Chapter 121 A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.

card: [Pikachu]

Quality: [Light Purple - 4 Stars]

Category: [Summon/Beast/Element]

Traits:

[Static]: All of Pikachu's attacks have a 30% chance to paralyze the opponent.

[Volt Absorb]: When Pikachu is hit by an Electric-type attack, it takes no damage and instead increases its speed; it possesses a certain resistance to Electric-type attacks.

When an ally dies, a z-crystal automatically condenses within its body.

[Pika-God]: Pikachu is immune to lethal damage once.

Its attacks fluctuate in strength; to unleash its full potential, it must be in a special scenario.

Skills:

[Thunderbolt]:

Pikachu attacks the opponent with a hundred thousand volts of electricity, dealing massive single-target damage.

[Iron Tail]:

Pikachu's tail hardens slightly as a sign of respect, then it slashes at the opponent, dealing damage.

[Quick Attack]:

Pikachu moves with lightning speed, approaching the opponent at high velocity to attack; the faster the speed, the higher the damage.

[Substitute]:

Pikachu consumes spiritual energy to create a Substitute that takes damage, blocking status effects and certain attacks.

[10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt]:

Pikachu consumes a z-crystal to summon wide-range lightning, dealing terrifying damage.

[Bond]: When deployed alongside [Ash], the effect [You're My Number One] can be activated.

"Finally, a proper heavy hitter in the deck."

Gu Ye read through the card information from start to finish, nodding slightly, quite satisfied in his heart.

While Pikachu's traits and skills weren't exactly world-defying, they excelled in being well-rounded with stable output.

After all, the core mission of the deck was to protect Ash at all costs.

Gu Ye gently stroked the edge of the card with his fingertip, feeling the faint energy fluctuations flowing over it. He admired it for a moment with satisfaction, then with a thought, he summoned Pikachu directly.

The void trembled slightly, and a small, golden figure suddenly leaped out.

"Pika~"

A crisp, soft cry rang out in the air.

A golden, chubby little fellow landed on the ground, its two long ears twitching slightly. Its large, bright black eyes tilted curiously as it sized up Gu Ye.

Under the subtle influence of the Heavenly Dao's power, it was born with an indescribable sense of closeness and trust toward Gu Ye.

In the next moment, Pikachu pushed off with its hind legs, its small body leaping lightly into Gu Ye's arms. Its furry little head nuzzled his cheek affectionately, feeling soft and warm.

“Haha...”

Gu Ye's heart softened from the nuzzling, and he couldn't help but chuckle, instinctively raising his hand to give the cute little fellow a good pet.

However, the smile on his face suddenly froze the moment he touched a faint current of electricity.

The [Static] trait had been triggered unintentionally.

“Holy crap!”

A numbing, stinging current instantly swept through his body. Gu Ye stiffened completely, frozen in place as his hair stood on end. It took a good while before he finally recovered.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he saw the red electric pouches on Pikachu's cheeks faintly glowing with blue-white sparks again, as if it might discharge at any moment.

Gu Ye's heart tightened, and he hurriedly lowered his voice, saying:

“Pikachu, rein in your trait! No discharging electricity whenever you feel like it!”

Pikachu blinked its round eyes, seemingly understanding its master's command. It immediately and obediently withdrew all the leaking current, nestling quietly and motionlessly in his arms.

Seeing this, Gu Ye finally relaxed completely. He once again carefully reached out and gently stroked Pikachu's soft, smooth fur.

The master and pet leaned against each other, both wearing comfortable and relaxed expressions. The atmosphere was warm and peaceful.

One day later, Huoyang City, Huoye Auction House.

This grand building, standing in the core area of the city's west side, was normally one of the most eye-catching landmarks in all of Huoyang City.

At this moment, the [plasma solar tower] in the city center had long since switched to night mode. The sky was heavy and the night was as dark as ink; the entire city was gradually sinking into silence.

Inside the Huoye Auction House, however, the lights were brilliant, as bright as day. Every corner was illuminated by dazzling light, and the air was thick with an oppressive and restless atmosphere.

Inside the spacious hall on the first floor, people were jostling about.

Countless Card Masters dressed in various outfits and wearing different masks gathered in small groups, either talking in low voices or watching coldly. Their auras, some strong and some weak, intertwined to form a heart-palpitating torrent of energy.

Deep within everyone's eyes was a hidden, imperceptible vigilance.

Gu Ye stood at the edge of the crowd, calmly looking around.

“Bu Yao, when exactly does the auction start?”

The girl beside him looked up slightly, her voice soft and sweet:

“Soon.”

Gu Ye withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself.

The cultivation levels of the Card Masters present were uneven, ranging from novices who had just crossed the threshold to veterans with unfathomable auras.

It was a mixed bag with hidden currents. He knew very well—how were they supposed to leave after winning the [yang polarity producing yin flower]?

The ancients often said that a gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall.

But in this Huoye Auction House, there seemed to be quite a few 'walls' around.

While Gu Ye and Bu Yao were conversing in low voices...

Deep within the auction house, in the manager's office, several cultists dressed in black robes with cold auras were seated on the sofas.

Despite it being a serious occasion, Song Shi was chewing on a strip of meat made from an unknown source as if no one else were there. He ate carelessly, his mouth greasy, looking completely unrefined.

The other three were long accustomed to this, and not a trace of surprise showed on their faces.

Song Shi slowly chewed the last of the meat strip, tossed the scraps aside, looked up, and grinned.

That mouthful of ink-black teeth looked exceptionally eerie under the lights, making one's skin crawl.

His narrow eyes squinted slightly, and his pupils surged with undisguised greed and cruelty—the most primitive desire for 'food.'

“The array has been fully set up. It will trigger precisely at 2:00 AM.”

His voice was raspy, carrying a sickening delight. “When the time comes, you must leave three fresh young girls for me. If there's even one less, I won't agree.”

Hearing this, the other three simultaneously cast looks of disdain and disgust at him.

They were already extremely repulsed by the notorious Zhu Ren Sect; if not for the fact that the other party offered too much, they wouldn't deign to cooperate with them in this lifetime.

After a moment of silence, one of them spoke coldly: “Fine, I agree.”

He raised his hand to check the time on his wrist; the hands pointed exactly to midnight.

“The hour has arrived. The auction can officially begin.”

The moment the words fell...

On the high platform of the auction house's second floor, a man in formal attire suddenly appeared.

His gaze swept across the room, and he spoke with a voice as loud as a bell that echoed through the entire hall: “Guests, the Huoye Auction officially begins!”

As soon as he finished speaking...

Beams of brilliant teleportation light suddenly rose from the floor, enveloping every Card Master present.

Everyone's expression was calm, as if long accustomed to such procedures, allowing the soft light to wrap around their bodies as they were teleported one by one into their own private booths.

At the same time, the architectural structure of the entire Huoye Auction House shifted rapidly under the pull of a mysterious force.

The modern silhouette of steel and concrete slowly faded, replaced by upturned eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters. It became ancient, elegant, and solemn, as if they had traveled from a futuristic city back to a top-tier auction house of ancient times in an instant.

Gu Ye and Bu Yao were teleported together into a spacious and elegant booth.

His gaze was sharp as he quickly scanned the surroundings—doors, windows, walls, corners—checking them one by one. He found no monitoring arrays or unusual fluctuations; on the surface, everything seemed normal.

Bu Yao, however, appeared more cautious.

She raised a slender finger and took out a blue card shimmering with watery light, flicking it gently.

The card hovered in mid-air, instantly transforming into a screen of light as gentle as water, completely enveloping the two of them and isolating them from the outside world.

“Alright, we can speak freely now without worrying about being overheard or spied upon.”

Just as she finished, the void in front of them trembled slightly, and a semi-transparent light screen slowly emerged.

It clearly listed the names, pictures, and appearance order of all tonight's auction items.

Gu Ye's expression was grave as he browsed through it carefully, line by line, from top to bottom.

When his gaze fell on the tenth item, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he could no longer look away.

[yang polarity producing yin flower].

It was precisely one of the grand finale items he was determined to obtain on this trip.

He took a deep breath, slowly withdrew his gaze, and turned to look at the relaxed Bu Yao beside him. His eyebrows twitched slightly, carrying a hint of doubt and confusion:

“You went through all this trouble to come to an auction secretly controlled by the Evil God Cult... surely it's not really just for fun?”

Bu Yao blinked her clear, clean eyes and nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her tone innocent and frank:

“Yes.”

She answered so openly, her eyes so pure without a trace of ulterior motive.

Gu Ye was momentarily speechless.

That she would track down the leads to an Evil God Cult auction just for amusement left him truly not knowing how to react.