Chapter 819

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yixian noticed Xiao Yan's unusual demeanor and turned her head toward the direction of the Daluo Tianyu.

But Xiao Yan quickly withdrew his gaze, shook his head and said: "Nothing, I just felt the Lord of Daluo Tianyu seemed strange."

Xiao Yan didn't press further; although he sensed peculiar spiritual energy fluctuations from this Lord of Daluo, and deduced that the Lord was likely not human but a transformed miraculous exotic flower, he had no interest in gossip—what others did was their own business, and he still had a group of Strange Flames.

Yet this speculation didn't last long; in the past, the arrival of a single Earth Supreme would have shaken the entire Shang Zhi Da Lu, for an Earth Supreme could rule one or even several continents, and in ordinary auctions, low-grade Sacred Artifacts used by lower-tier Earth Supremes were already sufficient as the closing auction item.

But clearly, today, at this once-in-a-decade auction in Shang Cheng, lower-tier Earth Supremes were not enough to draw attention.

After all, the Northern Realm where Daluo Tianyu resided was merely a corner of Tian Luo Da Lu, and that corner housed more than one Earth Supreme faction—powers like Xuantian Palace, Youming Palace, and Shen Ge also arrived from afar, each leader displaying their own unique prowess.

Above the sky, ancient palaces and divine pavilions floated, ancient ships roared through the heavens, and even a mighty panda bore a powerful cultivator; serpents and dragons slithered through the air, while lotus flowers radiated Buddhist light above Shang Cheng's heads, as if someone sat upon a colossal Buddha—utterly bizarre.

"So many Earth Supremes."

"Yes, Earth Supremes rarely seen in daily life have arrived in large numbers."

"These are merely lower-tier Earth Supremes; I heard the Great Xia Empire, ruler of Dong Yu, and the Holy Demon Palace, ruler of Nan Yu, have sent powerful figures—all of them upper-tier Earth Supremes!" someone whispered.

Some major figures were more reserved; their arrivals were not made known to all.

But true dragons are true dragons—even if they try to be low-key, it's nearly impossible; once one reaches a certain level, staying inconspicuous becomes extremely difficult.

At the western gate of Shang Cheng, a man walked in alone, with no attendants, no Divine Chariot, and no display of grandeur.

This man stepped slowly into Shang Cheng; each step seemed unhurried, yet the scenery flickered, and the world changed as if he had crossed into another realm—in truth, his speed was astonishing, instantly arriving at the auction hall's entrance.

The man moved with complete ease; as he walked through Shang Cheng's bustling streets, where carriages flowed like water and horses galloped like dragons, where pedestrians sweated profusely and shoulders brushed against shoulders, he still walked as if strolling through his own garden, his leisurely pace as if admiring the scenery on either side of the road.

Passersby didn't notice him, yet for some reason, they all instinctively avoided him.

It was as if a true dragon or a fierce tiger walked among them—without baring its fangs, even small animals unfamiliar with it would instinctively flee.

The man wore a golden-yellow robe embroidered with a colossal dragon; though he did not unleash supreme divine might, his glances carried an air of supreme arrogance, as if swallowing mountains and rivers—his gaze was resolute, commanding respect without anger, making others dare not meet his eyes; many who met his gaze immediately averted their eyes, filled with fear.

"That dragon pattern—it's the Heavenly Dragon Clan!!"

"The Supreme Divine Beast clan—the Heavenly Dragon Clan?! Second only to the True Dragon Clan among dragon clans!"

"Could that man be the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor?!"

Finally, as the man reached the auction hall's entrance, an elder cultivator recognized him and was stunned—he hurried forward and bowed deeply in full reverence.

Though this elder cultivator appeared human, he was in fact a Spiritual Beast with an extremely diluted Dragon Clan bloodline.

For Spiritual Beasts, bloodline is everything; higher bloodlines tower over lower ones like emperors over subjects.

The man merely smiled at the bow from this cultivator with a trace of dragon blood, continuing his leisurely stroll without acknowledging him.

"What? The Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor!" Hearing this, everyone nearby froze; though many had never seen the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor, they had all heard his name.

Generally, dragon clans—especially those with Divine Beast-level bloodlines—rarely leave; they remain in their ancestral lands to cultivate, striving to achieve Bloodline Ancestral Return and reach Supreme Divine Beast status.

But the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor was the opposite; for Heavenly Dragon clan members who commonly live for thousands or even ten thousand years, he was extremely young—only a hundred years old—and his bloodline was extraordinarily noble, nearing Supreme Divine Beast level, and his Cultivation Realm had reached Great Perfection Earth Supreme Peak—just one step away from the legendary realm.

Even as a Great Perfection Earth Supreme, due to his bloodline, his combat power far surpassed that of ordinary Great Perfection Earth Supreme Peak cultivators.

Instantly, countless eyes fixed on the man; though he radiated no Dragon Might, he exuded an aura that inspired solemn reverence.

"Is he… really the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor?" Many watching didn't recognize him—in truth, few had ever seen the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor.

"Yes, he is the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor," a cultivator who had met him before nodded firmly.

"A dragon clan elder has come? I thought dragon clans, as Supreme Divine Beast families, wouldn't care about these auction items." someone asked in confusion.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

At that moment, someone whispered mysteriously: "A while ago, a Dragon Clan Earth Supreme clashed with a disciple of the Moho God Tribe on Shang Zhi Da Lu—and they ended up fighting fiercely!"

"What?!!!"

The informant, fearing he'd spoken too much, whispered cautiously: "It happened over half a month ago, before the auction began—no wonder you didn't hear."

"At that time, a purple colossal dragon appeared in the sky of Shang Zhi Da Lu and fought two Moho God Tribe elders—the battle shattered the heavens and earth, and even Space was torn apart. The dragon clan elder controlled Space Power, holding off two opponents alone, until the Shang Zhi Da Lu Guild Master intervened to quell the storm."

Sssss!! Hearing this secret, many drew sharp breaths. The Moho God Tribe was one of the Five Great God Tribes, hailed as the protectors of the Great Thousand World, who had labored mightily to repel the Domain Beyond demons fifty thousand years ago.

The Moho God Tribe wasn't merely the top-tier faction of the Great Thousand World, housing numerous Heaven Supremes; more importantly, the ancient Great Thousand World's strongest, the Immortal Emperor, had left his legacy within the Moho God Tribe.

The Moho God Tribe was quietly emerging as the foremost human faction in the Great Thousand World.

As for the Dragon Clan, no further explanation was needed—if human supremacy was debatable, the Dragon Clan was unquestionably the top Supreme Divine Beast family, even surpassing the Phoenix Clan; the strongest among all Spiritual Beasts was the Dragon Clan's Clan Leader, the True Dragon Emperor.

Thousands of years ago, the True Dragon Emperor, alongside the Phoenix King and the Phoenix Queen, three Saint-grade Heaven Supremes, finally repelled the corrupted Tianmo Dragon Emperor and several other Demon Emperors on the Shen Shou Continent; remember, the Tianmo Dragon Emperor ruled the Demon Dragon Clan, one of the Domain Beyond's Thirty-Two Great Tribes, and the Tianmo Dragon Emperor himself was immensely powerful—yet he still suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the True Dragon Emperor.

Imagine the impact if the Dragon Clan and the Moho God Tribe clashed!

A battle between the two top factions of the Great Thousand World would be enormous—it could even spark civil war, allowing the Domain Beyond demons to exploit the chaos!

"Though the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor isn't a Heaven Supreme, his bloodline is noble, bearing Heavenly Dragon blood—I believe he came here because of this incident," the man said gravely: "I heard that purple dragon wasn't from the Great Thousand World, but from a Lower Plane."

!!!

Hearing this, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian exchanged glances—they now suspected something.

"A purple colossal dragon… could it be Zhu Kun?" Xiao Yixian's expression turned peculiar; it seemed not only Xiao Yan could cause trouble!

No wonder—he's Zi Yan's father, just as trouble-prone!

Zhu Kun had evolved into a Divine Beast; judging from his bloodline and appearance, he was unmistakably of the True Dragon Clan lineage—his combat power and bloodline were both extraordinarily noble, so attracting the Dragon Clan's attention wasn't surprising.

"Your presence is an honor, we apologize for not greeting you sooner," as the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor entered the auction hall, the Shang Zhi Da Lu Guild Alliance immediately sent someone to welcome him.

Shang Zhi Da Lu housed countless guilds, and this auction, held once every ten years, was jointly organized by all of them.

Xiao Yan glanced at the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor standing afar, speaking with a guild official, and said gravely: "This Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor is extremely powerful—likely far stronger than Nu Shan the Medicine Saint—he's a true cultivator who has touched the threshold of the Supreme Divine Beast realm."

"If such a figure came personally, then the Moho God Tribe must have sent someone too."

Xiao Yan and the others knew that in ancient times, when Dou Qi Continent's beasts broke through Ten Rank, they traveled to Shen Shou Continent; unlike humans, who originally sought Source Qi toward the Domain Beyond, beasts went the opposite way—to Shen Shou Continent.

Perhaps intentionally—after all, relations between ancient beasts and cultivators weren't good; Spiritual Beasts and Dou Di were essentially opposing forces, so each heading their own way was natural.

There was even a passage in the Manhuang Ancient Domain leading to the former Shen Shou Continent.

"No need for such ceremony—I'm merely here to attend the auction, no need for such a fuss," the Northern Heavenly Dragon Emperor bowed slightly as the guild officials and several guild masters approached, never once displaying arrogance.

"This way, Dragon Emperor."

Just as the crowd surrounded him, the Northern Heaven Dragon Emperor was about to enter the auction hall when three familiar spiritual pressures descended from the sky above Shang Zhi Da Lu.

High above the sky of Shang Zhi Da Lu, a sudden purple light emanated from the endless darkness of Universe Space; the next instant, the dark sky space twisted, and a Void Passage was torn open by two enormous DragonClaws.

Those DragonClaws were immense, their four claws seemingly able to pierce Universe Space and rend all things, the purple Dragon Scale on them radiating cold light.

With a thunderous boom, a colossal dragon, ten thousand zhang in length, instantly pierced through the sky's Void Passage; upon its back sat two women—without doubt, Xun Er and Cai Lin.

These two peerless beauties, wherever they appeared, were always dazzling and irresistibly captivating.

Xun Er was like a blue lotus, elegant and serene, drawing glances from afar, yet forbidding closeness, radiating an icy aloofness; as for Cai Lin, she was even more extraordinary—a beauty capable of toppling nations and cities, truly making one drool and fall utterly in love.

Seeing Xun Er and Cai Lin, Xiao Yan's face broke into a faint smile; though he maintained contact through Xun Er's Spirit Array, seeing them in person finally eased his mind.

Just as Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian prepared to ascend into the sky to meet them, a cold, gloomy voice suddenly rang from the heavens: "Hmph, so you finally show yourselves."

A cold snort echoed like thunder; a man clad in a unique black-and-white ornate robe, embroidered with the Mo He Clan's Clan Mark, stepped forward, his spiritual pressure overwhelming. Beside him stood many powerful cultivators, especially several elders whose Cultivation Realms had reached the Upper Earth Supreme level.

"Heh, shameless tramps," sneered a young, beautiful woman beside the Mo He Clan man, spitting inwardly as she glared at Xun Er and Cai Lin. "To be chosen by Brother Mo He Yi is a blessing earned over ten lifetimes. Brother Mo He Yi is the Holy Son of the Mo He Clan—how ignorant of your own fortune!"

Though the woman spoke without naming anyone, everyone present instantly knew who she meant.

With this, many immediately understood what had happened—and one man naturally realized why the conflict had arisen.

"Someone's tired of living," Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, his voice icy. "Daring to meddle on my head."

At that moment, the Mo He Holy Son fixed Xun Er and Cai Lin with a cold gaze, licked his lips, and said: "Ming Lao, seize those two women who mocked our clan."

Behind the Mo He Holy Son, an elder materialized, dressed in the same black-and-white robe embroidered with the Mo He Clan's Clan Mark.

The elder named Ming Lao did not act immediately. Instead, he cast a deep glance toward the auction hall below, his eyes locking onto the Northern Heaven Dragon Emperor. "The Dragon Clan has sent a strong one. If we clash with them, it won't be easy."

"What's to fear? I'm not asking you to capture that old dragon—I only want those two women." Before the Mo He Holy Son finished speaking, space twisted violently—a flaming palm materialized across the void and struck.

"Seeking your own death," Xiao Yan muttered, Black Flame flickering; Void Swallowing Flame warped the distance. He stepped forward, crossing ten thousand zhang of air to stand in the Void, his palm coalescing Black Flame as he slapped forward.

(End of Chapter)