Tang Hao's Whereabouts?

A few more seconds passed, but the room remained silent; no one dared to be the first to make a bid.

Lin Qingchen then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."

There was a long silence, and then people started raising their signs one after another.

Lin Qingchen was used to this. No one spoke up before because no one wanted to be the first to do so. Now that someone had started, these people naturally wanted to demonstrate the herd mentality that is unique to humans.

Aren't they afraid I'm a shill hired by the black market?

While I was pondering this, the price kept rising.

"Twenty thousand."

"Twenty-two thousand."

"Twenty-three thousand."

The price kept rising until it reached 30,000 before slowing down.

While the White Tiger Blood Essence is a valuable item, it's not something you absolutely need to obtain. After all, 70,000 Gold Soul Coins is a significant sum for many of those present.

Lin Qingchen then said, "Thirty-five thousand."

The auctioneer in black robes looked over. "The distinguished guest in the back row has bid thirty-five thousand, thirty-five thousand for the first time..."

A man wearing an iron mask in the front row turned around, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Forty thousand."

"Fifty thousand." Lin Qingchen gave him no room to maneuver.

Sure enough, the man in the iron mask stopped following.

The auctioneer called out the price three more times before bringing down the gavel.

Guards soon arrived with the auction items. Lin Qingchen handed over the Gold Soul Coins and put the jade bottle into his storage bracelet.

Over the past two years, he hasn't been idle either; he's also put some of his savings into a Gold Soul Coin card to avoid having to pay in cash every time.

Having obtained the item, he didn't linger any longer and immediately got up and walked out.

After leaving the granary and turning into an alley, Lin Qingchen's pace gradually slowed down.

At this moment, three more people caught up from behind, and Lin Qingchen naturally heard their footsteps as well.

"Wow, there really are people following us..."

He decided not to leave and used his Earth Element Great Escape to burrow into the ground.

The next moment, three people appeared from around the corner. The one leading them was a square-faced man in his thirties, wearing a large, dark brown robe.

However, they were dumbfounded when they saw the deserted, straight alley.

"Where is he? Didn't he go inside?"

"I don't know, brother. This is clearly a straight road, it can't go any further than this."

"Oh? Are you looking for me?"

A Youyou voice came from behind them.

The three of them turned around abruptly. Who else could it be but Lin Qingchen, whom they had been following?

The square-faced man forcibly suppressed his surprise and said in a deep voice, "Friend, we need that bottle of White Tiger Blood Essence. Name your price and let us have it, okay?"

The square-faced man spoke politely, but his tone left no room for negotiation.

"I'm not selling. Besides, if you were really that rich, you could have just competed with me directly at the auction. Why would you need to follow me?" Lin Qingchen shook his head with a smile.

The next moment, he sprang up instantly, arriving in front of his opponent in the blink of an eye, his right hand reaching out to grab the opponent's chest.

The square-faced man reacted quickly, stepping back and barely managing to dodge Lin Qingchen's attack.

Even so, his robes were still torn to shreds by this blow.

Lin Qingchen raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I didn't expect you to be from the Spirit Hall."

Beneath the square-faced man's robe was a black, close-fitting outfit, but what was even more striking was a badge the size of a fingernail pinned to his chest.

Lin Qingchen recognized the emblem immediately; it was the badge of the Spirit Hall's stewards, indicating a fairly high status.

Seeing that his identity had been exposed, the square-faced man simply stopped pretending. He frowned and said, "Friend, since you know we're from the Spirit Hall, why not do us a favor? After all, it's not very convenient for you to carry something like this alone at night."

"Heh, what does your Spirit Hall's identity have to do with whether I sell anything or not?" Lin Qingchen glared at him. "Besides, what do you want the White Tiger Blood Essence for? When did the Spirit Hall start showing interest in the Star Luo Dai Family's bloodline?"

The square-faced man's expression changed slightly.

A tall, thin man next to him leaned over and whispered something. The square-faced man nodded and looked at Lin Qingchen again. "Friend, don't ask questions you shouldn't. This is the last time I'll say it: give it up, and the price is negotiable. Otherwise, you won't be leaving Iron Rock City tonight."

Lin Qingchen sighed.

He didn't want to cause trouble, but since the other party had put it that way, backing down now wouldn't be his style.

"Alright, I'll let you see the item." He reached into his storage bracelet, took out the bottle of White Tiger Blood Essence, and waved it in his hand.

The three people's eyes unconsciously followed the movement of the jade bottle.

But the next moment, Lin Qingchen's Five Elements Qilin Martial Soul possessed him, and his Second Soul Ring lit up.

A massive, exaggeratedly thick, five-colored lightning bolt swept across the ground, carving two deep, charred furrows into the walls on either side of the alley.

The square-faced man reacted the fastest, immediately activating his Martial Soul Possession and taking a step to the side. However, the lightning bolt still grazed half of his body, instantly turning his entire right arm to ashes, and leaving his skin and flesh covered in bloody scorch marks.

The other two weren't so lucky. One was struck by a bolt of lightning, flying through the air and crashing into the alley wall, instantly losing consciousness. The other, a tall, thin man, fared even worse, being hit head-on by the lightning bolt and turning to ashes on the spot.

The square-faced man lay half-reclined on the ground, clutching his arm, and looked up at Lin Qingchen with eyes full of terror.

"Who... who are you?"

"Just an ordinary Soul Master who was passing by."

Lin Qingchen withdrew the Eye of Thunder, walked over, and squatted down in front of him.

"Oh, it's a tiger-type Martial Soul. No wonder it wants this White Tiger Blood Essence."

Of course, that's not the point. Lin Qingchen said softly, "Tell me, judging from your cultivation level of Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, you can't stay in a small place like Iron Rock City. What mission do you have here?"

The square-faced man gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Tsk..."

Why would you want to suffer so much?

Lin Qingchen didn't say anything more and simply reached out and pressed his hand against his face.

Then, the power of water surged, and endless water vapor flowed into his nostrils, flowing into the man's trachea and lungs under Lin Qingchen's control.

"Hmm..."

The man tried to struggle, but Lin Qingchen moved his mind, and a small pit instantly opened up in the ground, burying the man's body in it, rendering him unable to move.

A few dozen seconds later, Lin Qingchen released his hand, and the water vapor receded.

"Cough cough cough..."

The man coughed as he took deep breaths of fresh air.

"The feeling of suffocation is unpleasant, isn't it? Want to try it again?"

No... no... I'll talk, I'll talk...

The man was terrified and immediately begged for mercy.

"Then you tell me."

"Yes, that's right... Recently, some Spirit Halls in various locations have been attacked. Not only have people died, but the Spirit Halls themselves have been demolished. It's said that a man with a hammer did it."

"They said he was a remnant of Haotian, and ordered us to track him down. We received intelligence that he had recently appeared near Iron Rock City, so we... so we..."

Remnants of Haotian?

Who else but Tang Hao could be active outside right now?

Has this guy lost his mind? Why is he starting to attack the Spirit Hall?

"You Spirit Hall have chased people all the way here, that must have been tough. Get some rest." He patted the square-faced man's uninjured shoulder, then walked away without looking back.

The next moment, the Five Elements Fire ignited in the alley, burning the three of them to ashes.

The earth cracked open, swallowing all the ashes, and then returned to its original state.

It was as if nothing had happened.