The auction hall was filled with a sensation as if everyone's body had plunged into an endless abyss.
The surging aura pressed down on them with immense pressure.
Jiang Li also felt a grave sense of oppression within this tidal wave of power, his Saint Yuan circulating slowly to resist it.
Clearly, a very powerful individual had appeared.
"This is the Tian Yuan Auction House, the highest bidder wins. Do not bring your status here and make a fuss!" another heavy voice boomed.
Immediately after, a middle-aged man with a commanding presence appeared in the center of the auction hall.
The man exuded a powerful aura, and his eyes, in particular, instilled a chilling dread that penetrated to the bone.
"It's the City Lord of Tian Yuan City! He's actually appeared. But then again, this twenty-thousand-year lifespan-extending spirit medicine is too precious..."
"Indeed, indeed. Hiring a peak Great Saint to oversee things here is absolutely necessary..."
"Alright, since it's the City Lord of Tian Yuan City, let's give him some face..."
...
The moment the middle-aged man appeared, much of the chatter in the auction hall subsided.
Only faint whispers could be heard.
Many of these murmurs reached Jiang Li's ears.
The City Lord of Tian Yuan City, that saintly bitch Chen Lingyue's father.
A Great Saint level expert?
Immediately after, Jiang Li activated his life script system.
[Name]: Chen Lingjun
[Realm]: Supreme Realm Eighth Heaven
[Physique]: Xuan Ling King Body
[Destiny]: Quasi-Emperor Potential (Purple), Astonishing Fortune (Purple), Ancient Overlord (Purple)
[Life Script]: A supporting character in "The Ice Snow Empress." City Lord of Tian Yuan City in the Tian Yuan Divine Dynasty. Originally the Sect Master of the Zi Wei Sacred Land, he retired and was invited by the Tian Yuan Divine Dynasty to hide his identity and serve as the City Lord of Tian Yuan City.
[Affection]: 0
[Recent Turning Point]: None
What peak Great Saint? This is a top-tier Supreme cultivator...
That saintly bitch Chen Lingyue's father is actually an old fox at the eighth heaven of the Supreme Realm.
Jiang Li's lips twitched. No wonder that Chen Lingyue could act so brazenly in Tian Yuan City.
It turns out she has a father who is at the eighth heaven of the Supreme Realm.
The surrounding people clearly didn't know Chen Lingjun's true identity, thinking he was merely a peak Great Saint.
Seeing that order had been restored, Chen Lingjun retracted his aura, allowing the auction to continue.
With the City Lord of Tian Yuan City present, the auction attendees became more disciplined, daring not to clamor any further.
"Hmph, this old geezer. Always showing off. I haven't had enough excitement yet!" In another private box, Chen Lingyue snorted coldly.
Shui'er and the other guards beside her dared not speak.
The City Lord was not someone they could openly criticize.
The auction then continued, and the bidding quickly reached sixty thousand.
The final transaction price was one hundred and ten thousand low-grade Saint Crystals, purchased by a mysterious individual.
After the auction for the Nine Bends Spirit Ginseng concluded, Jiang Li did not wait for the entire event to finish. Instead, he directly headed to Tian Yang Mansion and used its teleportation array to travel to Xuan Domain.
That girl's cheap father was too formidable; it was best to leave as soon as possible.
As for that girl, if she dared to pester him again, when his own strength improved, he would deal with her and her cheap father completely.
...
Xuan Domain.
Xuan Domain was another large region belonging to the Central Continent.
It was a chaotic region with a mixed bag of various forces.
Although there were supreme Sacred Land and Divine Dynasty level powers above, they did not have complete control over Xuan Domain.
This was also partly due to Xuan Domain's environment, which was extremely peculiar, with many areas inhabited by demon beasts and various powerful demonic cultivators.
Due to its chaotic situation, Xuan Domain attracted many ruthless individuals and notorious demons.
It was the most disordered place in the Central Continent, with a complex and interwoven situation, truly a domain of chaos.
Lieyang Mountain.
Lieyang Mountain was located in the southeastern region of Xuan Domain.
It had been an extremely hot place since ancient times.
Legend had it that celestial fire fell in the ancient era, causing the heat and unique geographical environment of this place.
Its special environment kept the entire Lieyang Mountain enveloped in waves of scorching heat.
Under this environment, many spirit medicines with extreme yang and hardness were produced.
Numerous rogue cultivators and people from various factions would venture here to search for rare spirit medicines.
Fierce battles frequently erupted near Lieyang Mountain.
Bloody battles permeated every corner of Lieyang Mountain.
On a scorching peak in Lieyang Mountain.
Beneath a tall tree at the peak, a group of cultivators clad in yellow spiritual armor were gathered.
A faint aura of killing intent emanated from them.
Many of them were stained with blood, appearing fierce and formidable.
"Brother Cheng, have you noticed? The temperature on Lieyang Mountain seems to be getting higher lately!" A young man with thick eyebrows, wiping sweat from his forehead, said.
"I've noticed it too. This past while, Lieyang Mountain has been incredibly hot. I feel like the air itself is like a raging inferno, ready to ignite everything!" another person said.
A faint breeze stirred around them, but the breeze felt as if it would set everything ablaze.
"Alright, stop complaining. Continue searching for the Li Huo Xuan Grass. If we delay any longer, we won't be able to complete the Second Prince's mission, and the consequences, I'm sure you're all aware of!" the burly man leading them frowned.
It turned out these people were subordinates of the Second Prince of the Jiuxiao Divine Dynasty in Xuan Domain, ordered to search for the Li Huo Xuan Grass on Lieyang Mountain.
The burly man leading them was named Cheng Wang. His strength and talent were both immense, making him a trusted subordinate of the Second Prince, highly valued by him.
Cheng Wang displayed no outward aura, yet the others looked at him with a degree of apprehension and respect.
After Cheng Wang spoke, the others ceased their complaints.
Following this, they continued their search for the Li Huo Xuan Grass amidst the scorching heat of Lieyang Mountain.
After a while, they arrived at a hot hillside, where a faint scorching aura permeated the surroundings.
"Brother Cheng, look at this. It seems to be the root of the Li Huo Xuan Grass!" A subordinate beside Cheng Wang picked up a slightly scorched root from the ground.
Cheng Wang's eyes narrowed as he examined the root.
"That's right, this is the root of the Li Huo Xuan Grass, and it was just harvested not long ago. The person who picked the Li Huo Xuan Grass must not have gone far!" a ruthless glint flashed in Cheng Wang's eyes.
"Brother Cheng, leave this to me. I'm best at this sort of thing!" a sinister-looking youth next to him spoke up.
With that, he took the root from Cheng Wang, sniffed it, and slowly closed his eyes.
Before long, the youth broke into a delighted smile, his gaze directed towards the western region of Lieyang Mountain.