NOVEL FROG A Bunch of Rabble
The long awaited time had finally arrived.
The Heaven Ascending Pavilion Auction House's name resounded across the entire northwest continent. Not only that, but experts from various regions—east, west, north, south, southeast, northeast, southwest, and even the Central Plain—came to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to see it for themselves.
In the southwest continent, Blood Demon Ghost, the sect master of Blood Fiend Sect and a half-step Dou Zun expert, had heard of the extraordinary items being auctioned at the Heaven Ascending Pavilion. He crossed tens of thousands of miles to reach the northwest continent.
"Sect Master, the Heaven Ascending Pavilion Auction House is just ahead. I've sensed the presence of several Dou Zong experts."
Upon hearing this, Blood Demon Ghost's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "I didn't expect such a small place like the northwest continent to have so many experts. Impressive, but in terms of strength, our southwest continent far surpasses the northwest. These people are nothing but ants."
"Yes, Sect Master!" replied his disciple respectfully. "I just learned that within fifty miles of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion, no fighting or destruction of forest trees is allowed. Violators will be executed on the spot!"
At these words, the experts from the southwest continent cast disdainful glances. Even if they chopped down a tree, who would know?
Blood Demon Ghost stroked his chin and, wanting to test the truth of this, pointed to a disciple. "You, go cut down that tree."
The Blood Fiend Sect disciple trembled, his face pale. He knelt on the ground, pleading, "Sect Master, please spare me!"
"If I said to do it, do it!" Blood Demon Ghost snarled. "I am a half-step Dou Zun. If anything happens, I'll protect you. Disobey, and you die!"
These words sent chills down everyone's spine. The disciple, terrified, approached a large tree, his right hand trembling as he raised it and struck the tree.
With a loud crack, the tree fell, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The disciple fell to his knees, covering his head, waiting for whatever might happen next. Even Blood Demon Ghost moved aside, fearing the repercussions.
After several seconds without any sign of retribution, the disciple sighed in relief.
Standing up, he boasted, "Sect Master, nothing happened. I thought the Heaven Ascending Pavilion was something impressive, but it's just a bluff."
Seeing the disciple unharmed, Blood Demon Ghost also relaxed, thinking they had overestimated the Heaven Ascending Pavilion's power. If they found anything valuable, they might as well take it by force.
But suddenly—
Boom!
The heavens trembled!
Everything was shaken.
A bronze thunderbolt, thick as a barrel, snaked through the clouds and struck down!
The powerful electric current enveloped the disciple, shattering his body like glass.
Not only that, but his soul was also obliterated by the thunderbolt.
The Dou King experts closest to him were instantly turned to ash, vanishing without a trace!
Blood Demon Ghost was thrown back a hundred meters by the force, spewing blood, his body convulsing on the ground.
At the same time, a deep voice echoed from the sky.
"Anyone who ignores the rules of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion will die. I advise all of you to behave yourselves to avoid bringing disaster upon yourselves."
At this moment, Blood Demon Ghost no longer had the overbearing demeanor from earlier. Instead, he looked utterly defeated as he struggled to get up from the ground. His aura had plummeted several levels. Just from the residual shockwave, his half-step Dou Zun cultivation had been knocked down to a five-star Dou Zong. This demonstrated how terrifying the power of that heavenly strike was.
"Sect Master, are you alright..."
A six-star Dou Zong disciple hurried over to help Blood Demon Ghost. Feeling the regression in the sect master's Dou Qi, a fierce killing intent flickered in his eyes.
…
In the Riverside Bamboo Pavilion, Li Xiao and a few others, including Yun Shan, were sitting in the pavilion, drinking tea and chatting. Given that Yun Shan was Yun Yun's master, he deserved some special treatment.
Yun Shan was both surprised and honored. Even his previous arrogance had been dispelled, replaced with respect and reverence.
"Old Master Yun, there's no need to be so tense. Since you are Yun'er's master, I naturally won't make you wait outside the valley like the others," Li Xiao said, flicking his fingers. The teapot on the table lifted by itself, pouring tea into their cups.
"Haha, Pavilion Master Li, you're too courteous." Yun Shan dared not put on any airs before Li Xiao. He picked up the teacup with a smile and said, "Yun'er becoming Pavilion Master Li Xiao's woman is the pride of our Misty Cloud Sect. If the past sect masters knew, they would be at peace."
Yun Shan's flattery made Li Xiao chuckle. He didn't expect the former Misty Cloud Sect master to be such a bootlicker, but regardless, it was quite pleasing.
Li Xiao took out a pill from his storage ring and pushed it toward Yun Shan. "This will help you stabilize your cultivation. Hall of Souls' method makes your foundation unstable, preventing you from fully utilizing your full strength as a Dou Ancestor. This pill will refine your physique and stabilize your cultivation."
Upon hearing this, Yun Shan stood up immediately. His lips trembled, clearly not expecting such a generous gift.
For decades, Yun Shan had been a prodigious talent in Misty Cloud Sect, a genius unseen in a hundred years. However, after reaching the peak of Dou Emperor, he became stuck, unable to advance despite trying everything. This led him to secretly colluded with the Hall of Souls' emissary to gain the opportunity to advance to Dou Ancestor.
Though he did break through to Dou Zong, his strength was unstable due to the forced enhancement, and he could only exert about one-third of a true Dou Ancestor's power.
If this pill could truly stabilize his cultivation, it would be a godsend.
Tears of joy welled up in Yun Shan's eyes. He was on the verge of kneeling in gratitude, cursing himself inwardly for not taking on more disciples.
Seeing Yun Shan so happy, Li Xiao smiled lightly and sipped his tea. "No need to be overly formal. This is what you deserve."
"Thank you, thank you!"
Yun Shan eagerly stored the pill away, planning to consume it after the auction. This way, the Misty Cloud Sect could once again be the strongest sect within the Jia Ma Empire.
"Pavilion Master," Linglong approached, whispering something into Li Xiao's ear.
Hearing this, Li Xiao snorted coldly. "A bunch of rabble."