Chapter 60 Encountering a kind stranger who gives beast fire, entering the Black Seal Auction House

"The Black Seal Auction House likes to prey on others; we'll just rob them instead. Any problem with that?"

"Outsmart the strong, steamroll the weak..."

As if the scene were repeating itself, Hai Bodong recalled the unbridled and vast aura Gu He displayed when he took the top spot during their first meeting.

Hai Bodong let out a sigh.

Thinking back to those years, he also possessed such a soaring heroic spirit!

"Fine! This old man will accompany you to the end! We'll steamroll the Black Seal Auction House!"

Hai Bodong's eyes flickered. In the end, his Mittel Family would be the one to benefit. Gu He really is...

Sigh!

Gu He truly treats him, Hai Bodong, as a brother!

Hai Bodong was filled with emotion.

Amidst the lingering aroma of wine, Gu He removed the protective shield, and Hai Bodong called a maid to bring some small dishes.

Wine-marinated balls, glutinous rice lotus root, stir-fried shredded pork with winter bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms... paired with the wine, it was mouth-watering.

Gu He and Hai Bodong toasted and drank together until they were tipsy.

...

Time passed quickly.

Gu He, Hai Bodong, Yun Shan, and Yun Yun—the experts gathered and set off together for Black Seal City in the Black-Corner Region.

On the way, they encountered a black storm.

It was a minor storm; the group walked through it as if they were on level ground.

Suddenly, Gu He noticed a flash of red light appear before his eyes.

The eerie red glow formed a floating human figure.

This figure in the Void Realm actually possessed the aura of a Dou Ling.

Gu He signaled the others to hide their auras and observed.

"Jie jie!"

The bone-chilling laughter that was so familiar to Gu He rang out.

Black chains shot out from the darkness, winding around the red Soul body as flexibly as black snakes.

Seeing this, Gu He sighed inwardly. What kind of luck was this!

He actually happened upon a Soul Hall Protector hunting a Soul!

"Sizzle."

White smoke slowly rose from the red shadow, much like oil smoke from cooking.

"Jie jie, no matter how glorious and powerful you were in life! Once you become a Soul body, you are a hunting target for my Hall of Souls, jie jie jie!"

The voice was as grating as a broken bellows being sawed.

Meanwhile, Gu He had already summoned his Crimson Sky Sword and gave the others a look.

He was the first to manifest Dou Qi Wings and flew upward.

"Sword Art, Void Breaking Slash!"

Sharp Sword Intent wrapped in green flames slashed directly at the source of the chains. Dou Qi exploded.

"Ah!"

The chains in the Void Realm were suddenly retracted.

A hideous face with a blackened complexion appeared. He wore a black robe and waved his sleeve, instantly melting the ice Hai Bodong had solidified under his feet.

Clutching the sword wound on his chest with one hand, he stared at Gu He, who was holding his sword, with a look of disbelief.

"When did a character like you appear in the Black-Corner Region... impossible!"

He had the cultivation of a Dou Zong; he could kill a Dou Ling with a snap of his fingers, and Dou Huang Moves were like mere tickles to him. Only the man before him was someone he couldn't see through at all!

Gu He smiled slightly and said nothing. He glanced at the red Soul that was still frantically trying to escape under the watch of Yun Shan and Yun Yun. He activated Plundering Wood toward the Soul, and it instantly quieted down.

"Ugh...!"

The black-robed Protector looked at the red Soul with some confusion. He hadn't done anything yet; why was it screaming?

He hadn't even had time to absorb the Soul yet!

Facing Gu He, who had interrupted his business, the Protector gave a "jie jie" laugh, and countless streaks of black mist surged toward Gu He.

After Gu He used the wood-attribute plundering Dou Technique, he only felt—

Refreshed!

He quickly raised his sword, without any fancy tricks.

With just one slash, the black mist was broken apart.

The green flames instantly transformed into a vivid sea of fire, engulfing the black-robed Protector.

The surrounding environment was already dark due to the black storm.

In that instant, in the vast open space, only a giant green cocoon could be seen, turning into ash in the wind.

Yun Shan watched this and stepped forward with a sigh. "I thought I could lend a hand... This Peak Dou Huang of mine is nothing in front of you, Gu He..."

Even he wouldn't dare claim he could kill a Dou Zong in one hit, yet Gu He turned him to ash while laughing and chatting. Just like the Protector who tried to use him before, this one was also dealt with by Gu He.

After Gu He carefully crushed the Protector's Soul, he finally spoke.

"Elder Yun, we're all family here."

Elder Yun nodded without thinking too much.

Beside them, the icy expression on Yun Yun's elegant face had already melted, and she lowered her head, her cheeks blushing.

That damn Gu He!

Who's family with you~

You... haven't even married me yet.

The red Soul, confined to the ground by Yun Shan, shouted with forced strength,

"Who exactly are you people?!"

Although these people seemed to have saved him, Gu He's nearly overwhelming power against the Soul Hall Protector filled him with deep fear.

After shouting, he prepared to summon his Beast Fire to protect himself—

"Where is my flame?!"

Gu He, looking down at the red Soul, twitched the corner of his mouth.

Sorry, your Beast Fire is with me.

As soon as he saw this Soul body, he felt a strong Soul perception, so he quickly cast the Plundering Wood Dou Technique.

Who knew that because the Soul body was fragile and its defenses were low, Plundering Wood directly transferred the flame to Gu He!

This flame was entirely red, somewhat similar to the red fire Xiao Yan obtained, but it was called Vermilion Fire.

Its rank among Beast Fires should be middling. After the Myriad Fire Art automatically absorbed and refined it, his cultivation and technique didn't change at all, except that his Soul strength became a bit more condensed.

Perhaps he still needed Heavenly Flames to upgrade his Cultivation Technique!

"Should I send you on your way, or will you be more dignified and leave on your own?" Gu He ignited his Green Lotus Core Flame and asked calmly.

The red Soul was startled: "You... you actually have a Heavenly Flame?!"

He gave a bitter laugh, "Dying at your hands is not a loss."

As a fellow Alchemist, he could feel the difference between the flame in Gu He's hand and the Beast Fire he once possessed.

They were worlds apart!

It was just a pity he couldn't take his Vermilion Fire with him and die with the dignity of an Alchemist.

The Soul looked resentfully at the Protector who had already turned to ash; in his mind, it must have been the Protector who stole his Vermilion Fire.

"Send me on my way."

"At least I didn't die at the hands of that Hall of Souls..."

"Alright."

The red Soul only felt a gust of wind blow past, a slight itch in his body, and then he instantly lost consciousness.

A painless death... how nice.

That was his last thought before dying.

...

After handling this matter, the four continued their journey.

In front of the Black Seal Auction House.

Gu He straightened his exclusive robe as a Sixth-Rank Alchemist.

He also had a Seventh-Rank Alchemist's robe. If he didn't want to deal with the people from the Eight Gates and listen to their flattery, he would have changed into it.

After all, when he went to the Alchemist Association to collect his robe, Fama's face was flushed and his old eyes were tearful. He almost knelt down to Gu He to offer his position. Even as Gu He tried to leave, Fama held onto him and said,

"Gu He, stay. You are more suited to be the president. You must take this position!"

Gu He didn't like dealing with the trivial matters of the Alchemist Association, so he naturally refused.

Fama immediately cried like a child.

Fortunately, there were no outsiders at the time, otherwise his reputation as the association president would have been ruined.

His thoughts returned to the present.

"I'm going in. Everything goes according to plan."

Everyone nodded.

Gu He strode toward the luxuriously decorated auction house.

His plan was simple—no "courtesy before force" nonsense, but rather...

Striking straight at the heart!

As long as he succeeded, it would be equivalent to having a base for himself in the Black-Corner Region.

With Mittel as his eyes and the Cloud Mist Sect as his hands, why worry about not being able to show off?

...