Black-Seal

"Brother Hai, Qing Lin, have you both rested well?"

Xiao Jie turned to call out to Hai Bodong and Qing Lin.

"Yes, Young Master!"

"I've mostly recovered."

"Mm, then let's set off."

Xiao Jie picked up Qing Lin and stomped hard. As energy exploded beneath his feet, he shot across the dark grassland like an arrow released from a bow, turning into a black blur.

Hai Bodong transformed into a white streak and swiftly followed, with a huge winged shadow trailing behind them.

The boundless plain stretched as far as the eye could see, filled with nothing but monotonous black. Against the somewhat dim sky, an oppressive and irritating atmosphere spread through the air, lingering over the plain for a long time.

In such a strange place, it was no wonder those chaotic rules had taken root.

Across the tranquil plain, two small black shadows and one large one suddenly shot in from the distance. They moved with extreme speed, like three powerful energy shockwaves flying straight ahead, carving three trails through the plain beneath them before quickly vanishing.

At last, after nearly two days of flying at full speed, Xiao Jie and the others finally crossed the Black-Domain Great Plain.

At the distant horizon, a black dot gradually enlarged as Xiao Jie approached. It was a great mountain, and at its foot stood Black-Seal City, controlled by the Eight-Fan Sect, one of the major powers of the Black-Corner Region.

Before long, as they drew closer, the city gradually revealed its appearance.

It was a massive city built from piled black boulders, its outline faintly emerging. At the four city gates, dense clusters of tiny black dots could be vaguely seen, converging like ants as they poured into the city.

Xiao Jie's group landed not far from the city, and then Xiao Jie spoke to the huge serpent.

"Wait outside. We're going in to buy a few things. We'll come back for you in a few days."

Without caring whether the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor agreed, he took Qing Lin's hand and slowly entered Black-Seal City with the crowd.

After entering the city, Xiao Jie followed the street forward, looking for the places he needed.

Yet before finding either a map shop or the auction house, he had already seen seven or eight fights along this few-hundred-meter street, along with many people confronting one another with weapons drawn. The place was truly chaotic.

There was even blood on the street that had yet to dry, making Xiao Jie, a model young man from the twenty-first century, frown deeply.

Not long afterward, Xiao Jie finally arrived at the auction house called Black-Seal. Controlled by the Eight-Fan Sect, it was one of Black-Seal City's greatest money-makers.

Standing at the end of the crowded street, he saw the auction house bearing the words "Black-Seal" overhead. It was incomparably enormous and magnificent; compared to the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City, calling the latter insignificant would not even begin to describe the difference.

At the entrance stood more than a dozen Dou Shi dressed in black and armed with weapons. Their sharp gazes constantly swept over the crowd.

Using Dou Shi as gatekeepers was enough to prove how powerful this faction was.

With a calm expression, Xiao Jie strode into the enormous auction house and headed directly for the appraisal room. The moment he entered, a curvaceous maidservant came forward to greet him.

"May I ask whether you are here for an appraisal or to evaluate an item for auction, gentlemen?"

"Auction."

Xiao Jie replied sparingly.

"Sir, the appraisal office is this way. Please."

The maidservant gave a seductive smile, then twisted her slender waist and led the way ahead, her shapely figure swaying as she walked.

It seemed the Maidservants here had received special training in displaying their charm and further emphasizing their assets.

After one glance, Xiao Jie took Qing Lin's hand and followed behind the maidservant's swaying figure, openly looking her up and down. The maidservant seemed to sense his highly aggressive gaze, and the sway of her body became even more pronounced without losing any grace.

It was not that Xiao Jie had any thoughts about this maidservant. He was simply appreciating beautiful things. Otherwise, with his status as a peak Sixth-grade alchemist, most women would be more than willing to share a night of pleasure with him.

After following the maidservant for several dozen meters, Xiao Jie saw her stop before a tightly shut secret room. She then bowed, deliberately displaying her ample chest, and said respectfully.

"Sir, this is the room for appraisal and review. Once the master inside evaluates your item, he will arrange your auction seating according to the rarity of what you wish to sell."

Xiao Jie nodded slightly and entered with Hai Bodong and Qing Lin.

Inside the room, a white-haired old man in luxurious robes was examining an item with a magnifying glass. Hearing the door close, he set the item down, turned around, and said blandly.

"Put the item on the table."

Hearing this, Xiao Jie took a jade bottle from his Storage Ring, removed the pill bottle containing an Ancestor-Breaking Pill, and placed it before him.

"Hmm? A medicinal pill?"

Seeing that Xiao Jie had brought out a pill bottle, the old man in luxurious robes froze slightly before straightening up. He put on a pair of thin transparent gloves, then carefully poured the pill from the jade bottle into his hand.

In an instant, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the entire room, refreshing everyone within it.

The old man in luxurious robes immediately returned the pill to the jade bottle and spoke with excited respect.

"The pill fragrance is overflowing, and the pill itself is of superior quality. The refining technique is exceptionally skilled as well. This is a Sixth-grade pill! May I ask, sir, is this an Ancestor-Breaking Pill?"

"Oh? I didn't expect you to recognize it. That's right, this is indeed a peak Sixth-grade Ancestor-Breaking Pill. As for its effects, you should understand them, correct?"

"I do, I do. Based on this pill's value, I would estimate it at around ten million gold coins. If auctioned, given its rarity, it could fetch at least fifteen million. The item you are offering has already met the standards for our Class A VIPs. The auction will begin at noon three days from now. Please accept this voucher, sir."

The old man in luxurious robes had gone from indifferent to utterly respectful in merely a quarter of an hour. The speed of that change made even Xiao Jie sigh inwardly.

"Mm."

Xiao Jie paid him no mind. After taking the voucher, he nodded and left.

After Xiao Jie and the others departed, the respectful expression on the old man's face vanished at once. He stared thoughtfully at the Sixth-grade Ancestor-Breaking Pill on the table for a moment before entering through a hidden door.