A Sudden Storm
But that anxiety lasted only a moment. 'Let's not be impatient. If I fail this time, I can simply aim for the next.' Having lived as a cultivator for decades, he had tasted all the sweetness and bitterness the world had to offer. There were times when he had missed a miraculous opportunity right before his eyes and fallen into a state of deep, reclusive depression for days on end. He had endured all of that to reach where he was today. While he couldn't claim to be entirely detached from the whims of fortune, it was true that he had grown somewhat numb to them. As long as he was still breathing, his path would not end. If it wasn't this path today, he could simply take another tomorrow.
"Phew." He took a deep breath, calming his mind. The item on the stage and the rough, shouting voices of bidders echoing from all directions no longer grated on his nerves.
"...We shall now take a brief interlude. One medium-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. The starting bid is five medium-grade spirit stones, with bidding increments of one medium-grade spirit stone."
A moment later, wetting his dry lips with his tongue, Nang Hwi channeled his spiritual energy into the bidding stone as calmly as he could. Unlike those who excitedly shouted out their bids, he maintained his composure.
"Six medium-grade spirit stones!"
Starting with Nang Hwi, the Qi Condensation cultivators who had been holding their breath plunged into the bidding war as if they had been waiting for this exact moment. Until now, they had been so wary of the Foundation Establishment cultivators and Great Demons that they barely dared to breathe, but in front of a Foundation Establishment Pill, they had no room for such concerns. In their eyes, the pill was a golden key that could instantly unlock the gates to the Foundation Establishment realm. If they could somehow get their hands on that single pill, they would be reborn as Foundation Establishment cultivators tomorrow.
"Hehe."
The Great Demons, who had been shouting with veins bulging on their necks and radiating killing intent just moments ago, now leaned back and leisurely watched this little talent show. The human Foundation Establishment cultivators were much the same. Though they didn't lick their lips like the Great Demons, they too thoroughly enjoyed this brief intermission.
"One hundred and twenty medium-grade spirit stones!"
Nang Hwi bid without hesitation. Unlike his competitors, who hesitated whenever the price jumped significantly, he followed up instantly, as if determined not to let this Foundation Establishment Pill slip away no matter the cost.
"Damn it! That old man is dead set on this."
They didn't know how many Foundation Establishment Pills would be put up for auction this time. Advance information about the auction items was not something Qi Condensation cultivators like them could access. However, they knew for certain that there would be more. It had always been this way. At the Haeyeon Island auctions, whenever the atmosphere in the hall became excessively overheated, they would refresh the mood with a Foundation Establishment Pill. The Qi Condensation cultivators residing on Haeyeon Island knew this fact well, so they prayed before every auction that more hot-tempered seniors would attend. Only then would the Ghost Spider release even one more Foundation Establishment Pill.
"Tsk!"
The Qi Condensation cultivator who had been competing with him until the very end grimaced as he saw Nang Hwi immediately raise the bid yet again. He hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh and gave up bidding.
"Sold!"
The chilling voice, completely devoid of any emotion, sounded sweeter at that moment than the whisper of any beauty. It was so sweet that it felt utterly surreal. Nang Hwi could not snap out of it even after the auctioneer's indifferent gaze moved away from him. The jealous glares of those who had lost were not enough to drag him back to reality.
"Two hundred medium-grade spirit stones!"
What woke him was the passage of a little time and the majestic bidding voices of his seniors. Hearing his seniors casually call out two hundred medium-grade spirit stones, Nang Hwi finally realized it.
'Finally.'
There was joy, but the sense of achievement wasn't that great. He had seen and experienced too much to indulge in momentary emotions like a child.
'I can't just leave like this.'
Although everyone was pretending to look elsewhere, he could feel more than a few stealthy gazes locked onto him. If he left his seat right now, there would be at least ten people tailing him.
'To buy passage through the back door...!'
The Haeyeon Island auction house provided protection for a small fee of spirit stones to those who worried they wouldn't be able to keep the items they had won. Though the protection didn't seem to be anything grand, it apparently allowed them to leave the island safely. At this moment, Nang Hwi desperately wanted that protection. But... 'I don't have enough.' To obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, he had emptied almost his entire fortune. Since the protection fee demanded by the auction house wouldn't be as low as a few dozen low-grade spirit stones, he had no choice but to find his own way.
'What do I do?'
For a split second, Nang Hwi thought of his terrifying master, but he quickly dismissed the idea. His master had the power to extricate him from this difficult situation with a single word, but there was no reason for him to do so. Even though they had a master-servant relationship, there was no exchange between them other than spirit stones. Nang Hwi worked for him, and received payment in return. That was all.
'He won't tolerate me breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm.'
The Black Flood Dragon, known as the 'Dragon Lord,' was certainly an unusual figure for a demon. Unlike other Great Demons who were merely ferocious, he knew how to run a business and manage subordinates. But that was precisely why Nang Hwi was even more wary of him. The reason he employed a mediocre subordinate like Nang Hwi was because Nang Hwi was a Qi Condensation cultivator. In the eyes of a Great Demon, a Qi Condensation cultivator was a mere insect that could be crushed with a single breath, making them easy to order around without worry. But Foundation Establishment cultivators were different. They were on equal footing with Great Demons. Of course, since the Black Flood Dragon was exceptionally powerful even among Great Demons, he might tolerate it, but... Nang Hwi did not want to gamble with his fate.
'Let's leave when the next, no, the third Foundation Establishment Pill comes up. By then, the enemies' attention and focus will be somewhat dispersed, making it the most suitable time to escape.'
'Good.'
Silently caressing the wooden box in his hand, Nang Hwi went over his newly formed plan again and again. However, no matter how flawless a plan was, it was useless before the whims of heaven.
Crash!
The ceiling of the auction house collapsed, and after a sudden flash of light, the entire venue shook as if hit by an earthquake. Nang Hwi saw a figure suddenly appear about five or six paces away from him. It wasn't because he had sharp eyes, but because the figure had abruptly materialized right in his line of sight.
'What...?'
Nang Hwi's mind couldn't keep up with the rapid turn of events. By the time he belatedly tried to comprehend the situation, the figure vanished as quickly as it had appeared. And in the very next instant, hundreds, thousands of lines blanketed the hall. All Nang Hwi felt was an indescribable sense of restraint and his vision collapsing. His mind could not accept the situation he was in, nor the death that had arrived in a split second.
Thud.
When his breath was cut short, the wooden box he had held onto until the very end sank to the floor of the auction house along with his flesh, which had been sliced into thousands of pieces.
Narrowed eyes chased the intruder. The opponent's movements were so fast that they were difficult to follow with the naked eye, but since Myeong-ha captured the opponent with his Spiritual Awareness rather than his eyes, he was barely able to keep up. The intangible spiderwebs spread throughout this auction house and the entire island were all his eyes and ears, so it was fundamentally impossible for the opponent to shake him off.
Shred!
Dozens more cultivators were shredded to pieces without even knowing why.
"Oh dear!"
The Great Demons and Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall also grasped the situation and quickly backed away, or watched the situation unfold as if a fun spectacle had occurred. Those relaxed, amused reactions made Myeong-ha's already boiling head grow even hotter. Myeong-ha didn't know how long it had been since his emotions had flared up this much. The last guy who had pushed him this far had had his soul destroyed and all his blood drained. What should he do this time?
'Either way, he won't die peacefully.'
Myeong-ha did not reveal himself. From the VIP seat overlooking the hall, he cornered the opponent by merely twitching a few of his limbs. He didn't know how the intruder had broken through the ceiling of the auction house and barged in, but the current situation was perfectly within his hands. That insolent rat would soon...
"Huh?"
Myeong-ha frowned as he saw the intruder, who had snatched the item on the stage, pull out a talisman. Instinctively feeling a sense of unease, he quickly reached out, and hundreds of spider threads tightened toward the stage.
Crack!
Everything, including the stage and the auctioneer on it, was sliced into pieces. However, in that place which had instantly turned red, no trace of the intruder could be found. Myeong-ha's cold eyes narrowed.
Upon learning of this, Jekyeong regretted leaving so hastily. Who would have thought that such an interesting event would occur as soon as he left Haeyeon Island!
"I have no face to show you."
Unlike Jekyeong, whose expressionless face was filled with amusement, Myeong-ha's face was as gloomy as a dripping wet rag. It was hard to tell how much sincerity was in that expression, but it was clear that he was not at ease.
"What happened?"
"An intruder barged in and stole the auction item. There was some minor damage besides that... but it's only a trivial matter."
Since Jekyeong had received a report of the incident from Hyeongu and Han Cheongyu before meeting Myeong-ha, he knew that the "damage" Myeong-ha spoke of was the loss of life among the Qi Condensation cultivators. Apparently, hundreds of people had died while Myeong-ha was dealing with the intruder. Well, that much was indeed a trivial matter that could be ignored, just as Myeong-ha said. The real problem was that they had allowed an intruder in, and had even let him escape.
"It was a Shift Talisman. Its grade seemed to be quite high. It broke through the auction house's barrier in an instant and vanished."
"Oh?"
The Shift Talisman was one of the rarest protective talismans. Jekyeong had only heard of its name and had never seen one in person.
"A Shift Talisman of that grade. That is indeed extraordinary."
A Shift Talisman literally transported the user. However, if there were barriers around, it was difficult to take effect, and the distance of transportation was restricted in various ways depending on the situation, so low-quality Shift Talismans usually had little effect. Yet, according to Myeong-ha, the intruder had not only escaped the auction house with a single Shift Talisman but had also gone beyond the detection range of Myeong-ha's Divine Sense. A Shift Talisman of that grade was a true life-saving talisman, not something one could obtain just because they wanted to.
"Indeed. The opponent's identity is far from ordinary. That alone is a big enough problem, but..." Myeong-ha let out a deep sigh.
"Don't play weak in front of me. Stop whining."
"Cold. Too cold. How can a fellow Daoist who cultivates fire techniques be so cold?"
When Jekyeong scowled fiercely, Myeong-ha stopped joking. He massaged his temples with a stiff expression and said,
"We don't know the intruder's identity. They slipped onto the island past my eyes and even barged into the auction house, so we know they are a master of stealth... but that's all. However, there is room for speculation from another angle."
Myeong-ha hadn't been idle while Jekyeong was on his way. While quickly settling the commotion, he had reviewed the situation and organized his thoughts, and now he had arrived at his own answer.
"The intruder's purpose must be one of two things. One is a scheme to tarnish our prestige. Since we allowed an intruder in and even let them escape, Haeyeon Island's authority has been significantly damaged by this incident."
Jekyeong did not refute it. Although it was Myeong-ha who had been humiliated, Haeyeon Island was their joint venture either way.
"And the other?"
"That they were truly targeting the auction item. Looking at it that way, it explains why they chose a forced intrusion instead of blending in as a guest. They must have wanted to hide their identity."
"What was the stolen item?"