C31 (1/2)

On the morning of the third day, at Wan An Inn.

The morning sun gradually illuminated the room. On the bed, Zhou Qing, who was sitting cross-legged also slowly opened his eyes, a bright light flashing in his eyes.

After getting off the bed, he casually stretched his body. His joints let out a crackling sound and a tyrannical aura followed suit.

After two days of closed door cultivation and nearly three hundred Soul Concentrating Pills, he finally managed to stabilize his somewhat weak cultivation.

The auction would begin this morning. Zhou Qing went downstairs and casually ordered some food, intending to head there after a short rest.

Just as he sat down, a clamor sounded out from outside the inn. Moments later, the innkeeper with a panicked expression walked in quickly.

”Master Song, he seems to be your friend outside!”

Zhou Qing frowned slightly. Without saying anything, he got up and walked out of the inn. When he saw the person outside, his pupils couldn't help but constrict.

It was the middle-aged woman who once joined his party to hunt the Green Winged Dragon Eagle, Liu Ru!

At this moment, Liu Ru was in an extremely sorry state. Her face was pale and her dress was torn. Her entire body was covered in dried black blood and her aura was extremely weak. From her collarbone to her lower abdomen, there was a terrifying knife wound. Blood could still be seen dripping from the wound.

”What happened?”

Zhou Qing spoke, his expression turning ugly as he faintly guessed what was going on.

”They... Their people come for revenge... Wang Liang and Xu Dong are both dead … ”

Liu Ru spoke with great difficulty, the pain was accompanied by fear, and Zhou Qing's fists were clenched tightly as his face turned ashen.

In the battle of the Green Winged Dragon's Lair, the Heavy Sword Sect members wanted to cut off this man's mouth to kill him, but they ended up getting killed instead. This was something that they brought upon themselves, and they couldn't blame anyone else.

But now, they were taking revenge against him. If he wasn't in White Ridge City, he would have been attacked a long time ago!

”Heavy Sword Sect, Gu Canghai.”

Zhou Qing muttered as killing intent appeared in his eyes. After a long time, it gradually disappeared.

”You stay here to recuperate. I'll think of a way to deal with this.”

The Zhou and Lan families were eyeing him covetously. The hundred sects were searching everywhere, and Elder Dong of the Red Dust Sect also needed to investigate. Now that there was another Heavy Sword Sect, the pressure on Zhou Qing became heavier and heavier.

Right now, the most urgent task was to quickly increase his strength.

Without power, everything was just talk!

After temporarily placing Liu Ru in an inn, Zhou Qing left for the auction.

The auction house was located at the south side of White Ridge City. It was a round building that was similar to the Beast Battling Arena and covered a wide area.

As the host, the company was rich and imposing, the auction house was not bad either. It could accommodate almost fifty thousand people, and the decorations were magnificent. It was like a giant beast lying in a corner of White Ridge City.

With such a majestic structure, even Zhou Qing, who had seen great storms and great waves, couldn't help but exclaim at the terrifying strength of the company.

He showed his Demon Hunt Squad Token to the guards at the entrance, and after verification, Zhou Qing was allowed to enter, following the stream of people to their seats.

The venue was specially designed for the auction, with a huge auction platform at the center. The densely packed seats surrounded the entire auction platform, and the design was extremely exquisite. No matter where one was, they could clearly see the auction platform.

When Zhou Qing entered, the auction hall was already in an uproar.

The upper level was filled with Spirit Opening Realm cultivators with the largest number, over ten thousand in number. Many were excitedly discussing something with eyes full of anticipation.

In the middle level, only people who had reached the Condensing Reality Realm could sit.

Compared to the upper echelons, the thousands of Spirit Condensation Realm cultivators were much calmer.

A Soul Condensation cultivator might not be that strong, but he was definitely not weak either. He was much more wealthy than a Spirit Opening Cultivator, and as such, these people were the main customers for the auction.

As for the bottom level closest to the auction table, it was the exclusive seat for Spirit Realm Mages. Of course, the families, disciples and the like that could also sit here.

There were about a dozen Mages present this time. Zhou Qing's gaze swept across them one by one, and he recognized many familiar faces. His cultivation had not been wasted before, and he had interacted with these people.

The Sect Leader of the True Virtuous Gate, Zhao Po, was at the early stage of the Spirit Realm.

The Great Elder of the Southern Sword Valley said coldly.

At the entrance of the ancient monument, the Great Elder, Tang Ji, was at the middle stage of the Spirit Realm.

The Lan Clan's elder, Lan Qingyun, was also Lan Ning's fourth uncle, at the middle stage of the Spirit Realm.

Then there was Chu Tianyu, and Elder Dong from the Crimson Flame Sect … The auction had attracted close to a dozen mages, and it was evident how influential the company was.

When entering the arena, everyone would be assigned a seat according to their strength. Just as Zhou Qing walked towards the middle level, his footsteps paused, and his face darkened.

He was being watched.

A domineering pressure, accompanied by a cold killing intent, came from not too far away. It caused Zhou Qing's hair to stand on end, and a sense of danger rose in his heart.

Raising his head to look coldly, Zhou Qing instantly found the source of the pressure.

A burly, black-robed middle-aged man with long hair draped over his shoulders was staring at him with a sinister expression, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey with slightly red eyes.

Zhou Qing had seen this person before, so he recognized him instantly.

The head of the Heavy Sword Sect, Gu Canghai!

”They came really fast …”

Zhou Qing muttered. He ignored Gu Canghai's terrifying gaze that seemed as if it could swallow him whole as he sat down.

In the auction, fighting was strictly prohibited, even for a Spirit Realm expert. He, Gu Canghai, didn't have the guts to provoke the Wan An Merchant Guild.

However, staying in White Ridge City the whole time was not in line with Zhou Qing's personality.

He had to think of a way to deal with this poisonous snake, Gu Canghai, as soon as possible.

Just as he was deep in thought, the crowd suddenly became restless. Zhou Qing's brows twitched as he looked towards the source of the sound.

Boom.

Following a deep muffled sound, a dazzling light suddenly lit up on the auction stage and shone down.

It was a spirit stone dug out from the spirit vein. It contained spirit energy, and when activated, it would emit a white light. The brighter the light, the higher the quality of the spirit stone.

However, the spirit stone floating above the auction platform was extremely dazzling. Its quality was definitely above middle rank and it was the best resource for cultivation. However, it was only used for lighting up right now.