives bought the medicine and immediately ran through a quickly-made Wormhole, disappearing into thin air.
"CATCH THEM!"
"DON'T LET THE MEDICINE RUN AWAY!"
Several roars echoed in the area as people from major powers chased after Gu Clan's representatives.
So what if you won the auction?
Can you bring it safely to your home?
Baek Ain smirked when seeing Xiao Yan and his mysterious female ghost chasing after Gu Clan's representatives too. The Fire Shadow's Envoys followed him silently, creating the most minimal Spatial Strength influx in the atmosphere.
Gu Clan's representatives were "relentlessly." chased for hours until they got cornered on the seaside. Even then, they could only wait and hope the backups arrived soon.
Gu Mian warily looked at the people surrounding his group.
"Hall of Souls, Shi Clan, Ling Clan, Yao Clan! Are you going to declare war against my GU CLAN!" He roared at them.
"Kekeke, this has nothing to do with war, Gu Mian." Someone from Hall of Souls returned indifferently. "Soul-Recovering Medicine, give it to us, and everything will be fine."
Gu Mian frowned and lashed, "Not in a million years."
"Then, there is no use for negotiation anymore." They surrounded the Gu Clan's representatives with Spatial Locking Arrays and started attacking them.
Gu Mian's expression sank as he commanded his people to fight with all they had.
The scent of sea and blood mixed in a matter of minutes.
Under the heavy siege, Gu Mian and other Gu Clan representatives received horrible injuries. No, they are on the verge of death right now.
"OCEAN DESTRUCTION FORMATION!" Gu Mian activated his bloodline power and unleashed a powerful formation, shaking the sky and ground.
SWOOOOOOOOSH!
"This is bad! How could he possess such a power?"
"He's insane... To sacrifice one's bloodline like this."
"Everyone, retreat!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An explosion swept the seaside, and a massive shockwave followed shortly after.
As the dust and smoke cleared, they could see a youth in a black robe suddenly appear and steal the medicine from Gu Mian's spatial ring.
They are infuriated.
"CATCH THAT BRAT!"
"KILL HIM!!"
The youth in the black robe panicked, but a mysterious female ghost abruptly manifested from thin air, creating a powerful barrier. The barrier is strong enough to deflect any incoming attacks.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
Everyone was shocked.
Such a powerful barrier.
"T-That woman is DOU SAINT!"
Winds blew over the seaside and pulled the robe away from the youth's head, revealing his face. No one recognized him besides Gu Clan's representatives and Baek Ain's Fire Shadow Envoys.
"X-Xiao Yan?!" A confused shout came from an elder from Gu Clan as he knew the youth. After all, he was one of the people who agreed on the plan of sending Gu Xun'er to the barren Jia Ma Empire.
"What are you doing here?"
"That medicine, hand it over here."
Xiao Yan maintained a calm expression and smiled, "Sorry, Seniors. I need this medicine to heal someone."
"Thanks for purchasing it for me."
Cough!
"Y-You-!" The elder coughed a mouthful of blood. He was angry beyond belief.
Xiao Yan looked at other people in the area and continued, "Then, Seniors. See you guys later."
The mysterious female ghost flicked her fingers and created a Wormhole, letting Xiao Yan run. But how could they allow these two to run away?
"CHASE HIM! EVERYONE, ATTACK!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Another chain of attacks fell onto Xiao Yan and Gu Clan's representatives, drowning them in countless Dou Techniques.
The Gu Clan's representatives are miserable.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan successfully ran away with the help of his mysterious female ghost.
"DAMN IT! THAT DAMNED BRAT!"
"PUT BRAT'S BOUNTY ALL OVER THE DOU QI CONTINENT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!!"
"BRING ME THAT BRAT NAME XIAO YAN!!!"
"I DON'T CARE IF HE WAS ALIVE OR NOT!!!"
Baek Ain's Fire Shadow Envoys slowly dispersed and threw some parasite spawns on Gu Clan's representatives. They are injured but haven't died yet. Baek Ain could use them later.
After that, all the Fire Shadow Envoys silently burst into white smoke.
Sitting on the back of Beast Tribe's Elder Xue Rongrong, Baek Ain smirked and commented, "The fish has taken the bait. The mission has succeeded."
"Dou Saint, huh?" Baek Ain tilted his head, recalling the power of Xiao Yan's helper. "Well, everything is still going according to my plan."
"One year should be enough."
"Enough for what?" A voice comes from behind. It was Lan Rou.
Lan Rou sat beside Baek Ain, brushing Cai Lin's hair, who was napping on her lap pillows.
Baek Ain smiled and answered, "To become a Dou Saint."