Chapter 1182: Roadblock

"Sixty-one million, is there any higher bid?"

"Sixty-five million." It was that Tuobei Laoyu again, raising the bid by five million yuan shi in one go.

"Seventy million," Ye Chen said calmly. This was already his limit, especially after factoring in the cost of pills and the like. The only regret was spending too much yuan shi earlier on magical artifacts and the Tian Dun Tong Lu.

"Seventy-five million," Tuobei Laoyu spoke in a deep voice, her tone ethereal and faint.

"Ah!" Ye Chen sighed, feeling quite frustrated. He had already figured out that Tuobei Laoyu's limit was ninety million, while his own was only seventy million—a difference of twenty million. He couldn't compete with her.

"Kid, you've got quite a bit of money!" As Ye Chen felt frustrated, an ethereal voice entered his divine sea.

"I almost forgot about you." Ye Chen's eyes lit up as he looked at the scholar leisurely flipping through an ancient book not far away. He chuckled and said, "You came all this way, so you must have brought a lot of money. Lend me some."

"All the money from my family has already been taken by you."

"Nonsense, I only took a few million."

"What, you want to empty my entire treasury too?" The scholar replied with interest, still casually flipping through the ancient book as if nothing was happening.

"I might have the heart, but I don't have the guts!" Ye Chen said with a dry laugh.

"As if you would dare."

"Let's save the chit-chat for later. Just tell me, how much do you have?"

"Only twenty-three million left."

"That's enough." Ye Chen smiled immediately. Adding his seventy million, it would be sufficient to secure the Xingkong Tu.

"Is there any higher bid?" Chang Shan Zhenren's words rang out again, and he glanced over at Ye Chen as he spoke.

"Ninety million," Ye Chen spoke up, directly raising the bid by fifteen million.

"Truly wealthy. This auction is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers." Below, there was another wave of commotion, with sighs and exclamations everywhere.

"Compared to that Keng Shen who raised it by eighty-one million in one go, this feels like just playing around."

"Fellow Daoist, you're indeed extravagantly rich." Tuobei Laoyu gave a faint smile, her murky old eyes flashing with a sharp glint—that was killing intent, a terrifying killing intent directed at Ye Chen.

"Just a small gesture," Ye Chen shrugged.

"The Xingkong Tu is yours." Tuobei Laoyu snorted coldly and withdrew her gaze, a hint of cold light still flickering in her eyes. Ninety million was her limit; she truly had no more to bid.

"This fellow Daoist has bid ninety million. Is there anyone else?" Seeing Tuobei Laoyu concede, Chang Shan Zhenren smiled and scanned the room, not forgetting to glance at the private rooms on the third floor.

Below, there was a chorus of sighs, but no one spoke. Ninety million yuan shi was already a sky-high price for them.

With no further bids from below, Chang Shan Zhenren smiled and said, "Since no one is raising the bid, the Xingkong Tu belongs to that fellow Daoist. This session of the Wangu Xing auction has now concluded. Those who won items, please proceed to the back hall with your yuan shi to collect your treasures."

Is that it?

Many people still felt unsatisfied, but an end was an end.

The bidders in the hall rose one after another, murmuring with regret. This might have been the most exciting auction they had attended in all their times. The emergence of the Keng Shen had made the event incredibly thrilling.

Thinking of the Keng Shen, most people couldn't help but glance toward the Lingxiao Gong private room, eager to catch a glimpse of that legendary figure.

However, no one got their wish. Although people from Lingxiao Gong came down, it was only Bi You, veiled in white gauze, and the black-and-white old women. Besides those three, no fourth person descended.

Humph!

As the people from Gui Huang Zong left, they couldn't resist snorting coldly at Bi You and her companions.

As for the Gui Huang Shenzi, his mental resilience was poor; he was still unconscious at this point.

Ye Chen also stood up, but his brows were furrowed. He had become the focus of many quasi-saints and even saints. It was all because he had obtained the Xingkong Tu, and too many people were tempted to kill him and take his goods.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen entered the inner hall of the auction pavilion and retrieved the Xingkong Tu and the Tian Dun Tong Lu.

Be careful!

Bi You's words of concern reached him.

Wait for me outside the city!

Ye Chen left a message and turned to exit the auction pavilion.

After him, more than one group followed, each with concealed auras—mostly quasi-saints, but not lacking saints.

Ye Chen knew he was being tailed, so he donned a black robe and wandered leisurely through the city's main streets. His figure appeared in nearly every corner, leading a large group on a wild chase for several loops.

After some time, Ye Chen finally paused, stopping beneath the towering stone statue of Dong Huang.

This was a sovereign of Da Chu; even as a statue, Ye Chen felt deep reverence.

Not long after, the female-disguised scholar arrived as well, stopping under the statue and gazing quietly. In her beautiful eyes, there was a sense of the passage of time, as if she recognized the Dong Huang statue.

You need to be careful!

The scholar's clear voice transmitted to Ye Chen.

Understood!

Ye Chen smiled, took one last look at the Dong Huang statue, and left, continuing to wander the streets.

It wasn't until nightfall that the dozen or so groups tailing Ye Chen emerged from various intersections, only to find he had vanished without a trace—utterly mysterious.

Finally shook them off!

In some unknown corner, Ye Chen removed his black robe and returned to his original appearance. If not for sealing his Xian Lun Eye, he wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble.

Glancing around, Ye Chen stepped into the crowd.

The streets of Tianfu Shen Chao remained bustling even at night, with people coming and going, and discussions rising and falling. Most talk was about the auction, and the nickname Keng Shen was gradually becoming well-known.

Ye Chen just smiled and headed straight out of the Tianfu Shen Chao ancient city.

However, as soon as Ye Chen left the city and stepped into the void, a figure hidden in the clouds blocked his path.

It was a young man in purple robes with silver hair, wearing Chiyun Boots and a Zixia Robe. His eyes shone like stars, his hair cascaded like a silver waterfall, his vital energy surged like the sea, and immortal light radiated from him—he was like a divine king.

That person was undoubtedly Hua Tian Du, the godson of the divine dynasty. His face was fiercely savage, his killing intent piercing the heavens.

"Hua brother, are you here specially to see me off?" Ye Chen looked at Hua Tian Du with a relaxed smile, not showing much surprise. It was as if he had known Hua Tian Du would block him and wouldn't let him leave easily.

"Ye Chen, on the road to the underworld, you won't be alone." Hua Tian Du laughed with a terrifying, sinister grin.

"It's the Shen Chao Shenzi." Perhaps because Hua Tian Du's killing intent was so overwhelming, passing cultivators couldn't help but turn and stare.

"Hua Tian Du's killing aura is this intense—who's that Tianjing cultivator who provoked him?" Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"The tension is thick!"

"Hua Tian Du, as the Shen Chao Shenzi, is this your level of tolerance?" Amid the noisy discussions, Bi You stepped through the air from afar, stopping in a stretch of starry sky and coldly regarding Hua Tian Du.

"Even Bi Bo Xianzi is getting involved. It seems her relationship with that Ye Chen is no ordinary one." People around murmured in astonishment.

"In my view, that Ye Chen is probably the Keng Shen from the auction."

"What do you mean probably? It has to be him."

"No wonder Hua Tian Du is blocking him—this is about settling scores!"

"The Keng Shen—that's someone worth capturing and taking home to worship." Many had already pulled out memory crystals, etching Ye Chen's appearance into them. This was a legendary figure who could pit the heavens, the earth, and even the shenzi. Such an existence was bound to ward off evil and perhaps even prevent misfortune.