93: Chapter 93 Enmity Between a Prodigal Son

"1,500 Spirit Stones." Ye Tian was the first to bid, his voice calm.

The gazes in the venue converged, and seeing that the bidder was a strange young man sitting in the back row, everyone was somewhat surprised.

Mo Yuan glanced at Ye Tian and smiled, "This Fellow Daoist has bid 1,500. Is there anyone higher?"

The venue was silent; no one raised the bid.

After all, spending over a thousand Spirit Stones for an incomprehensible fragment was, in most people's eyes, unwise.

Mo Yuan waited a moment and was about to drop the hammer.

"1,600 Spirit Stones." A slightly effeminate voice came from a private room on the second floor.

Ye Tian frowned slightly and looked up. Behind the bead curtain of the private room, a Young Master could be vaguely seen, carelessly waving a folding fan, his gaze also fixed on the Jade Slip.

Beside him sat an old man with a profound Aura.

"It is the Young Lord of the Blood Blade Sect, Xue Li!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

"Why is he interested in this fragment too?"

"Probably just burning money, or simply doesn't want that kid to get it easily."

The Blood Blade Sect was one of the three major powers in Liuli City. Its Young Lord, Xue Li, was a notorious playboy. His cultivation was not high, only at the Qi Gathering Ninth Stage, but he relied on his status to act tyrannically.

Ye Tian's eyes turned slightly cold as he spoke again, "1,800 Spirit Stones."

"2,000 Spirit Stones." Xue Li's voice carried a hint of mockery, as if he found it amusing.

"2,200." Ye Tian's tone remained unchanged.

"2,500." Xue Li increased the bid without hesitation.

"2,800." Ye Tian followed closely.

"3,000!" Xue Li seemed a bit annoyed, his voice raised a few notches.

The auction hall was silent. Everyone could see that Xue Li was deliberately driving up the price.

A nameless fragment with a starting bid of 1,500 had been raised to 3,000, which was already far beyond its potential value.

Ye Tian was silent for a moment.

His entire net worth, including the Yao Beast core, was only a little over 8,000 Spirit Stones, and he still needed to save some to purchase other necessities.

But he could feel that the Jade Slip was vital to him.

"3,500 Spirit Stones."

Ye Tian bid again. This was the upper limit of his psychological price point. If the other party followed, he would have to think of another way, or even... he wouldn't mind using some extreme measures.

Inside Xue Li's private room, the old man whispered something to Xue Li.

Xue Li curled his lips, seemingly having lost interest, and lazily said, "Forget it, this Young Lord won't compete with a pauper anymore. I'll let you have it."

Seeing this, Mo Yuan hurriedly struck the wooden hammer, "3,500 Spirit Stones, sold! Congratulations to this Fellow Daoist!"

Ye Tian breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not let his guard down.

He knew that being targeted by someone like Xue Li would likely lead to trouble.

However, the most important thing right now was to get the Jade Slip.

After paying the Spirit Stones, the Jade Slip finally arrived in Ye Tian's hands.

A sense of antiquity came from the touch.

He did not examine it on the spot, but carefully put the Jade Slip away, preparing to leave this place of trouble.

However, he keenly sensed that several malicious gazes had already quietly locked onto him, one of which came from the direction of Xue Li's private room.

The auction continued, and several treasures that attracted the noble guests in the second-floor private rooms to compete appeared one after another, causing continuous exclamations in the hall.

But Ye Tian had no heart to pay attention; all his focus was concentrated on the Jade Slip in his hand.

The throbbing from his fingertips, as well as the resonance with the "Overlapping Wave Fist," confirmed to him that this fragment was vital to him.

He carefully put it into the qingxuan ring.

He understood the principle of not showing off one's wealth. In this mixed-bag auction house, he didn't know how many pairs of eyes were watching in the dark.

Especially the private room on the second floor where the Blood Blade Sect's Young Lord, Xue Li, was; that cold gaze was always vaguely looking at him, making him feel as if needles were pricking his back.

"Must leave as soon as possible." Ye Tian thought to himself.

He didn't want to create extra complications, but trouble always came uninvited.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the last finale treasure was auctioned off at a sky-high price by a guest in a mysterious private room on the third floor, and the auction finally came to an end.

After Mo Yuan announced the end, the crowd began to leave.

Ye Tian mixed into the crowd, lowering his head, trying his best not to attract attention, and walked towards the exit with the flow of people.

He quietly spread out his Divine Sense, vigilantly sensing his surroundings.

Sure enough, he noticed several Auras following him in the dark, one of which was the most obvious; it was the Divine Sense lock from the Ningyuan Realm old man beside Xue Li!

"They really won't give up."

Ye Tian's eyes turned slightly cold, and he quickened his pace.

Walking out of the Wanbao Tower gate, Ye Tian did not stop, directly merging into the crowd on the Central Avenue, attempting to use the massive flow of people to shake off the tail.

However, the Blood Blade Sect's old man was clearly experienced; his Divine Sense was firmly locked onto him, and he could not shake it off at all.

Moreover, the other party did not seem to be in a hurry to act, just following unhurriedly, as if waiting for the right opportunity, or... waiting for someone.

Ye Tian knew that private fighting was strictly prohibited in Liuli City; this was an iron rule set by the City Lord's Mansion, and violators would be severely punished.

The other party dared not act openly in the busy market, but if he walked to a secluded place, he would likely be attacked immediately.

He must find a way to resolve this situation!

He did not head towards the inn, but instead turned into a relatively narrow, yet still busy, commercial street.

Shops stood in great numbers here, selling all kinds of goods, and the crowd was dense.

Ye Tian stopped in front of a shop selling Talismans, pretending to browse the goods, while his Divine Sense carefully sensed the situation behind him.

Besides the Ningyuan Realm old man's Divine Sense, he also sensed two other Qi Gathering Ninth Stage Auras, which should be Xue Li's attendants, forming an encirclement.

As for Xue Li himself, he was trailing leisurely behind with a hint of mockery.

"One Ningyuan Third Stage, two Qi Gathering Ninth Stage... They really think highly of me." Ye Tian sneered in his heart.

Xue Li himself was not a concern; the key was the Ningyuan Realm old man.

If he fought head-on, his chances of winning were not high, unless he used his Martial Dao Will, but this was his only trump card, and he didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, he had not fully mastered it yet, and if he forced its use, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Just as he was thinking of a countermeasure, Xue Li had lost patience and walked with his two attendants to a spot not far behind Ye Tian.

"Hey, the kid in front, stop for this Young Lord!"

Xue Li's arrogant voice rang out, causing the surrounding pedestrians to look over.

Seeing it was the Young Lord of the Blood Blade Sect, many people showed expressions of fear and retreated, immediately clearing a small area.

Ye Tian slowly turned around and looked at Xue Li calmly, "Does Your Excellency have any advice?"

Xue Li looked Ye Tian up and down, his eyes full of disdain, and waving his folding fan, said, "Advice? This Young Lord finds you pleasing to the eye and wants to make a deal with you."

"I've suddenly taken an interest in that Jade Slip you auctioned off at the auction."

"How about this: you bought it for 3,500, and this Young Lord will show mercy and give you 4,000 Spirit Stones; sell it to me, how about that?"

He spoke of a deal, but his tone was clearly that of forcible seizure.

4,000 Spirit Stones, making 500 in a turnaround? This was simply insulting people's intelligence.

Some people around showed indignant expressions, but they dared to be angry but dared not speak.

Ye Tian's anger rose in his heart, but his Face remained calm, "Sorry, not for sale."

Xue Li's Face sank, his folding fan "snapped" shut, and he said sinisterly, "Kid, don't be ungrateful!"

"In this Liuli City, not many people dare to deny this Young Lord Face!"

"If you are sensible, obediently hand over the Jade Slip, take the Spirit Stones, and get lost, otherwise..."

He didn't finish his sentence, and the two Qi Gathering Ninth Stage attendants beside him stepped forward, emitting a compelling Aura.

The Ningyuan Realm old man remained hidden behind the crowd, but his Aura firmly locked onto Ye Tian, preventing him from escaping.

Looking at Xue Li's bullying Face, images of people like Ge Hong and Yan She couldn't help but appear in Ye Tian's mind, and his disgust grew even more.

He coldly said, "At the auction, the highest bidder wins. Since Your Excellency gave up the bidding, and now comes to force a buy and sell, is this how the Blood Blade Sect does business? Or do you think the City Lord's Mansion's laws are just for show?"

He deliberately brought up the City Lord's Mansion, hoping it would make the other party have some scruples.

Sure enough, mentioning the City Lord's Mansion caused a flash of wariness in Xue Li's eyes, but he immediately became even more annoyed.

He didn't expect that this kid who looked like he had no background would be so tough, and even dare to use the City Lord's Mansion to pressure him!

"Sharp-tongued!" Xue Li was furious from embarrassment, "There is nothing that this Young Lord has taken a fancy to that I cannot get! You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

"Elder Zhang, show him some color! Don't kill him, just cripple his cultivation!"

After all, he dared not kill anyone in public, but crippling cultivation, although also a serious crime in Liuli City, could be settled with some cost given the power of the Blood Blade Sect.

The Ningyuan Realm old man called Elder Zhang, upon hearing this, had cold light flashing in his eyes, instantly passing through the crowd, his withered palm carrying a fierce claw wind, aiming straight for Ye Tian's Dantian!

If this claw landed solidly, Ye Tian's cultivation would definitely be crippled!