The auction was still proceeding in an orderly fashion. An auction of this scale involved vast resources and complex negotiations between forces and was far beyond what could be concluded in just two or three days. Of course, the number of cultivators present had already decreased by nearly half. This was due to Jadecold City not prohibiting fighting, as well as the current chaotic situation with raiding cultivators appearing frequently. Some rogue cultivators without strong backing or sufficient strength chose to leave early after obtaining what they wanted, lest they be tracked and ambushed.

In a spacious and luxurious private room on the fourth floor, a gentle-looking man was watching the auction. An Adept hurried inside. "Sage, something has happened!"

Fu Chaosheng frowned. "What is it?"

Shan Shubao stepped forward and spoke quickly in a low voice, "That rogue cultivator Luo Hai provoked the Qian family. They have dispatched several Adepts to surround and kill him. He is quite strong and managed to break through the encirclement. But the Qian family has deep roots on Coldlight Island and strong ties with the major forces here. They're already mobilizing forces to hunt him down. From what I've just heard, the Tempered Edge Workshop, Hundred Craft Mountain, and the Wu family have all sent out a fair number of Adepts to intercept him from different directions."

After hearing this, Fu Chaosheng's expression relaxed. "I thought it was something serious. There's no need to report such trivial matters to me."

Shan Shubao froze. "Didn't you hold that man in high regard?"

"What makes you say that?" Fu Chaosheng asked with a smile.

Shan Shubao seemed to realize something, but he continued anyway, "You gave him pills, granted him treasures, and even introduced him to Devil's Snare, the Penglai Immortal Sect, and those Adepts close to the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance... Umm..."

Fu Chaosheng shook his head. "Didn't he refuse to work with any of those three? He repaid the pill I gave him with a Millennial Lightning Essence, and even though I extended a hand with that treasure, he did not take it. Obviously, I won’t go and take it back now, but this means there's no real obligation between us anymore. If anything, he owes me. Now that something's happened, am I supposed to go save him?"

Shan Shubao was stunned.

Fu Chaosheng asked another question. "Among those chasing him, how many late-stage Adepts are there?"

Shan Shubao thought for a moment. "Patriarch Qian Ting is at the seventh stage. The master of Hundred Craft Mountain is at the eighth stage. Tempered Edge Workshop has not sent any late-stage people, but they dispatched the Xiang brothers. They are skilled in combined attacks, and each of them wields a flail. Their joint attack is hard to defend against, and even ordinary late-stage Adepts could come out on the losing end. As for the Wu family, their movements are harder to track. They aren't in the city to begin with, so I don't know what they’re up to. Oh, right! The Cold Elegance Sect that left earlier is also heading there under Sect Leader Luo Yuqing's lead. They're probably hoping to sit back and reap the rewards once the fight ends."

At this point, Shan Shubao showed a look of regret. "With such a lineup, even a late-stage Adept would struggle to make it out alive. Luo Hai is only at the fourth stage... his chances don't look good."

Fu Chaosheng pondered things for a moment, then his expression turned serious. "I did value that junior. To comprehend a method of Nascent Soul formation while at the middle stage of Golden Core is indeed rare. Even in the Heaven Origin Dao Sect, he would be considered a talent. But no matter how talented, if he dies midway, he is nothing more than a bigger speck of dust. We'll see how his fate plays out."

When the last sentence ended, his lips moved again, but no sound followed. Shan Shubao’s eyes widened when he heard the voice transmission. "Sage... this goes against the rules our sect set for the trade alliance."

Fu Chaosheng glanced at him coldly. "The Primordial Devil Sect is gone, and the Northern Sea stands empty. Some rules are meant to change. If this succeeds, both of us can return to the Central Continent and cultivate in the Holy Land."

Then he added, "Shubao... you don't want to spend your whole life out here, do you?"

Shan Shubao opened his mouth and his expression flickered. After a long moment, he made up his mind. "I will follow your orders and destroy the teleportation formation!"

Fu Chaosheng nodded in satisfaction. "Do it quietly. In the end, we're only borrowing a blade to kill. There's no need for us to act personally. Even if the sect looks into it, it won't lead back to us."

Shan Shubao nodded in acknowledgement and quietly left the palace. As for the matter of Luo Hai, he had already set it aside. He gave it no further thought.

***

At the northern dock of Jadecold City, sails were furled and ships lay at anchor. It was as lively as ever, and the sea was calm. Bai Xiang stood aboard the merchant ship with a trace of sorrow on his face. "Jadecold City may be prosperous, but it’s not a place for us to stay long. It's better to return to White Sand Island. Watching the seabirds drift along the wind is a good pastime...."

He sighed, then he asked without even turning back, "How is the inventory check?"

The Bai family’s Qi Refinement cultivators were used to their elder's foresight. Well... it was just the spirit consciousness of an Initiate.

One of them reported, "Everything has been checked. We just have more cargo this time, so the return trip may take twice as long."

Bai Xiang smacked his lips. "That's fine. We didn't make much on the way here. If we don't earn more than usual on the way back, it'll be hard to explain to the family."

He raised his hand to signal departure. But just as he was lowering it, he suddenly turned around. One of his subordinates pointed at the sky and said, "Elder, look at those two lights. They are so fast—"

"I know!" Bai Xiang cut him off as a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. The two streaks of light felt strangely familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before. An Initiate and a Qi Refinement cultivator noticing them almost at the same moment was not because their senses were comparable. Rather, the lights were moving far too fast.

Three streaks of light shot up from the dock, and a vast spirit pressure swept outward. They were unmistakably Adepts!

"Fellow Daoist Luo Hai, what's the rush leaving the city?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Yeah, why not stay for a while? Let the Wu family host you properly."

"I hear you made our junior, Wu Yan, kneel in the Cold Palace... Don't you think that's a bit much?"

The name Luo Hai rang in Bai Xiang’s ears like thunder, and his mind rumbled. A red-faced figure surfaced unbidden in his thoughts. It can’t be him, right?

When the two streaks of light stopped and revealed a man and a woman, Bai Xiang trembled. "They are actually Adepts... Heavens!"

As he recalled his interactions with Luo Hai and Heavenjade along the way, Bai Xiang's lips began to tremble. I didn’t offend them, right?

Even as the thought crossed his mind, his intuition warned him that something terrible was about to happen, and he shouted right away, "Set sail, NOW! Activate the defensive formation! Everyone, get into the cabins!"

He was not the only one to react. At the dock, many ships began to move and were fleeing in panic. The cultivators working along the dock abandoned their tasks, either using flying artifacts to escape or seeking cover on the spot. And all that motion was because a fight between Adepts was about to erupt! Such a battle could instantly turn a prosperous dozen-li district into a bare crater. For low-tier cultivators, it would be utterly destructive.

Luo Chen, at the center of it all, looked coldly at the three figures blocking his path. "Three mid-stage Adepts...and you think you can stop me?"

The Wu family's leader, Wu Di, seemed like a valiant man at a glance[1], but it soon became apparent that he was the cautious kind. He scrutinized Luo Chen carefully. "Fellow Daoist, you fought your way through the city, and even Patriarch Qian Ting couldn't stop you. Your strength speaks for itself. The three of us may not be able to kill you, but holding you back for a while shouldn't be a problem."

The three had already formed a triangular formation. They moved as one, whether for offense or defense, and the setup was firm and sturdy. Luo Chen understood their intentions at once. He nodded slightly and said without turning back, "Go ahead. Wait for me there."

Heavenjade looked worried. "Master, let me stay. I can help you."

Luo Chen waved his sleeve, and crimson chains extended from his body. A banner and a compass fell into Heavenjade's hands. "Go!"

Heavenjade heard the resolve in Luo Chen's voice and did not resist. She slung the banner on her back and gripped the compass in her hand. Her jade-green wings flapped once, and she turned into a streak of light that passed the three Wu family cultivators, vanishing into the distance.

The two Adepts in the back reacted immediately. "Big Brother, that woman..."

Wu Di waved his hand. "It does not matter. Our target is Luo Hai. She is only an attendant; she won't get far. Let’s go."

Their divine consciousness spread outward, and their combined spirit pressure surged and locked onto Luo Chen. It was clear that they would attack at the slightest movement. Luo Chen's lips curled slightly as he spread his divine consciousness outward. It merged with his mana and his spirit pressure burst out as well.

BOOMM!

1. Wu Di's name (吴敌, wú dí) is a homophone of 无敌, meaning “invincible” or “without equal.” The wordplay is untranslatable, hence the “first glance” addition. ☜