53: Chapter 53 The Most Outrageous Auction in History, and the "Beheading" of the Abyss Duke

On the square of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, an invisible line formed a clear divide.

On the left was a group of bruised and battered Abyss monsters with missing limbs.

They squatted miserably on the ground; the three-headed Great Duke of the Abyss was personally setting the bones of a skeleton soldier with a broken spine, making crisp "crack-clack" sounds.

On the right was a group of ragged and listless Heavenly Soldiers and Generals.

The once overbearing First Seat Lei Wanjun clutched his old waist. If his gaze wavered even slightly, several Shadow Sect "reform-through-labor convicts" holding rags nearby would lock onto him with the eyes of someone looking at a dead man, as if they would stuff a rag into his mouth the next second.

Between the two camps sat an auction table temporarily constructed with Spells.

Sima Hang had changed into a sharp black suit manifested from "Business Etiquette." In his hand, he held not a gavel, but that heavy "Public Security Administration Punishment Law."

He stood behind the table with a cold, stern face and eyes like ice.

"Ahem, silence."

Sima Hang raised his hand and tapped the tabletop heavily with the spine of the book.

An invisible power of rules spread out, and the entire venue instantly fell silent; even the skeleton soldier's bones didn't dare to creak anymore.

"According to Administrator Li's instructions, given that you are all 'high-risk personnel' who entered illegally and caused serious damage to this Sect's property..."

Sima Hang's voice lacked any warmth.

"In the spirit of humanitarianism, this Sect has decided not to carry out a massacre, but to hold a 'Ransom Auction' instead."

"There is only one auction item—[Freedom]."

"Starting price: None."

"Payment method: We do not accept Spirit Stones or underworld currency. We only accept 'Core Rules,' 'Origin Limbs,' or 'top-tier Cultivation Techniques'."

"Now, the bidding begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Duke of the Abyss on the left abruptly raised a bone club.

"Roar!" (I bid!)

Its three heads roared simultaneously, the sound waves shaking the ground.

"I bid... a thousand fresh Souls!"

Sima Hang glanced at it coldly and flipped through the small notebook in his hand, as if checking a list of contraband.

"Rejected."

"The Heavenly River Sword Sect is a model unit of civilization; human trafficking in any form is strictly prohibited. Souls are illegal currency and are strictly forbidden from circulation here."

"Roar?" (Then... then what should I do?)

The Great Duke of the Abyss grew anxious.

It was a dignified overlord of the Abyss, having come this time to welcome back the supreme Father God, only to be captured alive before even touching the Sect's gates.

If this got back home, how could it ever hold its head up in the Demon Realm again?

The eyes on its three heads darted around, and the gaze of the middle head suddenly became incredibly ferocious.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound rang out under the horrified gazes of all the immortals and monsters.

The Great Duke of the Abyss actually reached out with its two giant hands, firmly grabbed its own left head, and twisted it violently with all its strength!

Pshhh—!

Black demonic blood gushed out like a fountain.

It had literally twisted off one of its own heads and slammed it heavily onto the auction table with a "thud," like throwing away trash.

The eyes of that head were still blinking in terror.

"Roar!" (This! Is this enough weight!)

(This is the 'Abyss Source of Regeneration'! Swallowing it grants the ability of infinite regeneration!)

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Even Lei Wanjun was dumbfounded.

Are these things from the Abyss... all such ruthless characters?! To ransom their freedom, they would even twist off their own heads on the spot?

On the second-floor terrace, Li Mo's hand holding a teacup hung in mid-air, the corner of his eye twitching uncontrollably.

"...Though the presentation is a bit poor, the sincerity is indeed sufficient."

He issued instructions to Sima Hang via voice transmission.

"Accept it. It just so happens the 'Biological Laboratory' lacks a culture medium capable of infinite regeneration; let's put that waste to use."

Sima Hang suppressed the nausea churning in his stomach, extended two fingers, and picked up the still-blinking head as if it were something filthy, tossing it expressionlessly into a nearby specialized storage box.

"Sold."

"The Great Duke of the Abyss pays one 'Origin Head' and obtains one quota for freedom during the 'Proceed with Caution' observation period."

"Next, from the Central Province side, who's next?"

Sima Hang's gaze, like a searchlight, shot straight toward his former superior, Lei Wanjun.

Lei Wanjun's old face turned the color of pig liver, then shifted from purple to green—a truly colorful display.

He, the dignified First Seat of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's Enforcement Hall and the famously powerful Thunder Venerable of the Immortal Alliance, actually had to stoop to bidding for his freedom alongside a group of ugly monsters?

"Sima Hang! This is betraying your master and ancestors! Outrageous!" Lei Wanjun trembled with rage. "Just you wait! The Immortal Alliance army will arrive any moment..."

"Stop."

Sima Hang raised his hand to interrupt him.

"First Seat Lei, a friendly reminder. I don't know if the Immortal Alliance army is coming, but if you don't place a bid soon, those 'Shadow Sect brothers' over there have been coveting your immortal physique for quite some time."

Lei Wanjun subconsciously turned to look.

He saw the group of Shadow Sect assassins had produced scalpels and human anatomy diagrams from somewhere and were pointing at him.

"The meat in this area is firm and rich in lightning-attribute spiritual energy, suitable for live-slice research..."

"That Nascent Soul looks glossy and full, looks like it would be quite chewy..."

Lei Wanjun instantly shuddered, a chill rushing from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head.

A wise man knows when to retreat!

With trembling hands, he very preciouslly pulled out a Jade Slip shimmering with brilliant lightning light from his robes.

"This is... the only copy of my life's learning, the 'Nine Heavens Thunder Control True Scripture'!"

Lei Wanjun's heart was bleeding; every word seemed squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Its value is enough to equal half an Immortal Artifact! This... this should be enough, right?"

Sima Hang had just received the Jade Slip.

He didn't even have time to inject spiritual energy to investigate.

From the second floor, a black shadow streaked down through the air.

"Smack!"

A copy of "Junior High School Physics (Volume 2)" landed squarely and precisely on top of the Jade Slip.

That book seemed to come alive; its pages moved without wind, circling the Jade Slip contemptuously twice.

Then, it emitted a highly insulting sound.

"Pah!"

The pages suddenly flew open like a bottomless maw, swallowing the lightning-shimmering Jade Slip in one bite.

"Crunch... crunch..."

After a round of tooth-aching chewing sounds, the book let out a satisfied burp.

Immediately after, it spat out a small slip of paper.

[Appraisal Result: Trash.]

[Evaluation: A low-level discharge technique full of idealism; its principles are not even as clear as static friction. Suggest recycling and remaking.]

[Recycle Price: Three catties of waste paper.]

Lei Wanjun: "..."

"Pfft—!"

He could no longer hold it back and spat out a mouthful of old blood over three feet high.

"This is too much!!" Lei Wanjun pointed at the book, his fingers trembling. "This is an immortal method! It is a true explanation of the Dao! You... you actually call it waste paper?!"

"In Mr. Li's Domain, immortal methods that don't follow logic and the conservation of energy are pseudo-science."

Sima Hang spread his hands expressionlessly.

"First Seat Lei, you have one last chance to bid. If you can't produce a 'truth' that satisfies the 'Physics' teacher, then you'll be sent to hang from the streetlamp along with Lady Phantom."

Looking at that "Junior High School Physics" book eyeing him greedily, seemingly ready to "pah" him again at any moment, Lei Wanjun's Dao Heart completely collapsed.

He suddenly remembered Sima Hang's world-shaking roar in the sky earlier—[Forbidden Flight Domain].

That kind of power where words become law... that kind of power that changes the rules of heaven and earth...

"I... I'll sign!"

Lei Wanjun looked as if all the bones had been sucked out of him; he instantly aged fifty years.

"I'll sign... the deed of sale. I am willing... to serve the Heavenly River Sword Sect for a hundred years."

"As long as... as long as you don't cripple my cultivation and don't take me for slicing..."

The corners of Sima Hang's lips curled up in a look that suggested a calculated scheme had succeeded.

"That's more like it."

He pulled out a pre-prepared scroll from his robes, with "Labor Dispatch Contract (Overlord Clauses Edition)" printed on the cover.

"Come, press your thumbprint."

"From today on, you are the Vice Minister of the Heavenly River Sword Sect's Security Department, primarily responsible for... charging the backup energy core of the Sect's Mountain Protection Grand Array."

"After all, Lady Phantom is quite lonely hanging up there providing power alone. The two of you make a perfect pair and can even have a chat."

Looking at that densely packed contract full of obligations and devoid of rights, Lei Wanjun's vision went dark, and he tremblingly pressed his bloody thumbprint.

Thus, the aggressively launched "capture operation" from the Central Province ended in the humiliating transformation of the Enforcement Hall's First Seat into a "backup power bank" for the Sect.

...

The auction ended.

The organizational structure of the Heavenly River Sword Sect once again saw a qualitative leap.

Security Department: Minister Old Ancestor of the Blood River (whose true body is a pickle jar), Vice Minister Lei Wanjun (former big shot of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion), plus a group of Abyss monsters as patrol dogs.

Logistics Department: Shadow Sect assassin group moonlighting as cleaners and photovoltaic panel maintenance workers.

Education Department: Kong Mengchang leading Confucian Disciples, responsible for cultural literacy for the newly arrived Abyss illiterates.

Meanwhile, the true mastermind Li Mo sat in a secret room in the Scripture Pavilion, looking with interest at the head floating before him.

It was the one the Great Duke of the Abyss had twisted off.

"System, analyze this thing."

"[Analyzing Abyss regeneration rules...]"},{

"[Analysis successful.]"

"[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a new entry: [Infinite Matryoshka (Incomplete)].]"

"[Entry Effect: When one of your 'Clones' or 'Alts' is destroyed, you can choose to immediately generate two smaller Clones of the same model on the spot. Generations upon generations without end.]"

Li Mo's eyelid twitched violently.

This skill... why does it sound like cancer cell division?

However, this did give him a brilliant inspiration.

"The Great Duke of the Abyss and the others are convinced I am the 'Father God' because I carry the aura of the Book of the Abyss."

"But what if... I actually use this entry to forge an 'Abyss Clone' and then throw it back into the Abyss?"

Li Mo's eyes suddenly lit up.

Rather than passively waiting for waves of Abyss forces to come and deliver their heads, it would be better to take the initiative and open a 'sub-base' inside the enemy's territory!

Just then, there was a knock on the secret room door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and in walked Lei Wanjun, who had already changed into a security uniform and looked completely despondent.

"Re... Reporting, Administrator."

Lei Wanjun was clearly still extremely unaccustomed to his new identity, stuttering as he spoke.

"Outside... a very strange person has arrived."

"Who?"

"He says his name is... Ji Wushuang."

Li Mo abruptly looked up.

Ji Wushuang?

That legendary founding forefather of the Great Zhou Dynasty? The background-character emperor who was forced to die by his 'Author's Statement' in the first volume and should have long since turned into historical dust?

"Isn't he dead?" Li Mo's brow furrowed.

"He... he is dead."

Lei Wanjun swallowed hard, his face as pale as if he'd seen a ghost.

"But his current state... is very eerie, like... like he crawled out of a book by force."

"He's dripping with ink all over, and he's still tightly clutching a shredded... recommendation ticket?"

"He specifically asked to see you, saying... saying he's here to demand an explanation from you."

"Questioning why you wrote him to death and didn't even give him Resurrection Armor."

Li Mo: "..."

Good grief.

Is this... the resentment of a deleted character being so deep that he finally broke through the dimensional wall and turned into a BUG to seek revenge?

Has the 'ghost story' plot in the outline finally evolved from the Elementary stage of 'scaring people' to the Advanced stage of 'breaking the fourth wall'?

Li Mo stood up, unhurriedly dusted off his lapels, and picked up the spring and autumn brush from the table.

"Let's go, take me to see."

"I even dared to bluff the Heavenly Dao to its face; can a long-outdated former dynasty NPC really turn the world upside down?"