Chapter 141: Only Because of Fate

Only after finishing all this did the feeling of several great mountains pressing down on Chen Ronghua's body loosen slightly, yet it did not vanish completely.

And Chen Ronghua did not dawdle; right under everyone's watchful eyes, he left behind five thousand spirit stones, held his severed arm in his other hand, and scrambled out of the auction house in a panic.

Watching Chen Ronghua's retreating back, the auction house fell utterly silent — a pin drop could be heard.

Even after Yu Changsheng withdrew his aura and divine sense, this silence persisted for a while; no one dared speak, everyone sunk deep into shock and fear.

That drowning, suffocating sensation from a single thought still hung over everyone's hearts like a massive shadow.

Therefore, even though Chen Ronghua crawled out before him in abject terror, not a single person dared to mock him.

Golden Core! In this tiny speck of land, that is a heaven-like existence; even in the entire Wanxiang Sect, they are figures who must be treated with courtesy, let alone in this small Fang City.

Only after that terrifying pressure slowly dissipated and Yu Dahai leisurely put away the spirit stones Chen Ronghua left behind — pride hard to hide on his face — did he, upon receiving Yu Changsheng's sound transmission, smile faintly and say slowly: "Just now was a minor interlude; fellow Daoists, please don't mind."

"Also, let me take this chance to state our Qiyao Pavilion's stance: toward guests, we naturally extend every welcome, and we will keep striving to improve our service to give you the most refined experience."

"But for those with ulterior motives, don't blame our Qiyao Pavilion for being ruthless; here, no matter who you are or what status you hold, all are treated equally, fairly and justly."

"Now, let the auction continue; please bid again."

Don't be fooled by Yu Dahai's calm words — in truth, his inner shock was no less immense.

He originally thought Yu Changsheng was at most Foundation Establishment, but upon hearing the crowd's words, alongside disbelief, his heart surged with excitement and satisfaction.

Even though he knew clearly Yu Changsheng could not be Golden Core, that didn't matter — others believing he is Golden Core is enough.

After all, no one dares risk offending a Golden Core Ancestor to cause trouble.

After a period of silence, someone finally spoke up to bid; with this display of might, those who had hesitated, wanting to bid but afraid, completely let go of their wariness and began bidding.

And those harboring other thoughts all fell silent, not daring the slightest irregularity, obediently following procedure.

Perhaps because of the Golden Core Ancestor's reputation, this auction turned out even more heated than the last, until finally the price settled at five thousand two hundred spirit stones.

"Five thousand two hundred spirit stones, three times! Congratulations to this Dao Friend for winning the Three-Legged Sun Bird!"

Yu Dahai brought down the gavel, finalizing this transaction.

The successful bidder was a middle-aged cultivator of average cultivation; though pained by the cost, he still showed a smile after winning.

Secretly, many gazes fell on that cultivator, recognizing him.

"Wu Yinglong, a Loose Cultivator from nearby, no background; years ago he was an Outer Disciple of the Wanxiang Sect, who knows what fortune he stumbled upon later, to be able to produce over five thousand spirit stones…"

Though they said so, it was only covert appraisal; recalling the earlier incident, they quickly withdrew their gazes — at least on the surface, no one dared act out.

Wu Yinglong was fairly vigilant too; after paying and collecting the goods, he lingered no longer, used an art to conceal his aura, and quietly left through the auction's back door.

In the crowd, there were always one or two people watching Wu Yinglong's empty seat, eyes flickering, then leaning over to whisper to their attendants; unnoticed, the attendants also slowly vanished from the auction house.

No background, low cultivation, yet carrying a fortune — such a fat sheep…

Inside the auction house they dare not act for now, but outside, they needn't dirty their own hands… Backstage, after withdrawing his divine sense, Yu Changsheng immediately swallowed several pills in succession and sat in meditation to recover; his breath was disordered, complexion pale — he had severely overdrawn himself.

"Even though the burst didn't last long, my divine sense did indeed reach Golden Core level, but my cultivation and body ultimately can't sustain it; such an outburst, for me, cannot be maintained for long."

Gradually, Yu Changsheng's breathing steadied, his complexion gradually regained color; sensing some people's small movements in the crowd, he smiled coldly.

"Seems the deterrence still isn't enough; fine, might as well use this chance to make you all thoroughly behave."

Thinking thus, Yu Changsheng slowly closed his eyes and continued meditating to recover.

On the auction stage, the auction continued; the final finale spirit beast appeared, and Yu Dahai introduced it with proper solemnity: "No more nonsense — another rare mutated spirit beast, the Nine-Colored Chicken King, possibly carrying a trace of Nine-Colored Phoenix bloodline, with the potential for atavistic return.

Though its cultivation is low, its comprehension is astonishing; nurtured with care, its potential is limitless! Interested friends had best seize the chance — this is the last strange beast of this session!"

"Starting price, one thousand spirit stones!"

Immediately many showed interest, finding it curious, and raised their paddles to bid.

"Look, this chicken is quite interesting — it even plays ball, and it's good-looking too."

"Indeed not bad; judging by age, it's probably been raised about two and a half years, growth potential really is good!"

"Qiyao Pavilion's beasts are indeed all quite good."

…

Amid the discussion, the price climbed higher and higher, finally reaching five thousand nine spirit stones, even higher than the previous one.

At this price, it was basically beyond everyone's reach.

Yu Dahai also thought this was the limit, and was just about to bring down the gavel…

"I bid six thousand spirit stones!"

A voice rang out; everyone started, turning toward the sound.

Slowly raising his paddle and speaking, face pained, eyes struggling yet revealing determination, clad in Beast Taming Peak Outer Sect Disciple robes, neatly groomed, hair parted symmetrically into two bangs from the center of his forehead — a striking sight.

"Isn't that Miao Wenlun? He's here too."

"Right, as a Beast Tamer, he's famous for liking to study all kinds of weird spirit beasts; a strange beast like this, he naturally wouldn't miss."

Recognizing him, no one continued bidding against him — after all, six thousand spirit stones is already an extremely high price; ordinary Qi Refining cultivators truly can't produce it.

Miao Wenlun's face also showed heartache, but he felt that if he missed this time, he would surely regret it later; fortunately, over these years he still had some savings, plus the reward from the last competition — six thousand spirit stones, gritting his teeth, he could still afford it.

As for why he's so willing?

Only because…

He felt this chicken, and he, were fated! (Chapter End)