Chapter 043: The Nameless Demonic Aura

  "Master, we didn’t bring much blood stone when we left, and we still need to save some for the final auction item. We can’t bid any higher," an elderly man on the verge of his grave advised Li Hongtao. His eyes, though cloudy, gleamed with a sharp light, and his presence exuded an intangible pressure.

  "Why not?" A flash of irritation crossed Li Hongtao’s face as he glanced at the old man, his expression darkening. He then sneered, "The Yuan family has always been at odds with ours. This time, we must crush them!"

  A sinister glint flickered in Li Hongtao’s eyes as he coldly declared, "I bid one hundred thousand blood stones!"

  "Tsk, tsk, what a fool with too much money," Yang Tian muttered, rubbing his nose. He couldn’t help but chuckle. It was clear that Yuan Ling was toying with Li Hongtao.

  On the stage, the enchanting hostess, Hong Ji, beamed with delight upon hearing Li Hongtao’s bid. Her captivating peach-blossom eyes shifted toward Yuan Ling’s private room.

  "You’re impressive, spending one hundred thousand mid-grade blood stones on three Heavenly King’s Heart Pills. I bow to your extravagance. I won’t compete further," Yuan Ling’s voice rang out, laced with unmistakable mockery.

  The entire hall fell into silence.

  After a few moments, Li Hongtao’s face turned ashen, a mix of shame and anger flashing in his eyes. Clenching his fists, he hissed, "Yuan Ling, I hope I run into you at Martial Mountain."

  "Anytime. Just don’t run away when we meet," Yuan Ling retorted with disdain.

  "We’ll see!" The old man beside Li Hongtao shook his head slightly, watching his young master’s furious demeanor.

  "The three Heavenly King’s Heart Pills have been successfully auctioned by the guest in Room No. 8. Next, we will proceed with the auction of materials," Hong Ji announced, clapping her hands. A strong man in martial attire stepped forward, carrying a jade box.

  With a graceful motion, Hong Ji opened the box, revealing a fist-sized, crimson stone covered in intricate patterns.

  "Arf!" At that moment, Little White suddenly popped out from Yang Tian’s embrace, its pitch-black eyes fixated on the stone in Hong Ji’s hands. Drool dripped from its mouth as it stared with longing.

  "Huh?" Startled, Yang Tian quickly grabbed Little White, holding it back.

  "Arf! Arf!" Little White barked anxiously, its eyes never leaving the stone. Its furry belly rubbed against Yang Tian’s chest, clearly desperate.

  "Since when do you eat refining materials?" Yang Tian’s eyes narrowed with curiosity as he scrutinized the stone. This was the first time he had seen Little White react so intensely to something.

  "Crimson Blood Rock, an extremely hard material perfect for crafting peak Profound Rank artifacts. The starting bid is twenty thousand low-grade blood stones," Hong Ji announced, her gaze sweeping across the audience.

  "Twenty-one thousand!"

  "Twenty-two thousand!"

  Many skilled craftsmen began bidding. The Crimson Blood Rock was enough to forge a peak Profound Rank artifact, though success wasn’t guaranteed. But if successful, the profits would be substantial. The value of a peak Profound Rank artifact far exceeded that of a high-grade one.

  "Stay still," Yang Tian patted Little White’s head, frowning slightly. From Little White’s reaction, the stone seemed unusual, but Yang Tian didn’t have enough blood stones to bid recklessly.

  Soon, the price reached forty thousand, and few continued to bid. While the material was precious, the risk of failure in crafting deterred most from taking the gamble.

  "I bid forty-five thousand blood stones," a renowned craftsman from Martial City declared.

  "This gentleman has bid forty-five thousand. Are there any higher bids?" Hong Ji’s enchanting smile swept across the room.

  "I bid fifty thousand blood stones," a lazy voice suddenly interjected just as Hong Ji was about to finalize the deal.

  "Hmm." The craftsman’s face darkened at the new bid. He glanced toward the source of the voice and immediately slumped back into his chair, not daring to breathe too loudly.

  "Another bid from the Celestial Rank rooms. Today, three guests from there have already made their presence known," the crowd murmured.

  "Who is that?" In one of the private rooms, a refined young man with sharp eyebrows and fair skin—Yuan Ling—tilted his head slightly upon hearing the bid.

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  "Brother, that’s Big Brother Yang’s voice!" In another room, a green-clad girl suddenly stood up, her face lighting up with joy.

  "Oh?" Xing Hao chuckled, noticing his younger sister’s excitement. "Little sister, why are you so eager? What’s so special about Big Brother Yang?"

  "You…" The girl, Xing Yun’er, stamped her foot, her face flushing with embarrassment. She turned away and sat back down.

  Behind them, an elderly man cast a curious glance at Yun’er.

  "The Crimson Blood Rock has been successfully auctioned by the guest in Celestial Rank Room No. 9. Next, we will proceed with the next round of auctions."

  "Arf!" Little White seemed to understand, licking Yang Tian’s arm as if to curry favor.

  "You’re such a glutton…" Yang Tian sighed, stuffing Little White back into his robe. Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

  "Come in."

  The door creaked open, and a red-robed maiden entered with graceful steps, holding a jade tray. When she saw the black-robed figure, she was momentarily stunned but quickly composed herself.

  "Young Master, here is your Crimson Blood Rock," she said softly, presenting the tray to Yang Tian.

  "Ahem…" Yang Tian coughed lightly, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. He glanced at the maiden and said calmly, "I forgot to bring enough blood stones. Can we trade with items instead?"

  "This…" The maiden hesitated, a flicker of panic crossing her face. "Young Master, the auction rules…"

  Yang Tian waved his hand, cutting her off. "What? Even I can’t make an exception?"

  "N-no, Young Master," the maiden stammered, her mind racing. "May I report this to my superiors?"

  "Go ahead," Yang Tian said dismissively. As the maiden turned to leave, he suddenly called her back.

  "Young Master, is there something else?" The maiden tensed, her face pale.

  "Here, this is what I’ll trade." Yang Tian tossed a jade bottle to her, amused by her nervousness.

  "Young Master, I’ll take my leave now." The maiden curtsied and hurried out.

  "Arf!" Little White suddenly leaped out, baring its teeth at the spot where the maiden had disappeared. The jade tray was gone too.

  In an elegantly decorated room, a seductive woman lounged on a purple-gold chair. Her crimson dress clung tightly to her slender figure, and her deep cleavage was on full display.

  At that moment, the red-robed maiden entered, bowing respectfully as she quickly recounted the earlier events.

  "A guest from the Celestial Rank room is in debt?" The woman raised an eyebrow, her willow-like brows furrowing. She rummaged through a stack of documents on the table and pulled out a guest registry.

  "A guest from the Qingyang Empire, with a Five-Claw Invitation." The woman licked her lips, her narrow eyes gleaming with intrigue. She stood up, her ample curves accentuated by her movements.

  "Give him the market price."

  "Yes, Mistress." The maiden nodded and left.

  "Things are getting more complicated. Is the Qingyang Empire also making a move?" The woman paced the room, her swaying hips exuding an irresistible allure.

  ---

  Back in the private room, Yang Tian dismissed the maiden and scanned the contents of a spatial ring. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. After deducting the cost of the Crimson Blood Rock, there were still sixty thousand blood stones left. He was once again struck by the Crown Prince’s generosity.

  "Whoosh!" As soon as the maiden left, Little White leaped out and pounced on the Crimson Blood Rock, eagerly clutching it.

  "Crunch!" Its tiny teeth gnawed at the rock, but to Yang Tian’s astonishment, the stone remained unscathed, not even a chip falling off.

  "Whimper…" After a while, Little White looked up at Yang Tian with pitiful eyes, drool pooling on the floor.

  "Haha!" Yang Tian couldn’t help but laugh. He took the Crimson Blood Rock and examined it closely. After a while, he still couldn’t find anything unusual. He then glanced at Little White’s longing expression.

  "Is there something inside?" Yang Tian mused uncertainly.

  "Arf!" Little White wagged its tail, jumping up and down in agreement.

  After a moment of silence, Yang Tian drew his broken sword. Gripping it firmly, he began to carve into the Crimson Blood Rock.

  "This thing really is a treasure. It’s incredibly sharp," Yang Tian muttered as the rock peeled away like tofu. He knew how sharp Little White’s teeth were—they could tear through the hide of a second-tier beast with ease.

  As Yang Tian peeled away a layer of the rock, the crimson color gradually turned to a deep black.

  "There really is something inside!" Yang Tian’s face lit up with excitement. Just as he removed a layer of the black outer shell, an overwhelming demonic aura burst forth, like a waking dragon. The sheer force of it caused the surrounding space to tremble, as if on the verge of collapsing.

  "Whimper!" Little White was terrified, its fur standing on end as it dove back into Yang Tian’s robe.

  "Not good!" Yang Tian’s heart skipped a beat. With a swift motion, he concealed the black orb in his palm, and the terrifying aura vanished without a trace.

  The entire hall fell into dead silence. All eyes turned toward Room No. 9. Although the demonic aura had only appeared for a brief moment, it had left everyone trembling.

  "Such a powerful demonic aura… Could it be a great demon?" an elderly expert muttered uncertainly. If a great demon had infiltrated a human city, it could spark a massive conflict, potentially even leading to war.

  At the same time, dozens of powerful spiritual senses surged toward Yang Tian’s private room, bypassing the soundproofing and anti-detection formations with eerie ease.

  "Don’t move," Yang Tian whispered, stroking Little White’s back. He felt as though he were being locked onto by an invisible force. The slightest movement, and he might be crushed to pieces.

  "Brother, that’s Big Brother Yang’s room. Is he in trouble?" Yun’er stood up, peeking out the door toward Yang Tian’s room, her eyes filled with worry.

  "I don’t know. Third Elder, what’s going on in there?" Xing Hao turned to the elderly man beside him, urgency in his voice. The demonic aura had been too overwhelming.

  "It’s likely a demon core," the elderly man said, his expression odd. The overwhelming demonic aura had been completely shielded. Even with his spiritual senses, he couldn’t detect any unusual treasures on Yang Tian.

  "A demon core? That aura was terrifying. It must be a powerful one," Xing Hao muttered, scratching his head in disbelief.

  "Third Elder, is Big Brother Yang okay?" Yun’er walked over, her flawless face filled with concern.

  "Don’t worry, little girl. He’s in a Celestial Rank room. No one would dare to target him," the elderly man said with a chuckle, patting Yun’er’s head.

  "Oh…" Yun’er didn’t seem to catch the teasing tone in the elder’s voice. She continued to gaze out the door, her eyes fixed on Yang Tian’s room.