Chapter 145: Cashing In Before Leaving!

"Heh, come with me," Long Aogu said with a feigned nonchalance, taking the lead and walking ahead of them, though his expression immediately twisted into a grimace of internal agony.

*I am a peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng, for goodness' sake! To be slaughtered and fleeced like this... Should I just draw my blade and fight them to the death right now?*

*Wait, that doesn't seem very practical. I feel like I'd be suppressed and crushed before I could even pull my sword out.*

*Hehe, you want to play games with Your Young Master? I'll toy with you until you're dead!* Qian Mo thought to himself with a crooked smirk at the corner of his lips.

He then quickened his pace to follow right behind Long Aogu.

..........

Meanwhile, the auction had concluded, and the sky outside was gradually growing dark.

However, this was far from the end; it was merely the beginning.

At this moment, a lone man was strolling along a desolate path when the corners of his mouth suddenly curled into a smile.

"Hmph! Stop right there! Hand over the Heterogeneous Body Demonic Crystal you're carrying!" A voice echoed as five figures materialized, floating in the air above.

All five men were dressed in black, draped in dark robes, and wearing masks, making it completely impossible to discern their identities.

Ling slowly came to a halt, raising his head slightly to gaze up at these five self-delivered prey items.

"Oh? Four Eight-Star Dou Shengs? And one Nine-Star Dou Sheng?" Ling said indifferently, pausing for a moment before continuing in a tone dripping with mockery, "What's this? With just your paltry strength, you dare to come and rob me of my Heterogeneous Body Demonic Crystal?"

The group hovering above was momentarily stunned. He had actually seen through their cultivation realms just like that?

"Hmph! Such unbridled arrogance! Hand over the crystal, cripple your own cultivation, and we'll let you leave alive. Otherwise—prepare to die!"

"An artifact like the Heterogeneous Crystal is not something an ant like you can ever hope to touch!"

"Hand it over immediately!"

The Nine-Star Dou Sheng spoke first, followed closely by the shouts of the Eight-Star Dou Shengs behind him.

Ling furrowed his brow, feeling a brief flash of annoyance, but then he let out a cold laugh. "Hehe, absolutely hilarious. Cripple my own cultivation? Hand over the crystal to you lot? Are you idiots? Have you cultivated your brains into mush? To think you actually dared to target me!"

"Hmph! So arrogant! I originally intended to spare your life, but now you can go straight to hell!"

The Nine-Star Dou Sheng sneered, his killing intent overflowing and his voice laced with gloom.

He was determined to kill this man today; no one in this world could save him.

"Repent in the netherworld! Ants have no right to covet the Heterogeneous Body Demonic Crystal!"

"Slash—Heaven-Slaying Art!"

"Dragon Art!"

"Yang Heaven Annihilation!"

"Heavenly—Slash!"

"Divine Iron Slaughter!"

Showing not an ounce of mercy, the five of them simultaneously unleashed their supreme divine techniques, charging directly toward Ling with lethal intent.

"Not bad. At least you aren't completely brainless—you actually knew to team up in a gang to kill me," Ling sneered.

Looking at their grandiose displays of power, he almost felt bad about crushing them so abruptly.

"Arrogant!"

"Go to hell!"

The five were truly enraged now. This man was simply too insolent; he had to be killed!

How dare this mere ant insult them? He deserved a thousand deaths! Not a single survivor would be left!

"Hehe, you guys are genuinely comical," Ling said with a chuckle. Having lived for tens of thousands of years, it had been a very long time since he last encountered fools of this caliber. For one hundred thousand years, no one had ever dared to provoke him like this. It seemed the times had truly changed.

"Purgatory Prison Seal!" Ling uttered, his voice instantly dropping to absolute zero, turning gloomy and cold. He flicked his right hand upward.

The pupils of the five men shrank violently as they were suddenly enveloped by a terrifying, boundless force of death!

"Ah!—No!—"

Swallowed completely by the Purgatory Prison Seal, their five concurrent ultimate techniques and battle skills were utterly suppressed and forced right back onto them with doubled fury!

*No! How could he possibly be this strong?!*

*He's not human! He's not human! Ahhh!!*

*I can't die here! I must run, I have to escape!*

Instantly, their souls wrenched free from their physical bodies, frantically bolting outward to escape.

"Hehe, trying to run?" Ling stood in place, watching the struggling, dying souls of the five.

"Haha! Just wait! Once I recover my power, I'll come back and utterly destroy you!" the five shouted arrogantly as they fled.

*Thump—!*

"Agh—it hurts!"

All five men flew forward at top speed, only to crash heavily against an invisible, rigid barrier.

Their pupils contracted in sheer terror: "Oh no! It's a barrier! This entire space has been sealed off! Dammit, since when?!"

"Weren't you all very arrogant just a moment ago? Saying you'd come back and destroy me after escaping..." Ling's mocking and icy voice echoed directly behind them, his figure looming high above their retreating souls.

The five turned their heads back, and cried out in absolute fright, "Ah!! Ah!!" How on earth had this man approached them without making a single sound?!

"Gr-Great Senior, I was wrong! Please don't kill me! I was just running my mouth, I'm sorry, spare my life!" the five wept, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Weren't you guys acting all high and mighty?" Ling sneered. "What's this? Acting like this now?"

"Ah—never again, never again! We were wrong!" The five lost all their backbone instantly, waving their hands frantically and screaming.

"So, do you still want that Heterogeneous Body Demonic Crystal?" he asked, his tone dripping with playful mockery.

"No more, no more! We don't have the qualifications to touch it!" the group waved their hands for dear life, shouting in terror.

"Sigh, tell me, why are you lot so greedy? You brought this state upon yourselves. Robbing people is one thing, but to end up turning yourselves into this pathetic state... You tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used as bait. So humiliating, truly humiliating!" Ling shook his head slightly, putting on a sympathetic expression as he lectured them.

"We won't dare do it again, we truly won't! Senior, please spare us! We promise never to have a next time, and we're willing to be your loyal beasts of burden!" Desperate to stay alive, the group exhausted every possible means of survival, even trading away their own freedom.

"Ah, but the problem is, none of you are women," Ling said with a hint of disappointment.

"We can capture lots of pretty maidens and bring them to you for your pleasure, Senior!" Upon hearing this, the group lit up with hope, acting as though they had just seen a lifeline. They flattered him frantically—one second they were acting like untouchable overlords, and the next they had cowered into spineless wrecks. How utterly pathetic!

"Well, whatever. Cultivating isn't easy for you lot either. Tell me, am I a good person?" Ling stroked his chin, resting his hand behind his back as he looked down at them.

"A good person! You're a wonderful person!" The group abandoned all remaining shreds of their conscience, nodding frantically and shouting in unison. As long as they could keep their lives, who cared about anything else!

..........

"Since you all agree that I'm such a good person, I might as well see this good deed through to the end. I'll send you all the way to the Western Paradise!" Ling declared, snapping his fingers sharply.

Hearing this, the group's pupils dilated to the size of pinpricks: "You!—No!..."

Before they could even finish their final syllable, they were completely engulfed and obliterated into absolute nothingness by a tremendously powerful wave of annihilation energy!

..........

Hidden away in the shadows were two figures—none other than members of the Guwu Sect, specifically Guwu himself and an elder. The two of them had been waiting here like rabbits by a tree stump, hoping to reap the spoils of war once the dust settled, keeping a close eye on the situation regarding the Heterogeneous Body Demonic Crystal.

Earlier, when they saw five people go out to deal with that man, their moods had soared with elation. They figured they could just launch a sneak attack at the end and claim the Heterogeneous Body Demonic Crystal for themselves.

As they were happily daydreaming about this foolproof plan, reality hit them like a freight train. A profanity slipped past their lips, cursing everyone in sight as they choked on their own saliva.

"Holy shit, is this guy a complete freak?!" Guwu and the elder exclaimed in unison, hurriedly shrinking back further into their hiding spots.

Five high-level Dou Shengs had just been wiped out like that without breaking a sweat?

Cold sweat began to cascade down their spines in relentless waves. Thank goodness they hadn't rushed in themselves, or they would have been utterly finished by now.

"Phew, close one, close one. Good thing we didn't charge in. Looks like there's no way we can handle this. If that monster killed those five so effortlessly, the two of us together might not even stand a chance. Oh—wait! There are still pressing matters back at the sect that require our immediate attention!"

Guwu dropped flat onto his stomach, patting his chest to calm his frantically pounding, terror-stricken heart.

With that excuse, he immediately took the lead and turned to flee.

"Right, right! The sect indeed has urgent matters to attend to!" the old elder nodded in frantic agreement, matching Guwu's pace and escaping with a speed that put a startled rabbit to shame.

They were shaking with fear from head to toe!

If they didn't run now, they were dead meat. Neither of them dared to gamble on what horrors might happen next.

..........

They were not the only onlookers hiding in the vicinity; members of various other sects, pavilions, and factions were also present.

Some had intended to make a move themselves, but seeing others jump into the fray first, they decided to let those fools test the waters so they could swoop in later as the fisherman reaping the profits! Hehe! Just thinking about that scenario brought them joy!

However, reality proved to be vastly different from their expectations. Seeing that horrifying display left their legs feeling like jelly and drenched them in cold sweat.

*How is there another freak like this? He settled so many high-level Dou Shengs in a single move? Five of them! Just gone like that? Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of sick joke?*

*Were those Dou Shengs really that fragile?*

Without a second thought, the onlookers turned tail and ran for their lives.

..........

Having finished everything, Ling withdrew his hand, dispelled the barrier, and cast a cold glance at the remaining onlookers who had been scheming to prey on him like a fat fish. A chilling smile played on his lips: "If you run any slower, I'll break all your legs! How dare you cast your greedy eyes on this old man—truly courting death!"

They assumed Ling hadn't noticed them, but in truth, he had been aware of them all along. Not a single one had escaped his notice. As a supreme warrior at the First Step of the Dou Emperor realm, how could he possibly remain oblivious? It was simply a matter of disdain; if he had truly wanted to strike, not a single soul here would have escaped alive!

In Ling's eyes, everyone present was nothing more than an ant.

With a casual sweep of his hand, he turned around and walked away.

..........

Meanwhile, Qian Mo and his group followed Long Aogu deep into a private room. This chamber was heavily concealed; ordinary people would never be able to discover it.

"I never took you for such a miser, old man Long, setting up such a secretive hidden vault," Qian Mo joked, glancing around the interior decoration.

The others behind him were also looking around with great curiosity.

"Heh, of course. These are all precious and valuable treasures! It's your lucky day today, you little rascals," Long Aogu said to them, though his heart was bleeding internally. In just a moment, a good portion of these treasures would vanish into their pockets, causing him severe physical pain.

Sighing softly, Long Aogu produced a token, causing the massive stone door ahead to slowly split down the middle. A glowing seam appeared, growing brighter and brighter until the heavy portal swung fully open.

"Come on in," Long Aogu said with a pained expression.

"Haha, old man Long, don't worry. We'll try to go easy on you," Qian Mo patted Long Aogu's shoulder consolingly. "Relax, we aren't that terrifying."

*Not that terrifying? I believe that when pigs fly! You wicked little brat, you're as vicious as they come!*

*Robbing an old man's retirement fund, of all things.*

The group filed into the vault.

..........

A dazzling array of glowing treasures was presented before their eyes. "Wow! So many good things!" the five disciples of the Lingtian Sect cried out in astonishment.

"Go on, pick out whatever catches your eye," Qian Mo told them.

Hearing this, the five of them were instantly ecstatic, while Long Aogu felt his heart constrict with agony off to the side.

"I-I'm telling you guys, you can only pick two items! Two items per person! And remember, you actually have to pay for them! Within the range of your affordability!" Long Aogu shouted in distress.

Most of the treasures displayed here had their prices clearly marked right in front of them.

"Understood," the five nodded eagerly, dashing forward into the vault.

"Try to show a little conscience, will you?" Watching the group scatter, Long Aogu felt a tight knot in his chest, making it hard to breathe as he muttered to himself.

"Old man Long, stay calm, stay calm. Getting worked up like this is bad for your health. Here, have a grilled meat skewer to calm your nerves," Qian Mo said, patting Long Aogu's shoulder to comfort him.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a massive pile of grilled skewers from his spatial ring, alongside a luxurious sofa that materialized behind him, upon which he casually seated himself.

A complete set of high-end lounge furniture had appeared out of nowhere.

Qian Mo pulled his two wives close, safely tucking the little one who had fallen asleep into his spatial ring so she wouldn't cause any mischief.

"My lovely wives, come give your husband a kiss," Qian Mo leaned in and planted a kiss on both of their lips. "Ah! So sweet, so delicious."

"Husband, you're terrible! People are watching!" The two wives blushed deeply, snuggling into Qian Mo's embrace and acting spoiled. *How could he be so brazen? If he wants to kiss us, he should wait until we're back home! There's an old man right here, this is so embarrassing!* Both women shot Qian Mo reproachful yet affectionate glances.

Long Aogu stood dumbfounded by this sudden display of affection. *You guys can't do this! This is too much! I'm still an unmarried single dog! You're bringing me into a battle zone and utterly torturing me like this! You're going to drive this old man to fury!*

Though enraged, Long Aogu didn't dare act out, terrified he might be beaten to death on the spot!

Soon, his attention drifted toward the pile of grilled skewers. Those things looked suspiciously delicious. Remembering the taste of the skewer he'd eaten earlier, his mouth watered involuntarily. Quick as lightning, he grabbed one and shoved it straight into his mouth.

*Mmm-mmm~~!*

*So fragrant! This stuff is amazing! How can something taste this good? Why is it this delicious? I've lived for countless years, yet I've never tasted anything like these skewers before!*

*This flavor... oh my god! I could eat these for the rest of my life and never get tired of it!*

Skewer after skewer vanished into his mouth.

He then slumped onto the neighboring sofa, savoring the food with absolute bliss.

"Well? Are Your Young Master's skewers good or what?" Qian Mo asked, watching his reaction.

"Delicios!" Long Aogu blurted out before coughing awkwardly to cover his slip-up. "Th-this..."

"Alright, no need to beat around the bush. If they're good, eat more. We're all men here, stop acting like a fussy old woman," Qian Mo dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand.

Long Aogu's weathered face flushed red. *Good lord, you're making me even more embarrassed! And there are two young women present, can't you spare this old man a shred of dignity?*

..........

Time trickled by, and the disciples finally finished selecting their items. Every one of them picked items whose prices aligned precisely with their budgets; if anyone fell short, they simply borrowed a few remaining spirit crystals from their teammates to scrape the exact amount together.

The group walked up to Long Aogu and handed over their spirit crystals. Each of them wore a beaming smile, still reminiscing about the taste of the skewers. For them, this trip had been an absolute windfall—not only did they walk away with incredible treasures, but they had also befriended such an unfathomably powerful and terrifying overlord.

"All done selecting?" Qian Mo turned around, reading the glowing satisfaction on their faces.

"Mm-hmm, we're all done," the group nodded.

Long Aogu felt a chill settle deep in his bones. Most of the items those five kids picked out were top-tier treasures! He deeply regretted not setting the prices higher. *No way, after this lesson, I'm going to inflate all the prices tenfold! If they ever come back to fleece me again, I'll never hear the end of it.*

"Since that's settled, we won't stay any longer," Qian Mo said, rising from the sofa.

"Old man Long, many thanks for today. We'll come visit again next time," Qian Mo patted him on the arm.

*Thanks? I'll thank your entire family! No need to thank me, I want to kick you to death right now! Come back next time? Don't you dare step foot in here again, or I'll literally drop dead from the stress!*

Despite the blood dripping from his heart, Long Aogu wore a forced, smiling expression as he replied, "Haha, think nothing of it, think nothing of it! Since you're leaving, I won't keep you. Have a safe trip back!" The moment he heard they were leaving, joy bloomed in his chest.

*Go, hurry up and leave! I desperately wish you'd vanish right now. Seeing your face puts me in a foul mood and spikes my blood pressure!*

Qian Mo chuckled, waving his hand as he wrapped his arms around his two wives and headed toward the exit. Of course he knew Long Aogu was bleeding internally, but making others miserable was simply part of Qian Mo's nature!

Otherwise, why else would he bother coming to fleece Long Aogu?

While Long Aogu cursed Qian Mo in his mind, Qian Mo thoroughly enjoyed squeezing him dry. In this psychological clash, Long Aogu was undeniably losing on every front.

..........

As the group stepped out of the Heavenly Pavilion, Long Aogu watched them depart and finally let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief.

"Pavilion Master, were they really those super VIPs you mentioned—the ones the Heavenly Pavilion cannot afford to provoke?" Just as Long Aogu turned around, a melodious yet alluring voice rang out. The owner of the voice was none other than Liu Qingqiao.

"Indeed they were. That oppressive aura earlier this afternoon was released by that very brat!" Long Aogu slumped down onto a nearby chair, catching his breath. "Sigh, I got fleeced blind by that punk today. My heart hurts so much!"

"Pavilion Master, just what realm of cultivation is he at? The palm strike he unleashed during the auction was terrifying," Liu Qingqiao recalled the lingering might of Qian Mo's attack, a trace of lingering fear creeping into her voice. Before that single palm, she had felt utterly insignificant, devoid of any resistance—like a tiny grain of rice waiting to be crushed at whim.

"Ah!" Long Aogu suddenly yelped, startling Liu Qingqiao so badly that she jumped. "Pavilion Master, what are you screaming for? You scared the life out of me!"

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I completely forgot to ask about the most important thing! I never even asked what his cultivation realm was! Could someone that terrifying actually be one of those legendary figures who broke through to—the Dou Emperor realm?!" Long Aogu stammered in shock.

"Pavilion Master, surely not? If he really were a Dou Emperor, why would he still be lingering around here? Shouldn't he have shattered the void and ascended along with the other Dou Emperors of the past? Besides, nobody breaks through to the Dou Emperor realm without triggering a massive phenomenon! Our intelligence network at the Heavenly Pavilion is vast, yet we received not a whisper of news. Furthermore, he doesn't look like an ancient powerhouse at all; he acts just like someone from the modern era!" Liu Qingqiao shook her head gently as she spoke.

She simply couldn't believe Qian Mo was a Dou Emperor! At most, he was probably an immensely powerful Half-Step Dou Emperor!

"Could he be... an extraordinarily powerful Half-Step Dou Emperor?!" Liu Qingqiao ventured.

"Mmm, highly likely! To possess such terrifying cultivation at his age makes him far beyond a mere monster—he's a monster among monsters. A Half-Step Dou Emperor... reaching that threshold is no easy feat either. Sigh, here I am, stuck merely at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm—" Long Aogu sat back down, shaking his head and sighing. Forget the legendary Dou Emperor realm; even reaching Half-Step Dou Emperor was an insurmountable chasm, let alone true peak Half-Step Dou Emperor, or a genuine Dou Emperor!

Beneath the Dou Emperor realm, all beings were nothing more than ants!

When a Dou Emperor grew angry, the heavens themselves would shift, skies would darken, and subterranean magma would erupt!

"Qingqiao, close down the Heavenly Pavilion. We won't hold any auctions for the next year. Everyone will return to closed-door cultivation, and you must strive to break through to the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm!" Long Aogu decided decisively: close the doors for renovations and mass seclusion! This way, not only would they avoid further financial losses, but they wouldn't have to overwork themselves either.

"Pavilion Master, we're suspending auctions for an entire year? Won't that cause outsiders to..." Liu Qingqiao hesitated. As the Vice Pavilion Master, she had to manage those external affairs.

"Hmph, since when do we care what those people gossiping outside think? The Heavenly Pavilion stops when I say it stops. Shut the doors!"

Long Aogu waved his hand dismissively and strode off, his figure fading into the depths of the compound.

Liu Qingqiao gazed at the spot where Long Aogu had vanished, then glanced toward the direction where Qian Mo and his group had left. Finally, she let out a helpless sigh and bolted the doors of the Heavenly Pavilion shut.

Her current cultivation was at the mid-stage Eight-Star Dou Sheng realm. To reach the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm, she still had to traverse two minor stages: the late stage and the peak. She had lingered at the Eight-Star Dou Sheng level for quite some time now; it was indeed high time she focused entirely on her breakthrough.

"Sigh, I need to push my cultivation to the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm first. Being an Eight-Star still feels far too insignificant!" Liu Qingqiao raised her hands, staring at her own petite palms as she murmured to herself. Having been thoroughly humbled by the sheer force of Qian Mo's power today, a fire had been lit in her heart: she needed to become stronger!

..........

Having left the Heavenly Pavilion, Qian Mo led the group to a barren wasteland.

Checking the time, he saw it wasn't too late—probably a little past six o'clock. He hadn't imagined that attending a single auction would consume so many hours.

"Exalted Lord, where are we heading next?"

Ling Mu asked respectfully.

Qian Mo shook his head slightly and replied, "I don't really have a specific destination in mind. I just flew wherever the wind took me and ended up here."

The group: "........"

*Cough, cough—so he was just wandering aimlessly!* They had actually thought the Exalted Lord was taking them somewhere fun. Turns out they had just been overthinking things.

"Ahem, don't look at me with those suspicious gazes. I'm not very familiar with this region anyway. By the way, how long would it take to fly back to your Lingtian Sect from here?" Qian Mo coughed lightly and changed the subject.

"It usually takes about a day. When we came here earlier, our Sect Master used a constructed spatial wormhole so the journey was quite fast. If we have to fly back conventionally, it'll probably take a fair bit longer," Ling Mu pondered for a moment before answering.

"I see," Qian Mo nodded slightly. That explained it; he had figured that after beating up their father-figure earlier this afternoon, they couldn't possibly have traveled that far so fast just to catch up with him. The whole trip had only taken a little over an hour.

Just as he suspected, space wormholes were behind it all.

"So, can that spatial wormhole your Sect Master used to send you here take you back as well?" Qian Mo asked again.

"Uh... the Sect Master only told us to come out; he didn't seem to mention anything about letting us use the wormhole to return," Ling Mu replied awkwardly.

Lingtian Ba's true intention was obvious: he wanted to toss them out into the world to temper themselves. If they went right back, they'd just coop themselves up in the sect and cultivate like mindless robots. Since this was such a rare opportunity, he wanted to "free-range" them out in the outside world for half a year, right up until the continent-wide martial tournament half a year later.

"Your Sect Master's intention is actually quite simple: he wants to let you roam free in the outside world to broaden your horizons. Look at you all—day in and day out back at the sect, it's nothing but cultivation, cultivation, and more cultivation. Is there any novelty in that? Cultivation isn't everything. You're still young; you need to get out, walk around, and see the world. Who knows, you might even stumble upon your own fortuitous encounters. Look at this trip—didn't it completely exceed your usual boundaries? This counts as your first major trial outside the sect," Qian Mo explained leisurely.

"We understand now, Exalted Lord." Hearing this reasoning, the group found it made complete sense, and they nodded in agreement. The gains from this outing had indeed far exceeded their wildest imaginations.