Sky-High Auction

Before a single breath had passed, Linglong had already appeared before Chu Yun Old Ghost.

Linglong merely raised a finger, and a terrifying wave of force came crashing toward him. Chu Yun Old Ghost's pupils suddenly contracted as he rapidly retreated, circulating all the Dou Qi in his body in an attempt to withstand the attack.

Yet the gap between a Dou Huang and a Dou Zong was as vast as heaven and earth, let alone when one side had reached the peak realm!

With that casual strike, every shield Chu Yun Old Ghost had sacrificed shattered at once. His footing gave way, and a force slammed straight into him, sending him crashing heavily into the ground as blood sprayed from his mouth.

Chu Yun Old Ghost wore a grim expression and snarled, "I have to admit it, a Dou Zong truly is powerful. But if you want to kill me, wait a few more years!"

Shadow Escape!

This was one of his life-saving techniques. When faced with a life-or-death crisis, he could use his cultivation realm as a catalyst to unleash the potential within his body and teleport elsewhere.

Watching Chu Yun Old Ghost vanish, Jia Xingtian sighed. "I didn't expect that old ghost to get away. The Jia Ma Empire has gained an enemy for nothing."

The corners of Linglong's lips rose slightly as she slowly lifted her bare little foot. The instant it touched the ground, her entire body vanished. Every time her foot landed, ripples spread through the void. Once the ripples faded, she had already appeared a thousand meters away, mysterious beyond measure.

In mere moments, Chu Yun Old Ghost, still fleeing for his life, was caught.

Chu Yun Old Ghost snarled, "Let me go! Otherwise, when the Chu Yun Empire's army reaches your borders, you will die without a corpse left behind!"

"Too noisy." Her willow-like brows drew together slightly. Linglong no longer intended to waste time. She raised her right hand and made a grasping motion toward Chu Yun Old Ghost.

Chu Yun Old Ghost had wanted to resist, but only then did he realize that the Qi Cyclone within his body had vanished. His cultivation rapidly fell with it. At last, he understood—this person intended to cripple him.

"What did you do?!"

Linglong did not answer. Instead, she extended her right index finger and said casually, "Extinguish God Finger."

A tiny, profound ray of light, scarcely the size of a thumb, shot forth in an instant.

Wherever the ray passed, space was forcibly torn apart!

A sharp tearing sound rang out.

He did not even feel the pain of the Dou Technique piercing his body. Only when he watched his body crumble at a speed visible to the naked eye did he realize that he seemed to be dead...

Linglong swiftly cut off his head, picked up his Space Ring, and vanished from the spot only after confirming that he was completely dead.

When she returned to the Ascending Heaven Pavilion,

everyone was stunned by the sight before them. Was this the true strength of a Dou Zong? Walking through the air, tearing apart space—who would have thought a Dou Zong could be so terrifying? Linglong calmly took out the bloody head and casually tossed it into a nearby trash bin. The main reason she had brought back his head was Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, to tell these powerful figures that the Ascending Heaven Pavilion was not a place where they could act recklessly.

Whoever dared cause trouble, this place would become their burial ground!

Sure enough, this display of Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys made certain scheming individuals quiet down considerably. Perhaps they would never dare challenge the authority of the Ascending Heaven Pavilion again.

It was just a pity for Chu Yun Old Ghost. He had thrown away his life for nothing. In the end, not only had his money been taken, he had not even obtained the cultivation technique.

"Now, let us continue the auction."

After simply wiping the remaining blood from her hands, Linglong resumed the auction.

Gu He cleared his throat. Since the auction had resumed, he needed to seize the initiative and crush the hopes of everyone who still wanted to bid.

"Eleven Million Gold Coins."

However, things did not seem likely to go as he wished. The allure of a Heavenly Flame was far greater than the pills Pill King Gu He had promised.

Lü Man of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion smiled. "We bid Twelve Million Gold Coins."

"Thirteen million!"

"Fourteen million!"

The other factions also joined in. Naturally, they did not want the Heavenly Flame to fall into Pill King Gu He's hands. They would rather spend every Gold Coin they possessed to claim it.

With so many powerful figures entering the bidding, the auction became increasingly fierce, and the price rapidly approached Twenty Million Gold Coins.

Even Pill King Gu He was about to exhaust all the wealth he had brought with him. If the other side refused to stop, this Heavenly Flame would become someone else's possession.

Gu He was unwilling!

He had coveted a Heavenly Flame for more than a year or two. From the day he became an alchemist, he had sworn that he would obtain one of the flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Now that one was right before his eyes, how could he possibly let it slip away?

To support Pill King Gu He, the brothers Yan Shi and Feng Li took out every Gold Coin they had. Even combined, they only had two million Gold Coins. That was simply not enough to win it back.

In the end, Gu He turned his gaze toward Yun Yun, the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect. Perhaps she could help him.

"Sect Leader Yun, could you lend me some money?" Gu He asked awkwardly. Although this would damage his image, the thought of becoming the owner of a Heavenly Flame made everything worthwhile. Yun Yun pursed her lips, looking somewhat troubled. If she lent Gu He the money, the others would certainly be unhappy. Back and forth, the price would rise to an astronomical figure.

But if she refused, she still owed Gu He a favor.

After her inner struggle ended, Yun Yun decided to lend him two million Gold Coins. She would consider it repayment for the favor. As for whether he could obtain the Green Lotus Core Flame, that would depend on his own ability.

Lü Man, an elder of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, clenched her fists tightly. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing became noticeably hurried, but the allure of the Heavenly Flame was too great for her to give up.

Once such a heavenly treasure was handed over to someone else, there would be no telling when another opportunity would come.

"Twenty-Two Million Gold Coins!"

Upon hearing her raise the bid, Gu He nearly crushed his molars. Frowning, he said, "What a Heavenly Serpent Mansion. Offending a Sixth-Rank Alchemist is truly an unwise move!"

"Old He, raise the price!" Yan Shi urged.

"Twenty-Four Million Gold Coins!"

Gu He shouted with all his strength. This was every Gold Coin he had. If the other side still had money, then the Green Lotus Core Flame would completely fall into Lü Man's hands! Lü Man's brows also furrowed tightly, angry at herself for not bringing more Gold Coins. If she had just another three million Gold Coins, she would not have let a mere Dou Wang take advantage of this opening.

She turned her head and stared at the subordinates behind her, saying coldly, "Do any of you still have money? Take it all out!"

Qing Elder, her face veiled in fine gauze, also understood the gravity of the situation. Although they were not suited to absorbing a Heavenly Flame, with such a tremendous opportunity before them, how could they possibly let go?