Chapter 116: The Demon Cultivator Seizes the Treasure

“Prepare to execute the ultimate contingency plan!” At that moment, a companion’s voice whispered into the ear of the man in the black robe.

The man in black understood this was a measure born of desperation. Twenty-one thousand spirit stones had already exceeded their preparations. Now, obtaining the fragment of the Chaos Mirror was their only option. Although risky, compared to the consequences of mission failure, a little more risk was worth it.

Suddenly, the man in black sprang to his feet, laughing madly. His grim laughter echoed continuously in the silent auction hall, drawing puzzled glances from everyone, including the three members of the Xuanyang Hall in the first private room. At that moment, none of them understood what had driven the man to such madness.

“Not good! He has accomplices. They intend to forcibly seize the Chaos Mirror fragment!” At that moment, voices from Elder Wu and Elder Mo sounded in Lin Xiaobao’s mind.

Just as Lin Xiaobao scanned the auction platform with his spiritual awareness, a shadow suddenly materialized out of thin air. A force like an overwhelming tidal wave surged directly at Wen Hongcai.

Wen Hongcai, at the mid-stage of the Dao Heart realm, immediately sensed the anomaly the instant the shadow appeared. Alarmed, his hands trembled rapidly. With a powerful slash of his left hand, he conjured a vortex of spiritual energy that instantly enveloped the Chaos Mirror fragment, pulling it toward himself. His right hand gathered spiritual power, thrusting forward with all his might in an attempt to temporarily block the incoming assault.

He was desperate to protect the Chaos Mirror fragment! This was Wen Hongcai’s resolve. If he hadn’t recognized the fragment as a priceless treasure, his life up to this point would have been in vain. At this moment, Wen Hongcai even felt a glimmer of satisfaction, as this sudden upheaval cancelled the auction, ensuring the fragment remained within the Xiao Yao Pavilion.

However, what happened next quickly erased any joy from Wen Hongcai’s heart.

The shadowy figure before him struck again, and the force surged even stronger, beyond his expectations. Gale-like winds tore through the air accompanied by howling cries as they barreled toward Wen Hongcai.

“A Dao Embryo realm expert?” He barely formed the thought when he felt his spiritual energy dissolve under the onslaught, replaced by a powerful force crashing into him. His entire body trembled violently, as though struck by a heavy hammer, and he instantly lost consciousness, hurtling backward uncontrollably.

As the shadow struck Wen Hongcai, it deftly manipulated an invisible force to snatch the Chaos Mirror fragment back into its palm. A terrifying shriek echoed as the fragment transformed into a streak of light, crashing through the auction hall wall and vanishing into the distance.

The entire sequence took only seconds. No one had expected anyone to brazenly seize items during the Xiao Yao Pavilion’s auction. Nor had anyone imagined such a theft unfolding under the noses of the Xuanyang Hall within the Blood Victory Empire.

Even the three Xuanyang Hall members in the first private room were initially stunned. When they regained their senses, the shadow had already broken through the wall with the fragment in hand. They exchanged glances, instantly understanding each other’s thoughts, and in a flash, they gave chase.

The black-robed group seemed to have anticipated the Xuanyang Hall’s reaction. The moment the three dashed out of the auction hall, a series of violent impacts echoed outside, followed by a deafening rumble as the entire auction hall collapsed in an instant.

The three Xuanyang Hall members hovered midair, hesitated briefly, then streaked off in the same direction.

Throughout this, although Lin Xiaobao had been warned by the two elders and anticipated the situation, his cultivation level clearly did not qualify him to participate in such a battle. When the auction hall collapsed, Lin Xiaobao also ascended into the air. Though less disheveled than the others, watching the backs of the three Xuanyang Hall members, he felt conflicted.

To pursue or not to pursue? Lin Xiaobao quickly weighed the pros and cons.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry and chase!” Elder Wu’s voice echoed in Lin Xiaobao’s mind.

Lin Xiaobao nodded and instantly sealed the gravity formation around him, transforming into a streak of light to follow. Yet, as he advanced, he cautiously asked, “Two elders, they’re all Dao Embryo realm experts. If I chase them, won’t I be courting death?”

“Don’t worry, we won’t let you die so easily,” the elders replied without elaborating. “Catch up to them. If necessary, we will intervene to help.”

Lin Xiaobao’s speed was enough to outpace peers of similar cultivation, but the pursuers and the pursued were Dao Embryo realm experts. As time passed, the distance between Lin Xiaobao and them widened. Although the elders could track them with their powerful spiritual awareness, if the gap became too great, even they would be helpless.

The entire auction hall, from the moment the shadow snatched the Chaos Mirror fragment to its collapse, took only a breath’s time. No one expected such a drastic turn of events, resulting in many lower-level cultivators suffering injuries. Even the more powerful cultivators, though spared injury, looked extremely disheveled.

The scene descended into chaos. Major factions hurriedly gathered their clansmen, swiftly departing this place of turmoil.

Meanwhile, Wen Hongcai lay unconscious amidst the ruins. When the Xiao Yao Pavilion’s people dug him out, he remained in a coma, his fate unknown.

In this turmoil, no one noticed that Lin Xiaobao had also vanished.

Many had wanted to follow and see what happened, but recalling the brief but intense skirmish outside the hall, they realized such a fight was beyond their capacity. They lacked even the qualifications to spectate and thus abandoned any thought of pursuit.

“Faster!”
“Faster…”

Lin Xiaobao was exerting every ounce of strength, but his speed still did not satisfy the two elders. After a day and a night of continuous travel, the spirit energy absorbed by his spirit-gathering formation could not sustain such lavish expenditure. Along the way, Lin Xiaobao had already consumed at least four lower-grade spirit stones.

Though he now had considerable wealth, Lin Xiaobao still felt reluctant to waste spirit stones on travel.

“Stop!” After another long stretch of time, in an unnamed remote mountain, Lin Xiaobao finally heard the words he longed for most in his mind.

He swiftly descended, controlling the fluctuations of his spiritual awareness to blend with the surrounding environment. This made his presence nearly undetectable even to those scanning with spiritual senses.

“Why stop here?” Sweeping the area with his spiritual awareness, Lin Xiaobao found no abnormalities and felt puzzled. Given their cultivation levels, even if the two sides fought hundreds of miles apart, they should be able to sense it. Yet, he detected nothing at all.