Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

I didn't see their manager, the big shot who usually acts all high and mighty, now he's as cowardly as a mule.

“The Holy Son is right. Auction houses have their rules. Let the auction continue.”

Emperor Xueye smiled and nodded, his gentle voice reaching the ears of the person in charge. The person in charge quickly gave a wink to the host on the stage, who nodded repeatedly. Then, three burly men pushed a small cart draped in red cloth onto the stage.

"Distinguished guests, the item we are about to auction is a rare and precious treasure. Please pay attention if you are interested."

The host glanced at the small car, his expression changed slightly, and he looked down at the audience with concern, but still forced himself to continue speaking.

The cart on the platform was covered with a red cloth, so you couldn't see what was inside, but from its shape, it looked like a large square box.

As the auctioneer, creating a lively atmosphere and stimulating the enthusiasm of the bidders is obviously a must. However, this auction item is somewhat special. Normally, the auctioneer would naturally hope for a more lively atmosphere, but this time he sincerely hoped not to attract too much attention.

"Please take a look, everyone."

The host gritted his teeth, reached out and grabbed the red cloth, tearing it off violently. What was revealed under the red cloth was not a box, but a huge iron cage.

A young girl was curled up inside the iron cage. Her body was mostly naked, with only her vital parts covered by a thin veil, exuding a hazy allure. Because she was curled up, her face was not visible, but her figure was almost perfect.

Her fair skin was like crystal-clear white jade, and her long, light red hair had a unique charm. The host picked up a stick and reached into the iron cage, gently lifting the girl's long, light red hair near her ear, revealing her canine-like pointed ears.

"Woooo..."

The girl was a little uncomfortable from being poked by the stick, and she let out a soft moan. She involuntarily twisted her body, revealing her fluffy tail hidden behind her.

"Distinguished guests, this is a rare fox spirit. The starting bid is 100,000 gold soul coins. If you are interested, you may place your bids."

The host was concise and to the point. Normally, when such a rare item is being auctioned, it would be a disservice to his profession not to give a proper introduction. However, there were several important figures sitting below, and who knows what kind of personalities they have? He really didn't dare to attract their attention.

"Ten, eleven thousand."

The auction center was somewhat quiet at this moment. These rare slaves were highly sought after by many perverted nobles and usually fetched high prices. However, this time, with so many important figures sitting in the white VIP area, many people were hesitant to make a move. But in the end, some people's desires overcame their reason, and the first person made a hesitant bid.

"120,000."

Once this kind of thing starts, it's bound to happen again. Seeing that the people in the white VIP area didn't react, everyone thought it should be fine, so what was there to worry about? Of course, they just did what they normally expected.

Before long, the bidding price had increased to 140,000 gold soul coins, and it seemed that it was still on the rise.

Inside the white VIP area, Yan glanced at the pitiful fox girl with a look of fear on the distant stage, pressed the button on the chair to place a bid, but those people were probably already caught up in the excitement, and the price quickly soared to an even higher level.

"Fifteen thousand, the guest in the white VIP area bids fifteen... sixteen thousand, the guest in the red VIP area bids..."

The host noticed the bidder in the white VIP area and was about to emphasize it when, just seconds later, a nobleman from the red VIP area raised the price up.

The host stopped speaking before he could finish. A big shot in the white VIP area had made a bid that was now being pushed up, which made things difficult. The nobleman in the red VIP area who had just made a bid was also stunned.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed anything amiss until now. He realized he was actually competing with a distinguished guest next to His Majesty for the fox spirit. He wanted to slap himself. Could someone who could sit on equal footing next to Emperor Xueye be an ordinary person? To humiliate someone like that was truly insane.

Two hundred thousand.

At this moment, another bid rang out from the white VIP area. It came from behind Emperor Xueye, and it was Prince Xuexing, who was sitting in the back row, who made the bid.

"Two hundred thousand, sold. Congratulations to this amazing VIP in the white VIP area."

The host seemed to have seen a savior when he saw Prince Xuexing make a bid. Without thinking, he immediately brought down the gavel and announced the result. No one objected. At this moment, the people in the red VIP area were on pins and needles, and no one dared to have any objections.

"Your Highness, you are young and adoring, and have come all the way to Tiandou City. The royal family has not treated you well, which is truly impolite. Consider this fox girl a small gift from me."

Prince Xuexing smiled at Yan and said that he was actually quite interested in the fox girl on the stage, but he could tell the difference between the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall and a mere slave girl.

"Does Your Majesty know why I bid in the auction?"

Yan did not turn to look at Prince Xuexing, but turned to Emperor Xueye and said, "Because her martial soul was awakened by the Spirit Hall, but no one expected that it would bring her a disaster. It is truly laughable that people are sold into slavery right under the nose of the capital."

Yan's words made Emperor Xueye's face turn slightly gloomy. This emperor had always appeared in the outside world as a people-friendly figure and was deeply loved by the people of the empire. However, right in the heart of the capital city under his rule, there was such a slave trade being carried out openly, which was somewhat embarrassing.

“Your Majesty, you must know that awakening a martial spirit is a gift from the gods, and it should not be a reason for her to become a slave. This is a desecration of the martial spirit.”

Yan slowly stood up. He was a very short child, but at this moment he appeared incredibly tall and majestic. A flame suddenly rose from his palm and flew out in the next instant, enveloping the person in charge of the auction house.

"what……"

The auction house manager immediately collapsed to the ground with a wail, his entire body coiled and burning with fire snakes. His clothes turned to ashes, and his skin was bright red. Normally, after being burned, a foul smell of rotten roasted meat would quickly emanate from the body, but this man could only wail in agony.

Yan sat down leisurely and said softly, "Tell me, who does this kind of business with fox spirits, cat spirits, and snake spirits, and who provides protection for them?"

Chapter 90 Three Conditions

The auction hall was silent except for the screams and wails of the person in charge. His body was engulfed in flames, but Yan deliberately controlled the temperature so that he only felt the burning pain but would not die immediately.

This kind of torture is naturally quite cruel, but Yan has no sympathy for the person in charge of this auction house, who specializes in the slave trade. This guy is a white-glove, and the dirty and filthy things he's involved in are enough to make him die a thousand times over.

"Ugh!"

Beside Yan, Emperor Xueye remained silent, while Prince Xuexing in the back row secretly gave Dugu Bo a wink. A hint of helplessness flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes, but he still sighed.

A thin wisp of black smoke drifted through the air and entered the mouth and nose of the person groaning on the ground. The person in charge, who was groaning, convulsed, and the groans coming from his throat became low and deep. Finally, he was silenced and turned to ashes in the flames.

Prince Xuexing suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is my fault. I have been to this auction house many times before, but I did not notice their outrageous behavior."

"Such a mistake at the foot of the capital, Xuexing, you're so foolish."

Emperor Xueye stared at the kneeling Prince Xuexing and said in a deep voice, "You are in charge of handling the slave trade at the auction house. If it is indeed verified that there was forced slavery, you must not let a single one go. Uproot them completely."

Emperor Xueye spoke with absolute certainty, as if he were irreconcilably opposed to evil, but in reality, his inner thoughts were quite different.

"Clap clap clap..."

At this moment, Yan clapped his hands and said with a faint smile, "Your Majesty truly loves his people like his own children. I admire you, I truly admire you."

Emperor Xueye's face was quite gloomy. Yan seemed to be praising him, but in reality he was mocking him. However, he couldn't say anything about this.

The fact that the Tiandou City Auction House occupies such a prime location and area in the capital city means it must have a powerful background. Even the royal family has a hand in it. In other words, one of the owners here is Emperor Xueye. Moreover, Emperor Xueye was also a frivolous person in his youth. Do you think he would know about the slave trade at the auction house?

Although we know the facts, some things cannot be said openly. The two great empires do prohibit the buying and selling of slaves, but they do not prohibit people from signing indentures, such as contracts for a hundred years. Basically, no one lives that long, so isn't that an indenture?

The most typical example is the waitresses in the grand auction house. They are common women who were bought by the auction house at a very young age and trained from childhood. Apart from serving men, they have no survival skills. They are part of the auction items. Once someone takes a liking to them, they can be bought and the contract belongs to another person.

This practice is certainly unreasonable, but from a contractual standpoint, it is not problematic and is therefore legal.

However, the fox girl on the auction stage is a different case. She was clearly targeted because of her unusual martial soul, and they were openly auctioning her off, which confirms that she was involved in slave trading.

Slave trading is a trivial matter, which is nothing to great nobles like Emperor Xueye and Prince Xuexing, but it depends on the occasion, especially since Yan made it sound so serious.

More importantly, in order to accumulate strength to deal with the Spirit Hall, Emperor Xueye has always maintained a positive image. He not only won over nobles to support the sect, but also enjoyed a very good reputation among the people and was deeply loved by them.

If it were revealed that the slave trade at the Imperial Capital Auction House was related to Emperor Xueye, the impact might be suppressed, but it would still be a stain. Therefore, Emperor Xueye chose to sever himself with swift and decisive measures, while Prince Xuexing sacrificed himself voluntarily.

They are all rational and competent politicians who know what to do to protect their own interests. Moreover, Emperor Xueye's order is quite interesting: to thoroughly investigate whether there was any forced enslavement. Isn't this just telling Prince Xuexing to clean up the mess?

"Your Majesty, I do not care whether the Imperial Capital Auction House sells slaves, because this is an internal affair of the Heavenly Dou Empire, and you need to think about it carefully."

Yan stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching Emperor Xueye. His clear voice rang out in the auction hall, "However, I do not want any more cat slaves or tiger girls to appear. This is a desecration of the Martial Soul and a disrespect to the gods."

Because of the blessings of the gods, millions of people on the continent were able to awaken their Martial Souls, but this is no reason for them to be enslaved. If the Heavenly Dou Auction House can produce a fox-girl and a tiger-girl today, who knows if the Star Luo Auction House won't produce a swan-girl in the future?

Yan's words were calm yet powerful, but the expressions of Emperor Xue Ye and Prince Xue Xing immediately darkened. The Swan Girl—the Heaven Dou royal family's martial soul is the swan; this kid is doing this on purpose.

"I will remember the words of the Holy Son."

Emperor Xueye said solemnly that before coming here, he had only heard rumors about the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall and did not quite believe it. However, now he regarded him as a formidable enemy.

Yan looked at Emperor Xueye and said, "I have come to Tiandou for three main reasons, and I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

“Please speak, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Xueye responded calmly, only asking him to speak, without giving a yes or no answer.

"Firstly, the Clear Sky Sect previously concealed the fact that many Soul Masters had not registered, causing errors in the Empire's subsidy data. For the five thousand Soul Masters, I hope the Empire will increase the subsidy by five million Gold Soul Coins annually on top of the existing allocation."

Yan made his first request to Emperor Xueye, which, unsurprisingly, concerned the subsidies for the thousands of Soul Masters in the outer sect of the Haotian Sect.

Upon hearing this, Yang Wudi immediately perked up his ears, while Emperor Xueye's expression remained unchanged. He merely nodded slightly, without giving a clear answer, leaving everyone puzzled about his meaning.

Yan continued, "The second thing is that although the empire has many fertile and productive lands, there are also places with poor food and plagued by disasters and droughts. In the past, many nobles have mishandled the situation, resulting in serious casualties among the empire's people."

The people of the empire are also believers in God. In order to prevent the slavery of people from happening again due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, the Spirit Hall is preparing to gather support-type spirit masters from the continent to research new ways to increase yields, and hopes to gain the support of the empire.

The plains of the Barak Kingdom are fertile and have an excellent environment. I've heard that the royal family owns a estate on the southern side of the plains. I wonder if we could part with it?

"The people of the empire do indeed need abundant and high-quality seeds. If the Holy Son can truly solve this problem, a small imperial estate will naturally be no problem."

Emperor Xueye readily agreed to the second matter. If the grain improvement project succeeded, the common people of both empires would naturally benefit directly, thus maintaining the rule of the empires. He clearly understood which was more important.

"It would be good if Your Majesty would agree to these two things."

As soon as Emperor Xueye relented, Yan immediately settled both matters at once, not giving him a chance to back out. He then brought up a third matter: "The last matter is that I wish to borrow the Vast Ocean Universe Cover."

Chapter 91 Vast Ocean Universe Cover

"The Vast Ocean Universe Cover is impossible."

Inside the auction house of Tiandou City, when Yan proposed to borrow the Vast Ocean Universe Cover, the room fell silent. Emperor Xueye had no mind to discuss whether or not Yan would agree, and Prince Xuexing even bypassed Emperor Xueye and directly refuted him.

Prince Xuexing seemed afraid that Emperor Xueye would hesitate, so he immediately put it bluntly, "Holy Son, the Vast Ocean Universe Cover is the national treasure of our Heavenly Dou Empire, and it is absolutely impossible for it to be lent out. You should give up."

Emperor Xueye glanced at his younger brother with displeasure, but did not object to Prince Xuexing. This was mainly because Yan's last request was indeed a bit excessive.

This Vast Ocean Universe Cover is one of the symbols of the Heavenly Dou Royal Family's deification and acquisition of the Mandate of Heaven. It can be considered one of the symbols of royal power, and at the same time, it is a supreme treasure.

After being infused with soul power, the Vast Ocean Universe Cover can form a blue light shield on the user's body surface. Before the soul power is exhausted, it can even withstand the attack of a Title Douluo.

The ancestors of the Heavenly Dou royal family relied on this treasure to always charge into battle and inspire the morale of their troops, which is how they established the Heavenly Dou Empire, which now rivals the Star Luo Empire.

It was precisely because of this supreme treasure that the safety of the Heavenly Emperor had been guaranteed for many years, and no assassin could succeed in killing him in the first instance. It was the emperor's last line of defense, a treasure of the royal family, which is why Prince Xuexing reacted so strongly.

However, this thing is only good for external defense, not internal defense. The Spirit Hall later used the identities of close associates to poison him, and the Vast Ocean Universe Cover was ineffective. Therefore, after surviving this near-death experience, Emperor Xueye bestowed it upon Tang San, giving the latter a significant advantage.

Yan is now inquiring about the Vast Ocean Universe Cover because he wants to try and snatch it away, although he knows the chances are slim.

"Your Majesty may have misunderstood. I had no ill intentions. I was simply curious about the royal treasures and wanted to take a look."

Prince Xuexing's strong reaction made Yan realize that it was basically impossible to obtain the Han Hai Qian Kun Cover through negotiations at this stage. He was not discouraged, though, since there was still plenty of time and opportunities. If one attempt failed, he could always try again later.

"You flatter me, Your Highness. Your words make me seem petty."

Emperor Xueye laughed heartily, then reached into his robes and pulled out a dazzling treasure radiating blue light, which appeared before everyone's eyes.

This is an extremely strange object, its entire body is a crystal clear blue, three-dimensional triangular in shape, and the whole seems to be carved from sapphire. It is only the size of a palm, and its crystal blue light is filled with a precious glow, with strange energy fluctuations constantly emanating from it.

Moreover, the blue triangular object was covered with ripple-like patterns. These patterns did not seem to be carved, but rather seemed to be alive, with rings of blue light shimmering and reflecting a faint radiance throughout the auction hall.

The gentle blue light was so dazzling that Yan couldn't help but be mesmerized and gently raised his hand to take it in.