Chapter 515 489: Smash into the Ground

"PHEW!"

Having sliced the white-robed man in two, Zhaang Ye let out a long sigh of relief. An expert at the Late Stage of True Dao Fourth Layer was truly formidable. This had been the most arduous battle Zhaang Ye had fought since his debut.

"BOOM!"

Zhaang Ye threw a punch, blasting the white-robed man's corpse into a bloody mist. From within the mist, he retrieved the man's black Long Sword and Storage Bag. After stowing the Long Sword away, Zhaang Ye used his formidable Soul Power to forcibly erase the Spiritual Brand on the Storage Bag and took out the items inside, one by one.

This white-robed man's Spatial Storage Pouch was over seven feet in diameter and contained more than 500,000 Low-grade Essence Stones, plus a large batch of Elixirs.

After placing these items back into his own Space Bag, Zhaang Ye spoke to the Fire Spirit in his mind, "Your injuries... when do you think you'll be able to make a full recovery?"

The Fire Spirit replied weakly, "That old bastard was too vicious. My injuries will probably take more than six months to heal. Heh, thankfully you have this section of Phoenix Tree and a large number of Barbaric Beast Cores in your Little World. Otherwise, it would take me at least twenty years to recover."

'More than six months!' Zhaang Ye's heart sank. 'The third Celestial Tribulation will arrive in a month. It looks like I can't count on the Fire Spirit's help to get through it.'

Zhaang Ye sighed inwardly. With the Fire Spirit heavily injured, his only hope of surviving the Celestial Tribulation was to find some external aid. He instructed, "Focus on your healing and recover as much of your strength as you can. I can't improve my own strength any further in such a short time. I'm going to head to some major cities to see if I can find a piece or two of tough Treasure Armor."

Next, Zhaang Ye tended to his wounds. He had been gravely injured in the battle, but his body was exceptionally resilient, capable of recovering quickly from even the most severe injuries. He only needed to perform some basic treatment, and with time, he would be as good as new.

After tending to his wounds, Zhaang Ye took to the skies. A day later, he arrived in a medium-sized city. There, Zhaang Ye bought a map and began searching for the largest city within a ten million-mile radius.

To survive the Celestial Tribulation, he needed the toughest Treasure Armor, the kind with the most formidable Defense Power. Such an item could only be found in a major city.

Zhaang Ye searched and discovered that the largest city in this ten million-mile radius was surprisingly the capital of the Daluo Kingdom—Daluo City. Daluo City spanned several thousand miles and was home to tens of millions of people, a true behemoth.

「Two days later.」

Zhaang Ye had crossed several million miles and appeared inside an auction house in Daluo City.

This Celestial Net Auction House was one of the largest auction houses within a ten million-mile radius. Rumor had it that it had an extremely powerful backer—a certain Lord Emperor of the Dalo Kingdom. Inside the Celestial Net Auction House, one could find all sorts of rare Celestial and Earthly Treasures, priceless True Artifacts, and even some exceptionally valuable Cultivation Secret Manuals. It was said that as long as you had enough Essence Stones, you could buy anything you wanted.

Zhaang Ye suppressed his aura and, after surveying his surroundings, strode to the front counter of the Celestial Net Auction House. He said to a plump, fair-skinned man, "I'd like to post a bounty. Please handle the necessary procedures for me."

The plump man waved his hand lazily and said, "A bounty? Fine. How much are you offering? And what is it you're looking for?"

Seeing the plump man's attitude, Zhaang Ye felt a little displeased. However, his will was resolute and his patience excellent. He said coolly, "I need a piece of the toughest, most defensive Treasure Armor. As for the reward... let's start with one million Low-grade Essence Stones."

"One million Low-grade Essence Stones!"

The plump man was startled at first, then his expression turned cold. "One million Low-grade Essence Stones? Can you even produce that much? Kid, this is the Celestial Net Auction House. Causing a scene here is just asking to die!"

Essence Stones were painstakingly mined from deep mountain veins. A Half-Step True Dao Expert with a thousand Low-grade Essence Stones in their purse would be considered wealthy. A True Dao First Layer expert who could carry around a hundred thousand Essence Stones would absolutely be a magnate in their own right.

At the Celestial Net Auction House, the most precious item ever auctioned had only sold for a mere few hundred thousand Low-grade Essence Stones. The plump man simply didn't believe Zhaang Ye could offer a million right off the bat and assumed he was just there to cause trouble.

"CLAP! CLAP!"

The plump man uttered his cold words and clapped his hands twice. At the sound, two burly, gray-clothed thugs swaggered over. In a rough voice, one asked, "Third Young Master, someone causing trouble? Who's got the nerve?"

The plump man pointed at Zhaang Ye and said lazily, "It's this kid. Drag him out and give him a good thrashing for me. If this young master is pleased, you'll be handsomely rewarded!"

A hint of delight appeared on both gray-clothed thugs' faces. They knew this plump man was the third son of the Majestic Emperor and wielded immense power. If they could win the Third Young Master's favor, they'd be set!

"SWISH! SWISH!" The gazes of the two thugs landed on Zhaang Ye. The one on the left said with a savage grin, "Kid, you've got a death wish, causing trouble at the Celestial Net Auction House. Today, let me, Zhou the Seventh, teach you a lesson! Heh heh, you'd better stand still and take your beating, or you're a dead man!"

The two gray-clothed thugs strode toward Zhaang Ye, their millstone-sized palms slapping viciously at his back.

Both of these gray-clothed thugs had the cultivation of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer. As their palms flew, the air whined under the pressure. Just as their hands were about to land, Zhaang Ye's expression suddenly turned icy. He gently pressed his hands into the empty air!

"CRACK!"

With Zhaang Ye's press, the sound of breaking bones suddenly erupted from the two thugs. They were slammed into the ground by his force, spitting up blood and left on the verge of death.

"HISS!"

The plump man first sucked in a cold breath, then pointed at Zhaang Ye and shouted, "You brat! How dare you kill people in the Celestial Net Auction House! You're dead this time, kid! Guards! Someone's causing trouble here!"

At the plump man's shout, dozens of thugs rushed in from all directions. The weakest among them were at the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Late Stage, and the two strongest were actually Half-Step True Dao Experts. With dozens of experts rushing out at once, the spacious hall was instantly filled with killing intent!

"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"

Dozens of weapons slashed toward Zhaang Ye in unison. Faced with such a fierce assault, not even a powerful Half-Step True Dao Expert could hope to escape unscathed!

Zhaang Ye's brow furrowed, and he said in a low voice, "You're courting death!"

Zhaang Ye's voice wasn't loud, but it struck like a series of massive Iron Hammers. Before the dozens of experts could even get close to him, they were sent flying a hundred zhang, spitting blood!

Killing with sound!

Once one's cultivation reached the True Dao, they could easily control the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in the air. When Zhaang Ye had spoken, his voice had mobilized this Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, which formed into invisible Iron Hammers that smashed out in all directions. None of these dozens of men had reached the True Dao, so they were instantly felled by the sound of his voice.

"You're a True Dao Expert!"

Only then did the plump man realize how powerful Zhaang Ye was, and he was utterly shocked. In the Barbaric World, although the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi was very dense, True Dao Experts were still supremely powerful beings to other Martial Artists. Realizing he had offended a True Dao Expert, the plump man's face changed dramatically.

"Hmph!"

Just then, a gray-clothed elder with an icy expression walked out from the back. His aura was incredibly profound, with Heaven and Earth Essence Qi faintly swirling around him. Every movement carried a great sense of majesty. As he walked forward step by step, he was like a great mountain slowly closing in, leaving others feeling breathless.

'A Late-stage Second Layer True Dao Expert!' Zhaang Ye's gaze was like lightning; a single glance was all it took for him to discern the gray-clothed elder's true cultivation.

The gray-clothed elder's gaze fell upon Zhaang Ye. He studied him carefully, and the more he looked, the more shocked he became. He discovered that even with his cultivation at the Late-stage Second Layer of the True Dao, he actually couldn't see through Zhaang Ye's true cultivation!

A grave expression appeared in the gray-clothed elder's eyes. He stared intently at Zhaang Ye and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, your strength is quite impressive. However, you are gravely mistaken to come and act so outrageously in the Celestial Net Auction House."

Zhaang Ye had traveled thousands of miles to find Treasure Armor. Now, not only had he not found it, but he had also stumbled into a pile of trouble. Feeling quite displeased, he said coldly, "I came to your Celestial Net Auction House to do business. You were the ones in the wrong first, yet you accuse me of being outrageous. What a show of power!"

The gray-clothed elder's gaze shifted to the plump man. He said in a low voice, "Third Young Master, what exactly happened here? Tell this old one in detail!"

Seeing the gray-clothed elder appear, the plump man's confidence returned in full. He recounted the events and then laughed heartily. "Elder Fang, isn't this hilarious? One million Low-grade Essence Stones! He actually said he was offering a bounty of one million Low-grade Essence Stones! It's an absolute joke! HAHAHAHA!"

The gray-clothed elder looked at Zhaang Ye and said slowly, "Your Excellency, if you can produce one million Low-grade Essence Stones, you can show them now, and we will handle the bounty procedures for you. If you cannot, then do not speak so casually. The Celestial Net Auction House is not a place for jokes."

Elder Fang's voice grew increasingly cold. Clearly, he had already decided that Zhaang Ye couldn't possibly possess so many Essence Stones.

Hearing Elder Fang back him up, the plump man let out a cold sneer and pointed at Zhaang Ye. "Didn't you say you were going to offer a bounty of one million Low-grade Essence Stones? You can take them out now! Haha, let's see you produce them! If you can't come up with those Essence Stones, you can just become a slave for our auction house!"

"You're courting death!"

Zhaang Ye grunted and sneered, "You're eager to see the Essence Stones, are you? Fine, here they come! Open your dog eyes wide and watch closely for me!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhaang Ye waved his hand. A small mountain of Essence Stones suddenly appeared in the air, then came crashing down on the plump man like a real mountain!

"BOOM!"

The plump man's laughter hadn't even faded before the small mountain of Essence Stones smashed him down, shattering his bones, making him vomit blood, and burying him in the ground!

-(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)