Breaking the Masked Man

As the auctioneer, whose expression could change instantly, finished speaking, the scene fell silent for a moment before becoming lively again. Many people were eagerly eyeing this fighting technique, and even some Dou Huangs couldn't sit still.

Earth-rank combat skills are extremely tempting even for Dou Zong level experts, and even more so for Dou Huang level experts.

If two Dou Huang were to fight, whoever possesses a Di-rank Dou Technique would undoubtedly be the final victor.

"The auction price for this fighting technique is set at three million, with each initial bid increment not less than one hundred thousand." Looking at the auction hall where whispers were rising, the auctioneer's face transformed into a red mask, his paper fan snapped shut, and he shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, please place your bids!"

The scene was quiet for a while. After all, the price of two million was enough to eliminate most of the forces and strong individuals, and some smaller forces didn't even have the qualifications to participate.

"Three and a half million!"

After a brief silence, the two elders, Jin and Yin, broke the silence. Both of them cultivated earth-attribute techniques, and if they could obtain this fighting skill, their strength would definitely rise to another level. As for the Breakthrough Pill, the two of them already had other ideas. After all, the undercurrents in Black Seal City had been surging recently, and anyone with a discerning eye could sense it. They had not been blinded by greed.

As the two elders, Jin and Yin, started, the scene instantly became lively, and prices continued to rise. Money was never a problem for a peak Douhuang expert, especially in a place like the Black Corner Region, where other people's money was their money, and they could always earn more by robbing than by themselves.

Not far away, Mo Tianxing's eyes flickered slightly. He looked at the fighting technique in front of him and shook his head with some regret. This technique was not compatible with him, so even if he won it, it would be useless. Moreover, based on the reactions of the two elders, he could roughly guess their thoughts. He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "These two old things are indeed worthy of being people who have been in the Black Corner Region for nearly a hundred years. Their minds are so flexible. They can even resist the temptation of the Breakthrough Pill!"

There are very few people in this world who can remain calm in the face of temptation.

"Father, the Eight Doors haven't made any unusual moves. Could it be that we're overthinking things?" Mo Tianxing's son, Mo Ya, asked.

"Do you think someone below the Dou Huang level can interfere in these matters?" Mo Tianxing glanced at his son, his smile widening. "Don't even mention those below Dou Huang; even a nine-star Dou Huang would be in trouble. Didn't you see that the Jin and Yin elders have given up? Heh, this is getting more and more interesting~"

At this moment, the auction of the Heaven-Splitting Earth-Shaking Palm came to an end, with its value soaring to around eight million before it concluded. However, the Gold and Silver Elders did not manage to acquire it; instead, it was taken over by a force from the Black Corner Region, whose leader was none other than a peak Nine-Star Dou Huang expert.

The two sides exchanged glances for a while over this matter, their killing intent palpable. How many of those who could make it big in the Black Corner Region were truly innocent?

All three were peak Douhuang experts. The clash of their auras was incredibly oppressive. Even those below the Douhuang level felt a tightness in their chests and a sense of suffocation. This caused the entire auction hall to fall silent instantly. Fortunately, the auctioneer broke the silence: "Next up for auction are tonight's highlight items: two Royal Extreme Pills and one Breaking Sect Pill!"

As the auctioneer spoke, the entire auction instantly erupted in excitement. Countless burning eyes were fixed on the medicine bottles in the center of the auction. The three small jade bottles were full of invisible allure, causing even the powerful Dou Huang in the audience to reveal burning eyes, eyes more intense than when they saw a peerless beauty.

After all, beautiful women are merely a desire, while elixirs that can help one break through are a necessity. Only with strength can one do whatever one wants in the Black Corner Region.

The Imperial Pill can help a Dou Huang powerhouse increase their strength by one to two stars, and even has a slight effect of cleansing the marrow and slightly increasing their potential. The Breakthrough Pill directly helps a peak Dou Huang powerhouse break through to Dou Zong, and even if the breakthrough fails, it can leave the peak Dou Huang powerhouse unharmed, without any risk of decline in strength.

This kind of pill is more tempting than any other variety of pills on the Dou Qi Continent, and even some seventh and eighth grade pills cannot compare to it.

After all, strength is everything!

Such pills are rarely auctioned off. Individuals and organizations alike tend to consume them internally, as they can help people break through to the next level without side effects, greatly increasing their foundation and strength.

Even the powerful Dou Huang who already knew about this couldn't contain their excitement and desire. Many of them instinctively released their Dou Qi, but quickly suppressed it again. This was because they had learned some time ago that the patriarch of the Eight Doors had not died, and they had clearly felt his powerful pressure.

This is why everyone obediently participated in the auction here.

"The value of these two pills is something everyone knows. These pills cannot be measured in money; we can only accept barter."

The auctioneer opened his fan, his mask turning blue, and chuckled softly.

The reason why Earth-rank combat techniques can be auctioned and even valued in money is naturally because Earth-rank combat techniques are extremely difficult to cultivate. Even if you were given one, you might not be able to cultivate it successfully. Every powerful combat technique has extremely demanding prerequisites. If someone forces themselves to cultivate a technique without meeting the prerequisites, they may even injure themselves and cause their strength to regress.

In contrast, the Imperial Extreme Pill and the Breakthrough Pill are different; they directly enhance your strength, and the two are not comparable.

"I possess a low-rank Earth-level combat skill; may I exchange it for a Royal Extreme Pill?"

One of the Dou Huangs stood up impatiently and asked, "I have no interest in the Breakthrough Pill. Even if I win the bid today, it will be extremely difficult to take it out. Besides, my strength has not yet reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Huang, so it would be useless for me to win the bid. In comparison, I might as well be more realistic and bid for a Royal Extreme Pill!"

"Is there anyone else bidding?" The auctioneer looked around the Douhuang special section and asked. At this point in the auction, no one below the Douhuang level was qualified to participate.

"I have the corpse of an unknown magical beast in my possession. Its strength is at least at the seventh rank, and it is very likely to be at the eighth rank. Would it be enough to exchange it for a Royal Extreme Pill and a Breakthrough Pill?"

Just then, an old man's voice rang out throughout the entire venue.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 137 Decision

The speaker wore a bronze mask and a long black robe. He appeared somewhat hunched over, and judging from his voice alone, he was an old man. However, it was impossible to discern anything else about him. The black robe seemed to have the ability to shield his aura, completely concealing it and making it impossible to determine his identity from that perspective.

However, since the other party dared to participate in this auction and make a bid, their strength must have reached the peak level of Dou Huang, or even be a Dou Zong level expert. Otherwise, they would never have dared to say such a thing.

The corpse of a seventh-tier... or even a very likely eighth-tier magical beast.

These words undoubtedly ignited the entire auction, drawing the attention of countless people. Everyone knew the value of a magical beast's corpse, especially a perfectly intact one, whose flesh, skin, bones, and magical core were all extremely valuable. If what the other party said was true, its value would definitely surpass that of the Imperial Extreme Pill and the Breakthrough Pill.

The auctioneer was also taken aback by the speaker's words. After a moment's hesitation, he said somewhat reservedly, "May I ask, sir, is this demonic beast's corpse intact?"

"Of course it won't be complete. If it were, do you think I would offer it up for trade? However, there is one thing I'm certain of: this magical beast's corpse was definitely at least a seventh-tier beast in life. Even after countless years of death, the pressure emanating from its body still makes me tremble. Even the essence blood contained within its flesh is difficult to refine. A Dou Huang once tried to refine it, but ended up bursting himself. That's why I dare to make such a judgment. Ordinary seventh-tier magical beasts can't reach this level!"

The old man chuckled coldly, paused, and waited for everyone to process the news before continuing, "As for whether it reached the eighth rank in its lifetime, I cannot judge that. However, even if it is a seventh-rank magical beast, its value should be above that of the Breakthrough Pill and the Emperor Pill!"

The auctioneer hesitated, unsure how to respond, because what the other party had brought out was beyond his comprehension. He had seen many seventh-grade pills, but he had never seen the corpses of seventh- or even eighth-grade magical beasts, so he naturally couldn't offer any evaluation.

He was silent for a moment, then his tone became more serious as he said, "I wonder if you would be so kind as to take it out? I need to appraise its value first."

"Then let's take a good look."

The old man wearing the bronze mask smiled, not minding that everyone would see. A flash of light appeared on the storage ring on his fingertip, and then a huge, dried-up magical beast corpse appeared in everyone's sight. Its flesh and blood were shriveled, and some parts had revealed crystal-clear bones. The most conspicuous feature was a pair of bone wings on its back.

These bone wings are quite peculiar, resembling jade and emitting a faint glow. Anyone with discerning eyes can tell that these wings contain some kind of strange energy that has not dissipated even after countless years of death. This alone is enough to show that this magical beast was extremely powerful in its lifetime, especially its wings, which have been tempered into a weapon.

"A dried corpse? I thought it was some kind of living corpse... Ha, you've already taken the most valuable thing from this corpse, haven't you? You think you can exchange these remaining junk for a Breakthrough Pill? You're being a bit too wishful!"

"That's true. If it really were the corpse of a seventh-tier magical beast, why would they have brought it out? The value of a complete seventh-tier magical beast corpse far exceeds that of a Breakthrough Pill!"

……

As the old man took out the corpse, the crowd immediately erupted in noise, with many making sarcastic remarks, thinking that he was just a clown who had been described in such an exaggerated way before, only to end up like this.

Mo Tianxing wasn't interested in the mummified corpse. His gaze was fixed on the other person, and for some reason, he felt that the person in front of him was somewhat familiar.

"This mummified corpse..."

Inside the room, Yao Yan looked somewhat surprised, seemingly quite taken aback that the mummified corpse would appear here. If he remembered correctly, this mummified corpse should have appeared at the Black Demon Sect's auction in the original story.

Indeed, this monster corpse was the remains of a member of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan, one of the three great monster clans.

Not only Yao Yan noticed it, but Elder Yao within the Bone Flame Ring also saw it. His tone shifted slightly, and he said with considerable surprise, "As expected of the Black Corner Region, even such a forbidden item has appeared. If this matter were to reach that clan, the entire Black Corner Region would likely be thrown into turmoil. Heh~"

In the end, he couldn't help but chuckle a few times, seemingly pleased to see the Black Corner Region and that race clash, since neither side was exactly a good person.

Moreover, given that clan's modus operandi, the hidden rules of the Black Corner Region might not be able to restrain them.

"You noticed it too, sir?" Yao Yan transmitted his voice.

"That race is very easy to identify. Their wings are naturally imbued with the power of wind and thunder, and they possess extreme speed. Even after death, the power contained within them will not dissipate... Back then, a force in Zhongzhou secretly refined them into a flying combat technique, which later provoked that race to go berserk. The entire sect was slaughtered without exception, and this incident caused a great uproar at the time." Elder Yao sighed softly, clearly not unfamiliar with that race.

After all, the Dou Qi Continent is very large, but the top circle is extremely small. The peak of the Nine Revolutions Dou Zun can be considered one of the most outstanding people. As for Dou Sheng... Dou Sheng are all high above, and they are rarely seen in the past, nor do they participate in the battles below Dou Sheng.

This is a rule that almost all Battle Saints agree upon.

Those who possess strength at their level can easily destroy a nation if they unleash their full power in battle. If they were to engage in frequent warfare, the entire Dou Qi Continent would be torn apart. No one wants their homeland to be destroyed. If all the people below were to die, what would be the point of this world?

Even the Soul Palace wouldn't go around slaughtering a nation to harvest souls for no reason; they would abide by this rule and only harvest the souls of the dead.

"The stronger one's power, the more domineering their style of doing things will naturally be."

Yao Yan said calmly, not taking it seriously. Such things were all too normal in the Dou Qi Continent.

The only thing that piqued Yao Yan's curiosity was that Yao Lao was so certain about the identity of the mummified corpse. He could guess it because of the original story, but Yao Lao could see it... obviously, this old guy had secretly studied it back then.

at the same time.

The masked old man below, who had been questioned and ridiculed by the crowd, said calmly, "When I found this mummy, its body was already like this. Its abdomen had been torn open, and all its internal organs had disappeared. Even the essence of the corpse was nowhere to be found. I exhausted all my abilities and only managed to extract a small bottle of blood essence, about five or six drops. Each drop contains extremely strong energy, but this energy is extremely domineering and ordinary people cannot absorb it at all. As for the consequences of not being able to absorb it, I have already explained them before."

As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle from his storage ring. As the bottle cap was opened, a clump of bluish-red blood floated out under his control, causing the surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) to tremble, and one could vaguely feel the intertwining of wind and thunder power.

This incredibly strange scene instantly silenced everyone, leaving them all looking on in astonishment.

With the strength and insight of those present, it was not difficult to discover how terrifying the energy contained in this object was. It was a power that completely surpassed that of a Dou Huang. This was tantamount to verifying the old man's previous words: magical beasts below the seventh rank could not condense such essence blood.

After everyone shut their mouths, he continued, "When I found this corpse, its demonic core had already disappeared. I wonder if the remaining traces of essence blood, along with this dried corpse, are enough to exchange for the Imperial Extreme Pill and the Breaking Sect Pill!"

As his words fell, the entire auction house fell silent. Everyone stared at the auctioneer. There was no other reason than that if it were just a dried corpse, its value would naturally be worthless. But if this essence blood was added, it would be a different story. In fact, because of this essence blood, the value of the dried corpse was increasing exponentially.

If it really is the mummified corpse of an eighth-tier magical beast, then its value is terrifying.

"Peak of the seventh rank, probably not even the eighth rank. The essence blood of a true eighth-rank magical beast is much more than this. However, this essence blood already has the level of some eighth-rank magical beasts. This Heavenly Demon Phoenix should be at the peak of the seventh rank, just one step away from stepping into the eighth rank... How could such a Heavenly Demon Phoenix perish in the Black Corner Region?"

The old apothecary looked somewhat surprised and doubtful. He really couldn't understand how the Heavenly Demon Phoenix had died. Perhaps he could find something out from its corpse.

How did you die?

"He was played to death..." Yao Yan muttered to himself. In fact, he had some guesses that the death of this Heavenly Demon Phoenix might be related to Zi Yan.

Zi Yan was the legitimate daughter of Zhu Kun, the Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan. Back then, when she was still an egg, she and Zhu Kun were trapped in the cave of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor. Later, Zhu Kun sent her out. As for how she was sent out and how many years passed, the original work only briefly mentioned it. But one thing is certain: Zhu Kun was imprisoned for at least three thousand years.

Zi Yan only hatched in the last one or two decades. She accidentally swallowed the Transformation Grass and transformed into human form. She was then taken to Canaan Academy by Su Qian and later met Xiao Yan.

Logically speaking, the more powerful a life form is, the longer it needs to develop.

The Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void has always fed on the Heavenly Phoenix Clan. The corpse of this Heavenly Phoenix has been almost completely drained, with very little of its essence and blood remaining, and even the energy contained in its bones is gone... The two match up quite by chance, but whether this is true or not requires further examination.

Unfortunately, Yao Yan's strength was too weak, otherwise he could have directly dived into the depths of the magma and chatted with Zhu Kun... But he didn't have the strength of a Dou Sheng, so he didn't even have the qualifications to dive into the depths of the magma.

The elite monster guarding the depths of the magma possesses the strength of a half-saint, and along with a group of lesser monsters at the Dou Zun and Dou Zong levels, going down there without the strength of a Dou Sheng is simply suicide.

"Let's trade it with him. This dried corpse isn't very valuable, but those few drops of essence blood are extremely precious. If we can purify the energy within, its value will definitely far exceed that of the Breakthrough Pill!" The old doctor pondered for a moment before speaking. As for the use of the dried corpse, he didn't offer any suggestions. Its only value was in refining those bone wings into a flying combat technique, but once that thing was exposed, it would face the endless pursuit of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix.

Among the three great magical beast families, the Heavenly Phoenix Clan is undoubtedly the most domineering. They do not allow outsiders to use the corpses within their clan. Once discovered, they will definitely retrieve them or even directly annihilate the perpetrators.

If Yao Yan were to refine it into a flying combat technique, there would be many troubles in the future, and the losses would outweigh the gains.

"Change it."

Yao Yan nodded slightly, agreeing with Yao Lao's words. He then used his soul power to send a telepathic message, ordering Yuan Yi to facilitate the transaction. He then slowly stood up, waved to Cai Lin, and signaled that she could leave, as the auction had already ended.