The remaining nine members of the Lingbao Auction House were completely stunned.
They silently watched Xu Yang, their hearts in turmoil.
Zhao Long was dead, reduced to nothing after a single punch from a Qi Refining cultivator.
Now, what should they do? The Fang Tian Sword was still in Xu Yang's hands.
If they simply returned to the Lingbao Auction House like this, they would surely be doomed.
The auction house had paid a great price to obtain the Fang Tian Sword, and they couldn't afford to lose it!
Hu Tao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stepped forward.
"The Fang Tian Sword is of great importance to us. We ask that you return it, and the Lingbao Auction House will definitely offer something of equal value as a token of our gratitude."
Xu Yang looked up and saw an elderly cultivator with white hair, in the late Golden Core stage, speaking respectfully to him.
"Return it? This is mine. Why would I need to 'return' it?" Xu Yang sneered.
With the Fang Tian Sword now in his possession and his goal accomplished, Xu Yang turned to leave, completely ignoring Hu Tao.
Everyone automatically stepped aside, watching Xu Yang leave.
Seeing Xu Yang's calm expression, the others couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
Just a moment ago, they had mocked Xu Yang... What if he decided to take revenge later?
As expected, someone capable of entering a secret realm couldn't possibly be just a Qi Refining cultivator.
It seemed that they would need to be more cautious in the future when roaming the martial world. People these days were mentally twisted—strong enough to be nearly invincible but always pretending to be weak...
The nine members of the Lingbao Auction House fell into a long silence, ultimately lacking the courage to confront Xu Yang for the Fang Tian Sword. They disappeared into the distance, rushing toward the exit of the secret realm.
...
Qi State, Tianwu Prefecture
Near the bustling market, there stood a quiet, grand mansion, old yet serene.
A two-story building stood gracefully by the water, its red walls and blue tiles exuding an air of grandeur.
This was the residence of the president of the branch of the Lingbao Auction House.
Suddenly, nine figures streaked through the air, breaking the calm with their urgent speed.
Inside the two-story building, an old man suddenly opened his eyes, and a sharp light flashed.
"What's the matter, why the panic?"
He was the president of theLingbao Auction House branch, Zhang Shuangtian! A cultivator in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm! He was the true ruler of Qi State!
Zhang Shuangtian sent a strand of his divine sense to scan the outside, his expression instantly filled with suspicion.
"Where is Zhao Long? Why are there only nine of you? Where is the Fang Tian Sword?"
Boom...
Just as Zhang Shuangtian furrowed his brows in confusion, nine Golden Core cultivators rushed in.
"President, something terrible has happened! Zhao Long has been killed, and the Fang Tian Sword has been taken!"
The nine Golden Core cultivators knelt on the ground, trembling with fear as they spoke.
"What?!" Zhang Shuangtian's anger surged! He couldn't believe it and asked in a deep voice, "What did you just say?"
The nine Golden Core cultivators exchanged terrified glances before squeezing out a few words through clenched teeth: "President, Zhao Long was killed, and the Fang Tian Sword was taken…"
"Who did this?!" Zhang Shuangtian's eyes turned cold, his face darkening. His words were like a chilling breeze from the depths of hell, icy and biting!
He had nearly exhausted half of his fortune to obtain the Fang Tian Sword. It had finally been within his grasp, only for it to be snatched away.
"Who did it?! I'll tear him apart!" Zhang Shuangtian ground his teeth in fury.
Nine cultivators at the Golden Core stage looked at each other in shock. They had followed Zhang Shuangtian for many years, but they had never seen him this violent.
"It was that ancestor from Tianlan Sect, Xu Yang did it," one of the Golden Core cultivators said boldly.
"Is it the Tianlan Sect that's been making a big stir recently?" Zhang Shuangtian lowered his head and pondered.
He was naturally aware of the recent commotion surrounding the Tianlan Sect.
Rumors had it that when the Tianlan Sect was on the brink of annihilation, an ancestor in the Qi Refining stage appeared... and single-handedly destroyed the largest sect in Qi State, then proceeded to act high-profile, sweeping through Qi State with an invincible aura.
They even disregarded the attempts of Tianwu County to win them over.
"Indeed impressive. No wonder they dared to steal my Fangtian Sword. But so what? No matter how strong they are, they can only hop around in Qi State."
"Qi State, in this world, is just a corner. Your legend ends here!"
As he spoke, Zhang Shuangtian's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The nine Golden Core cultivators trembled under Zhang Shuangtian's terrifying pressure, their bodies shaking as they collapsed to the ground in defeat.
...
In the secret area, Xu Yang calmly watched as Ling Qingshu fought a demonic beast. Although Ling Qingshu was in imminent danger, Xu Yang showed no sign of concern.
The demonic beast had eight soft yellow claws, each lined with black suckers.
It looked almost like an octopus!
"Bro, I think if you keep watching, she's going to die," Fang Yan couldn't help but remind Xu Yang.
Ling Qingshu had already been struck several times by the beast's claws, her body covered in wounds.
It pained Fang Yan to see such a beautiful girl treated this way by Xu Yang.
"Let her die if she dies," Xu Yang said casually, holding a few red fruits in his hand.
These fruits were rare even a thousand years ago, worth a fortune, but now they had fallen to the point where even dogs wouldn't eat them.
He couldn't understand what had happened in these thousand years.
Boom... boom...
Ling Qingshu was still fighting the beast, which was extremely powerful. She was no match for it at all.
Fang Yan watched her nervously, holding a large red blade, ready to step in and save her at any moment.
Whenever Ling Qingshu was in danger, Xu Yang would offer some guidance. Though she was at risk, she didn't immediately collapse.
Fang Yan, listening to Xu Yang's pointers, felt he was learning a lot. He couldn't help but ask, "What cultivation level are you, really?"
"I'm at the Qi Refining stage," Xu Yang replied.
"You? Qi Refining? You think you can kill Zhao Long with one punch?" Fang Yan didn't believe it for a second.
"Because... I'm at the 10,000th level of Qi Refining," Xu Yang said.
Fang Yan almost choked. He rolled his eyes and said, "You could've just said you don't want to say. No need for this ridiculous lie."
Xu Yang knew that even if he told the truth, no one would believe him.
Just then, Ling Qingshu made a mistake. The octopus-like creature wrapped one of its soft claws around her and tried to shove it into its disgusting mouth.
Hmm?
Boom...
Xu Yang moved. The Fangtian Sword cut through the air, releasing several white sword qis, and smashed into the beast.
The beast's claw was instantly severed by Xu Yang, and he leaped onto the creature's round head.
The Fangtian Sword erupted with a blinding white light and thrust down. The beast's head exploded like tofu.
Fang Yan was stunned, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Damn, it's just like this? You say you're at the Qi Refining stage, who the hell would believe that, who's the idiot here?"
Xu Yang found the inner core of the beast from its lifeless body, took it out, and handed it to Fang Yan.
"Eat this."
Fang Yan's face immediately collapsed. This was the inner core of a demonic beast. Eating it directly would kill someone!
He looked up at Xu Yang with a resentful expression: "Bro, what did I do wrong? Why do you want me to die?"