255: Chapter 256 Divine Calamity Descends: Who Supports and Who Opposes?

"Death wish!"

The security captain let out a furious roar and was the first to act.

The specially crafted alloy longsword at his waist was unsheathed, its blade coated with the armor-piercing Qi of a Second Transition "Thunder Blade Warrior," creating a flash of lightning as it swung directly toward Lin Qi's neck.

He intended to defend the rules of the Black Gold Auction in the most direct way possible.

The three bodyguards behind him struck simultaneously, sealing off his retreat from three directions; a binding electric net and two poisoned daggers formed a web of certain death.

However, the next scene shattered the perceptions of everyone present.

That lightning-wreathed longsword stopped when it was still a foot away from Lin Qi's neck.

From the tip onward, the front half of the blade decomposed into basic particles, inch by inch, dissipating into the air without a sound.

The captain felt his hand grow light, and looking down, he saw that the enchanted weapon worth tens of millions was now just a half-hilt.

The Qi he had unleashed met the same fate; it vanished into thin air without even creating a ripple.

The results for the other three were exactly the same.

The binding electric net, capable of trapping a Third-Rank Demonic Beast, had all its arcs extinguished the moment it entered the one-meter radius around Lin Qi; the net's resilience dropped to zero, and it fell to the ground as a pile of scrap metal wires.

The two poisoned daggers couldn't even touch the hem of Lin Qi's clothes; they began to decompose from the tips, suffering the same fate as the captain's longsword.

Four Peak Second Transition powerhouses struck together, yet they hadn't even broken the opponent's defense, and all their weapons were ruined.

The entire process was silent.

No explosions, no clash of energies.

Only an absurdity that seeped from the marrow of one's bones.

From start to finish, Lin Qi didn't even flutter an eyelid; he stood right there, acting as if the whole matter had nothing to do with him.

The auction hall was instantly in chaos.

"What kind of ability is that? Spatial? No, there's no spatial fluctuation!"

"Disintegration Spell? Doesn't look like it, that's not magic at all!"

"How did the weapons disappear? How exactly did they disappear?"

Guests stood up one after another, their faces filled with incomprehensible confusion.

Such methods were beyond the knowledge of everyone present.

This wasn't a fight.

This was erasure.

"Warning! Unknown Law erosion detected, threat level: Divine Calamity!"

"All combat units, retreat immediately! Repeat, retreat immediately!"

The supervisor's voice, now distorted, came through the bodyguards' earpieces.

Divine Calamity.

The ceiling of internal threat levels at the Black Gold Auction, meaning a "Divine-Grade" anomaly that could overturn physical rules and render conventional force completely ineffective had appeared.

Since the auction was established over a hundred years ago, this level had never been activated.

Today, it was activated for a young man.

Lin Qi ignored the bodyguards who were stunned in place and reached out to touch the sealed crystal case.

"Hum..."

Without using much force, the surface of the crystal case, which could withstand a direct missile hit, cracked wildly and shattered into a pile of powder with a "clatter."

That fair, slender hand reached in and took the still-spinning compass.

Once the compass was in his hand, a surge of chaotic "information" flooded his brain.

Rejection, correction, erasure...

A massive amount of cold, rigid instructions representing the Laws of the World rampaged inside the compass.

Lin Qi's brows twitched.

Maintaining "My Body is the World" while contacting the core component of this Law attack doubled the consumption of his willpower.

Need to be quick.

He turned around with the compass, facing the hundreds of gazes in the hall.

His gaze swept over the boxes that had been silent before and were even quieter now.

Then he raised the compass in his hand; his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every corner of the venue.

"I'm taking this thing. Who approves, who opposes?"

Arrogant to the extreme.

Domineering to the extreme.

The entire venue was silent.

Approve? Who would dare say so?

Oppose? The top-tier security team's weapons automatically decomposed in front of him; whoever went up would disappear.

Everyone was nailed to their seats by this display.

Zhang Wei, in the back row, stared at the young man holding the compass and scanning the hall under the spotlight; a rush of adrenaline surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

So fucking cool!

This show of dominance, he'd give it ten thousand points!

However, there were always those who didn't believe in evil, or perhaps those driven to a dead end.

"Arrogant!"

An angry shout came from the box that had bid 50 billion.

Before the words had even faded, a pitch-black beam as thick as a bowl shot out from the box's window, ignoring distance, and blasted directly at Lin Qi's face!

"Annihilation Ray! A forbidden Spell from a top-tier Third-Turn Dark Mage!" someone screamed in shock.

This strike was enough to level a small hill.

Lin Qi stood still.

He didn't even lower the hand holding the compass.

The moment the black beam, capable of annihilating all things, hit the invisible barrier in front of him, the entire beam was stretched, twisted, and then quickly vanished completely.

From appearance to disappearance, it took less than half a second.

A muffled groan came from the box that had attacked; the caster had suffered a backlash.

With this, the last bit of luck in the hall was gone.

Even a forbidden Spell could be swallowed; this was already beyond the scope of what humans could counter.

"Anyone else?"

Lin Qi's voice spread again, his tone calm and flat.

No one made a sound.

The box that had attacked also fell completely silent.

In the highest control room of the venue.

A figure, always hidden in the shadows, stared at the young man on the monitor screen and remained silent for a long time.

The aide beside him said with a trembling voice, "Supervisor, are we just going to let him take it? If word gets out, the reputation of the Black Gold Auction..."

"Reputation?" The figure addressed as the supervisor sneered, "Is reputation worth more than life?"

He pressed the communicator.

"All units pay attention, tonight's auction item 'Ancient Era Compass' has been won by this gentleman, price 50 billion, charge it to the account of the box that just attacked."

"The auction continues."

This decision was ruthless and efficient.

Give the item to Lin Qi, put the bill on the troublemaker, and let them shoulder the 50 billion deficit and Lin Qi's anger.

Sacrificing a Fellow Daoist rather than oneself; it was played to perfection.

Lin Qi heard the handling result over the broadcast and his mouth twitched.

Smart of them.

He had no interest in killing anyone here; his goal was already in hand.

He turned and walked toward the exit, with the entire hall's gaze following him, but no one dared to block his way.

Zhang Wei had long since reacted; he scrambled to the exit, pulled open the heavy door, and waited, bowing and scraping.

Just as Lin Qi was about to step out the door and this storm seemed to be ending, the terminal in his pocket vibrated.

A call from Instructor Su Qing.

He pressed answer, and Instructor Su Qing's cold and urgent voice immediately came through.

"I found it!"

"The second item, the 'skull of the old god', is not at the Tianhai City Museum."

"It was stolen a week ago!"