Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

"Everyone, please calm down."

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a peculiar rhythm.

"Now, we will present the final item of this auction."

The lights shifted again, the beams contracting and becoming more concentrated. Two guards, their auras heavy and composed, together lifted a small, black wooden box, barely a foot square, and placed it steadily in the center of the platform. The box appeared ordinary, yet it exuded an ancient and weighty aura.

The old man did not open the wooden box immediately, but instead gently stroked its surface with his aged fingers, as if touching a lost time.

“This object is neither gold nor iron, nor is it a pill.” He spoke slowly, each word extremely deliberate. “It is a piece of jade, a piece of jade that may contain a drop of ‘ancient magical beast blood’.”

Ancient magical beast! Essence blood!

These words exploded in everyone's minds like a thunderclap. Ancient magical beasts—those were legendary, terrifying beings capable of moving mountains and filling seas, dominating the winds and clouds. The power contained in their essence and blood, and the possible legacy information they might leave behind, were far more valuable than ordinary gold coins!

"The origin of this item is also extraordinary," the old man continued, his voice tinged with a hint of wistfulness and reverence.

"The person who commissioned the auction ventured deep into an ancient ruin that had been lost for many years. After countless brushes with death, he finally found this item on the altar at the very heart of the ruin. According to him, all his companions perished in the pursuit of this jade, and only he escaped severely injured, thanks to the secret treasure and immense luck..."

His words shrouded the black wooden box in an even more mysterious and bloody veil. Ruins, altars, near-death experiences… these words combined to paint a dangerous yet alluring picture.

Countless gazes became incredibly fervent, even tinged with bloodthirsty greed. Compared to this, even the previous fifth-grade pills seemed ordinary.

The old man finally placed his hand on the lock of the wooden box, his aged voice clearly echoing throughout every corner of the auction hall:

"The grand finale—a jade stone containing the essence of an ancient magical beast—will now begin bidding."

In an instant, a storm is brewing.

"Nine hundred thousand!"

A loud shout opened the curtain, and in an instant, the sounds of bidding rose and fell, like boiling water churning and steaming in the vast auction hall.

"Nine hundred thousand, plus a third-grade pill!"

"One million two hundred thousand! Plus a fourth-grade pill."

"One million three hundred thousand, plus two fifth-grade pills!"

……

In just a few breaths, the price soared to an astonishing high.

The crowd below the stage blushed and their eyes burned with fervor, all driven mad by the legend of the faint "blood essence of an ancient magical beast" within that ancient jade box.

In the VIP box high above, Su Baichen looked down at the commotion, a slight smile playing on his lips. He shook his head, about to turn to Cai Lin beside him and say something.

“Cai Lin, look at this…”

But his words came to an abrupt halt.

Su Baichen saw that Cai Lin and Cai Die had both stopped what they were doing.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

The sisters, Cai Lin and Cai Die, were both completely different from their usual selves.

Cai Lin's brows furrowed, her bewitching purple eyes fixed on the jade box below the stage, a dark light flickering in her eyes, as if ancient runes were faintly emerging.

Cai Die unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes with both hands, her breathing becoming slightly rapid.

“Bai Chen!” Cai Lin’s voice carried a rare hint of solemnity and surprise.

"The contents of that jade box... are probably real. My bloodline is resonating with it; it's the aura of the ancient bloodline of the snake clan, but it's not the Eight-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python of my lineage."

Butterfly nodded immediately, her voice trembling with excitement: "Just now, when it was brought to the stage, it felt like all the blood in my body was on fire! Sister, that feeling..."

Cai Lin took a deep breath, recalling a clan secret: "I once saw a record of this in a fragment of our clan's ancient texts. It is said that the bloodline of my Medusa clan has two ultimate evolutionary paths. One is like me, undergoing tribulation fire to transform into a seven-colored Sky-Devouring Python. The other path..."

She paused, a look of confusion and searching crossing her eyes: "The records are vague, and the methods of evolution are almost completely incomplete, practically legendary. But right now, both Cai Die and I are experiencing such a strong connection, and we can be certain that we are not from the Devouring Python lineage... So, the only possibility is that legendary second bloodline!"

A glint flashed in Su Baichen's eyes. He gently stroked his chin with his fingertips, his thoughts quickly becoming clear: "If we can obtain this drop of essence blood and let Cai Die refine it directly, or if I supplement it with other spiritual herbs to refine it into a gentler yet more potent bloodline pill... would we have a chance to open the legendary path of evolution for Cai Die?"

“Theoretically speaking… it is indeed possible.” Cai Lin’s tone was still uncertain, but the hidden hope had already been ignited.

"Brother-in-law!"

Cai Die suddenly turned her head and grabbed Su Baichen's sleeve.

She tilted her small face up, her eyes slightly red and filled with excited tears. Her gaze was full of longing for power and fervent anticipation of changing her own destiny.

Over the years, having witnessed my sister's rapid and ever-growing power after her evolution, the deep-seated envy and anxiety I felt no longer needed to be concealed.

“I want…” Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

Su Baichen's heart softened, then he was filled with a sense of pride. He raised his hand and ruffled Cai Die's hair, his smile warm and resolute.

"it is good."

He turned to face the auction stage, his voice not loud, yet it pierced through all the noise with a peculiar rhythm, resounding clearly throughout the hall, carrying a hint of confident composure:

"Three Grade 6 pills—the Imperial Supreme Pill."

Chapter 168 The Shock of the Elixir; Undercurrents Flow

Inside the auction hall, the air seemed to freeze for three breaths.

"Royal Extreme Pills? Three of them?!"

Someone gasped first, and then the entire venue erupted in a frenzy.

A top-grade sixth-rank pill, capable of directly boosting a Dou Huang expert's strength by one to two stars, would cause a bloodbath if even one of them appeared in a place like the Black Corner Region, let alone three.

In the VIP section, several Dou Wang powerhouses swallowed hard, their eyes flashing with greed, but they quickly suppressed it with reason.

They stared intently at the private room on the third floor, which was always draped in black gauze, as if trying to see through that barrier to see who was inside.

“Insane…utterly insane!” muttered an old man with a full head of red hair, his bidding paddle soaked with sweat. “For a worthless piece of rock that might be worthless…”

The gray-robed man beside him whispered, "Elder Chi, should we follow him again? I still have a high-level Xuan-rank cultivation technique on me..."

"Follow?" The red-haired old man shook his head with a wry smile. "Look around you."

The gray-robed man looked around and saw that the several VIP rooms that had been bustling with activity had fallen silent. Those figures who had once dominated the Black Corner Region dared not raise their placards anymore.

The reason is obvious.

First, the value of the three Imperial Pills far exceeds what most people present can afford. Even for top-tier forces in the Black Corner Region, it would be a painful process to offer something of equal value.

Secondly, would one risk everything for a piece of jade that "might" contain the essence of an ancient magical beast? This is not gambling, it's utter foolishness. Everyone vividly remembers those precedents where something sensational was ultimately turned out to be an empty stone.

Third, and most importantly—the person who can casually toss out three Imperial Pills must have an incredibly powerful background and immense strength. The old foxes who have been lurking in the Black Corner Region for years are masters of assessing situations and making judgments.

After the auctioneer asked three questions, the gavel fell heavily.

"make a deal!"

The sound of the gavel seemed to strike the hearts of everyone present. Countless gazes followed the waiter as he carried the jade platter containing the jade stones towards the third-floor private room, their expressions a mixture of envy, jealousy, and, above all, deep apprehension.

After the auction ended, a flood of people poured out of the Black Seal Auction House. Su Baichen and his group, however, were in no hurry and were the last to leave through the VIP passage.

Cai Lin wore a purple dress and a light veil, but her bright and sparkling eyes still attracted the attention of passersby.

Butterfly, on the other hand, was much more lively. Holding her sister's hand, she curiously observed the evening street scene of Black Seal City.

"Brother-in-law, are we really not in a hurry to leave?" Cai Die blinked.

"The way those people looked at us in the auction just now wasn't very friendly."

Su Baichen smiled slightly, a barely perceptible golden glint flashing in his eyes: "What's the rush? We need to give those 'interested parties' some time to prepare."

As soon as they finished speaking, the group turned into a relatively quiet alley.

Sure enough, in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, both the front and back alleys were blocked.

"Oh, so you followed me out." Butterfly wasn't afraid at all; instead, she rubbed her hands together excitedly.

Leading the group was a one-eyed, burly man with three hideous scars across his face; his aura clearly indicated he was a five-star Dou Wang. Behind him followed seven or eight Dou Ling-level henchmen, each with a fierce look in their eyes.

"Young man in front, if you know what's good for you, hand over all your money." The one-eyed burly man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"And these beauties... Come with me, and I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury."

A tall, thin man next to him added, "Boss, that kid must have the jade he bought on him too!"

"Did you hear that?" The one-eyed burly man brandished his ghost-head knife.

"Leave your belongings and your people, and we'll spare you..."

Before he could finish speaking...

Cai Lin didn't even raise her eyes; she simply raised her jade hand slightly and then pressed it down.

"boom!"

A terrifying, invisible force descended from the sky. Before the one-eyed strongman could even scream, he was slammed into the bluestone ground, leaving only a human-shaped crater and splattered flesh and blood.

Before the other henchmen could react, Butterfly chuckled and reached out with her hand to grab at the air—

Seven or eight storage rings flew into her palm as if drawn by a force.

"How boring, I couldn't even withstand a single move." Butterfly pouted as she counted her spoils.

"This harvest is so-so, only a few hundred thousand gold coins, and the medicinal herbs are also ordinary... Hmm, there is a 'Blood Spirit Ginseng' in this ring, which is barely acceptable."

Su Baichen shook his head helplessly: "This is the sixth wave already. The people of the Black Corner Region really aren't afraid of death."

"Sister is getting annoyed." Cai Die smiled and put away the storage ring.

"But I'd like more waves, wouldn't that be faster than treasure hunting?"

Cai Lin snorted lightly, a hint of impatience flashing in her purple eyes: "They're all small fry, not even a decent opponent."

"Alright." Su Baichen suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over the eaves of a tall building a hundred feet away.

"Those who were supposed to come have come, and those who weren't supposed to come... we've seen enough. Let's go."

He reached out and made a light gesture in front of him.

The space was neatly torn apart like a piece of cloth, revealing a pitch-black crack, within which shimmering, colorful spatial turbulence could be faintly seen.

Su Baichen stepped in first, followed closely by Cai Lin and the others. The crack quickly closed, and the five of them vanished without a trace, as if they had never been there at all.

Only a few corpses and a deep, human-shaped pit remained in the alley, bearing witness to the brief but brutal confrontation that had just taken place.

A hundred feet away, on the highest point of the Black Seal Auction House, the Star Gazing Pavilion.