215: Chapter 215 The Woman in Black Robes

Li Qing followed the crowded human flow, walking forward unhurriedly and calmly.

The closer he approached the center of the auction building, the denser the crowd became on the streets, and the level of liveliness multiplied several times over.

The entire main road was completely packed with Cultivators. Looking out, there was a sea of heads. Cultivators of various attires, various auras, and various cultivation levels were mixed together. The sounds of footsteps, conversations, and the light clinking of Magical Artifacts were incessant.

Everyone's destination was exactly the same—the most imposing and top-tier landmark building in Heiyuan City, the Tianbao Chamber of Commerce, head of the Eight Great Merchant Guilds!

This decennial joint super auction of the Yunling Mountain Range was hosted in the Tianbao Building of the Tianbao Chamber of Commerce.

In Heiyuan City, a place of mixed crowds and chaotic architecture, the Tianbao Building was absolutely in a league of its own.

The entire high-rise was nine stories tall, constructed entirely from ten-thousand-year green-veined jade rock. The walls were surrounded by a faint layer of Spiritual Qi glow all year round, which could not be dispersed by wind or scorched by the scorching sun; it looked magnificent, atmospheric, solemn, and heavy.

Standing on the roof was a huge relief sculpture of the Tianbao token, with Spiritual Qi flowing and pressure vaguely leaking out. Just standing in the distance looking at it, one could feel the deep foundation of a top-tier merchant guild.

In the chaotic and disorderly Heiyuan City, where fighting and killing were the norm, other shops and pavilions would be smashed or looted every few days. Only the Tianbao Building remained as stable as Mount Tai all year round.

Even the fiercest desperate Cultivators and the most overbearing local tyrants in Heiyuan City dared not act presumptuously at the entrance of the Tianbao Chamber of Commerce.

The confidence of the Eight Great Merchant Guilds joining forces to sit in town, coupled with the exclusive protective formation and the massive number of experts stationed there, was absolute hard power.

The closer one got to the surroundings of the Tianbao Building, the more the flow of people became almost impossible to move through.

Cultivators surging from all directions were stacked layer upon layer, densely blocking the plaza, streets, and corridors; it was impossible to squeeze through.

One could clearly see Cultivators of all levels from the entire Yunling Mountain Range gathered here.

On one side were the Loose Cultivators who had no Sect, no faction, and were fighting on their own.

This group of people was mostly dressed plainly, with more or less scars left by fighting on their bodies. Their eyes were alert and suspicious, and they were accustomed to walking along the edges, not daring to be ostentatious.

Their cultivation levels were uneven, mostly at Qi Refining Perfection, with a few barely touching the threshold of Foundation Establishment. They had spent their whole lives licking blood from the edge of blades, rushing about, and doing their best just to fight for a little bit of Cultivate resources.

On the other side were the high and mighty, infinitely glamorous Disciples of the Ten Great Sects.

These people had a completely different temperament.

Each one was dressed in bright, standardized clothing, with clear patterns on their Sect robes, swords hanging from their waists, and jade ornaments. Their demeanor was noble and arrogant, their heads held high when walking, carrying the inherent superiority of a Righteous Path Cultivator.

They gathered in groups of three or five, laughing and talking, their tone relaxed and indifferent, their eyes sweeping casually over the surrounding Loose Cultivators, carrying an innate contempt.

In their eyes, these wild Loose Cultivators simply could not be brought to the table.

Although the two groups of people were squeezed into the same plaza and the same street, person leaning against person, the atmosphere was distinct and mutually exclusive.

The Loose Cultivators deliberately avoided them, not daring to provoke the Sect Disciples for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves.

The Sect Disciples were too lazy to talk to the bottom-tier Loose Cultivators, disliking their crude origins.

The most interesting thing was that this area had not only acquaintances and passersby, but also many sworn enemies, rivals, and even desperate criminals on the wanted list of the Ten Great Sects.

Li Qing had already encountered several groups of Cultivators confronting each other from a distance along the way.

Both sides stared at each other with eyes fixed, Killing Intent surging in the depths of their eyes, full of hatred, fists clenched tightly. It was clearly a blood feud; if it were anywhere else in Heiyuan City, they would have already drawn their swords and fought to the death.

But here, everyone could only endure it!

During the auction, private fights were strictly prohibited!

Therefore, even if enemies met and were extremely jealous, everyone could only bite their teeth and endure, glaring at each other, not daring to make any excessive movements. At most, it was just a confrontation of eyes and secret competition.

The entire plaza maintained this strange and explosive balanced atmosphere.

Li Qing was mixed in the crowd, his expression indifferent, unhurried, walking forward while casually looking around.

He now had the cultivation of Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, and his Divine Soul far exceeded that of Cultivators of the same rank. His perception range was extremely wide, and the aura, cultivation, and emotional fluctuations of everyone around him fell clearly into his perception.

Just as he was slowly approaching the plaza in front of the main entrance of the Tianbao Building, three familiar figures instantly came into view.

They were three old acquaintances!

They were all Cultivators who had met him in the Xuanbing Secret Realm and had competed with him for the Opportunity of the Secret Realm!

The first one was burly and sturdy, wearing a dirt-yellow Daoist robe. His muscle lines were solid and heavy, and his whole body was filled with steady and thick earth-type Spiritual Qi. It was exactly Shi Jian of the Houtu Sect!

Back in the Xuanbing Secret Realm, he had been cleaned up by Li Qing quite a few times.

But looking at him now, his aura was steady and long, his Dantian Spiritual Qi was thick and refined, and he had obviously broken through the shackles and steadily stepped into the Foundation Establishment Early Stage!

He was currently standing on one side of the plaza, surrounded by several fellow Disciples of the Houtu Sect, his demeanor calm. Compared to his disheveled appearance in the Secret Realm, he had much more of the demeanor of a Sect expert.

The second one was tall and thin, dressed in green with a long sword on his back. Sword Intent vaguely flowed around his body, sharp and aggressive, with sharp and lonely eyebrows; it was Ling Jianhan of the Iron Sword Sect!

Back in the Secret Realm, Ling Jianhan's swordsmanship was sharp, and he was also at the Qi Refining Perfection cultivation level.

Now he had also successfully broken through, stepping into the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. The Sword Intent around his body was several times more refined than before. Standing in the crowd, he carried his own sharpness, and many passing Cultivators subconsciously avoided him, not daring to provoke him.

The third one was thin, with pale skin, a cold and strange temperament, and a faint, cold, and dead Death Qi lingering around him. His aura was treacherous; it was Yin Wuchang of the Ghost Bone Sect!

He was still that gloomy, unapproachable appearance, with dark and cold eyes that made people feel cold in their hearts when they looked at him.

During the battle in the Secret Realm, Yin Wuchang's methods were vicious and strange, and he was good at sneak attacks, which left a deep impression.

At this moment, he had also broken through to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, his cold cultivation had improved to a higher level, and the cold aura around him was much thicker than before. Ordinary people felt cold all over just by getting close.

Li Qing's heart moved slightly, feeling a bit of emotion.

The group of Prodigies from the same generation in the Xuanbing Secret Realm really did not have bad foundations.

A few years ago, the whole group was gathered at Qi Refining Perfection. Now, these three old acquaintances had all successfully reached Foundation Establishment, successfully stepping into the true Righteous Path of a Cultivator, and could be considered to have firmly stood in the top echelon of the younger generation.

It was normal, come to think of it.

Those who could squeeze into the Xuanbing Secret Realm to compete for the Opportunity were originally the young elites selected by the major Sects and various forces. As long as there were no accidents and they did not fall halfway, Foundation Establishment was a matter of time.

Just as Li Qing's gaze fell on Yin Wuchang, and he was casually looking at him, he suddenly noticed something wrong.

Following closely beside Yin Wuchang was an exceptionally strange figure.

It was a woman completely wrapped in a heavy black robe from head to toe.

The black robe was wide and dim, covering her tightly from head to toe, not even allowing a trace of skin or an inch of outline to be exposed. The hood on her head was pressed extremely low, almost covering her entire face.

Only a pair of eyes were exposed.

Surrounding her was a dark aura even thicker, colder, and more obscure than that of Yin Wuchang. It was dead and gloomy, with Yin Qi chilling to the bone. Standing in the crowd, she was like a lump of inseparable shadow, completely out of place.

Many Cultivators around subconsciously avoided this area, not daring to get close to this black-robed figure, always feeling that getting close would make them feel cold and uneasy.

The woman remained silent throughout, following quietly by Yin Wuchang's side, not speaking, not moving, and not looking around, keeping a low profile to the extreme, as if she were just an inconspicuous attendant.