About seven or eight elders from Jia Nan Academy had come with Su Qian and Hu Gan.
Aside from Hu Gan, a peak Dou Emperor, a three-star Dou Emperor stood behind Su Qian, presumably one of Jia Nan Academy's hidden experts. All the others were Dou Wangs.
Fan Tian turned slightly sideways and raised his left hand in welcome.
"Elder Su Qian, Dean Hu Gan, please come inside!"
"After you!"
Su Qian nodded, surveying his surroundings as he led the elders into the auction's VIP section.
Inside the venue, unfriendly gazes settled on the arriving elders of Jia Nan Academy. Hu Gan seemed to sense the faint hostility around him. He snorted coldly, his aura rippling slightly, the presence of a peak Dou Emperor held in check.
"Hmph, a pack of rats that dare not face the light!"
Feeling the powerful Dou Qi emanating from Hu Gan, the members of several Black-Corner Region factions at odds with Jia Nan Academy exchanged glances, then turned away, inwardly clicking their tongues.
Jia Nan Academy's enforcement squads often clashed with them in the Black-Corner Region, occasionally even erupting into battles between Dou Wangs. On the whole, however, they exercised restraint. After all, apart from Demon Flame Valley and the Black Emperor Sect, no single faction could challenge Jia Nan Academy.
"Heh, with the Black-Corner Region so lively today, how could we two brothers miss out?"
A mocking laugh infused with Dou Qi rang out from afar.
Then a black gale swept down from the darkened sky, like a demon opening its enormous maw to devour everything in its path.
As the chuckle faded, ripples suddenly spread through the clear sky. A large crowd of figures strode slowly forth, finally hovering overhead.
A bloody aura shrouded the skies above Black Seal City. Countless new members of the Heavenly Mansion stared in bewilderment at the crowd that had suddenly appeared overhead, their bodies trembling involuntarily.
Fan Tian narrowed his eyes, completely ignoring the two strange old men with horns on their heads. His gaze slowly settled on the man at the front, dressed in an alchemist's robe, and he smiled. "You must be the renowned Medicine Emperor Han Feng of the Black-Corner Region!"
"You flatter me, Mansion Lord Fan. The title of Medicine Emperor is merely something my friends in the Black-Corner Region bestowed on me. It hardly deserves to be taken seriously." The man called Han Feng curled his thin lips into a faint smile as he addressed Fan Tian.
"Medicine Emperor, did you bring so many Dou Emperors to my Black Seal City to attend the auction, or to wreck it?"
Fan Tian rolled up his sleeves, his face expressionless.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Mansion's Dou Emperors and Dou Wangs rose into the air to confront Han Feng and his companions.
The dozen or so people behind Han Feng were all leaders of factions in the Black-Corner Region. Among them were Yan, sect master of the Emperor Flame Sect; Fan Lao, sect master of the Blood Sect; and the Gold and Silver Elders, ranked first and second on the Black List. With Han Feng himself ranked third, their lineup was formidable indeed.
"Heh, Mansion Lord Fan, please do not overthink this. I am merely a Dou Emperor. I would never dare provoke a Dou Zong expert. I came today not only to purchase pills, but also to behold the bearing of a seventh-grade alchemist."
"In that case, please come inside!" The smile on Fan Tian's face faded slightly. Standing upon the void, he unleashed the mighty Dou Qi within his body. The pressure of a high-rank Dou Zong instantly swept across all of Black Seal City.
"Well? Just how powerful is this monster from the Central Plains?" Seated in the VIP section, Hu Gan looked at Su Qian in astonishment.
"Seven-star. This young man is at least a seven-star Dou Zong!"
"What? A high-rank Dou Zong?"
"Yes. Although he isn't as powerful as peak Dou Zongs like the Thousand and Hundred Elders, he is stronger than Mo Tianxing of the Black Emperor Sect!"
Su Qian also drew a deep breath. Mo Tianxing was a four-star Dou Zong, while this young man's strength was enough to rival Earth Demon Old Ghost of Demon Flame Valley.
Fan Tian released his Dou Qi without holding anything back. His overwhelming aura made the expressions of both the Gold and Silver Elders and Han Feng change drastically.
Fine beads of sweat covered the foreheads of the Gold and Silver Elders, who had been itching to make a move moments earlier. They had truly never encountered a Dou Zong of this caliber in the Black-Corner Region.
"What are you standing around for? Get inside! Mansion Lord Fan will be displeased if you delay the auction!"
As the crowd stirred, Yuan Yi barked at them from the sky, where he stood confronting Han Feng's party.
Naturally, he knew Han Feng and his companions. In the past, he had waited on the Medicine Emperor hand and foot, lavishing him with flattery to obtain his pill-refining services. Now, seeing his old acquaintances humbled before Fan Tian, he felt an inexplicable surge of satisfaction.
Medicine Emperor, my ass!
At the end of the day, he was just a Dou Emperor who could only refine sixth-grade pills.
The corners of the Gold and Silver Elders' and Han Feng's mouths twitched as they looked at the smug Yuan Yi. The master of the Eight Gates, who had once bowed and scraped before them, actually dared to berate them today.
This was simply...
Rebellion.
"Sect Master Yuan is right. We should take our seats as soon as possible and stop taking up Mansion Lord Fan's time."
Fan Lao, sect master of the Blood Sect, glanced first at Yuan Yi's glowing face, then at Han Feng's grim expression. Finally, he stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Yes, yes, Sect Master Fan is right!" Yan, sect master of the Emperor Flame Sect, hurriedly agreed.
A month ago, Yuan Yi had only been a two-star Dou Emperor. How long had he even been a member of the Heavenly Mansion? And now he was already a four-star Dou Emperor.
He and Fan Lao exchanged a discreet glance.
Rumor had it that the Heavenly Mansion Alliance Lord had bestowed an Emperor's Extreme Pill on Yuan Yi outright to win his loyalty.
He had not believed it.
That was an Emperor's Extreme Pill-a top-tier sixth-grade pill! Even Han Feng's success rate in refining it was low, and the Medicine Emperor's conditions for refining pills were far too demanding. He and Fan Lao had been loyal to the core, yet they did not even know what that pill looked like.
Where had Yuan Yi found such dog-shit luck?
Watching Han Feng and his companions finally slink inside, Fan Tian called Yuan Yi over and murmured a few instructions into his ear.
Yuan Yi nodded repeatedly, immediately grasping his meaning.
Satisfied that Yuan Yi understood with just a hint, Fan Tian swept his peripheral vision over several inconspicuous spots.
"Hmph, these old fellows just love playing ghosts and spirits. They insist on putting on an air of mystery!"
Fan Tian shrugged. With his strength and backing, this Black-Corner Region stage was hardly difficult.
Apart from the Ancient Eight Clans, those fellows living off the legacy of their Dou Di bloodline, few factions on the Dou Qi Continent could truly give Sound Valley a headache.
Just wait.
What brought you glory would surely bring you ruin.
Let's see if you can still swagger around once your Dou Di bloodline is gone.
Thinking of Yao Wangui, who had taken Yao Ling away, Fan Tian felt a ball of fury rise within him.
Watching Fan Tian's retreating figure disappear from the sky, people in several corners of Black Seal City quietly breathed sighs of relief.
The Central Plains.
Wind Lightning Pavilion.
The battle between the Spirit Clan and the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan had the Hall of Souls members watching nearby clapping and cheering.
Huang Kun did not want to fight, but the Spirit Clan refused to let up, calling her a mangy bird at every turn.
The members of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan transformed into their true forms and unleashed their innate divine abilities. Meanwhile, the Spirit Clan's clan marks surged as they activated their Dou Di bloodline, heaven-rank Dou Techniques streaking across the sky at frequent intervals.
Both sides had already lost quite a few Dou Zuns, yet more experts continued to converge on the battlefield.
"Attack!"
Gu You gave the order, his gaunt face filled with icy ruthlessness.
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