Chapter 862: The Ninth Auction Item (1/2, Requesting Monthly Votes)

Fang Yue thought so, but the course of events took an unexpected turn.

The Heiqing Shanmai Auction House subsequently auctioned off several more items, all practical guicreatures, which were fiercely sought after by most attendees.

But Fang Yue's heart sank.

Because by the time the eighth item was auctioned, he still hadn't seen Chen Qing or Tian Ruichi.

"Congratulations to Guest #72, who secured this 【Evil Spirit Guifire】 for a high price of 200 Silver Stones! A primordial flame born of nature itself—a great boon for any fire cultivator!"

The clown auctioneer announced the result loudly, and many in the audience turned to glance repeatedly at the buyer.

"This guy is here too!"

"The Sixth Elder of the Flame Sect is openly showing his true face…"

"It seems the conflict between the Flame Sect and the Extreme Ice Sect has reached a boiling point—they've come to the Heiqing Shanmai Auction House, something they've always despised, to buy auction items and boost their strength."

The Sixth Elder of the Flame Sect?

Fang Yue frowned and glanced over a few times—he was just an ordinary middle-aged man.

Yet the aura leaking from him was unmistakably that of a Human-Level cultivator!

"Hah! Primordial and natural?"

Ming suddenly sneered.

"The Heiqing Shanmai Auction House's claims are so charming—tens of thousands of lives, tormented day and night by the 【Soul-Sucking Gui】, drained completely, to condense just a trace of Evil Spirit Guifire. This lump of Evil Spirit Guifire likely required the sacrifice of over a dozen villages' lives as nourishment for the 【Soul-Sucking Gui】."

"What did you say?!"

Fang Yue's expression changed slightly—this ghastly thing was made like this?

"What? Night Captain, you don't seriously believe the clown's words, do you? The Heiqing Shanmai Auction House isn't nearly as clean as you imagine. Everything sold here is forbidden in Qing Guo—the darkest of dark items. But where there's demand, there's supply; the escalation of conflict between the Flame Sect and the Extreme Ice Sect makes such desperate moves predictable."

"... Has the conflict between the Flame Sect and the Extreme Ice Sect really reached this level?"

"Naturally. Their strengths were once balanced. As ancient enemies, the Extreme Ice Sect and the Flame Sect have constantly clashed, but due to relative parity in power, neither dared launch a full-scale war—no one wanted to lose everything over a single misstep."

But recently, things took a turn. Two months ago, the elders of the Extreme Ice Sect went to our Heiqing Shanmai and, for reasons unknown, returned dead, wounded, and decimated.

The Flame Sect seized the opportunity and launched an attack, forcing the Extreme Ice Sect into retreat. Had it not been for the appearance of that Supreme Sect Master 【Qi Ba Jiu】, the Flame Sect would have already swallowed the Extreme Ice Sect and fulfilled its goal of exterminating its ancient foe."

Supreme Sect Master Qi Ba Jiu…

Fang Yue clenched his fist: "What happened after? With Qi Ba Jiu present, shouldn't the Flame Sect be the one being purged?"

"How would I know the details? But I heard the Extreme Ice Sect's Supreme Sect Master frequently vanishes and never initiates attacks. So now, the Flame Sect can't break through the Extreme Ice Sect's shell, and the Extreme Ice Sect's strongest fighter keeps disappearing, unable to organize a counteroffensive—they're just stuck in stalemate."

Seeing how the Flame Sect's Sixth Elder is now resorting to buying 【Evil Spirit Guifire】 to break through his cultivation, it's clear they intend to seize this chance and finally crush the Extreme Ice Sect."

The Extreme Ice Sect…

Fang Yue recalled when he was still in Mo Cun, and how Ni Dongmei had helped him.

Emotionally, he naturally favored the Extreme Ice Sect.

But judging from the current situation, the Flame Sect seemed to hold the initiative.

As for why Qi Ba Jiu occasionally vanished, Fang Yue had his own suspicions.

After that day he killed the 【Wild Gui】, Qi Ba Jiu fell into slumber.

Similar to the situation with the parchment, except the parchment sometimes slept but could always awaken when it wished.

But Qi Ba Jiu seemed to require the Tail's strength to rise before he could truly reappear.

Evil Spirit Guifire… I need to contact the Tail and give her this information. If necessary, Fang Yue wouldn't mind intervening to aid the Extreme Ice Sect against the Flame Sect.

With the auction of the 【Evil Spirit Guifire】 concluded, the auction finally entered the ninth item.

Covered by a red cloth, the contents inside remained hidden.

But Fang Yue's heart tightened.

Because… he still hadn't seen Chen Qing or Tian Ruichi.

They were captured together with Jing Yan; Jing Yan has already been rescued through the auction.

What remains, naturally, is only the two of them.

And the Heiqing Shanmai Auction House sells only ten items per session.

So this ninth item—either Chen Qing or Tian Ruichi—there is no third possibility!

As if sensing Fang Yue's emotional shift, Ming's lips curled slightly, as if enjoying some cruel amusement, and she whispered: "By the way, Night Captain, although your friends were taken by Juan Niao Lou, have you ever considered one possibility—that they had no auction value and were already killed?"

"Shut up!"

Fang Yue growled lowly—that was the very scenario he dreaded most, the worst possible outcome.

No, it couldn't be like this!

Chen Qing has excellent judgment and knows how to protect herself; Tian Ruichi is a Half Sword Spirit—clearly valuable for auctioning; they wouldn't be killed!

As Fang Yue's inner tension mounted, the red cloth was pulled away.

It was… a straw doll.

Not a person—a guicreature, no bigger than a palm.

"Fate Puppet: once you obtain the target's blood and infuse it into the puppet, you can absorb the fate of those around the caster, drastically boosting the target's fortune in a short time. How can you accomplish great deeds without fortune? Let the unlucky fools around you become your stepping stones! The path to success is paved with countless…"

The clown auctioneer continued his speech, but below the stage, Fang Yue's face was frozen, his fists clenched.

How could it be… how could it be a guicreature?

Could it really be, as Ming said, that Chen Qing and Tian Ruichi were killed because they had no value?

No!

They might have been bound together as the final grand item, or perhaps reserved for the next Heiqing Shanmai Auction.

"Pity, pity—it seems one of your friends has no hope of ever appearing on this auction stage. Which one do you hope is dead? And I advise you not to harbor false hopes. The Heiqing Shanmai Auction House occurs only once a month. Do you think Juan Niao Lou will keep your friend alive another month, just feeding him for nothing?"

Ming's voice was so grating, so irritating.

Only when Fang Yue's icy gaze swept over her did she feel a bone-chilling killing intent, and she fell silent.

(End of this chapter)