Chapter 443 - 441: Qing Jinzi

In response to Ye Sha’s cold taunts, Prince Shen Ran sneered, looking down on Ye Sha as he said, "Ye Sha, the power of my Divine Burning Country is more than enough to crush you. You think you’re so tough? Then why did you flee with your tail between your legs last time?"

At this point, Prince Shen Ran paused and said with a sneer, "Ye Sha, I won’t make a move against you. The reason is simple: my sister wants to handle you personally. She is coming in person this time, so you’d better watch your back."

Having his old wound exposed like this by Prince Shen Ran, Ye Sha’s expression turned extremely ugly. At the same time, this was a huge threat to him. If the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady made a move, it would be incredibly disadvantageous for him. More importantly, who in the Ghost Sacred Realm would dare to touch a single hair on the Emperor’s fiancee?

In fact, upon hearing Prince Shen Ran’s words, the young cultivators present couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts. The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was coming in person; this was definitely a major event. The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady herself was a famous Heavenly Pride Girl from Nanyao Yun, with extremely high talent and profound Dao Practice. What was even more shocking was that she was the fiancee of Emperor’s Throne. That was the most fearsome thing of all.

"Heh, heh, Your Highness, Brother Ye Sha." At this time, Mo Li Dao, the heir of the Heaven-Reaching Sect, stood up to smooth things over. He said with a smile, "Brother Ye Sha has indeed overstepped here. Prince Shen Ran and the Phoenix Lady are heavenly geniuses with grand ambitions and magnanimous hearts; their broad-mindedness is beyond our comparison. For the offense he has caused, Brother Ye Sha should apologize to the Divine Burning Country. Brother Ye Sha, wouldn’t you agree?"

The Divine Burning Country, the Heaven-Reaching Sect, and the Divine Movement Teachings were all Great Teaching Territories in Yao Yun. As the heir of the Heaven-Reaching Sect, Mo Li Dao had a good relationship with Prince Shen Ran and was also acquainted with Ye Sha. Now, he was stepping forward to mediate.

But Prince Shen Ran just snorted, showing no intention of reconciling. Ye Sha was a proud man; he knew he couldn’t afford to offend the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady, but he couldn’t bring himself to lower his head to Prince Shen Ran and his people.

"Ye Sha was indeed in the wrong here." Just then, another voice sounded, followed by a series of CLACKING noises as a person walked into the Ancient Courtyard.

This person’s entrance made countless people turn their heads. The figure before them... to call him a person was less fitting than calling him a set of bones.

What walked in was a skeleton, a golden skeleton. It had no skin or flesh, no hair or sinew—only a frame of bone. Its entire skeleton looked as if it were cast from gold, appearing incomparably hard. Moreover, bluish-gold flames flickered within its eye sockets. The leaping flames in the two sockets looked like Soul Fire, yet also like a pair of eyes.

"Qing Jinzi—" Seeing this golden skeleton approach, many people present were stirred.

"The heir of the White Bone Saint Clan." Seeing the golden skeleton walk in, even Qiu Rong Wanxue, who was beside Li Qiye, was visibly moved.

The White Bone Saint Clan was an incomparably powerful clan of the Ghost Race in the Netherworld. Members of this clan were born as skeletons, unlike other Ghosts who had flesh and blood. As a major branch of the Ghost Race, they were very special, having no flesh and blood, only bone.

The clan’s greatest characteristic was their extremely hard skeletons; it was even said their bones could block attacks from Treasure Artifacts. Furthermore, the deeper a clan disciple’s Dao Practice, the darker the color of their bones.

This Qing Jinzi before them was the heir of the White Bone Saint Clan. His bones were already golden, and his pair of Soul Fire eyes were bluish-gold. This meant his Dao Practice was extremely profound, and his strength was immense.

Qing Jinzi walked over, looked at Ye Sha, and said, "Ye Sha, you should apologize to Prince Shen Ran. With the Prince’s magnanimity, he will surely forgive you."

Qing Jinzi’s words put Ye Sha in a difficult position. As an assassin, he was certainly powerful, but existences like Qing Jinzi and the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady were not people he could afford to provoke.

Qing Jinzi was indeed very powerful. There were rumors that his skeleton could withstand a direct blow from a Saint Emperor True Artifact. One must understand that even a Saint Emperor wouldn’t dare claim they could endure a blow from a Saint Emperor True Artifact with their physical body. Yet Qing Jinzi, who was far from reaching the Saint Emperor Realm, could supposedly withstand one. One could only imagine how hard his golden skeleton was.

Mo Li Dao also hurriedly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Brother Ye Sha, it’s better to resolve enmity than to create it. Consider this a matter of fate. If everyone takes a step back, the world becomes a wider place..."

Being persuaded by both Qing Jinzi and Mo Li Dao, the very proud Ye Sha couldn’t help but waver.

"Hmph, apologizing isn’t hard. Go and lower your head to my sister and admit your mistake in person!" Prince Shen Ran sneered, speaking arrogantly.

This turn of events was very embarrassing for Ye Sha. Fortunately, Prince Shen Ran didn’t press the matter further, and Qing Jinzi also greeted the Prince.

"Prince Shen Ran, I heard the Phoenix Lady is coming in person. I wonder if the Emperor will come as well." Qing Jinzi greeted Prince Shen Ran very politely.

In truth, whether in terms of prestige, status, or power, Prince Shen Ran was not qualified to receive such politeness from Qing Jinzi. In fact, as a major branch of the Ghost Race, the White Bone Saint Clan’s power completely surpassed that of the Divine Burning Country.

The reason Qing Jinzi was so polite to Prince Shen Ran, even advising Ye Sha to apologize, was purely out of respect for his sister, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady. More importantly, he wanted to build a connection with Emperor’s Throne of the Wan Gu Royal Family.

At the mention of the name "Emperor’s Throne," the younger generation of cultivators present couldn’t help but be shaken to their core. Emperor’s Throne—in the Ghost Sacred Realm, this name was absolutely legendary.

Hailing from the Ten Thousand Bones Throne was already enough to attract attention. As the heir of the Ten Thousand Bones Throne, Emperor’s Throne was destined for greatness. A heritage of Three Emperors in a single sect—as the inheritor of this legacy, how incredible, how stunningly peerless was Emperor’s Throne!

It was for this very reason that many in the Ghost Sacred Realm, when speaking of Emperor’s Throne, would respectfully call him "the Emperor." This alone was enough to demonstrate his status in the Ghost Sacred Realm.

"If the First Evil Tomb opens, my brother-in-law will surely be there. Only my brother-in-law is worthy of obtaining the Undying Immortal Technique of the First Evil Tomb," Prince Shen Ran said with great pride.

Speaking of his brother-in-law, Prince Shen Ran was indeed full of arrogance and glory. However, having a brother-in-law like Emperor’s Throne was indeed enough to make him proud. His brother-in-law was the most famous member of the younger generation in the Ghost Sacred Realm today and was also called the one most likely to become an Immortal Emperor.

’The Emperor is coming in person.’ Hearing Prince Shen Ran’s proud words, many people secretly drew in a sharp breath. No one dared to laugh at the prince’s arrogance. For many, having someone like Emperor’s Throne as a brother-in-law was indeed something to be proud of.

Prince Shen Ran’s words were overly arrogant, as if no one else mattered. But when Emperor’s Throne was mentioned, no matter what kind of genius was present, they had to concede. If the legendary First Evil Tomb truly held the so-called Undying Immortal Technique, then Emperor’s Throne was undoubtedly one of the most qualified to obtain it.

Qing Jinzi quickly said with a smile, "If the Emperor personally graces us with his presence, this one will certainly pay his respects to listen to the Emperor’s profound teachings on the Great Dao."

Qing Jinzi was no weakling. There had long been rumors in the Netherworld that he had already stepped into the Saint Venerable Realm. His power was even greater than geniuses like Ye Sha and Mo Li Dao. Yet now, even Qing Jinzi was being so humble. This was enough to illustrate the power and terror of Emperor’s Throne.

In fact, no one would laugh at Qing Jinzi. It would be the same for anyone else; no matter how proud a genius they were, they wouldn’t be able to act proud in front of Emperor’s Throne.

"After my brother-in-law arrives, I will be sure to inform Brother Qing Jin," Prince Shen Ran said with a smile.

At this, many people exchanged glances and began to discuss in hushed tones. Some were discussing the arrival of Emperor’s Throne, while others debated whether the First Evil Tomb was truly about to open.

"Is the First Evil Tomb really going to open?" one young cultivator asked, eager to try his luck.

But when someone else mentioned Emperor’s Throne, he couldn’t help but sigh wistfully and mutter, "With Emperor’s Throne arriving in person, so many others will be overshadowed." This was not without reason. If Emperor’s Throne truly came, countless people would be eclipsed, not daring to compete with him.

While everyone was talking, Li Qiye led Qiu Rong Wanxue to a corner and sat with his eyes closed in meditation, waiting for Little Ghost to arrive.

"Ye Sha is staring at us," Qiu Rong Wanxue, sitting next to Li Qiye, said in a low voice after a while.

At that moment, Ye Sha’s sinister eyes were indeed fixed on Li Qiye and his companion. A murderous intent flickered within them. He had indeed wanted to kill the two of them before, hoping to take the treasures they carried, but failed after Monk Dazhi intervened.

Now, running into Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue again had rekindled Ye Sha’s killing intent. However, with so many eyes and ears around, he didn’t dare to act rashly.

Hearing Qiu Rong Wanxue’s words, Li Qiye remained in his meditation, not even twitching an eyelid. He said slowly, "Don’t mind a fly like that. If he wants to die, I’ll grant his wish."

Qiu Rong Wanxue fell silent. She didn’t doubt Li Qiye’s confidence, but if Ye Sha were to hear such words, he would surely go berserk.

After all, Qiu Rong Wanxue came from a small clan. As its Clan Leader, she more often chose to yield. She was completely different from the aggressive and disdainful Li Qiye.

As night deepened, more and more people arrived for the auction. Among them were disciples and even heirs of Great Teaching Territories. Once everyone had arrived, they either occupied their own corners or gathered in small groups, quietly waiting for the auction to begin.

When night had fully fallen, a person suddenly appeared in the center of the Ancient Courtyard. No one saw clearly how he emerged; it was as if he had been standing there all along.

The sudden appearance of this person gave many people a huge shock, and they couldn’t help but exchange glances.

"My good sirs, your presence at Little Ghost’s Coffin Auction brings me great joy. Let’s not waste any more words. From this moment on, the Coffin Auction begins," the person who had suddenly appeared said with a broad smile.