216: Chapter 216 Who exactly is she?

Yet, the moment Li Qing's gaze swept over her, a strange and extremely intense sense of familiarity rose from the bottom of his heart!

Very familiar!

Truly too familiar!

She is absolutely someone he has met before!

Not someone met recently, but someone he had crossed paths with long ago, perhaps even had interactions with!

It was just that the other party was currently shrouded in a black robe, her aura deliberately concealed, her appearance completely covered, and combined with a temperament that was completely different from the past—cold, eerie, and strange—it made his mind unable to process it for a moment, and he simply could not recall her identity.

Who exactly is she?

Li Qing furrowed his brows imperceptibly, pondering inwardly.

His memory was excellent; especially for opponents he had fought or interacted with, he would basically not forget them easily.

Yet this sense of familiarity before him was hazy, intangible, and elusive; it was clearly in his memory, yet he just could not recall the corresponding name and appearance.

At this very moment, as if sensing the gaze Li Qing had locked onto her, the black-robed woman, who had been motionless like a shadow, suddenly moved slightly.

She slowly raised her head.

The hood pulled down extremely low lifted slightly, revealing a small gap.

A pair of pitch-black, icy eyes pierced through the crowd and locked onto Li Qing's gaze with absolute precision!

The instant their eyes met—

Hum!

A bone-chilling malice and an extremely intense hatred exploded instantly!

In those eyes, there was not a trace of warmth, not a shred of goodwill; only bone-chilling coldness, monstrous resentment, and deep-seated, unforgettable hatred remained!

It was like a grudge that had been suppressed for countless days; the moment she saw her enemy, the hatred instantly broke through all suppression and was exposed nakedly!

Even though she only revealed a pair of eyes, even though her aura was deliberately restrained and her appearance completely hidden, this intense hatred that desired to peel Li Qing's skin, pull his tendons, and hack him into ten thousand pieces could absolutely not be fake!

She recognized Li Qing!

And she had a deep, blood-feud hatred with Li Qing!

Li Qing's Divine Soul far exceeded that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and his perception was sharp to the extreme.

The malice and killing intent that the other party erupted with in that instant, even though fleeting and immediately suppressed by force, were still captured by him with absolute clarity.

In an instant, Li Qing became vigilant, and his eyes sank slightly.

Confirmed.

This woman was not only an old acquaintance but also his enemy!

It was just that the other party was hidden too deeply and disguised too well; her aura had changed greatly, her temperament had changed greatly, and added to that was the black robe covering her body, so for a moment, he actually could not guess who she was at all!

The black-robed woman opposite stared fixedly at Li Qing, her pitch-black pupils slightly constricted, hatred surging endlessly in the depths of her eyes, and her body even trembled extremely minutely, clearly indicating intense emotional fluctuations.

But she was very capable of enduring.

After just a fleeting moment, she immediately lowered her head, pressed down her hood again, and covered all traces of her gaze; the monstrous hatred around her body instantly dissipated, and she became that gloomy, dead-silent, and unremarkable shadow attendant once more.

From beginning to end, she did not make a sound, nor did she make a single unnecessary movement.

As if the deep-seated hatred and cold killing intent from just a moment ago were all just an illusion.

But Li Qing knew clearly in his heart.

That was absolutely not an illusion!

The resentment and killing intent from that moment ago were as real as they could be!

Yin Wuchang, who was beside her, seemed completely unaware of the woman's abnormality; he continued to whisper to his fellow Ghost Bone Sect Disciples, his gaze scanning the crowd in the plaza casually, completely failing to notice the intense eye-contact standoff between Li Qing and the woman.

Li Qing stood within the flow of people, his surface remaining calm and composed, showing no reaction, blending into the crowd without appearing out of place.

But in his heart, he was already secretly on guard.

Since parting ways at the Xuanbing Secret Realm, all the old acquaintances had achieved Foundation Establishment and risen.

But who could have thought that beside Yin Wuchang, there would actually follow such a deeply hidden, mysterious enemy who hated him to the bone!

Who exactly is she?

When exactly had he offended such a female Cultivator who was skilled at concealment, had a cold aura, and possessed a patient Heart-Nature?

Countless fragments of memory surged rapidly in his mind, but they never matched any corresponding figure.

Li Qing suppressed the thoughts in his heart, withdrew the sharpness in his eyes, maintained a low profile, and slowly walked toward the main entrance of the Tianbao Building.

Regardless of who the other party is.

Since she is an enemy, if she dares to come to his door, he will simply destroy her.

Suppressing his doubts about the mysterious black-robed woman, Li Qing no longer distracted himself with further thoughts.

The other party was hiding her head and showing her tail, deliberately concealing her identity; it was clear she wanted to lie in wait in the shadows and seek an Opportunity to cause trouble, and she would not act openly for the time being.

There was no point in obsessing over who she was right now; one deals with soldiers as they come and water with earth. Regardless of what thoughts this woman was harboring or what evil schemes she was brewing, when the moment of reckoning truly arrived, it would naturally surface.

Right now, for Li Qing, there was only one most important thing: to successfully enter the Tianbao Building's decennial grand auction, bid for the second-grade Body Tempering and Body Refining Materials he urgently needed, and break through the Physical Body Bottleneck that had held him back for a long time.

He withdrew his gaze, his expression calm and composed, and followed the continuous stream of people, walking step by step toward the main entrance of the Tianbao Chamber of Commerce.

The closer he got to the main gate, the more exaggerated the queue of Cultivators became.

The long queue stretched from the plaza at the main entrance of the Tianbao Building all the way to the outer streets, packed densely with people, and one could not see the end of it at a glance.

Various Loose Cultivators, Sect Disciples, and Family Cultivators were crowded together, noisy and clamorous, the scene so lively it bordered on chaotic.

At the same time, two Foundation Establishment guards at the entrance of the Tianbao Chamber of Commerce, wearing unified silver uniforms with steady auras, were expressionlessly and meticulously controlling the entry rules, their voices loud and clear, echoing throughout the plaza.

"Those without an exclusive auction invitation must pay an entry fee of one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Only then may you enter to participate in the bidding!"

"Those holding invitations do not need to pay; you will be guided by an exclusive deacon and may enter with priority!"

"Private fighting is prohibited; noisy disturbances are prohibited! Violators will have their cultivation crippled, be expelled from Heiyuan City, and will never be allowed to enter the Tianbao Chamber of Commerce again!"

The rules were clear and distinct, with absolutely no room for negotiation.

An entry fee of one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, to be honest, could absolutely not be considered cheap.

Ordinary, low-level Loose Cultivators would work themselves to the bone hunting Yao Beasts and gathering spiritual Materials, and even after working for a month or two, they might not necessarily save up one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Just to come in and watch an auction, handing over more than half of their total net worth—in normal times, nobody would be willing to do that.

But today was different!

This was the decennial joint grand auction of the Eight Great Merchant Guilds in the Yunling Mountain Range!

It only opened once every ten years, gathering the top rare treasures, high-level spiritual Materials, out-of-print Cultivation Techniques, and rare Magical Artifacts from the entire region; countless treasures that one usually could not see even with money would all appear today.

Don't mention one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones; even two hundred or three hundred, there were still countless Cultivators who would break their heads trying to get in to seek Opportunities and broaden their horizons.

For those who Cultivate, Opportunities are always more important than fleeting Spirit Stones.

If one happened to pick up a bargain at the auction or bid on a key treasure to break through a Bottleneck, that would be a stroke of fortune that allows one to ascend in a single step; one hundred Spirit Stones would simply not be worth mentioning.

And precisely because of this, even though the entry fee was extremely expensive, it still could not stop the fanaticism of all the Cultivators present.

Everyone stood honestly in the long line; no one complained, no one made a fuss, and they all patiently inched forward, their eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.

Li Qing followed the end of the line and silently joined it, waiting quietly with a calm expression.

The line did not move slowly, but it could not keep up with the sheer number of people; he waited for nearly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before it was finally his turn.