Douro Continent

Chapter 545 A Dark and Windy Night for Murder

Generally, the first item at an auction is chosen to be of medium to high quality and one that is most likely to attract attention. This sets a high bar for the entire auction; a high price for the first item naturally increases the price of subsequent items.

"Thirty thousand." Ning Rongrong's first words were enough to shock the entire room. Instantly, the auction hall fell silent. Si Di on the stage was also momentarily stunned. Being on stage, he could clearly see the guests in the first row. And how could he not recognize Lou Gao's strange figure? Ning Rongrong was sitting on the other side of Lou Gao.

Siddi immediately understood and, instead of deliberately delaying as was the normal procedure, quickly announced, "VIP number eight has bid 30,000 gold soul coins. 30,000 gold soul coins once, 30,000 gold soul coins twice, 30,000 gold soul coins..." Just as he was about to announce the sale of the black iron, a voice suddenly rang out from behind.

"forty thousand."

Upon hearing the voice, Tang San frowned immediately. He didn't even need to look to recognize the person. It was none other than Bishop Miles, the Hall Master of the Spirit Hall's Gengxin City Lord Hall who had been kicked out yesterday.

Yesterday, after Miles was kicked out, he ran back to the main hall in a panic. He thought he was in deep trouble; being seen in such a state by a powerful elder of the Spirit Hall would surely bring punishment. This thought kept him trembling for a whole day. But nothing happened.

Miles's heart began to stir. He secretly guessed that the elder might just be passing by. Perhaps the elder was there to discuss the merger with the Blacksmiths' Association? Since he hadn't come to find him, it meant the elder didn't intend to blame him. Thinking of this, he immediately realized he had misunderstood. He had come to the auction today to attend. One reason was to see if the elders were still there, and another was to cause some trouble for the Blacksmiths' Association, forcing them to compromise as soon as possible. From any perspective, he didn't believe the Spirit Hall elders would truly side with the Blacksmiths' Association. The only thing he hadn't considered was that the elder was a fake.

A faint light flickered, and a cold glint appeared on Tang San's face. He didn't say anything, but simply waved to Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong was somewhat taken aback, but she still followed Tang San's instructions and did not raise the price further.

Miles' offer became the final price: 40,000 gold soul coins. Although Tang San valued this piece of Xuan Iron far more than that, in the Douluo Continent, where blacksmithing and forging were largely ignored, this price was already considered astronomical.

The auction continued. While the first item fetched a high price, the final two prices were somewhat abrupt, failing to heighten the auction's atmosphere and instead creating a sense of stagnation. The subsequent items were all finished products, primarily weapons, and the final prices were not particularly high.

The fifth item was another rare metal. Its value was no less than that of the black iron; it was a piece of refined gold, its worth in no way inferior to the black iron. It also weighed fifty kilograms. The appearance of this refined gold undoubtedly brought the auction to another climax.

At Tang San's signal, Ning Rongrong made her move again. When the price soared to 20,000 gold soul coins, Miles' annoying voice rang out once more.

"Thirty thousand gold soul coins."

Quiet murmurs began to rise in the auction hall. The fact that the same number had been bid on twice at high prices for rare metals naturally attracted attention.

A hint of anger flashed in Ning Rongrong's eyes. She was about to raise her paddle when Tang San stopped her. Tang San's lips moved, and a voice reached Ning Rongrong's ears. He only said one sentence, and Ning Rongrong's emotions quickly calmed down. The piece of refined gold was thus sold to Miles for 30,000 gold soul coins.

Miles was secretly gloating. He had suppressed the auction twice, and after the auction, he had plenty of ways to torment the Blacksmiths' Association. For example, he could use the Spirit Hall as collateral to pay in installments, and after taking the goods, he could keep delaying until the Spirit Hall compromised with him. He already had a whole host of similar wicked ideas in his head.

Next, Ning Rongrong successfully bid on several pieces of metal that were not very heavy or overly precious. Tang San's intention was clear: any precious or rare metal should be bid on and acquired.

Ning Rongrong followed his instructions. Soon, Ning Rongrong and Miles became the focus of the entire auction, becoming the bidders with the most successful bids.

Moreover, whenever Miles made a bid, Ning Rongrong remained silent and didn't compete with him at all. This puzzled Miles, but he didn't care; he always focused on bidding on the highest-priced items.

Finally, the last item was brought out. This time, a small cart was pushed in, covered by a red cloth, and it seemed that two people were encased inside. The Blacksmiths' Guild auction certainly wouldn't be auctioning slaves, and this item immediately attracted everyone's attention.

After the items were arranged, Sid took a deep breath. He had certainly sensed something unusual about today's auction, but the auction had to continue, as it concerned the reputation of the Blacksmiths' Guild.

"The next item to be auctioned is the last and most important item of the day. I think I can sum up its significance in just one sentence. It is actually two separate items. Their maker is none other than my teacher, the president of the Blacksmiths' Association, the master craftsman Lou Gao."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience. It's important to understand that since becoming a master craftsman, Lou Gao has rarely produced any works. Even if he did, he wouldn't put them up for auction. The fact that two of Lou Gao's works had appeared now was incredibly exciting for the auction. Even Miles was momentarily stunned. Everyone knew that Lou Gao's works were absolute treasures.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room had been sufficiently stirred up, Sisi smiled slightly and said, "Alright, let's auction the first item." As he spoke, he pulled down the red cloth from the taller humanoid object.

It certainly couldn't be a person, but a wooden human-shaped frame. None of that matters; what matters is the item being auctioned that's supported on that human-shaped frame.

It was a full suit of armor, or rather, it couldn't be described as armor, because it looked more like a thin garment.

It is entirely deep blue, shimmering with a faint metallic sheen. The dense material resembles clothing, and the subtle luster is noticeable even from a distance. The overall design is unremarkable, like a simple, form-fitting garment.

Sisi gazed at the special garment with a hint of fascination, took a deep breath, and said, "My teacher named it the Eight Treasures Auspicious Soft Armor. Its toughness can withstand the sixth soul skill of a power-attack type soul master. Most amazingly, although it is made of metal, it is extremely elastic. Even if a beast soul master's body doubles in size after using a martial soul, it can stretch out accordingly to achieve the same defensive effect. This Eight Treasures Auspicious Soft Armor is made from a special malleable memory metal fused together in a special ratio using wire drawing and shaping. So far, in the forging world, only my teacher, the Divine Craftsman Lou Gao, has the ability to refine this metal. Having this soft armor is like having a second life. I really don't want to introduce it any further. I assure you all with my life, my soul, and everything I have that this is absolutely a divine artifact-level creation. The Divine Craftsman Lou Gao researched this metal for a full ten years, and after finding many rare metals and conducting countless experiments, he finally succeeded in creating it. The starting price is 200,000 gold soul coins. Now, everyone can place their bids."

Tang San looked at Lou Gao beside him, but Lou Gao had already closed his eyes and was resting there, as if the auction item had nothing to do with him.

Memory-extending metal, a metal with elasticity. This is simply a miracle. Even with Tang San's understanding of forging, he couldn't comprehend how Lou Gao had accomplished it. Titan, also a master craftsman, looked on with admiration and murmured, "He actually succeeded in researching it. It seems I'm no match for him."

"Five hundred thousand gold soul coins. I'll offer the same price for the other item. That's one million gold soul coins in total. I think we don't need to continue the auction." This time, Miles didn't wait for others to bid; he directly sealed the price.

One million gold soul coins—that was an astronomical figure in every sense of the word. The entire hall fell silent, while Miles' face, hidden beneath his black robe, was filled with smug satisfaction. He had already planned that after the auction, he would return to the Martial Soul Main Hall under the guise of fundraising to summon his men. He would then lead all his subordinates, masked, to forcibly seize the item. Originally, he only intended to cause trouble, but the appearance of these two divine-grade armors had greatly tempted him. He had already made up his mind. Undoubtedly, the other soft armor was a women's style. He planned to present it as tribute to Pope Bibi Dong, while the men's version would, of course, be kept for himself. He believed he had the ability to conceal it. With this soft armor, his strength would undoubtedly increase significantly. He wouldn't need to worry about defense, and could attack without restraint. And with the tribute to his superiors, he might be able to leave this ordinary main city and be promoted.

Lou Gao slowly raised his head. Tang San, sitting beside him, clearly sensed the anger emanating from this master craftsman. With the auction progressing to this point, everyone understood that Miles's irrational bidding was simply a disruptive act. The other items were one thing, but these two suits of armor on the stage were Lou Gao's life's work. How could he allow them to be desecrated?

The auction continued, and after Miles made his bid, no one could compete with him. A million gold soul coins was a rare sum, even at the continent's top auction houses, let alone at a lowly auction house like the Blacksmiths' Association. Those present were merely metal merchants; there were no truly wealthy individuals. It was precisely because he was unlikely to encounter any powerful bidders that Miles dared to be so reckless. Ultimately, it all came down to this: the blacksmithing profession held a very low status on the Douluo Continent.

Stys forced a smile and announced that Miles had won the bid, thus ending the auction.

Lou Gao was the first to stand up and stride out. Oscar accompanied Ning Rongrong to pay and retrieve the items they had bid on. Tang San silently led Xiao Wu and the others, following behind Lou Gao as they left.

Back in Lou Gao's foundry, Lou Gao's face was already very gloomy. Not long after, his youngest disciple, Si Di, walked in with an angry expression.

"This is outrageous, teacher! That bidder was Miles. He said he was going back to raise the money and he's already left." Stitch's face was flushed red with anger. She was clearly furious. But mixed in with her anger was a hint of helplessness. Even if Miles was deliberately causing trouble, what could they do? The Blacksmith Association was no match for the Spirit Hall.

Lou Gao's face had turned ashen. "Keep those two sets of Yin-Yang Eight Treasures Ruyi Soft Armor safe. Don't put them up for auction again. Spirit Hall, what a Spirit Hall..."

After her initial anger, a hint of worry crept onto Sid's face. "Teacher," she said, "Miles told us before he left that we should prepare the items for him, and he'd come back with the money later. He probably won't let the two artifacts you forged go so easily. Shouldn't we think of a plan?"

Lou Gao slammed his hand on the table. "What? Does he, a mere bishop, dare to rob us?"

Tang San spoke up, saying calmly, "That's not impossible. Don't you know the Spirit Hall's status on the continent?"

Titan patted Lou Gao on the shoulder. "Don't worry, old friend. With us here, we won't let them steal your treasure. I haven't even had a chance to congratulate you on finally developing that metal."

Lou Gao's eyes revealed a trace of sorrow. "What's the use then? We'll still be at their mercy. Tang San is right, it seems Miles is going to come and take it by force. Titan, I know your strength, but you can help me hold them off once, but you can't hold off the Blacksmith Association forever. Even if you're willing to stay, the gap between us and the Spirit Hall is insurmountable."

Tang San said, "Senior, leave this matter to me. At least among the Spirit Hall members who saw your two divine artifacts, only those from the Spirit Hall in Gengxin City have done so."

Lou Gao's pupils contracted slightly. "Kid, what do you mean?"

Tang San smiled slightly, but the icy chill in his smile sent a shiver down Lou Gao's spine. "Senior joining the Tang Sect, consider this a gift from the Tang Sect." He paused slightly, the chill emanating from him intensifying, a palpable killing intent filling the entire forging room. Seven words were uttered slowly and deliberately from Tang San's mouth: "Moon—Dark—Wind—High—Kill—Night—."

Sisi and the others weren't very familiar with Tang San, but hearing him utter those words in such a murderous atmosphere immediately shocked and chilled them. For some reason, although this person was so young, his words were incredibly convincing.

Lou Gao's eyes also sharpened. Although he lacked combat power, he was still a Soul Saint-level expert. Faced with Tang San's killing intent, he only felt his blood boiling. "Alright, you help me kill them. I'll sell all the items that the Spirit Hall people won at auction today to you at the starting price."

Tang San's eyes shone brightly, "Including those two divine artifacts?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Lou Gao's eyes, but he still nodded: "Including. At least you've received it, and I can see it often. I also believe that you will make my work play its due role."

Ma Hongjun chuckled and said, "Old Lou, I thought you'd give it to us for free."

Lou Gao glared fiercely at the fat man. "Bullshit! Do you think our blacksmiths' association is a charity?"

Just then, Ning Rongrong and Oscar returned and overheard the seven words Tang San had just uttered. Neither of them said anything more, as this was part of their plan. Ning Rongrong stepped forward and took Xiao Wu's hand from Tang San. Oscar, on the other hand, took out more than ten sausages of various kinds from his person and handed them to Tang San.

Tang San chuckled and said, "It's been a long time since I've had your giant sausage. Little Ao, will your cloned sausage be effective for us ordinary Soul Masters?"

Oscar shook his head and said, "I haven't tried it either, but I imagine it should be useful. As for how much it can help, I'm not sure. It might also conflict with your own soul skills. So I don't recommend you use it. We can try it out when we get back."

Tang San nodded, already having made a plan. Every Soul Master's Martial Soul has its own unique characteristics, and with different characteristics come different strengths. The appearance of Oscar's Mirror Image Sausage undoubtedly breaks the rule that Soul Masters can only rely on their own Martial Soul. In battle, if one can unexpectedly use a Soul Skill that catches the opponent off guard, even if its power is not strong, it will certainly have a surprising effect. However, this will have to be tested again when they return.

Watching Tang San and Ma Hongjun walk out the door, Lou Gao looked at Titan with a puzzled expression: "Aren't you going with them?"

Titan smiled and said, "Old friend, you know too little about the young master. In terms of soul power, I am indeed much stronger than the young master. But in terms of overall strength, the young master is superior to me, and in terms of killing skills, I am far inferior. Just wait and hear the good news."

Lou Gao was shocked. He suddenly realized that in his heart, the young man named Tang San had been shrouded in a strong sense of mystery.

Once outside, Ma Hongjun immediately approached Tang San and whispered, "Third Brother, do you want me to give you a black cloth to cover your face?"

Tang San glanced at him. "Fatty, you've come prepared quite thoroughly!"

Ma Hongjun chuckled, "I've been traveling around these past few years, so how could I not be well-prepared? There are always times when I can't just show my face casually, right?"

Tang San said with a half-smile, "Was it when you were stealing chickens and dogs? Or when you were unleashing your evil fire?"

"Uh..." The fat man looked at Tang San somewhat awkwardly, "Third Brother, why can you always guess? Can't you let me have some secrets of my own?"

Tang San retorted irritably, "Old habits die hard. Don't I know you? We're not going out to steal chickens or dogs this time. So what if we show our faces? As long as those who see us are gone, why should we be afraid of our identities being revealed?"

Only Ma Hongjun could hear Tang San's voice, but at this moment, he gleaned a great deal from Tang San's calm words. He recalled the chilling glint in Tang San's eyes when Miles tried to harass Xiao Wu that day. The fat man secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Spirit Hall was going to be in trouble. Even directly offending Tang San was less damaging than harming Xiao Wu. As one of the Shrek Seven Devils, how could he not know that Xiao Wu was Tang San's possession?

Xiao Wu died as a sacrifice due to the Spirit Hall's actions. After finally being resurrected, she was harassed by a bishop from the Spirit Hall. It would be strange if Tang San could still suppress his anger.

A thick night fog hung in the air, obscuring the bright moonlight. The air was chilly and still. Two figures walked in one direction through the silent night sky.

As they were walking, Tang San suddenly stopped. "It seems we don't need to go that far."

Ma Hongjun immediately understood, and the two of them hid in the shadows to the side.

Before long, a cacophony of voices gradually drifted from afar, and a group of several dozen people were walking towards them. Leading the group was Miles, the one who had harassed Xiao Wu that day, followed by a group of Soul Masters dressed in Spirit Hall attire.

Tang San stood quietly in the corner, his right hand on the fat man's shoulder, and transmitted his voice: "The Soul Masters of the Spirit Hall in Gengxin City should all be here. They've come out in full force for the divine artifact. Go directly to the Spirit Hall and set it on fire from the outside. If you encounter any Soul Masters, kill them without mercy as long as they're not strong. If not, burn down their lair."

The fat man watched the approaching Spirit Hall Soul Masters and whispered, "Those people..."

A sinister smile crept across Tang San's lips. "Leave them to me."

Ma Hongjun didn't say much. He glanced at the Soul Masters with a hint of pity, then turned and quietly disappeared into the darkness.

"Your Excellency, will we run into trouble if we rob the Blacksmiths' Association this time? After all, the Blacksmiths' Association holds a very high position in Gengxin City," a Soul Master said with some concern.

Miles scoffed. "What do you know? What trouble could there be? Who would take a trash association like the Blacksmiths' Guild seriously? Don't forget, we belong to the sacred Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall, the undisputed ruler of the world. Everything we do is for the better development of the Spirit Hall. The Blacksmiths' Guild refuses to become part of our Spirit Hall, and they must be taught a lesson. How can those few low-level Soul Masters, with their ordinary Souls, possibly stop us? The status of us Soul Masters is unmatched by any other profession. Any other profession should serve us Soul Masters. It's their honor to provide us with what the Blacksmiths' Guild has to offer."

Just as he finished speaking, Miles's lewd expression suddenly froze. Not only him, but all the Soul Masters present suddenly felt a tremor from their very souls. At that moment, they suddenly realized that they seemed completely isolated from the outside world, isolated by that intense chill. A slight tremor from the deepest, most vulnerable part of their hearts caused a hint of horror to appear in everyone's eyes.

"Ah—" A scream came from the back of the group. Everyone turned around as if startled rabbits. A weak Soul Master had slowly collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with utter terror. His hands clutched his throat, bright red blood spurting from between his fingers like tiny snakes. A thin, seven-inch-long willow-leaf blade, as thin as a cicada's wing, was clearly visible, piercing his Adam's apple.

The air seemed to grow stiller and colder. Miles, his voice trembling with fear, shouted, "Who goes there? Show yourself! Everyone, unleash your martial spirits and be on guard!"

His reminder brought these Soul Masters, who had never experienced a real battlefield, to their senses. They frantically released their Martial Souls. Instantly, a dazzling array of colorful lights shone brightly. The appearance of the Soul Rings seemed to dispel the fear in the hearts of these Soul Masters. As they gathered together, even the bone-chilling coldness they felt seemed to gradually fade away.

But just then, someone shouted, "Over there!"

Following the cry, everyone's gaze turned towards a direction in the darkness. A dark figure gradually became clearer, its steps so natural, each stride remarkably similar in distance.

It was a dark and windy night, making it difficult to see his face; one could only tell from his physique that he was a man.

Without Miles needing to signal, almost everyone began unleashing their soul skills, a deluge of energy directed towards the direction where the dark figure had appeared. Of course, these soul masters weren't using their strongest skills, as they also had to consider their own survival. Human nature is selfish, especially for these pampered soul masters; none of them wanted to be the next victim.

However, just as their attacks erupted, the dark figure vanished silently. Without any warning, it simply disappeared. From him, attacks from numerous Soul Masters of the Gengxin City Martial Soul Hall erupted in a deafening roar. Some weaker Soul Masters didn't even notice the dark figure's disappearance, still gloating over being hit.

The aloof figures stretched long on the ground under the glow of the spirit rings emanating from the Spirit Hall's spirit masters. A great spirit master standing in the back row suddenly felt a slight numbness. Then, he clearly saw a sharp, cone-shaped object protruding from his chest. He tried to scream, but found that he couldn't utter a single sound.

There was no pain, only endless numbness, so numb that even with his mouth agape, he couldn't utter a sound. Before plunging into darkness, his last sensation was that everything about him was being sucked away and devoured by something.

It wasn't just one person who fell, but two. That tall, aloof figure stood behind them, and two of the eight spears that had suddenly protruded from his body pierced through them. Their own martial spirits' defensive capabilities were utterly ineffective. How could they possibly escape the clutches of the Eight Spider Spears?

A resounding explosion accompanied Tang San's right hand as he swung it. As many Soul Masters turned to look, piercing screams echoed through the night sky once more. At least four Soul Masters perished in terror under the deadly sharpness of the Zhuge Crossbow. Two withered bodies simultaneously flew from the Eight Spider Lances, blocking the attacks of the fastest-reacting Soul King-level Soul Masters, while that slender figure vanished once more.

If the death of the first person terrified the Soul Masters of the Gengxin City Martial Soul Hall, then the deaths of the next six plunged them into utter fear. It was as if an invisible, terrifying vortex was swirling around them, relentlessly devouring their souls.

Seven people fell, and those were seven Soul Masters. Although they were the weakest among the many Soul Masters, they were still Soul Masters! They fell to the cold ground without any resistance, and no one could even see their faces. For these pampered Soul Masters, this was a terrifying thing.

The more intense the chill, the more pronounced the surrounding cold became. The icy and violent aura emanating from the area was gradually amplifying the most vulnerable aspects of the soul masters present. If their inherent strength was ten points, then they were now using twelve points of their power to try and save their lives, even Miles was no exception.

"Everyone, stand back to back in a circle." Miles still had some command ability. At his prompting, the remaining less than thirty Soul Masters quickly assembled into a circle, tightly packed together. The light of their Soul Rings grew even brighter; to save their lives, they had pushed their Soul Power to its limit.

The two Soul Kings beside Miles were brothers. They raised their hands at the same time, and their second Soul Skills lit up. Two bright golden lights shot into the sky and exploded when they were about twenty meters in the air. As the golden light spread, the original darkness suddenly became bright, as bright as day.

"There it is." As the night suddenly brightened, the mysterious figure was finally exposed to the gaze of the many Soul Masters.

With blue hair and blue eyes, eight strange, thick spears spread out from his sides, and under the golden light, a cold aura constantly emanated from him.

Just as the Soul Masters of the Martial Soul Hall in Gengxin City finally found their target, they also saw the six Soul Rings that lit up at the same time.

With his body exposed to his opponent's gaze, Tang San no longer needed to refrain from using the Blue Silver Emperor to conceal his form.

What lit up was the black fourth spirit ring, accompanied by a deep black light, while a completely opposite white light suddenly burst forth from Tang San's feet.

Tang San unleashed his full power in this attack. All his soul power was concentrated in the explosion of this fourth soul skill. The white light representing the God of Slaughter Domain also directly released its evolved effect, God of Slaughter Assault.

The burst of white light was accompanied by a burst of blue light. If the white light was a triangular attack, then the blue light was a semi-circular spread. Just as he revealed himself to his numerous enemies, who were drawn to the red spirit ring on his body, Tang San had already unleashed his full power.

The unexpected burst of energy originated from beneath his feet, unleashing the Blue Silver Emperor's fourth soul skill, the Blue Silver Prison, a mutated skill called Blue Silver Thrust Array. Under Tang San's powerful mental control, the attack, which poured all his soul power into the attack, landed precisely within the dense circle of soul masters, with not a single extra Blue Silver Emperor appearing on the outer perimeter.

The ear-piercing collision occurred when the suddenly rising Blue Silver Emperor clashed with the Soul Masters' defenses. Soul Masters with strength below level 40 were almost instantly pierced by the terrifying Blue Silver Emperor.

It's not that the Blue Silver Spike Array has reached this level of power, but rather it's due to the combined effect of weakening and amplifying.

The amplification of the Blue Silver Thrust Array by the Blue Silver Domain, and the weakening of the opponent by the Killing God Domain, allowed this soul skill to unleash its full power. The Killing God Assault caused all soul masters, including Miles, to lose their composure and their defenses to plummet. Under these circumstances, the Blue Silver Thrust Array, which was originally only capable of killing level 30 soul masters, pierced through all soul masters below level 40.

Long before he started all this, Tang San had already eaten a recovery sausage and an energizing pink sausage. His goal was certainly not just to kill the weaker soul masters, but to annihilate everyone in front of him.

The combined effect of the Blue Silver Spike Formation and the Killing God Domain would stun every Soul Master present for at least three seconds. Of course, this refers to those Soul Masters who didn't die from the terrifying destructive power of the Blue Silver Spike Formation. And there were only six Soul Masters who survived: Miles, a Soul Emperor, and five Soul Kings.

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(End of this chapter)