"I can't believe he's going to try to outbid someone from the second level! Who is this guy? He's wearing a big hat and you can't see his face."

"That guy's got real nerve to jack up the price so high for a Spring and Autumn tree."

"Who is the Cultivator in that top level booth…? This is interesting." Discussions sprang up in the auction square. Only Sir Qiao, up on the stage, appeared the same as ever. He glanced at Meng Hao, then looked up toward the top level booth.

Behind him, a look of interest appeared on Qiao Ling's face. She looked at Meng Hao closely, but because of his wide hat, and the cloth covering his face, she didn't recognize him.

"Five-hundred thousand!" said Chu Yuyan, her brow furrowed. This was an incredible bid even for her. She stepped forward, lifting up the booth's curtain. Suddenly, she became the center of attention of everyone down in the auction square.

They all recognized her.

"That's..."

"Chu Yuyan! It's Chu Yuyan from the Violet Fate Sect!"

"So, it's her..." The entire square broke out into conversations. In the State of Eastern Emergence, Chu Yuyan was highly respected. She was a Cultivator of the Violet Fate Sect, was Grandmaster Pill Demon's personal apprentice, and her father was the Sect leader. This, coupled with her unsurpa.s.sed beauty, instantly caused everyone to stare at her.

"Well, so much for the suspense. If Chu Yuyan hadn’t shown her face, very well. But now that she has, no one would be willing to try to outbid her for something as ordinary as a Spring and Autumn tree.”

"It seems Chu Yuyan has her heart set on that Spring and Autumn tree. She even revealed her ident.i.ty! Don't tell me those rumors from a few years back were true?"

"I think they were. Otherwise, she wouldn't need a Spring and Autumn tree.”

The Cultivators' conversations buzzed, and even Chu Yuyan a.s.sumed that the bidding for the Spring and Autumn tree was over. Then, Meng Hao's cold voice rang out.

"Six-hundred thousand!" Meng Hao no longer increased the bid in ten-thousands. He immediately surpa.s.sed Chu Yuyan's bid by one-hundred thousand. This caused quite the uproar; even Sir Qiao stared down at Meng Hao.

Chu Yuyan frowned at Meng Hao, but could only see the top of his hat.

"Six-hundred fifty-thousand!

"Seven-hundred thousand," said Meng Hao calmly. He was determined to acquire the Spring and Autumn tree, and would not give up.

"Fellow Daoist, you must certainly know who I am," said Chu Yuyan, her voice light as she stared at Meng Hao. "This item isn't worth so many Spirit Stones. I need it to help suppress poison for someone I'm sure you know. Please back down; if you do, I'll consider myself to be in your debt."

This caused further discussions on the auction floor.

"So, the rumors are true. She's buying it for w.a.n.g Tengfei of the w.a.n.g Clan!"

"According to the people from the Golden Frost Sect, w.a.n.g Tengfei, one of the Chosen from the w.a.n.g Clan, used to be a member of a Sect in some backwater nation. He was searching after some amazing Legacy. But he was trounced during a tussle over a spot in the Inner Sect, and a local Cultivator smashed his finger!"

"That's most likely true. That guy Li Fugui who the Golden Frost Sect cares so much about has a beef with w.a.n.g Tengfei. He talks about it to everyone. And as for w.a.n.g Tengfei, he treats even himself poorly. He formed a new finger for himself, but it was poisonous. A lot of people know about it. Obviously, Chu Yuyan wants the Spring and Autumn tree to help w.a.n.g Tengfei suppress the poison of his finger!”

When Meng Hao heard this, a barely perceptible flicker appeared in his eyes. Now he knew why Chu Yuyan was so anxious to get the Spring and Autumn tree. And from what the other Cultivators were saying, it sounded like Fatty Li Fugui was doing quite well for himself in the Golden Frost Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, I also very much need this item," said Meng Hao coolly.

Chu Yuyan's eyes flashed coldly. She gritted her teeth and stared at Meng Hao. "Seven-hundred fifty-thousand!" she said.

"Nine hundred thousand." Meng Hao still had quite a bit of Spirit Stones in his bag of holding. He had made up his mind to win the Spring and Autumn tree, so immediately called out an exorbitant price.

Hearing such a high number, the surrounding Cultivators gasped and looked greedily at Meng Hao. But then they realized that anyone who dared to s.n.a.t.c.h an item out from in front of Chu Yuyan from the Violet Fate Sect, must surely have powerful backing.

"You!" Chu Yuyan gnashed her teeth so hard they seemed on the verge of shattering. She was a Chosen of the Violet Fate Sect. However, the spirit stones she carried belonged not to herself, but the Sect. It would be hard to explain why she had spent so much to help w.a.n.g Tengfei, regardless of her position within the Sect. Nine-hundred thousand was a number that left her feeling somewhat powerless. She said nothing, simply staring down at Meng Hao, her eyes s.h.i.+ning with murder.

A long moment pa.s.sed, and she didn't make a higher bid. The Spring and Autumn tree went to Meng Hao. Someone from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion approached him to accept his money and give him the item. He accepted it, then left the auction square as quickly as possible.

He didn't care what other items were being auctioned off. He had no intention of staying behind. In Cultivator auctions, anyone can leave at any time.

He hurried out, moving as fast as possible through several alleys. He tossed off his hat and cloth mask, and then changed his robe. He now looked completely different than he had in the auction square.

Moving at top speed, he headed straight out of the city gate. Three hundred meters out, he shot into the sky, turning into a beam of light that shot off into the distance. After he had been flying for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a whistling scream could be heard behind him. It was a spotless white crane, chasing after him at a speed that exceeded his own.

Meng Hao frowned and looked back.

Standing atop the crane was a woman in white clothes. It was none other than Chu Yuyan, her face expressionless, but her eyes ice cold. She stared icily at Meng Hao's retreating form. The crane cried out, turning into a prismatic beam of light as it approached. A white glow emerged from its mouth, which transformed into a gigantic net which shot forward to envelop Meng Hao.

Chu Yuyan held a jade slip in her hand. There were black spots on the surface of the jade slip, which emanated an archaic aura. She used it to summon a phantasmic white-haired old man, who came into being above the jade slip. The phantom lifted his hand and waved his finger toward Meng Hao. A phantasmic finger shot out to follow Meng Hao, which was the special function of this particular jade.

"Hand over the Spring and Autumn tree, and I won't cause you any trouble. Otherwise, I will use this searching jade to track you down. The ancient jade is locked onto you. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I'll be able to find you." Chu Yuyan slapped her bag of holding again, and a Violet Qi emerged, forming into a violet-colored lotus-seed pod, the size of a fist. She tossed it forward, whereupon it shook, shooting out a dozen lotus seeds. As they flew forward, the violet lotus seeds transformed into armor-clad phantom women, who shot toward Meng Hao brandis.h.i.+ng battle spears.

As they approached, pressure from Chu Yuyan's Foundation Establishment Cultivation base bore down on Meng Hao. In addition, the armor-clad women who sped toward Meng Hao seemed to be emitting the power of the early Foundation Establishment stage. Above, the clouds spiralled violently.

Meng Hao's eyes flashed. In the past six or seven years, he had gained a lot of experience using battle magic. Not waiting for the ma.s.sive white net to descend, he opened his mouth and spit. Amidst a burst of lightning, the Lightning Flag emerged, transforming into a mist that shot out from Meng Hao, arcs of electricity dancing back and forth within it. It shot, not toward the descending net, but instead the approaching phantoms, wrapping them up.

An explosion sounded out in all directions. The phantom women shattered into pieces. Chu Yuyan frowned, lifting her delicate hands up in an incantation gesture. Just as she was about to cast some type of magic, Meng Hao's hand flashed. He used the mist emanated by the Lightning Flag to block his hand from Chu Yuyan's field of view. Then he smacked his bag of holding to produce the copper mirror, which he s.h.i.+ned toward Chu Yuyan's crane.

Instantly, the crane's eye went wide with disbelief. A booming sound rang out as the crane's wing exploded into a mist of blood and flesh. Next, its rear end quivered and then exploded!

Blood and gore rained down, and a blood-curdling shriek came out of the once elegant crane's beak. Having lost its ability to fly, it tumbled down to the ground, pain wracking its body. Chu Yuyan gaped in astonishment. Seeing the crane's wing and b.u.t.t explode bloodily had left her momentarily terrified.

As the crane screamed and fell to the ground, the huge white net began to break apart. Meng Hao shot backward in retreat, taking in a deep breath and causing the Lightning Mist to return into his bag of holding. Then, he drew a great, black bow out. He pulled back on the bow and shot nine arrows toward an astonished Chu Yuyan. Backed by the power of his Cultivation base, the arrows screamed as they flew through the air.

Boom after boom filled the air. Meng Hao frowned, continuing to shoot backwards at top speed. A violet-colored s.h.i.+eld now circulated around Chu Yuyan. When the arrows slammed into it, they disintegrated. However, the s.h.i.+eld was also forced backward, and then was broken into pieces. Chu Yuyan's clothing was ripped open because of the arrows, revealing some of her skin. She was beautiful enough to begin with; seeing her like this would cause most men to palpitate with eagerness. A sharp glow emitted from her eyes as she stared at the black bow in Meng

"That bow was bestowed by the Sect upon Junior Brother Ding Xin. Why do you have it? After Ding Xin went to the State of Zhao, his life slip shattered. The State of Zhao..." An astute gleam filled her eyes. As she spoke, her eyes widened. She'd thought Meng Hao looked familiar, but now she was able to connect the dots. She finally recognized him; this was the Meng Hao that w.a.n.g Tengfei was always muttering about. "You're... you're Meng Hao! Didn't the State of Zhao disappear? You..."

"Clever girl," said Meng Hao, then took to flight.

Now that she knew who he was, her killing intent grew thicker. She sped in pursuit, her heart filled with shock as she thought of how only a few years ago, Meng Hao had been at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Condensation. Now, he was at the Foundation Establishment stage; based on the vibrations of his Cultivation base, it was clearly not Fractured. She was eighty to ninety percent sure that it must be Cracked!

The events of a few years ago in the State of Zhao had caused substantial waves of shock to ripple through the Southern Domain. Chu Yuyan was amazed that Meng Hao would appear here. Obviously, he must have escaped from the State of Zhao before it disappeared.

Meanwhile, at a location far from the central region of the Southern Domain, an enormous Roc appeared. It emanated a powerful death aura as it flew in from the Milky Way Sea. It moved at incredible speed, whipping up fierce winds as it pa.s.sed. Lightning filled the sky around it. Anyone who didn't immediately get out of its way would be whipped up into the whirlwind it created and tossed to who knew where.

As it pa.s.sed, mountains split and crumbled underneath the Roc's screaming cry. From a distance, many Cultivators saw the Roc and its death aura, and their hearts quivered as they thought of the treasures that must exist on its body. Some tried to chase it, but they were too slow. In the s.p.a.ce of time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they were left behind.

This solitary Roc was on the verge of death. And yet, just as ever, it flew through the sky, a sovereign of the sky!