Chapter 560: Prosperous Auction (Two)
At the same time the figure entered the room, Jian Chen slowly opened his eyes. He was seated on the bed, “Were there any problems?”
“None, but plenty of people were trying to follow me. I was able to throw them off with ease, but not too long after each try, they managed to find me again. I would assume they are the local powers of the city with eyes all over the place. Unless I can alter my face and change my body, I won’t be able to completely throw them off.” The figure replied in a plain voice. It was Dugu Feng.
“Yes, this situation was within my expectations. A Class 5 Monster Core is far too rare of an item to appear in such a city like this. Not attracting their eyes would be strange.” Jian Chen pondered. “Dugu Feng, for now, hide yourself and do not let them find you. Do not reveal your strength either; otherwise, it might hinder my plans.”
“I understand.” Dugu Feng emotionlessly responded. Although he was confused by what this plan was, he did not voice his concerns.
“You may go, wait until the auction ends before convening with us.” Jian Chen commanded.
With a faint nod, Dugu Feng said nothing more, and disappeared into a black shadow out the window and without a sound.
Waving his hand, Jian Chen blew the window covers back into their closed position…
News of the fact that the Heavenly Phoenix Auction House was selling two Class 5 Monster Cores had quickly spread throughout Fengyang City like a torrent of rain on the roofs of every household. The very instant they heard that the Heavenly Phoenix Auction House selling them, many of the more powerful families had sent out a flying type magical beast to give reports to distant places. Within a mere four hours, everyone within a thousand mile circumference had heard the news.
Class 5 Monster Cores appeared within First Class cities at a decent rate, but they were still considered a rare sight. Now that two of them had appeared in a Second Class city, everyone who heard the news was rather taken aback by it.
Not long later, every single person that was in charge of a local power came running over. The brought along their strongest experts as they rushed to Fengyang City. Despite there being time until the auction, everyone was impatient to get there as fast as possible.
On the second day after the news was sent out, many strong individuals had already shown up in Fengyang City on their mounts in numbers of a hundred.
When these people arrived in Fengyang City, the power holders of the city felt a considerable amount of pressure. The leaders of the three strongest clans had convened to form a collaborative might that would discourage anyone from trying to knock them out of their positions. Although it was very unlikely that something malicious would occur, this collaboration would let all of the foreign visitors know who the strongest were in the city and show that they were not to be trifled with.
Following the arrival of these men, the Heavenly Phoenix Auction House grew rather lively. There was someone practically every day who would come to inquire about the Class 5 Monster Cores. Some would ask to verify if it was true while others came to ask just which individual had supplied them.
No matter how highly the Heavenly Phoenix Auction House safeguarded their secrets, the power of these foreign individuals was not to be belittled. After a good amount of work, they were able to uncover a shallow bit of information about who supplied them. Soon, this piece of information made its way around the city.
Dugu Feng found himself watched by the eyes of many. He was not capable of changing his face as easily as Jian Chen was, and even with his strength as an Earth Saint Master, there were far too many informers that scoured every nook and cranny of the city to find him. With his prideful nature, he was loathe to hide in a dingy and desolate area. Neither did he wish to continue running and hiding from the weaklings that chased him. However, Jian Chen had told him to keep his identity hidden while not taking any drastic measures. In the end, Dugu Feng’s arms and legs were tied. Without using his skill to intimidate everyone, he could only temporarily leave Fengyang City.
News of Dugu Feng’s departure from the city had quickly made its way around. How could anyone who wasn’t an Earth Saint Master possibly hope to catch the fast Dugu Feng after he entered the vast outskirts? Therefore, after Dugu Feng left, everyone felt dejected to find that their clues were no longer any use. Such a realization had angered plenty of leaders.
Within Fengyang City in a very luxurious room, several of the more authoritative powers of the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion had gathered inside. On the bed was an elderly man who sat in a kneeling position — he was the headmaster of the pavilion. Knowing that Fengyang City was now auctioning Class 5 Monster Cores rather than the carcass of a Class 5 Magical Beast, he had personally made the trip here to see it.
“Zhou Tong, two years ago two Class 5 Magical Beast corpses found their way into the auction house of Fengyang City. And now two years later, two Class 5 Monster Cores are being auctioned. Do you think the supplier behind it is the same person?” The headmaster’s eyes turned to look to the man next to him.
Zhou Tong was the vice-headmaster of the Flowing Cloud Sword Pavilion. Although his appearance made him look like a middle-aged man, his true age wasn’t too far off from the headmaster.
Humming, Zhou Tong said, “The man today looks very different compared to the Wu Yun of two years ago. However, that Wu Yun had a mysterious technique that could change his face. If it weren’t for the fact someone managed to douse him in a powder two years ago, we would have been completely fooled by his disguise. I can only guess that today’s person is the very same Wu Yun as before.”
“I’ve heard of the matter two years ago. This Wu Yun is a complex person if he was able to make his escape with so many experts blocking his way. Having him kill so many is only a testament to his strength. Even I would find it hard to accomplish what he did.” The headmaster sighed in praise.
Zhou Tong couldn’t help but think back to the alarming memories of two years ago, “That Wu Yun’s strength was indeed tremendously strong. With two years passing by now, he has to have made great strides in improvement. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be selling two Class 5 Monster Cores in Fengyang City.”
Growing silent to think to himself, the headmaster grunted, “Zhou Tong, this Wu Yun is a person our pavilion should not offend at all costs. If possible, we should rope him into our good graces; this man is not a regular man.”
“Yes, headmaster!”
……
In another inn, several middle-aged men were currently seated in a luxurious room.
“The one who is selling these Class 5 Monster Cores has to be the very same Wu Yun as two years ago. Bah, he killed plenty of the expert of our Youlan clan, and siphoned away plenty of our power. This time our Youlan clan will show our true might without forgiveness. Not only will we obtain the Class 5 Monster Core, we will take what blood he has spilled from us out from his own body.” A middle-aged man fumed with rage as his eyes reflected his hostile intentions.
……
Not too far away from the auction house, a black-robed elder smiled coldly from on top of a nearby inn. Laughing to himself, he said, “Wu Yun, oh Wu Yun. What a vitality you have. Two years ago, you plummeted down a bottomless chasm, yet you survived! Now that you’ve appeared just this once again, I won’t let you escape again like last time. Even if you’ve grown much stronger than you were two years ago, you will still not be a match for Ankhs and I. For the very reason of fighting you for that battle skill, I have enlisted Ankhs to help me from the Harido clan!”
……
The following days came with an influx of people that flowed into Fengyang City. News of a Class 5 Monster Core spread farther and farther as well. From earlier, only people within a thousand miles had heard of it, but now, people over a thousand miles had heard it as well. Even some of the families from the First Class cities had come to visit.
It was truly a gathering of dragons within Fengyang City. The entire city was not in an uproar because of the situation. Instead, they were quite subdued by their lifestyles. No matter how much they tried to hide it, the people of the city felt a tremendous amount of pressure on them. Even the mercenaries and the young masters of the richer clans had kicked their arrogance down a notch. Even they realized that one could never be too sure if one would meet a civilian or a person one could not offend.
After all, men of great strength did not need to reveal it to the public.
Seven days quickly passed by; it was now the day that the Heavenly Phoenix Auction House would begin its auction. All of the individuals from the city gathered in front of the auction house. Their gathering allowed the Heavenly Phoenix Auction House to witness an unprecedented amount of incredible experts that had never been surpassed in their history.
In these seven days, Jian Chen and the group had lived relatively well. With the Heiming clan otherwise preoccupied with the internal affairs of the city, Jian Chen and the others could safely walk through the city without being bothered.
Plenty of men had already gathered outside the gates to the auction house before striding through the opening gates. Jian Chen and the others did not enter there. They took the entrance for the honored guests. These rooms had been paid for by Jian Chen for a considerable amount of money earlier.
Sitting down in a well-decorated room in boredom, Jian Chen had to wait another two hours before the auction would formally start. This auction would be very important to the Heavenly Phoenix Auction House, so they had the manager miss Yulian take charge of the entire ceremony.
When Yulian stepped onto the platform, she stepped behind a rather pricey-looking table where a single fist-sized stone could be seen. Distributing all sorts of color, this Class 5 Monster Core sparkled where it rested. Right by Yulian’s side was a cold-faced middle-aged man.