Gu Sha's meaning was clear: you are just a waste, relying only on pills to forcibly enhance your strength.

  "Bastard! How dare you act santly on my turf? Believe it or not, I'll cripple you!" Liao Qingfeng, having never suffered such humiliation, stepped forward, ready to strike.

  Gu Sha's lips curled into a cold smile. "Cripple me? Just you?"

  As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a bck mist shot out from his sleeve, heading straight for Liao Qingfeng's face.

  Liao Qingfeng's face turned pale instantly, aaggered back. Xue Wuqing snorted coldly, waved his palm in the air, and a powerful surge of True Qi bsted out, shattering the bck mist. The residual force tinued, striking tu Sha's face.

  An old man with a hooked ood in front of Gu Sha, his withered hands reag out to disperse the force.

  Yet, his hands didn't stop there, like a venomous shey struck towards Xue Wuqing's chest with lightning speed.

  "Hmph!" Xue Wuqing swung his palm, and the two palms collided, causing a thunderous explosion. True Qi scattered, and everyoreated to the side, silent as cicadas in winter.

  After the strike, the old man with the hooked reated calmly to stand befu Sha.

  Xue Wuqing looked at his own palm, notig a trace of bck mark in the ter, cold and bone-chilling, causing his expression to ge.

  "Vulture, I didn't expect your Yin Sha Palm to reach such a level!" Xue Wuqing said coldly.

  "You're not bad either. If my Yin Sha Palm hadn't reached perfe, I'm afraid no one below the Innate level could handle you," the old man with the hooked nose replied.

  Xue Wuqing's face was grim. Among the four major sects, the Hidden Poiso and the Fire Cloud Sect were the closest, stantly at odds over the years. As the top expert below the Innate level in the Fire Cloud Sect, Xue Wuqing had faced the Vulture tless times, always ending in a draw, leaviher sect able to overpower the other.

  Now, having suffered a hidden loss in just one enter, if he couldn't defeat the Vulture, the Fire Cloud Sect would be pletely suppressed by the Hidden Poiso. After all, the sect leaders on both sides couldn't easily make a move, leaving the elders to pete.

  Of course, Xue Wuqing was fident that if he used all his means, he wouldn't necessarily fear him.

  "Young Master Liao, I hope ime we meet, you'll still have someoo protect you," Gu Sha sneered, walking proudly towards the au house.

  "Fatty Xue, I heard your daughter was killed by a snake demon. Truly heartbreaking!" The Vulture didn't fet to mock Xue Wuqing before leaving.

  Watg the two leave, Liao Qingfeng was flushed with ay. Even Xue Wuqing couldn't do anything to these two, making revenge seem hopeless today.

  "Uncle Xue, these two are tant. Why don't we set up a trap in Fire Cloud City and kill them..."

  "Shut up!" Xue Wuqing snapped.

  "Yes!" Liao Qingfeng lowered his head.

  Xue Wuqing shook his head helplessly, feeling a sense of disappoi.

  Xiao Long arrived at the Qianlong Au House, where the guards at the entraopped him. "Please show your invitation."

  Xiao Long took out the purple-gold token given to him by Wan Jianfeng. The guard g it, his eyes nearly popping out. A seemingly ordinary first-level Qi densing Realm cultivator actually had the highest-grade purple-gold token.

  "Sir... please wait a moment." The guard hurried inside, and soon, a young aiful figure emerged with a smile—Su Ya.

  Upon seeing Huang Mao, Su Ya quickly bowed deeply. "Lord Xiao!"

  "Take me to the au house," Huang Mao nodded indifferently.

  Su Ya dared not dey, leading Huang Mao to the most luxurious room at the top of the au house. Sus were usually reserved for the four major sects. The value of a third-grade alchemist was han that of the sect leaders, naturally deserving the highest treatment.

  Moreover, Su Ya's life was still in his hands.

  The room was equipped with an array to shield spiritual sense, with a wooden table full of exquisite fruits and three petite maids standing by the wall, wearing only thin gauze-like garments, revealing rge areas of soft, white skin.

  "Lord Xiao, I shall take my leave," Su Ya bowed.

  Huang Mao took out a Soul-Reviving Pill and tossed it over.

  "Add this to today's au," Huang Mao said casually.

  Su Ya g the pill, reizing it as a third-grade Soul-Reviving Pill, and carefully pced it in a jade bottle.

  "Yes, Lord Xiao!" After receiving the Soul-Reviving Pill, Su Ya left.

  A barely noticeable cold smile appeared on Xiao Long's lips.

  Currently, the one who most urgently he Soul-Reviving Pill was Liao Huoyun. He believed the Fire Cloud Sect wouldn't disappoint him.

  Huang Mao g the three maids by the wall. Their faces were flushed, f smiles, but their eyes betrayed undeniable panic.

  "Leave," Huang Mao waved his hand dismissively.

  "President Wan instructed us to stay and serve you," the three said in unison.

  "Get out!" Huang Mao raised his voice, speaking with anger.

  The three maids trembled, responding with a "Yes," ahe room with their heads down.

  Xiao Long crawled out from Huang Mao's sleeve and begaing up an array. Huang Mao y on the chair, grabbing a spirit fruit and tossing it into his mouth, chewing slowly.

  "I really don't uand what these humans are thinking, bringing out such ugly women," Huang Mao muttered, shaking his head at humahetics.

  "Wao catch a couple of monkeys for you?" Xiao Long teased.

  Huang Mao's eyes lit up, nodding eagerly. "Yes! But make sure they have big butts, big butts bear more!"

  Xiao Long had nothing to say about Huang Mao's aesthetic preferences, giving him a look that said, "You're something else."

  Xiao Long circled the room, adding another shielding array inside, ensuring even an Innate Expert couldn't see through the ses within.

  The au house was rge, with over a thousand ordinary seats, all filled at the moment. Most attendees were at the Qi densing Realm, indig they were people of substance.

  After a few inse sticks' time, the au officially began.

  The aueer was Su Ya, apanied by an old man in a purple-gold robe. The old man was frail but had a vigorous spirit, his eyes gleaming with energy. Judging by his aura, he had reached the ninth level of the Qi densing Realm, making him a top expert in Fire Cloud City.

  "Thank you all for ing from afar to attend this annual Fire Cloud Au. Our Qianlong Bank is honored. On behalf of the bank, I, Li, express my gratitude!"

  The old man on the tral ptform cupped his fists towards the audience, bowing respectfully.

  "Old Wei, you're too kind!"

  "Old Wei, no need for such courtesy!"

  The crowd returhe gesture, exging pleasantries.

  The old man, named Li Wei, was the chief aueer of the Qianlong Bank's Fire Cloud branch. Small aus were usually hosted by Su Ya, but he personally hahe rge ones, earning a bit of fame iianfeng Kingdom.

  "Haha! I won't say more unnecessary words. Let's get straight to the point. Here is the first au item!"

  Su Ya brought out a box from the backstage, which Li Wei received and opeo show the crowd.

  A tangible Spiritual Qi emanated from the box, f a faint spiritual mist, instantly enrig the air with Spiritual Qi, even from a distance.

  The crowd's eyes burned with desire, all staring ily at the box in Li Wei's hands.

  Ihe box were three crystal-clear spirit stones, ealy half the size of a fist, yet the Spiritual Qi they tained surpassed tens of thousands of middle-grade spirit stones.

  "These are... supreme-grade spirit stones!"

  kant34810