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--- Chapter 113 ---
Yu Long and his companions returned to the Blue Wind Imperial Palace with their carriage. It wasn't the fastest, but they arrived in five minutes because the Blue Sky Auction House was actually not too far away.
When entering the palace, Cang Wanhe glanced at his son-in-law and asked, "Is the city going to be okay? I'm afraid because of this auction, there will be chaos brewing tonight."
"Those experts... I don't think they have ever been in the Blue Wind Empire before."
"Because they aren't from around here." Lan Shirou added, staring into the distance. She sighed and stared at her husband, "Give it a few hours, and everything will be fine."
"Maybe you drink too much, and it makes you anxious."
"I... Yeah, maybe I am." Cang Wanhe shook his head dizzily.
Lan Shirou smiled and said to Yu Long, "I will bring him to the bedroom."
Yu Long nodded, "Don't worry, leave the rest to me."
"The Blue Wind Empire is under Lost Heaven Sect's protection. They wouldn't do reckless things, but if they did try..."
"They won't leave unscathed."
After hearing that, Lan Shirou giggled and brought her husband inside the palace. She was confident her son-in-law could deal with those monarch-level experts because he saved her life once.
At the time, he was only twelve.
Cang Yue waved her hand and said, "Goodnight, Mom."
"Goodnight." Lan Shirou and Cang Wanhe entered the emperor's bedroom.
Xia Qingyue watched this and asked, "You've sent Sister Guan to help Lily, right?"
Yu Long stretched his shoulders and responded, "Yes. She knew Lily the best."
"Around this time, the Blue Sky Auction House would be surrounded by people. How could they not be attracted by the ancient ruin Lily mentioned in the auction?"
"If the ruin is real, they would get their nose straight on it."
"Unfortunately, it's fake, huh?" Xia Qingyue got what Yu Long was saying.
Chu Yueli had a weird glint in her icy-blue eyes and commented, "But Lily should be able to handle it on herself, no? Among the Shadow Brides, her fighting prowess is no lower than Hong Guan."
"She can't." Yu Long chuckled helplessly.
"Eh?" Chu Yueli was taken aback.
"What do you mean she can't?" Cang Yue was also curious.
Yu Long shook his head slightly and continued, "It seems you forget what kind of person Lily is. How could she let her cash cow away? She's going to milk them dry."
Xia Qingyue tapped her chin and mumbled, "At the same time, Lily put herself in a weak character, which lowered her target's suspicion."
"She was planning this from the very beginning."
"You send Sister Guan not to help Lily but to stop her from stepping over the boundary too much." Her eyes lit up.
"Ah... What a terrifying con artist." Chu Yuechan mumbled on the side.
"Terrifying is not the right word. Scheming is perfect for her." Yu Long laughed, giving his companions a weird feeling.
Why did you sound so proud? They stared at him bizarrely.
Yu Long rested his hands on his back and said, "Although the Four Great Sacred Grounds are our enemy, I never put them in my eyes. Even then, I'm still calculating the payback they should receive for making my family suffer too much."
"Some deserved more, and some deserve less."
"I can't let them die earlier, no?" He slowly floated above the Blue Sky Imperial Palace. "Yueli, Yuechan, protect this place."
"Okay, Young Master." The Chu Sisters nodded.
Chu Yuechan gazed at Yu Long's back and found him like an unrivaled immortal in the night sky. His calm and confident demeanor makes her heart beat rapidly.
"Let's go." Chu Yueli noticed her sister's state and dragged her hand gently.
"Mm." Chu Yuechan followed Chu Yueli.
Xia Qingyue and Cang Yue floated up, staring at the lively scenery of Blue Wind Imperial City.
"It would be bad if people were fighting here." Cang Yue suddenly said.
"Don't jinx it." Yu Long pulled her cheeks teasingly. "We don't know what kind of power those monarch-level experts wield."
"They wouldn't be able to injure Hong Guan and Lily, but I can't say the same for the innocent civilians nearby."
"But with you around, nothing will happen..." Xia Qingyue followed shortly after.
"You two are so cheeky~!" Yu Long let out a heartful look. In the end, he embraced both beauties with his arms. Thankfully, they are in the night sky, or blood of jealousy would pour on the land due to single men and women in the area.
...
Blue Sky Auction House.
Lily was 'quickly' surrounded by the five monarch-level experts on the backstage of the auction hall.
"Well, let's not beat around the bush, Manager." Zi Ji smiled at Lily.
"We would like to know the location of the Secret Realm where you discovered the Plucking Sky and the ancient record of it."
"Don't bother to lie." Ye Ming grinned. "You can't afford it."
Gu Cang frowned and shielded Lily from them, "Don't you think it's too much to bully a little girl, Zi Ji, Ye Ming."
Ye Ming snorted, "At least I'm not a hypocrite like you."
"You protected that little girl from us to loosen her guard down."
Lily listened to their conversation calmly and thought, 'Who is little girl, you old fossil!'
She sighed because everything worked too well. At this point, she could proceed to the next step.
'What are you going to do next?' A familiar voice suddenly invaded Lily's ears. Lily shivered and looked around, finding Hong Guan leaning against a wall not far away.
Lily's mouth twitched because this meant her young master knew about the auction.
'I'll start another auction.' She answered casually.
'As expected of the money-grubber, Lily.' Hong Guan commented upon hearing Lily's next move.
Lily ignored Hong Guan, who hid her presence from all these monarch-level experts, and stared at her cash cows, "I could tell you about the Secret Realm's location."
"Oh?" Zi Ji was surprised.
He was surprised because Lily could stay still in the presence of five monarch-level experts.
Two from the Black Moon Merchant Guild.
Another two from the Sun Moon Divine Hall.
And lastly, one from Absolute Monarch Sanctuary.
The combination of their status should make this little girl from the Blue Wind Empire afraid, but she's surprisingly calm.
"This... You don't have to be afraid. Even though I'm alone, they wouldn't be able to touch you." Gu Cang said. He was confused by Lily's decision.
Lily smiled and said, "I've said it in the auction. People like me want profit."
"You're too greedy." Ye Ming found this situation funny.
"Is it bad to be greedy?" Lily returned calmly. "Greed is part of human nature."
She rubbed her hands and continued, "I can sell the information about Secret Realm's location, even the guide to enter it."
"However, I think your pocket wouldn't be enough."
"Are you looking down on us?" Four monarch-level experts narrowed their eyes.
Lily sighed, "I'm not. Truthfully, revealing this information will cause prosperity and disaster on the Profound Sky Continent."
"Just name the price. The Black Moon Merchant Guild is the richest in this continent." Zi Ji said with a stern voice.
Lily had a sly look under her rueful expression and said, "One billion purple coins."
"For each Sacred Ground."
"One billion, each??" They were speechless.
"Girl, that's not much different than robbing us!" One monarch-level expert voiced out.
Lily stared at that monarch and added, "The information is worth the price as it guarantees your safety in the Secret Ruin as well."
"And I believe men of your caliber won't lower yourself to this helpless little girl's level."
"Of course, you can change my mind anytime, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it."
With that last sentence, Lily made them feel awkward.
Yes, people of their status won't lower themselves to bully her. What they did earlier was to test whether she had the information or just bluffed them.
"Very well, one billion it is." Zi Ji stared at Lily amusingly. "However, I didn't bring that much money around."
"I assume the same for my friends here."
"Hmph, who is your friend?" Ye Ming scoffed back.
"Aih..." Gu Cang sighed. "I only have two hundred billion left after getting the Plucking Sky."
Lily clapped her hands, "It's so easy~! If you don't have money, you can use a treasure of the same value!"
"..." Zi Ji.
"..." Ye Ming.
"..." Gu Cang.
"..." Two other monarchs.
"..." Hong Guan.
She must have planned this!
"I didn't plan to reveal this information, but you changed my mind." Lily put on an innocent and shy expression.
"Teehee~!"
Everyone in the room collectively twitched their mouths.
After paying some hefty prices and rare treasures, Lily placed them safely in her spatial ring and sighed in relief.
"Here is the information about the Secret Realm. Feel free to check them on your way back." She handed three jade slips to Zi Ji, Ye Ming, and Gu Cang.
"Farewell, gentlemen."
After that, the five monarchs felt the array's power invading their bodies as they were 'instantly' sent out of the Blue Sky Auction House.
"Hahaha~! I'm RICH!" Lily shouted in delight.
...
"This..." Zi Ji and others appeared on the Blue Wind Imperial City's street.
They looked at each other weirdly.
Even though Lily said the information would be worth it, they couldn't help but doubt it.
Zi Ji checked the jade slip and said, "I see... So, the secret realm is in the Wasteland of Death. That's a forbidden area in the Blue Wind Empire's territory."
Ye Ming frowned, "This information is lacking. She didn't tell us what kind of treasure we could get there..."
Gu Cang stared at them and commented solemnly, "It seems you two are forgetting that Blue Wind Empire is also under another Sacred Land's protection."
"She sold us information, knowing we wouldn't dare to move recklessly."
"She completely fooled us." A helpless smile appeared on Gu Cang's face.
"Who cares! That little bitch dares to trick me!" Ye Ming roared angrily.
"If she doesn't show herself in five seconds, I will flatten this city!"
"Are you sure?" A mocking voice suddenly appeared.
"Can you really do that?"
They looked up and saw a young man in a blue suit hovering in the air.
"Y-Young Friend Yu." Zi Ji recognized Yu Long immediately.
"You're..." Ye Ming's expression darkened.
Yu Long stared at Ye Ming emotionlessly and said, "Repeat what you said earlier. I'd like to see how you flatten this city."
"Before me, the husband of Blue Wind Empire's princess, you're simply asking for a beating."
"Hmph, you're just a disciple of Lost Heaven Master. Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Ye Ming lashed out even more, making Zi Ji pale.
'What an idiot.' Zi Ji backed away, bringing his agent along. He doesn't want to get involved with this fool named Ye Ming.
Gu Cang noticed Zi Ji's action and also retreated.
Yu Long looked down emotionlessly and said, "Even a third-rate monarch like you dare to disrespect me. It seems the Lost Heaven Sect is nothing in your guys' eyes."
"Well, I don't waste my time. Just die." He waved his hand casually.
A terrifying red light escaped Yu Long's sleeve and enveloped Ye Ming's body, reducing him into a bloody mist.
He died just like that!
Zi Ji, Gu Cang, and the remaining monarch sucked a cold breath.
"Remember, as long as I'm alive..." Yu Long said before disappearing into the darkness. "This city is under my protection."
"I don't care who you are..."
"If you ever threaten the city again. Death is your only ending."
On a silent night, chill invades the four monarchs' spines.
Tonight, they finally witnessed a bit of Yu Long's true power.
This is also a warning for them. No, this is a warning for the Four Great Sacred Grounds!