My CEO Bai Fumei’s wife

The purple-robed elder fell from mid-air, his body bearing four deep blood grooves that revealed his bone. His mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation was no match for even five sword strikes from the Nine Dragons Sword Formation.

Kui Wu stepped forward and stomped on his chest, causing a section of the ground to collapse.

"Kill him, boss?"

Qin Yu sheathed the Nine Dragon Sword, and the crimson light of the Blood Fiend faded from his pupils, returning them to their normal black.

“Don’t kill him. The deputy sect leader of Tianji Sect is more valuable than those elders. Keeping him alive will allow us to extract more from him.”

When these words reached the ears of the old man in purple robes, he thought he was doomed, but he never expected that the reason he survived was because he was valuable.

"You want to use me as a bargaining chip."

"You're more useful than you think. Go inside and think about it."

The Nine Ghost Pagoda flashed, and the purple-robed elder was sucked in, imprisoned on the same floor as the Grand Elder and Fourth Elder of the Heavenly Mystery Sect. All three high-ranking members of the Heavenly Mystery Sect were now together.

Including the dozen or so Xuan Yin Sect elders that were previously inserted, the Spirit Tower now contains nearly twenty cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above, all of whom are bargaining chips.

Zhu Zhen squatted on the ground and rummaged through the storage rings of the three array masters. Array flags, spirit stones, pills, and parts of hidden weapons were piled up all over the ground.

"Boss, these three guys are worth at least eight thousand spirit crystals. The Heavenly Mystery Sect is really rich."

Qin Yu didn't respond; his attention was entirely focused on the purple-robed elder's storage ring.

The ring was opened, and two things inside made his hand stop.

The first item was a gold-embossed invitation card with the Wanbaoge logo on the cover and the words "Centennial Auction of Tianshu City" on the inner page, to be held in three days, along with a long list of auction items.

The list was scanned from beginning to end, stopping at items thirty-seven and ninety-two.

Item 37: Soul Purifying Elixir, starting bid 5,000 spirit crystals.

Item 92: The Secret Records of the Western Underworld, starting bid 10,000 spirit crystals.

When used in conjunction with the Soul Purifying Elixir, the Soul Repairing Pill can reduce the soul repair cycle from three months to half a month, so Kui Hong no longer needs to endure two and a half months of suffering.

The Secret Records of the Western Underworld contain a complete map of the Western Underworld Sea and the defense routes of the Demon God's lair, while the Soul-Returning Immortal Herb grows on the Demon God's territory.

Kui Hong's life hangs on the Soul Purifying Elixir, while the resurrection of Grandpa and Phoenix hangs on the Soul-Returning Immortal Herb.

Both lines of thought point to the auction in Tian Shu City.

Qin Yu put the invitation into his storage ring and then took out a second item.

A communication jade tablet in the style of the Heavenly Mystery Sect contained nearly three days' worth of transmission and reception records, mostly internal dispatch orders, but one of them came from the direction of Martial Emperor City.

The message was brief: Blood Fiend has attracted the Emperor's attention. The Heavenly Mystery Sect is assisting the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in tracking down his whereabouts. Once found, he must not be dealt with independently; all intelligence must be sent directly to Martial Emperor City.

The three characters above read: Emperor Wu's Decree.

Meng Qianyun leaned over and glanced at it, her expression immediately changing.

“Emperor Li has his eye on you. Zhou Tianming will definitely report everything that happened today when he gets back.”

"It's not right for a Nascent Soul stage expert to pay attention to a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator."

Qin Yu tossed the jade pendant into his storage ring, his tone no different from asking what he wanted for dinner.

"But he still made a move, which means that what Zhou Tianming reported made him feel that I was in his way."

"Then you still dare to go to Tian Shu City."

Meng Qianyun's judgment was straightforward: Tian Shu City was jointly managed by Wanbaoge, Tianjimen, and Tianleizong. Going there was no different from walking into a cage.

"It's precisely because they don't expect me to go that they're going."

Meng Qianyun was speechless for three seconds after hearing this, wanting to refute but unable to find a point, because those two items on the auction list really couldn't wait.

Kui Hong's soul would break apart every day it was delayed, and three months was too long for a body that had been tormented for three years.

The Western Underworld Secret Records are extremely rare and hard to come by; if someone else manages to snatch them up, it might be a hundred years before they reappear. "Boss, my sister's matter isn't urgent. Don't risk going to that kind of place for her sake."

Kui Wu squatted at the entrance of the cave, his voice very low, not wanting his sister in the spirit tower to hear him.

"It's not for your sister, it's for my own people."

Qin Yu released the spirit boat from his storage ring, and the concealment restrictions on the boat were reactivated.

"Grandpa and Phoenix are lying in the Spirit Tower waiting to be resurrected. We have the prescription and the medicinal materials, but we are missing the Resurrection Herb. The Western Underworld Secret Record is the only clue we can find to it."

"What if you go to Tian Shu City and both Wan Bao Ge and Tian Ji Men are keeping an eye on you?"

Meng Qianyun added that she wasn't cooperating with Qin Yu to be buried with him.

"Even the Martial Emperor wouldn't recognize me with the Thousand-Faced Mask. I can just change my face and enter the city. Who would know that I, Young Master, am Blood Fiend?"

This answer silenced Meng Qianyun for the time being, but she knew that this matter was far more complicated than a simple veil.

The spirit boat took off and flew through the clouds toward Tian Shu City, a journey of about a day and a half.

Kui Wu took his younger sister out of the spirit tower and handed her over to Ye Qingxue to take care of. Kui Hong was still unconscious, but her breathing was much more stable than yesterday, and the effects of the pills were slowly taking effect.

Ye Qingxue sat next to Kui Hong, the spiritual energy emanating from her flower fairy physique covering her body and repairing her broken meridians.

“My lord, her soul has three cracks, seven meridians are blocked, and there are at least a dozen more hidden injuries that have not yet manifested.”

"After obtaining the Soul Purifying Elixir, first replenish your soul, and then slowly heal your meridians and hidden injuries."

After flying for most of the day, the spirit boat came into view a continuous mountain range, and at the foot of the mountain, the outline of a city could be vaguely seen.

Before they even got close, Zhu Zhen's ears perked up.

"Boss, someone has set up a detection array ahead, covering at least fifty miles, specifically to detect the aura of demons."

Qin Yu scanned the area with his divine sense and found a team of more than thirty people stationed in the middle section of the mountain range. The leader's aura was that of a mid-stage Martial God, equivalent to a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

"The Heavenly Thunder Sect's Demon-Slaying Brigade."

Meng Qianyun glanced down from the edge of the spirit boat and then shrank back.

"The leader is called Lei Ming, the fifth elder of the Thunderclap Sect. He specializes in intercepting and killing demon cultivators who come to participate in the auction outside Tian Shu City."

"Why intercept and kill demon cultivators?"

"They steal demon cores and essence blood for resale. Auctions will attract demon cultivators if there are items of value to the demon race. The demon-slaying team will then gather them here."

Kui Wu sat in the corner, his fists, which he had just loosened, clenched again.

"Robbery under the guise of slaying demons and monsters, just like the Xuan Yin Sect."

The spirit boat slowed down, and the detection array ahead had been triggered. Even with the concealment barrier activated, the auras of the three demonic beasts inside the boat were still detected.

Three beams of light shot out from the mountains and blocked the way for the spirit boat.

The leader wore a battle robe with thunder patterns and a bronze plaque hanging at his waist, engraved with the official seal of the Martial Emperor City.

"The spirit boat ahead has stopped. The Heavenly Thunder Sect's Demon Extermination Team is conducting a routine inspection. There is a demonic aura on board. All demon cultivators must disembark for questioning."

Qin Yu stood at the bow of the ship, still in his original form, without the Thousand-Machine Veil.

"There are no demon cultivators on the ship, only my pets."

"Pets are also demons. Within the territory of Qingyun Prefecture, the Heavenly Thunder Sect has the right to deal with any demons that appear in its jurisdiction."

Lei Ming revealed the bronze plaque, and the official seal of Wudi City reflected a cold light in the sunlight.

"This is the demon-slaying order personally signed by Emperor Li. I am here to enforce the law on the orders of Emperor Wu. What is your status?" (End of Chapter)