"Seven million five hundred thousand!"
Seeing that Mo Tianxing and Fang Yan had agreed not to compete with him for the Earth-tier Dou Technique, Fan Lao raised his bid.
The entire auction hall fell silent. No one dared to raise the price.
Yao Chen glanced at Fan Lao, his interest in him growing more and more apparent.
"Guild Master Fan has bid seven million five hundred thousand. Is anyone else willing to raise the price? If not, this Earth-tier Dou Technique will belong to Guild Master Fan."
As the auctioneer's gavel fell, the Early Earth Tier Dou Technique, Earth-Splitting Mountain-Crushing Strike, was finally bought by Fan Lao for seven million five hundred thousand.
Fan Lao thanked Mo Tianxing of the Black Emperor Sect and Fang Yan of Demon Flame Valley.
"Gentlemen, let me thank you both in advance. If you ever need my help, the Blood Sect will certainly do everything in its power to assist you."
After thanking them, Fan Lao prepared to leave the Black Seal Auction House. He felt that the ancient soul technique would do far less to improve his strength than this Earth-tier Dou Technique, so there was no point in staying.
After collecting the pills and Dou Techniques he had won earlier and completing the payment, Fan Lao quietly led his subordinates away.
Once outside the Black Seal Auction House, Fan Lao and his party hurried toward the city gates, eager to return to the Blood Sect.
Yao Chen sensed that Fan Lao had left the auction house and turned to Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian.
"Girl, Little Yan, stay here and keep watch. If there's anything you like, just bid for it. I'm going to retrieve something. When the final auction item, the ancient soul technique, comes up, activate the Soul Imprints on your bodies, and I'll be back."
Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian could tell that Yao Chen intended to rob Fan Lao, so they asked in hushed voices,
"Teacher, do you need us to come along and help?"
"No. Just stay here. If too many of us go, we might alert them. I can handle them by myself."
Yao Chen was worried that if they all left, no one would be there to secure the soul technique.
"All right, Teacher," Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian replied.
While Yao Chen and the others were speaking, a party led by Fan Lao, the Blood Sect's leader, flew out of the city.
Yao Chen flashed away with Flying Thunder God and appeared in front of Fan Lao's party in an instant.
Fan Lao saw Yao Chen dressed in black robes with his face deliberately concealed and immediately grew wary. He shouted at him,
"Who are you? How dare you block the Blood Sect's path? You must have a death wish. Get out of the way!"
At his command, several Dou Wangs drew their weapons, waiting for the signal to charge forward and kill the man before them.
"Blood Sect? Never heard of it. Is it powerful?"
Yao Chen smiled faintly, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Hearing Yao Chen's insolence, the several Dou Wangs under Fan Lao immediately charged at him.
Yao Chen gave them a disdainful look and flicked his hand. A burst of purple light enveloped them.
The Dou Wangs instantly froze, trapped in the illusion created by Dream-Illusion Blazing Flame.
Fan Lao summoned his crimson Dou Qi, trying to wake them.
The moment the blood-red Dou Qi touched them, they all turned to ash. A gust of wind blew through, scattering them into the air.
"An otherworldly flame? You're not from the Black Corner Region!"
With that, Fan Lao floated in the air like a specter. Crimson Dou Qi poured from his body in a surging torrent, forming layers of eerie blood mist around him.
His vicious gaze locked onto Yao Chen, as if he meant to swallow him whole and chew him to pieces.
Suddenly, Fan Lao's figure blurred and transformed into a streak of blood, darting toward Yao Chen in an instant. He flicked his spear, sending a blood-red ribbon of Dou Qi stabbing straight at him like a venomous snake. The air tore open in its wake with a shrill whistling sound.
Yao Chen quickly retreated, easily dodging the attack.
With the upper hand, Fan Lao showed no intention of stopping. His spear swept through the air without pause, unleashing a relentless rain of blood-red Dou Qi attacks.
The ground was struck by the Dou Qi, and in the blink of an eye, enormous craters appeared as shattered rocks flew in every direction.
Fan Lao roared and unleashed a strange Dou Technique. The blood mist around him suddenly swelled, transforming into countless blood-red tentacles that swept toward Yao Chen.
The tentacles seemed alive, twisting nimbly as they surrounded Yao Chen from every direction.
Yao Chen smiled faintly and said with scorn,
"This is over. I don't have time to play with you."
Purple light rose from Yao Chen's body. The tentacles immediately caught fire and turned to ash.
The purple flames then transformed into a fire serpent and coiled around Fan Lao.
Fan Lao cried out in agony and begged Yao Chen,
"Senior, spare my miserable life! I'll give you anything you want!"
"No need," Yao Chen said disdainfully. "I'll take it myself."
The fire serpent erupted with terrifying heat, and Fan Lao, a Four-Star Dou Emperor, vanished into the air in an instant, leaving behind only a Storage Ring.
"Let's see what else he has in his Storage Ring."
With his powerful soul force, Yao Chen erased the imprint Fan Lao had left behind in moments.
There wasn't much of value in the ring. Most of it was low-grade support pills, clothes, weapons, gold coins, and other odds and ends.
The valuable items were the sixth-grade Phoenix Feather Sky Flame Pill and the Early Earth Tier Dou Technique, Earth-Splitting Mountain-Crushing Strike, which Fan Lao had just bought at the auction, along with a scroll containing the Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique, Breglid Blood-Flow Fighting Technique.
"He's really poor! His Breglid Blood-Flow Fighting Technique isn't any good, either. It doesn't suit anyone."
Yao Chen sighed, grumbling that Fan Lao's Storage Ring was so shabby for the leader of a sect.
Meanwhile, the Black Seal Auction House was buzzing with activity. Several precious items had already been sold.
Xiao Yan had used a Dou Ling Pill to buy a medicine cauldron. After all, constantly borrowing his teacher's was a hassle.
Xiao Yi Xian had used a Dou Ling Pill to buy several medicinal ingredients suitable for making poison.
"The most exciting moment is almost here! Up next is tonight's final auction item."
The auctioneer spoke with great enthusiasm from the stage. He earned a commission on every item sold, and this grand auction, held once every three years, had already earned him a fortune.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian immediately activated the Soul Imprints Yao Chen had placed within them, notifying their teacher that the final item was coming up.
Yao Chen sensed the signal from Xiao Yan and the others. He quickly tidied up the scene, then used Flying Thunder God to return to Xiao Yan's side.
"Has it started?"
Yao Chen turned to his two disciples and asked.
Xiao Yan was startled when he suddenly saw Yao Chen, then said,
"It's about to start, Teacher. How did it go?"
"It's taken care of. Now we just need to get our hands on the soul technique."
After hearing this, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian admired Yao Chen even more.
In that short time, he had taken care of a Dou Huang expert and several Dou Wangs. Their teacher's strength was truly terrifying.
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