Chapter 224: Dark Auction

Tang Wulin took advantage of the auction not having started yet to observe the participants around him.

Obviously, those who can attend this kind of auction are basically not good people; although many wear black hoods, they still reveal a hint of sinister aura, and some even exude a faint smell of blood.

The deathly stench on them is very strong, but unlike Huo Yutong's near-divine death aura, their deathly aura is extremely turbid, mixed with many disgusting things, making Tang Wulin, this Natural Son, feel very uncomfortable.

His heart gradually sank; according to statistics from Shilake Academy, the number of Evil Soul Masters in various countries has been declining in recent years. He had thought this was because opposition to Evil Soul Masters had become deeply rooted, but now it seems he overestimated that.

Why has the number of Evil Soul Masters from the original three countries decreased? Because they all fled to the Ri Yue Di Guo! It's a simple, boring answer, unfortunately not funny at all.

After waiting half an hour, a black-clothed person wearing a crow mask walked onto the auction stage, coughed twice, and his voice was transmitted throughout the auction hall via the Amplified Soul Conductor.

"Cough cough, everyone be quiet, this auction will start soon; I hope all guests can obtain a satisfying shopping experience."

His voice is quite strange; at first listen it sounds very pleasant, yet it subtly reveals a hint of allure, making people unconsciously want to become immersed in it.

A flash of golden light passed through Tang Wulin's eyes; he alertly looked toward Gongyang Mo beside him, and their gazes met, both seeing the same hint of solemnity in each other's eyes.

A spiritual-type soul master, and most likely also an Evil Soul Master.

In terms of cultivation, they are mostly around the five-ring level, not too troublesome, but they still have more than enough influence over some attendees with lower spiritual power.

At least Tang Wulin noticed that some people around him had already begun to look dazed.

If this were done outside, it would certainly not be allowed; the auctioneer using spiritual enticement to control customers into spending money on goods is undoubtedly a serious violation.

But at this dark auction, it seems no one cares at all; although the private boxes certainly contain strong individuals, someone would surely notice the host's tricks, yet they all tacitly permit it.

This feeling is too strange, to the point that Tang Wulin feels he is not participating in an auction but rather in some ritual to summon an evil god.

The host on stage continued speaking:

"First, thank you all honored guests for coming from afar to participate in our auction; in the history of our auction, no item has ever gone unsold, so I believe you will definitely find a treasure that satisfies you in this auction."

"Next, let us invite the first auction item; as per the old rule, the quality of the first item is only surpassed by the final climax item and the second-to-last item, making it rank third in quality for this auction, and its code name is Crazy Tiger."

After saying that, a black-clothed person pushed a cart onto the stage; as the cloth covering the cart was lifted, a human silhouette was revealed.

This is a muscular man covered in scars; his muscles bulge all over, and just one glance makes it clear how strong he is.

But now he does not give much pressure, because his gaze is extremely dull, as if everything happening at the scene has nothing to do with him.

Seeing him, some soul masters on site couldn't help but let out low exclamations; obviously they recognized him.

The host's effeminate voice, with the help of the Amplified Soul Conductor, spread throughout the venue.

"Looking at the guests' reactions, it's obvious many know him, but to accommodate those who don't, please those in the know bear with me for a moment while I give an introduction."

"His name is Ling Qi, a Soul Emperor–level powerhouse, martial soul Overlord Tiger, a terrorist with extreme hostility toward the Ri Yue Di Guo, also intensely despising Evil Soul Masters; he once hunted down many outstanding Evil Soul Master seedlings, and it's heartbreaking that he succeeded many times, with many excellent talents falling at his hands." "To punish him, the Evening Water Alliance specially invited an eighth-rank Soul Conductor to leave seclusion, subdue him in the Dou Ling Guo where he had been recently, and then used secret arts to turn him into his current state."

"Now he has lost his mind, only obeying the commands of his contract partner; however, please rest assured, unlike Soul Conductors, as an assault-type soul master he still retains more than half of his strength even without consciousness, and having such a puppet by one's side not only increases safety but also makes things much more convenient."

"The starting bid is two million gold soul coins, each raise not less than fifty thousand gold soul coins; the opportunity to obtain such an absolutely obedient Soul Emperor–level powerhouse is rare, so please don't miss it."

"Then let the bidding begin."

As his words fell, bidding voices rose and fell throughout the auction hall.

Looking at the dazed Ling Qi on stage, Tang Wulin's heart plummeted to the bottom.

Just what did he hear? The Evening Water Alliance invited an eighth-rank Soul Conductor to subdue this powerful Soul Emperor in other countries, basically confirming the cooperation between the Ri Yue Di Guo and the Holy Spirit Sect.

If he guessed correctly, most of the money earned from this auction will likely be shared with the Ri Yue Di Guo; the biggest backer behind this dark market is the state itself.

No wonder the Holy Spirit Sect can survive and still have sufficient funds and cultivation resources to circulate; given that the prerequisite for Evil Soul Masters to level up quickly is harming life, it's hard for them to grow in other countries.

This shattered the last lingering hope in Tang Wulin's heart, making it hard for him to retain even a hint of goodwill toward that country.

A country capable of such insane acts might as well be destroyed.

In the end, Ling Qi was sold for a high price of four million gold soul coins; Tang Wulin and Gongyang Mo did not make a move.

Not to mention they lacked sufficient funds; even if they had enough money to buy Ling Qi, they would not intervene.

This time they were merely spectators, just coming to see what exactly is being sold at this slave-trading auction.

Moreover, the upcoming auction items made Tang Wulin's mood grow even worse.

One must admit, the quality of goods at this auction is indeed much higher than those of the outside stalls; not only are the varieties complete, but each item's quality is also excellent.

Take soul masters as an example: those sold outside are at most Soul Ancestor level, Soul Elders are rarely seen, and even a Grand Soul Master could be considered a shop's treasure for a regular stall, yet this auction directly sells Soul Emperors.

Besides that, the female slaves' appearance is obviously much better; each is an absolute beauty, and their identities are mostly high-ranking, with some nobles mixed in as well.

As for those used as cultivation materials, most have special functions; for instance, the fourth auction item has an extremely high soul concentration, making it extremely suitable for refining into vengeful spirits.

Tang Wulin truly didn't know how he managed to restrain himself from smashing this auction.

By the way, I've been exhausted these past few days; I bought Black Myth and played it a bit.

As a result, I got beaten up by the big head.

How can he pull off a wide-range AOE five-hit combo?!

(End of chapter)