“No!”
“Splat!”
As a terrified scream rang out, Huang Yuan’s head flew off, blood spraying everywhere.
On the other side, Qianlong, who had no heart to fight against several Tianmen disciples, was struck by Hu Yue’s piercing sword technique. A foot-deep gash opened on his back, blood flowing freely.
Seeing Huang Yuan killed, Qianlong’s fear intensified. He had no thought of resisting, desperately charging outward to escape.
Lin Xiao turned and attacked Qianlong. With just a few moves, he struck Qianlong down.
By now, the devouring vortex had dissipated. The remaining twenty or thirty fighters from the three factions had been mostly cut down by the Tianmen disciples. With Lin Xiao joining in, it didn’t take long before they were all wiped out.
Witnessing this scene, Qingyun was utterly shocked. She hadn’t expected Lin Xiao’s combat prowess to be so terrifying— resolving all enemies in such a short time after the array’s bindings were lifted.
Her great enemy, Peng Du, had also been slain.
The place had become a ruin, and within it, aside from Lin Xiao and the Tianmen forces, no one else remained.
At that moment, with the auction hall destroyed, many onlookers had gathered around.
Pausing briefly, Qingyun hurriedly approached Lin Xiao, pulling a jade hairpin from her hair and handing it to him, saying, “I don’t know how my father is faring. I hope Young Master Lin Xiao will go assist him.”
Lin Xiao took the jade hairpin, probing it with his spiritual sense and detecting a unique aura.
“This is the Junzang key!” Lin Xiao’s heart jolted. He hadn’t expected Qingyun to be so bold as to reveal something so crucial in front of everyone.
But it was precisely this audacity that ensured no one would suspect a hair ornament held the true Junzang key.
“Alright!” Lin Xiao nodded immediately. Qingyun had kept her promise, so he would naturally help.
Stowing the Junzang key in his storage ring, Lin Xiao’s gaze shifted to the original auction hall. With a surge of spiritual energy, he retrieved the unattended fake Junzang map and key box.
Once word spread, he’d undoubtedly face trouble on his journey— people vying for the Junzang. This fake map and key might just throw them off.
“They’ve seized the Junzang map and key!” Among the crowd surrounding the ruins, someone ignorant of the truth shouted greedily.
Lin Xiao’s expression chilled, a powerful aura radiating from him. His icy gaze swept the crowd as he coldly threatened, “Even Peng Du is dead. If you want to die, step forward.”
Under Lin Xiao’s frigid shout, the crowd finally sobered. They hadn’t been inside the auction hall and didn’t know what had happened, but seeing Peng Du’s corpse and the bodies strewn about, they knew this youth wasn’t bluffing.
A group capable of stepping over countless corpses to claim the Junzang map and key was no pushover.
“If you want to live, hand over the goods!”
At that moment, a thunderous roar rolled in from ahead. A terrifying pressure followed, enveloping the crowd and blanketing the auction hall ruins.
Lin Xiao and the others felt an immense weight. Qingyun and the Tianmen members’ faces grew grave.
The pressure was overwhelming, nearly suffocating them. They could sense it belonged to a Martial Venerable.
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed as he looked up. Five figures approached, flying on wings of primal energy, then halted before them.
All five were elders. The leader stood in mid-air without relying on primal energy wings— clearly a Martial Venerable.
From the potent aura he exuded, Lin Xiao judged his cultivation to be first-rank Martial Venerable.
The leading elder had greying temples and a stern, shadowed face, suggesting advanced age. Yet his imposing presence carried an air of authority, hinting at a position of power.
Beside him stood four others, each riding primal energy wings, their auras sharp and fierce— all Martial Kings.
One Martial Venerable and four Martial Kings— this was undoubtedly a major force, one that could rank among the top in the Lanlan Empire.
Facing five such experts, Lin Xiao sensed trouble, his expression growing serious.
“Hand over what’s in your possession!” the Martial Venerable elder commanded coldly, thrusting out a palm imprint with domineering force.
The onlookers gasped, inwardly pitying the group of youths. Against a Martial Venerable, even the greatest skills were futile. The Junzang map and key they’d fought so hard for were about to change hands.
“Hmm?” Lin Xiao’s mind stirred with suspicion. Did these five not know the Junzang map and key in his hand were fake?
But it made sense. Judging by their travel-worn appearance, they’d clearly rushed here from afar, arriving at the scene immediately.
The panicked escapees had only fled moments ago— news of the fake map and key couldn’t have spread yet.
Even the onlookers who’d come to gawk likely didn’t know. The battle had just ended; no one would guess he’d already grabbed the fake Junzang map and key.
Even if a few knew, they’d hardly reveal the truth lightly.
In the hands of a Heavenly Martial cultivator, it was better than in a Martial Venerable’s grasp.
A Heavenly Martial cultivator gave them a chance; a Martial Venerable offered none.
Seeing the scene, these powerhouses naturally assumed the box in Lin Xiao’s hand contained the real Junzang map and key.
“Senior, if you don’t stop, I’ll destroy it!” Lin Xiao shouted urgently, squeezing the box until it cracked, teetering on the edge of breaking.
The Martial Venerable elder’s gaze sharpened, and he halted. To him, these people were ants— killing them was nothing. But if the Junzang map and key were destroyed, their deaths wouldn’t be worth it, even ten thousand times over.
“The Junzang isn’t something you can meddle with. Hand it over,” the elder said, lowering his voice but still laced with thick menace.
“If we give it up, will you let us go?” Lin Xiao countered fearlessly.
A flash of cold fury glinted in the elder’s eyes, a surge of killing intent rising within him. Since when could a mere Heavenly Martial junior haggle with him?
This brat had already enraged him.
“Fine, I agree!” the elder finally said, striving to keep his tone calm.
Let him go? Impossible. But for now, he needed to steady the boy’s emotions. If the map and key were truly destroyed, killing him a thousand times wouldn’t make up for it.
Yet that fleeting killing intent couldn’t escape Lin Xiao, armed with the experience and memories of the Spirit Emperor of Devouring Heaven.
From start to finish, Lin Xiao never believed the elder’s words.
He deliberately put on a show of conflicted reluctance and helpless struggle, then gritted his teeth, saying, “Alright, but let them leave first, then I’ll hand it over!”
At this, the Martial Venerable elder’s face darkened further, as did the Martial Kings beside him.
This youth dared threaten them again, bargaining once more.
