Chapter 26: Lingbao Auction

Fang Yan was astonished. He had always prided himself on his boasts, believing himself unbeatable, but Xu Yang’s boasting surpassed even his own.

"Brother, let me escort you out. It's too dangerous for you to stay here," Fang Yan said sincerely.

Xu Yang smiled faintly, offered no explanation, and walked towards Absolute Ice Mountain.

"Ling Qingshu," Xu Yang called out.

"Ancestor, what do you need me to do?" Ling Qingshu stepped forward.

"I know where the entrance is. Soon, you'll follow my instructions..."

Before Xu Yang could finish speaking, startled exclamations came from another direction.

"What is this? Why is it emitting golden light?"

Xu Yang's heart skipped a beat.

Opening the entrance to Absolute Ice Mountain was extremely troublesome and involved many steps.

Could these people have stumbled upon it by sheer luck, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse? Did they just happen to open it?

"Let's go and take a look," Xu Yang said.

Walking over, they saw a crowd gathered at the foot of the mountain, craning their necks like ducklings, staring at the summit of Absolute Ice Mountain.

At the mountain's peak, a golden light slowly intensified, radiating brightly and appearing exceptionally sacred.

"What is that?"

"There must be some treasure inside, otherwise, such an anomaly wouldn't occur."

People discussed excitedly, their eyes filled with fervent anticipation.

"Damn, they really did open it," Chen Fan muttered.

However, Xu Yang wasn't worried. Even if they found the entrance, they couldn't get in because there was a restriction array outside it.

The restriction array would emit spiritual pressure; those lacking sufficient power would suffer severe injuries, or even die on the spot, if they attempted to enter.

The golden light slowly faded, and with a thunderous sound, the outer layer of Absolute Ice Rock on Absolute Ice Mountain's steep cliff face peeled away, revealing a cave entrance.

"What's inside this cave entrance?"

"Does that even need to be said? It's definitely a treasure!"

The Core Formation cultivators discussed excitedly, then soared into the air and rushed towards the cave entrance.

"Why aren't you going?" Xu Yang asked Fang Yan, who was standing beside him.

At that moment, Fang Yan's face was flushed with excitement, eager to fly into the cave immediately.

Yet, he didn't move; instead, he remained by Xu Yang's side.

"Sigh, brother, I want to go too, but what if I go and you die?" Fang Yan said helplessly.

Xu Yang paused, looked at Fang Yan, and a sense of warmth gradually welled up in his eyes.

For Fang Yan to forgo the treasure to protect him, he was indeed a true brother.

Although Xu Yang didn't actually need protection.

"You're a good person," Xu Yang said after a moment of silence.

"Do you believe me when I say they'll all be sent crashing down?"

"Why?" Fang Yan was a little bewildered.

"You'll know soon enough," Xu Yang replied.

Fang Yan wore a look of disbelief, dismissing Xu Yang's words as a joke.

*Boom...*

Suddenly, the rapidly flying Core Formation cultivators halted mid-air, as if they had slammed into an invisible iron wall.

A series of explosive sounds followed, and the Core Formation cultivators all coughed up blood, crashing violently to the ground.

A pile of Core Formation cultivators fell like dumplings, kicking up dust. Fang Yan watched, dumbfounded.

Suddenly, he turned his head to look at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang smiled faintly, "See? I told you so."

Fang Yan was astonished, not understanding what had just happened.

"Damn it, how did this happen?"

"I feel like I hit something right above my head."

"But there's nothing there!"

The Core Formation cultivators discussed among themselves, none of them understanding what had occurred.

Just then, ten cultivators in the late Core Formation stage approached from another direction.

They wore white robes, and the words "Spiritual Treasure Auction House" were embroidered on the chests of their robes.

The leader was Zhao Long, the top cultivator of the Spiritual Treasure Auction House branch, who had already reached half-step Nascent Soul cultivation.

Their arrival drew the attention of the others.

"We are from the Spiritual Treasure Auction House."

Zhao Long stated their identity with a smile.

"Oh, it's the Spiritual Treasure Auction House!" The Core Formation cultivators who had been lying on the ground dusted themselves off and stood up.

The secret realm had been discovered by the Spiritual Treasure Auction House, and it was they who had led these Core Formation cultivators inside.

These Core Formation martial artists showed great deference to the cultivators from the Spiritual Treasure Auction House.

"As you all know, there's a restriction array at this entrance. We need to break it to get in."

"However, a single person's power is completely insufficient to shake it. Therefore, we need to borrow everyone's strength and work together."

"Once inside, our Spiritual Treasure Auction House will only take one spiritual sword. After we obtain it, we will withdraw. How does that sound?"

Zhao Long spoke gracefully and slowly.

The other Core Formation cultivators exchanged glances, then unanimously replied, "Alright."

A smile played on Xu Yang's lips. The restriction array he and his follower had set up back then was certainly not something these people could break.

If they actually managed to break it, Xu Yang might as well find a block of tofu and bash his head in.

"This restriction array cannot be broken by pooling strength; it can only be broken by individual power," Xu Yang couldn't help but say.

Zhao Long looked at Xu Yang in surprise. He had expected someone capable of saying such a thing to be a highly respected expert, not just a small cultivator in the Qi Condensation stage.

Disdain immediately flickered in his eyes.

"Who are you? How can a Qi Condensation cultivator even enter this place, let alone chatter on?"

Zhao Long spoke arrogantly.

As a late Core Formation cultivator, Qi Condensation cultivators were mere trash in his eyes, easily killed with a single finger. His tone was naturally arrogant.

"That's right, I am in the Qi Condensation stage. What of it? Do you look down on Qi Condensation cultivators?" Xu Yang said, frowning slightly with displeasure.

Naturally, Zhao Long couldn't confirm Xu Yang was in the Qi Condensation stage based solely on the aura he emitted.

Zhao Long sent a wisp of spiritual energy to circle around Xu Yang, carefully probing him.

Then, Zhao Long frowned slightly.

"This fellow, he really is in the Qi Condensation stage."

"But that shouldn't be possible. How did a Qi Condensation cultivator get into this place?"

"Never mind, I won't bother with it. Perhaps he's a disciple from some prominent family."

Zhao Long muttered a few words, then turned his head away, ignoring Xu Yang.

He considered it a waste of time to speak with someone in the Qi Condensation stage.

"I know that within this restriction array, there's an array disk, which is its core. I'll retrieve it, and then we can combine our strength to smash it. That should work."

"Once we're inside, I hope everyone will honor their word and not contend with us for the spiritual sword."

After speaking, Zhao Long shot forward, his figure moving like a gliding dragon, his white robes fluttering elegantly and unrestrainedly.

*Boom!*

Zhao Long flew beneath the restriction array and unleashed a punch. The array vibrated like thunder, shimmering with golden light.

Suddenly, beside the restriction array, a white array disk, as large as a millstone, abruptly flew up and then crashed violently to the ground, raising clouds of dust.

"Holy crap, this Spiritual Treasure Auction House really has some tricks up their sleeve! He actually managed to retrieve the array disk," Xu Yang said, slightly surprised.

"Everyone, this is the item. I hope you'll all exert your full strength to break it together."

Hearing this, Xu Yang let out a scoff and shook his head.