While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 72 Black Skull Tomb Auction
Three days later, in the Black Corner Region.

This chaotic land, adjacent to Canaan Academy, is like a persistent leech clinging to the academy. Its unique geographical location makes it the most chaotic region in the Northwest Continent—a place without laws, only the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak.

Every day, powerful figures fall here, while new desperate criminals flood in. Death and opportunity intertwine: high-level cultivation techniques, rare elixirs, and divine weapons circulate in major auction houses, and even traces of Earth-rank cultivation techniques occasionally appear.

Despite repeated suppression by various forces, this fertile land of evil continues to expand with astonishing vitality, leaving the oppressors helpless.

On this land irrigated by blood and desire, chaos is the only eternal order.

At this moment, in the southwest direction of the Black Corner Region.

A majestic black city stands on the wasteland. From afar, countless figures clad in black robes surge like a tide into the city gates, which resemble the gaping maw of an abyss.

The black skull emblem hanging high above the city wall exudes a chilling aura, signifying the dominion of this place—the Black Skull Tomb, a first-rate power in the Black Corner Region.

Before the gates of Black Skull City, Lu Yu stood still, his gaze sharp as lightning beneath his black mask. He surveyed his surroundings and noticed that most of the passersby were also dressed in black robes; in this lawless land, concealing one's identity seemed to be the norm.

"That saves us the trouble of covering it up."

He muttered to himself as he followed the crowd into the city.

Even before setting off, he had made up his mind that rather than taking the initiative, he would rather wait for the rabbit to come to him.

Since the Blood Sect is planning to ambush the participants of the Black Skull Auction, he only needs to enter the auction openly and the other party will naturally come to him.

……

Upon entering the city, the scene inside was completely different from that outside. Shops with colorful lanterns hung side by side on both sides of the wide streets.

Masked vendors displayed a dazzling array of goods on their stalls: weapons gleaming with an eerie light, strangely colored ores, and even baby monsters imprisoned in iron cages...

"Top-quality purple chalcedony! A mysterious mineral from the Central Plains!"

"A complete pelt of a fifth-tier magical beast, the Shadow Panther, is only 800,000 gold coins!"

"The newly arrived slave is at the Douling cultivation level and is proficient in a Xuan-rank Dou Technique!"

Amidst the cacophony of hawkers' cries, Lu Yu glanced around, his gaze quickly locking onto his target: the towering black building in the city center.

At the top of the towering building, a huge skeleton phantom floated in the air, its eerie green flames flickering in its eye sockets, appearing particularly sinister in the darkening sky.

That was the Black Skull Auction House.

……

Soon after,

Lu Yu followed the crowd to the entrance of the auction house, where he saw two rows of guards clad in bone armor standing solemnly, their white bone badges gleaming coldly in the dim green torchlight.

Please show your admission ticket.

A guard reached out to stop him.

Lu Yu calmly took out the black jade token prepared by the academy. After the guard checked it, he nodded slightly and said, "Category C, please follow the directions."

Upon entering the auction hall, the walls of the passageways on both sides are inlaid with countless skull reliefs. The passageways gradually widen and eventually lead to a magnificent circular hall.

Lu Yu followed the signs steadily, but his eyes subtly scanned the surrounding environment.

"Look, it's Elder Qing from the Heavenly Serpent Palace..."

"The Eight Doors have actually sent the Xuan-character Hall Master this time..."

"Elder Crimson Tiger of the Beast Taming Sect is personally leading the team?"

A murmur of discussion arose around him, and Lu Yu looked in that direction. He saw three impressive teams entering the arena one after another.

Leading the procession was a group of women clad in soft, green scale armor, their waists swaying like serpents as they walked. The woman in green at the head of the procession had a cold and beautiful face, and a dot of vermilion between her brows added to her eerie beauty; a subtle fragrance wafted in their wake.

Following them was a group of black-clad warriors, each with an eight-door pattern embroidered on their chest. Their steps were perfectly synchronized, and a faint, pungent aura of blood emanated from them; they were clearly the elite of the elite. The last group to enter was the most flamboyant. Leading them was a burly man with lifelike animal tattoos on his bare arms, and he rode a three-eyed demonic tiger, whose roar shook the surrounding candlelight.

Lu Yu's eyes flickered slightly as he noticed that the auction house attendants treated these three forces with exceptional respect.

He quietly retreated to a corner seat, secretly deciding to avoid the conflicts between these forces as much as possible.

Just as the three major powers took their seats, a clear and melodious bell rang throughout the hall, announcing the official start of the auction.

Lu Yu looked up and saw an elderly man with white hair standing smiling under the spotlight on the central crystal platform.

The old man was dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold, and the auction hammer in his hand gleamed warmly under the lamplight.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Black Skull Auction."

Although the white-haired old man's voice was soft, it was clearly amplified throughout the entire venue by a specially designed amplification device.

"I am Hei Yuan, and it is my honor to preside over this grand auction for you all today."

He gave a slight bow, then swiftly got to the point, saying, "Enough with the pleasantries. I know you're all eager to get started, so let's bring out the first item for auction!"

At his signal, a long sword, entirely crimson, slowly rose on the crystal display stand, its blade shimmering with intense flames.

"The first item up for auction—the fourth-tier fire-attribute magic core longsword 'Crimson Flame,' meticulously crafted by a renowned weaponsmith from the Black Corner Region, has a starting bid of 300,000 gold coins!"

Lu Yu merely glanced at it; this level of magic core weapon was of little use to him. After several rounds of bidding, it was finally acquired by a man in black robes for 450,000 gold coins.

After the Crimson Flame Sword was auctioned off, the second item was quickly presented.

"The second item for auction is the complete magic core of the fifth-tier serpentine magical beast, the Azure Phosphorous Serpent. Starting bid: 800,000 gold coins!"

As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, Elder Qing of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion sat up straight, a glint of desire flashing in her eyes. She raised her jade-like hand and said in a clear, cold voice, "One million."

A hush fell over the arena; no one dared to challenge the Heavenly Serpent Palace for the serpent treasures. Seeing this, Hei Yuan quickly brought down the gavel, and the deal was completed.

As the auction progressed, various treasures appeared one after another—rare armor, high-level combat skills, rare cultivation techniques, precious medicinal herbs… Although these treasures attracted fierce bidding, they failed to tempt Lu Yu.

Just when he thought the auction was about to end, a glamorous woman dressed in black gauze gracefully walked onto the stage, holding an exquisite jade box in her hands.

A mysterious smile appeared on Hei Yuan's face. The moment he slowly opened the jade box, the entire auction house was suddenly enveloped in a dark blue light.

A strange flower lay quietly in the box, its petals swirling with a captivating spiritual energy that made everyone present hold their breath.

"Distinguished guests."

Hei Yuan's voice suddenly became deep and magnetic as he slowly said, "According to the rules of my Black Skull Auction House, only fifteen rare items are auctioned at a time. And this 'Soulless Flower' before us is the first of the three grand finale treasures of this auction."

He carefully lifted the jade box, letting the eerie blue light flow in everyone's eyes, and continued, "This item is cultivated using a unique secret method of my Black Skull Tomb. It requires the essence of ten thousand corpses to nurture just one flower. After consuming it, although it can only slightly increase one's soul power..."

"Ineffective against experts above the Dou Zong level..."

"But you should understand that rare and precious materials that can directly enhance soul power are extremely rare on the entire continent."

"Starting bid is one grade five pill; barter is the only acceptable method."

Hei Yuan surveyed the entire room, his gaze lingering particularly on several alchemists. He then smiled slightly and said in a loud voice, "Alchemists, please."

Before the words were even finished, the once noisy auction hall fell into a deathly silence, followed by a chorus of gasps of amazement.

"Finally, it's here! This is the very thing I've been searching for all this time..."

"A rare treasure that directly enhances soul power... Looking across the entire Black Corner Region, only the Black Skull Tomb possesses such a method..."

"Ah, it's a pity that this item can only be used once in a lifetime. The truly important figures in the Black Corner Region have already used it, otherwise how could such a treasure have ended up at an auction..."

(End of this chapter)