1045: Chapter 1044 A Bountiful Harvest, Executive Officer Mirak

Morris's expression changed drastically. With a wave of his staff, an ice wall half a meter thick instantly condensed in front of him.

But just as the ice wall took shape, a fist smashed into it from the front.

The ice wall shattered.

Morris was sent flying by the aftershock, crashing through three shelves before barely coming to a stop, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Attack together!"

The Bandaged Freak shouted hoarsely, his hands forming seals as countless bandages shot toward Wu Zhankong like venomous snakes.

The Seductive Woman also struck at the same time, nine energy fox tails lashing out like whips, each containing the power to tear through space.

Wu Zhankong did not dodge or evade.

He took a deep breath, and then—

"Get lost."

A single word was uttered, yet it exploded like a clap of thunder.

A materialized sound wave mixed with dark red energy erupted in all directions. The bandages snapped inch by inch within the sound wave, and the fox tails were shaken into dissipation.

The Bandaged Freak and the Seductive Woman both spat blood and flew backward, crashing against the wall and slumping to the ground.

In just one move, all three guardians were defeated.

Wu Zhankong didn't even look at them, walking straight toward the depths of the storage area.

The collection here truly lived up to the word "precious."

Ten-thousand-year Jade Marrow, Solar Essence Gold, Void Beast Cores, Law Fragments...

Any single item would cause a bloodbath in the outside world. Wu Zhankong showed no restraint, emptying the shelves wherever he passed.

When he reached an independent display stand at the very back, he finally stopped.

There was only one item on the stand.

It was a fist-sized gray crystal with a surface as smooth as a mirror, yet inside, it seemed as if countless galaxies were being born and extinguished.

The crystal floated in mid-air, rotating slowly. Each rotation caused the surrounding space to ripple slightly.

"Space Source Crystal..."

For the first time, a look of genuine surprise appeared in Wu Zhankong's eyes. "To think such a thing would appear in a place like this?"

A Space Source Crystal was the product of highly condensed Space Dao Marks.

It couldn't directly increase one's cultivation, but it allowed one to achieve twice the result with half the effort when comprehending the Law of Space.

To experts above the fifth rank, this was a priceless treasure.

Wu Zhankong reached out to take it.

At the very moment his finger was about to touch the crystal—

The lights in the entire storage area suddenly went out.

A second later, dark red emergency lights flickered on, and a cold voice broadcast through the amplification System across the entire area:

"Theft of core collection detected. Initiating final defense protocol."

"Self-destruct sequence activated. Countdown: sixty seconds."

"Repeat, self-destruct sequence activated. All personnel evacuate immediately."

Wu Zhankong narrowed his eyes.

"Can't afford to lose, huh?"

Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the Space Source Crystal, tucked it into his sleeve, and turned to rush outside.

The countdown continued.

Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven...

By the time he burst through the storage area doors, only forty seconds remained on the countdown.

The corridors were filled with panicking staff and guards fleeing for their lives; some even came to blows over positions in the escape tunnels.

Wu Zhankong ignored them, sensing the changes in the spatial structure to find the most stable evacuation route.

Suddenly, he stopped and looked toward a passage on the left.

At the end of the passage, an unfamiliar and powerful aura was rapidly approaching.

A few seconds later, Qing Li's figure appeared in his line of sight.

The bloodstains on her clothes were glaring, and her aura was incredibly chaotic. It was clear she had paid a significant price to rush here.

The two of them locked eyes.

"It's you!"

Qing Li's expression was extremely ugly. She recognized the person in front of her as the one who had traded Black Abyss to her.

She had known back then that the person before her was special, so it was absolutely impossible to take them down in a short amount of time.

Furthermore, that Black-Robed Leader would definitely be able to break free in a moment, and he certainly wouldn't let things go easily then.

"It's me. But do you want to fight me now?"

Wu Zhankong grinned. Facing the current Qing Li, he felt no fear; instead, he felt an urge to test his strength.

A flash of annoyance crossed Qing Li's eyes, but she knew she had to stop the self-destruct System now, otherwise the entire Dark Star Auction House would be destroyed.

After a brief silence, Qing Li erupted with her full power, tore through space, and left.

After a burst of laughter, Wu Zhankong also quickly departed.

Meanwhile, the slave group currently engaged in a bitter struggle against Grom was in a tragic state. The original group of over two hundred was now down to just a few dozen.

Most of those remaining were also heavily injured, yet everyone had a look of satisfaction on their faces, simply because Grom was also on his last breath.

"You ants, why can't you just obediently wait for death?"

Grom's eyes were filled with rage and killing intent. He hadn't expected to be wounded to this extent by beings he usually regarded as ants.

"Hmph, then why can't you just obediently go and die?"

Thunder Horn couldn't help but roar. He was getting up, intending to deliver the final blow to Grom.

But just as he rose, a rhythmic sound of marching footsteps echoed from the distance.

"Hahahaha, the ones dying are still you ants!"

Grom laughed maniacally, while the expressions of the slave group changed slightly. They all knew this was the reinforcement team from the Dark Star Auction House.

"Hey, you guys leave. Leave this to me!"

"And me!"

"Go toward the back, they won't be able to get through."

Just as despair began to spread, experts from various races stood forward.

"Is that so?"

Suddenly, a playful voice rang out. A gray-haired woman wearing an eyepatch over her left eye and toyed with a section of a bone whip had arrived unnoticed.

"Dammit!"

Now, even Thunder Horn couldn't help but show a look of despair. This person was also one of the three Great Executors, an expert not a single bit weaker than Grom.

Even if everyone present were to self-detonate, they would find it difficult to wound her.

Milak pinched the end of her whip, gently shaking off the droplets of blood and bits of flesh clinging to it.

Behind her, Grom's hideous face, covered in blood and shredded meat, slowly rose up.

Someone asked in a trembling whisper, "Do we... really not even have the chance to self-detonate?"

The sharp whistle of the bone whip piercing the air sounded like a snake's hiss.

Milak didn't even move her feet. A grayish-white whip shadow eerily emerged from the Void Realm, accurately shattering the rock armor a Stone-skinned Slave had just condensed and tearing open most of his chest in the process.

The man only managed half a scream before falling backward, his eyes wide with unwilling resentment.

"Too slow, too crude."

A bored red light seemed to flash beneath Milak's eyepatch. With a slight turn of her wrist, the bone whip retracted like a living thing, coiling around her pale arm as blood droplets slowly slid off the tip.

"The way you struggle is somewhat worth watching. Grom, you were actually reduced to this state by such trash? Truly... embarrassing."

Behind her, Grom panted heavily, the dark red scales on half his face opening and closing slightly, absorbing the bloody mist and fear diffusing through the air.

His damaged body was writhing and repairing itself at a speed visible to the naked eye. Although his aura was still withered, that fierce malevolence was beginning to surge once more.

Grom grinned, revealing teeth stained with blood, and let out a raspy, strange laugh from his throat: "Milak... stop with the sarcasm.

These bugs... their deathbed struggle always has some strength. But now, it's time to end this."