This scene caused the distinguished guests present to cry out in alarm, with all of them rising to their feet and scrambling to take cover to one side.

The leader of the group in black, his eyes emitting a predatory gleam, coldly spat out, "Don’t move if you don’t want to die; we only want Shi Yanran."

Upon hearing this man’s words, everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned towards the celebrity, Shi Yanran.

Shi Yanran’s complexion changed on the spot, and the expression of her manager, Sister Mei, darkened.

"This is bad!"

Mingyue and Chen Chen’s faces tensed up at once, and a total of eight bodyguards quickly positioned themselves in front of Shi Yanran.

All eight were martial artists who had stepped into the Acquired Realm. Aside from Mingyue and Chen Chen, two powerful Late Houtian Level experts, among the remaining five, there were four at the Middle Houtian Level.

The last was a middle-aged man dressed in a black shirt, his expression solemn, his temples bulging high, clearly possessing the strength of the Houtian Peak, his eyes flashing with vigilance as he watched the group in black.

"Attack!"

The leader of the men in black, also a Houtian Peak expert, coldly shouted the command, and his group immediately charged towards Shi Yanran, evidently intending to make a move against her.

"Protect the miss!"

The strongest middle-aged bodyguard guarding Shi Yanran darkened his expression and barked an order, his body surging forward.

"Chen Chen, call the others to come right away."

Mingyue said, lunging towards the assailants, while the other six left two to protect Shi Yanran’s front and the remaining four brandished their weapons and joined the fray against the men in black.

Suddenly, the rest of the people at the scene dodged out of the way, all moving to one side to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

In an instant, a fierce battle broke out within the auction hall, the strongest bodyguard protecting Shi Yanran and the leader of the men in black clashing fiercely, releasing a powerful surge of energy.

The eyes of everyone on the scene were glued to the fighters, wondering why they were targeting Shi Yanran.

"Sister Mei, this..."

Although Shi Yanran appeared relatively calm, a trace of nervousness showed in her eyes, and she involuntarily tightened her grip on Sister Mei’s hand.

"Don’t worry, nothing will happen," Sister Mei reassured her with a steady voice.

"Grandfather, who are these people?"

Chen Baoshan’s granddaughter, hiding to the side, asked with a frightened look in her eyes.

"Qianqian, don’t worry, Grandfather is here, nothing will happen," Chen Baoshan said softly, then turned to a middle-aged man beside him and instructed, "Have someone take care of those people; Miss Shi must not be harmed."

"Yes," the middle-aged man nodded, and quickly the four Late Houtian Level experts who had been guarding the auction items burst forth, charging at the men in black, while about a dozen more elite bodyguards from the Mingzhu Group joined the fight—clearly, they had all stepped into the Acquired Realm.

With the addition of these fighters, the pressure on the twenty or so men in black multiplied.

"Everyone, take your potions!"

At that moment, the Houtian Peak leveled man in black uttered gravely, and they each pulled out a bottle containing a green liquid and poured it into their mouths. Instantly, a murderous aura emanated from their bodies, their presences swelling, releasing a terrifying energy.

"What is this..."

Ye Luo, standing to the side, watched the group consuming the green liquid, his eyes narrowed, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

In the blink of an eye, the strength of the black-clad men all increased by one level, with the man at the Houtian Peak having his strength surge to the brink of the Innate Realm. His eyes flickered with intense murderous intent as he threw a fierce punch at the middle-aged man at the Houtian Peak.

Boom!

The terrifying strength burst forth, and his energy coursed out wildly. The middle-aged man stumbled back repeatedly, blood rushing to his head and his complexion turning slightly pale, while the other black-clad men all unleashed formidable strength, driving back Mingyue and the Mingzhu Group’s bodyguards.

The leading black-clad man’s body shot out again, his fist hammering down once more with ferocity, sending the middle-aged man flying. Following that, he lunged towards Shi Yanran.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Subsequently, the two men at the Middle Houtian Level in front of Shi Yanran acted, only to be swiftly subdued by the black-clad man who grabbed their throats, flung them aside with a wave, and they hit the ground hard, spitting blood.

In that instant, Shi Yanran’s previously calm expression drastically changed as she beheld the murderous black-clad man close at hand, her face turning slightly pale.

"Who... who are you? What do you want to do?"

Mei Jie looked at him, trembling, her eyes filled with fear.

However, the black-clad man swiftly reached out for Shi Yanran, causing everyone’s expression to shift.

Mingyue and Chen Chen, who were injured at a distance, had their expressions change drastically.

"Hey, treating a beauty like this isn’t quite nice, is it?"

All of a sudden, Ye Luo’s light voice rang out; his figure mysteriously appeared in front of Shi Yanran, catching the black-clad man’s arm and preventing his claw from touching Shi Yanran.

Seeing Ye Luo appear, Shi Yanran’s heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally relaxed, her beautiful eyes gazing at Ye Luo with an unusual glint.

"It’s you!"

Seeing Ye Luo, the black-clad man’s face changed, eyes filled with shock. He evidently recognized Ye Luo. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"It seems you really are from the Maple Leaf Organization, aren’t we fated," Ye Luo said, a faint smile on his lips, now certain of the group’s identity.

Whoosh!

The black-clad man’s eyes hardened, bursting with a murderous aura as another hand produced a dagger, slashing lightning-fast at Ye Luo’s neck, only to be blocked again by Ye Luo’s other hand.

The Nine Yang True Qi surged, and Ye Luo forcefully gripped the man’s arm, causing it to shatter with a snap. The man’s face twisted, eyes showing a flash of pain.

Thump!

Ye Luo’s hand, swift as lightning, struck the man’s chest, his True Qi bursting forth, propelling the attacker back step by step.

Upon seeing Ye Luo suddenly take action, those present were surprised, clearly not expecting the young master of the Ye family to possess such skill.

From a distance, Shen Yunfei’s eyes focused on Ye Luo, revealing a curious light.

"Damn it, attack together!"

The black-clad man shouted, the rest of the dozen or so black-clad men whose strengths had been enhanced by the elixir swung their daggers at Ye Luo, each one with a fearlessly fierce spirit.

But Ye Luo, standing in front of Shi Yanran, radiated an unyielding presence, repelling anyone who approached, leaving no one able to get close.