Under the spotlight, Xiao Yan naturally noticed the change in the atmosphere within the auction hall.
Although most people reacted with surprise and disdain, a small minority still began to doubt his identity.
After all, the black-robed man standing before them was also Half-Emperor, and judging from his ability to fight Lin Zehong, his combat strength was clearly at the level of Dou Di.
Most coincidentally, he was also a Third-Tier Alchemist. With two points overlapping and being a young man, the Dou Di experts present were already certain that the black-robed man still standing alone on the field was none other than Xiao Yan!
"Damn it, these cunning bastards! They made a huge blunder, and in the end, it was you who exposed their identities!"
Beneath his black robe, Xiao Yan frowned, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. Just moments ago, his immense Spiritual Strength had clearly detected an unusual energy fluctuation emanating from the location of the two members of the Huo Clan. If he wasn't mistaken, they were surely reporting to their clan, and the Huo Clan would likely arrive soon once the auction ended.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan felt even more solemn, and his already furrowed brows tightened even more at this moment.
Xuan City is the territory of both the Huo Clan and Bai Clan. Exposing one's identity here is tantamount to a lamb entering a tiger's den. Once the powerful members of both families gather here and form an encirclement, Xiao Yan will have no way to escape until his death!
As for the Bai Clan, Xiao Yan does have a cooperative relationship with them, but under these circumstances, no one can guarantee that the Bai Clan will not secretly take action for Xiao Yan. If they do, it will undoubtedly be a great help to Xiao Yan. If not, then Xiao Yan will inevitably become a sitting duck, unable to escape!
"Now we can only hope that the Huo Clan family hasn't arrived by the time the auction ends!"
With a helpless sigh, Xiao Yan could only hope in his heart. After all, the Spatial Auction no ordinary place, and Xiao Yan couldn't just leave whenever he wanted. Here, Xiao Yan had no choice but to wait anxiously.
On the other side, the Bai Clan father and son were also secretly exchanging information.
"Father, have you noticed?"
"Yes, they've probably already recognized him and are gathering the strongest members of their clan."
Upon hearing Bai Zhan's words, Bai Ying nodded inwardly. He had been paying close attention to the Huo Clan's previous actions, and immediately felt a slight tightening in his heart, causing him to hesitate.
For the Four Great Sects, Xiao Yan is an enemy, someone they absolutely cannot let go easily. The Heavenly Severing Ancient Tomb is far too important to the Four Great Sects; no matter what, they must capture Xiao Yan.
However, for the Bai Clan, Xiao Yan was neither friend nor foe, but someone they had to keep alive. Only with Xiao Yan's survival could they ensure that the attention of the Four Great Sects would be diverted. In this way, with Xiao Yan as a check, the Bai Clan's actions would naturally become much easier.
Xiao Yan is a crucial key to the Bai Clan's successful rise. No matter what, he cannot be harmed. At least, Xiao Yan cannot die before the Bai Clan has the ability to separate from the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"Father, now that the Huo Clan has made their move, should we also...?"
"No, wait a little longer. If we gather our family members now, and both sides arrive at the same time, he really won't have a chance to escape. We must leave him this opportunity to leave. Our family members should send the message before the auction ends."
"Yes, Father."
Bai Zhan nodded, and a jade slip in his hand beneath his sleeve was then stored in his Storage Ring.
"Father, what if we run into him?"
After retrieving the jade slip, Bai Zhan suddenly frowned and turned to Bai Ying to ask a question.
Bai Zhan's meaning was naturally that he was worried about what would happen if, after the auction ended, even if the Huo Clan members didn't arrive, their two families discovered Xiao Yan's identity.
They couldn't possibly refrain from taking action against Xiao Yan. If they did, the Bai Clan would be targeted by the Heavenly Sword Sect. Once they lost the Heavenly Sword Sect's trust, everything they did in the future would be questioned, let alone strengthening the Bai Clan.
However, if they were to make a move, with their combined strength of two Three-Star Dou Di Huo Yuning, who had already reached the Early-Stage Two-Star Dou Di, Xiao Yan would likely find it difficult to withstand them. If something were to happen to Xiao Yan, it would be a real problem.
"Well... let's just wait and see how things develop. In short, we'll try to keep our distance. As for whether he can leave, that's up to him."
Bai Ying frowned slightly. How could he have imagined that Xiao Yan would dare to come to the territory of their Four Great Clans again in such a grand manner, and now he was even sitting in the same auction house as them? This was truly astonishing.
The auction continued, but the atmosphere was subtly shifting.
"This gentleman has offered sixty Spirit Stone. Does anyone here wish to offer a higher price?"
On the auction stage, the old man's gaze slowly swept across the entire room, his sharp eyes pausing slightly at a few points, especially when they swept over Xiao Yan, his eyes flashing with a shrewd light. Then, he withdrew his gaze and spoke leisurely.
Regardless, no one could stop the auction from proceeding as planned.
"I'll offer seventy!"
On the high platform, Huo Ting spoke again.
Since he intends to leave Xiao Yan here, he naturally wants to do everything he can to delay the auction before the Huo Clan experts arrive. This is undoubtedly the best and most effective method at the moment.
"Eighty!"
Xiao Yan frowned, his heart growing increasingly heavy, yet he dared not hesitate for a moment. He knew perfectly well what the latter's purpose was; if he hesitated now, wouldn't he be pushing himself into a fire pit?
Ninety!
Xiao Yan didn't dare to hesitate, while Huo Ting looked relaxed. Ever since he had confirmed Xiao Yan's identity, he no longer intended to compete for the auction of the fragment. After all, as long as Xiao Yan was brought back to the Huo Clan, even if the fragment fell into his hands now, it would only be temporarily kept. In any case, it would eventually return to the Huo Clan's hands, so where it was now was of no concern to him.
Time passed slowly, and the auction price had increased from the initial fifty Spirit Stone to one hundred and eighty Spirit Stone, a period of half an hour.
Huo Ting was deliberately stalling for time, a fact that was obvious to almost everyone present, but very few knew the truth.
An eerie atmosphere permeated the vast auction hall. Everyone stared suspiciously at the two people bidding back and forth, no one knowing what was going on.
"I... will offer one hundred and ninety Spirit Stone."
"Two hundred Spirit Stone!"
The room remained silent for a long time before everyone heard Huo Ting's leisurely bid. The moment Huo Ting finished speaking, Xiao Yan's bid followed immediately.
Unfortunately, according to Gu You, the Saint Class cultivation technique in this fragment is obviously of great use to Xiao Xuan. Therefore, no matter what, Xiao Yan must auction off this fragment today. Otherwise, he would probably have already let Huo Ting take it away instead of delaying until now.
Even the old man on the auction stage couldn't help but frown slightly at the scene unfolding before him, though he felt somewhat helpless.
Huo Ting's timing was extremely precise. Every bid he made was within the allotted time, neither exceeding it nor arriving a fraction of a second early. Xiao Yan, on the other hand, was different. In order to end this silent battle as quickly as possible, he would always raise his price the instant the latter made his bid, as if he were giving the other party unlimited time, while he only had a mere second or two.
As Xiao Yan spoke again, his loud voice echoed throughout the auction hall. Everyone present was stunned by this eerie aura, holding their breath and cautiously awaiting the outcome of the two's match.
On the auction stage below, the old man's face looked slightly gloomy. He hadn't expected that Huo Ting would take advantage of their Space Auction House. Unfortunately, the other party had a legitimate reason to do so, and even he couldn't do anything about it.
A pair of old eyes swept over Huo Ting with a somewhat gloomy expression, and at the same time, a cold smile inadvertently flashed deep within the old man's eyes...
Xiao Yan stood upright on the high platform. He had been standing there for a full half hour. Although his body was not tired, his heart was under tremendous pressure.
Time ticked by, and finally, the silence on the field continued for a long time, breaking through the seemingly pre-arranged timeframe.
Huo Ting did not speak again. Everyone in the auction house breathed a sigh of relief at this moment, and a soft gasp rang out in the auction house, clearly audible.
Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat at that moment, and he suddenly raised his head, his gaze instantly falling on the black scroll in front of the old man on the auction stage. A complex expression flashed across his dark eyes.
Today, for the sake of this martial arts manual, he might have to risk his life here!
"Call..."
Fortunately, this cultivation manual finally fell into his hands!
"Congratulations to this gentleman for successfully bidding on the final item of this auction!"
At the same time, the old man on the auction stage finally breathed a long sigh of relief. This annoying auction was finally over!
Because of the special nature of the auction items, this exchange was different from the previous ones. Xiao Yan descended from the high platform and was allowed to enter the light barrier by the old man. Suddenly, a huge curtain descended from the sky, covering the entire auction stage. Due to the special nature of the curtain, the people on the auction stage could not see the contents of it.
This is the rule of every auction, and some of the people present were well aware of it, so they didn't have any other thoughts.
On the contrary, the Huo Clan family did not want Xiao Yan to disappear from their sight before they actually captured him. Even in such a short time, they still felt uneasy.