As soon as someone at the scene uttered the words "Heavenly Palace," the various factions attending the auction erupted into an uproar.
In the Jia Ma Empire, and even throughout the entire Northwest Region, the name of the Heavenly Palace rang like thunder.
It was more than just the name of a faction. It represented supreme authority—and the existence of that legendary figure, the strongest person on the continent.
"An elder of the Heavenly Palace actually came in person?"
In a private room on the second floor, Ya Fei, who had been relatively composed until now, was utterly stunned.
The hand holding her glass of red wine trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes brimmed with disbelief.
She had hoped to use Ning Rongrong to get in touch with that mysterious faction, but she had never imagined they would react so quickly—or so forcefully!
"Peak Dou Zong, huh..."
Feeling the aura emanating from the white-robed elder, powerful enough to change the very colors of heaven and earth, Ya Fei took a deep breath and struggled to maintain her composure.
"It seems this girl from another world matters even more to that lord than I imagined."
"Thank goodness I didn't act rashly just now. Otherwise..."
Thinking of Old Ghost Yin's fate, Ya Fei felt a chill run down her spine.
Meanwhile, the white-robed elder, floating in midair, didn't even spare the heap of flesh a glance. He merely looked down at Ning Rongrong.
"I'll be taking this person with me."
With that, the elder casually swept out a hand. A moment later, an exquisite jade bottle traced a graceful arc through the air and landed precisely on the auction stage.
"A Sixth-Grade Imperial Extreme Pill. It's enough to buy half of your auction house. Consider whatever's left over a reward for the Mittel Family."
"A... a Sixth-Grade Imperial Extreme Pill?!"
The auctioneer's hand trembled, and he almost failed to catch the jade bottle.
He opened it, and the pill's rich fragrance instantly transformed into a purple dragon-shaped shadow that soared into the sky. Just one breath of it was enough to loosen the bottleneck that had stymied his cultivation for years!
"Hiss!"
At the sight of this, everyone present sucked in a sharp breath. They looked at the mysterious powerhouse from the Heavenly Palace with even greater awe.
He'd casually tossed out a Sixth-Grade Pill. Was this the foundation of the Heavenly Palace?!
"As expected of the legendary Heavenly Palace..."
"Only that lord could probably afford to be so generous."
However, Lin Shan, an outer sect elder of the Heavenly Palace, paid no attention to the reactions of these ants. He simply reached out and grabbed at the air.
In an instant, an irresistible force enveloped Ning Rongrong, lifting her and the crystal cage into the air.
"Let's go."
After saying this, Lin Shan immediately blurred away, then tore through space and vanished above the auction house with Ning Rongrong and the young woman in blue. All that remained was a crowd still too stunned to recover, prostrating themselves toward the spot where he'd disappeared.
Meanwhile, on Douluo Continent, at Shrek Academy.
"I-I'm alive..."
Ma Hongjun dropped onto the ground, breathing in great gulps of fresh air, his whole body as drenched as if he'd just been hauled out of the water.
For one brief moment, he'd truly thought Rongrong would be taken away by that disgusting old man.
If it had come to that, she might as well have ended up with him.
"That white-robed elder was far too strong..."
Dai Mubai, standing nearby, swallowed hard. The Evil Fire in his eyes had long since faded, replaced by deep fear.
"He slapped a powerhouse like that to death without even using his Martial Soul..."
"And he could walk on air. He has to be at least a Titled Douluo!"
"No. Even a Titled Douluo couldn't stroll through the air like that, let alone tear through space!"
Tang San stared fixedly at the spot where Lin Shan had vanished. He pushed his Purple Demon Eye to its limit, yet still couldn't see through the energy fluctuations from that brief moment.
"That so-called Heavenly Palace... what kind of place is it?"
Tang San's voice came out a little hoarse.
"Those people seemed to call the white-robed elder an elder of the Heavenly Palace. Does that mean there are even stronger beings above him?"
"He casually tossed out a Sixth-Grade Pill. The energy fluctuations from that pill were a hundred times more terrifying than those of the Fourth-Grade Pills we saw before!"
"If that pill were on Douluo Continent, even a level-99 Peerless Douluo would probably fight tooth and nail for it, right?"
At the thought, the members of Shrek Academy were filled with complicated emotions.
Though Ning Rongrong had temporarily escaped Old Ghost Yin's clutches, that didn't mean she was safe.
Now that she had fallen into the hands of a faction whose power was beyond imagining, no one could tell whether fortune or misfortune awaited her.
"Maybe... this is Rongrong's fortuitous opportunity?"
The chubby Ma Hongjun muttered under his breath:
"Think about it. That faction is so powerful, and it has so many pills. If Rongrong can get in good with them, even if she only pours tea and fetches water, a little scrap from between their fingernails would be enough to benefit her for a lifetime, right?"
Though his words sounded a little lacking in ambition, nobody argued with him.
When a higher-dimensional world could crush you outright, simply surviving—and even being able to rely on the strong—was a blessing in itself.
Star Dou Forest, Core Circle.
By the Lake of Life.
The once-calm surface of the lake now churned with waves. A massive black dragon's phantom circled overhead, radiating a pressure powerful enough to suffocate a Titled Douluo.
It was none other than Beast God Di Tian!
Yet as the foremost Ferocious Beast on Douluo Continent watched the scene playing across the Sky Screen, his golden dragon eyes were filled with solemnity.
"My lord, that white-robed human's strength..."
Di Tian's voice was low, and a tremor of uncertainty ran through it.
"Although he didn't use his Martial Soul, his ability to control space, and the boundless, ocean-like energy within him..."
"I'm afraid he has already surpassed my limits."
"A demigod? No—even a true god!"
Splash!
The next moment, the lake parted, and a breathtaking silver-haired figure slowly emerged.
Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena!
Gu Yuena quietly watched the spot where Lin Shan had disappeared, a complex light flickering in her violet eyes.
"He's not a god, but he's as powerful as one—perhaps even stronger."
Gu Yuena's voice was cool and ethereal, yet filled with deep wariness.
"The laws of that world are far more complete than ours, and its energy is on a far higher level."
"Though that elder has no divine position, the laws of power he commands have already reached a level beyond our imagination."
"But the most terrifying thing is..."
Gu Yuena paused, her gaze growing unfathomably deep.
"He's only one elder of the Heavenly Palace."
"To make a powerhouse of that level willingly serve as a subordinate, and even come whenever he's summoned..."
"Just who is the master of the Heavenly Palace?"
"Could it be someone above the level of a God King?"
Before you continue