Chapter 15 Devious Iguanas

If Ye Que was at the scene, he would surely recognize the oddly-shaped river monster. It was obviously an iguana from the Demon World. It shouldn't appear in the waters of Luo River at all.

The Devious Iguana was an amphibious demonic beast that could swim speedily in water and run like the wind on land. An adult Devious Iguana could prevail over three hungry tigers in a fight. Devious Iguanas lived in groups and any group with three in it could fight a pack of wolves. Even a Pre-celestial Realm expert would have to avoid a group of ten Devious Iguanas.

Without giving Dao Shisi the chance to react, the Devious Iguana in the water opened its mouth and bit his foot the instant it came close. It exerted strength and pulled him underwater.

"Who is it?!"

Dao Shisi immediately recovered his senses after feeling a piercing pain in the sole of his foot. He focused all of his internal strength on the bottom of his feet and escaped out of the bite of the Devious Iguana with a burst of power. Having just entered the Pre-celestial Realm last month, his internal strength had yet to convert into True Energy. However, he was nonetheless an expert and escaping the grip of the Devious Iguana wasn't a challenge for him. He also finally got a good look at the scene before him.

In the somewhat murky river waters, Dao Shisian's vision was filled with malevolent-looking demonic beasts that were Devious Iguanas. With a sweep of his gaze, he could count at least ten of them. The barely distinguishable beasts surrounded him so tightly that he saw no way out. Moreover, each of them was an adult Devious Iguana nearly two meters long.

Dao Shisi took a sharp intake of breath. "What monster is this? How could there be so many of them?!"

Right then, a trace of blood was flowing from the wound on his ankle. Following the water current, the blood swiftly spread out in the river.

The blood stimulated the Devious Iguanas so much that they became agitated in a flash. They alternated between opening and closing their gigantic mouths, making sounds akin to the muffled cries of a bull.

Dao Shisi showed no hesitation. Without even bothering to reach the surface for a breath of air, he instantly unsheathed the Bloody Saber strapped to his back. He knew that there weren't many opportunities for him to escape with his life. The slightest mistake could mean his death. "Junior Sister, please bless me so that I can get out of this place alive."

"A slash of downwind cuts down mountains and rivers!"

While Dao Shisi was trying his utmost to save his life, Qian Shuxiao was auctioning on the dragon ship ten miles away and was crying "490,000 taels of silver!" in order to obtain the Firebird's Nest.

This time, Ye Yunhai was able to guess Qian Shuxiao's intention. He kept raising the price, forcing Qian Shuxiao to name a price five times the starting price of the item. However, it didn't seem to bother the latter at all. For as long as Ye Yunhai dared to raise the bid, he dared to play along. In his opinion, he would never a falter before a problem that could be solved by throwing money at it.

"Young Master Qian is offering 490,000 tales of silver. Is there anyone who will offer a higher price?" Bai Yu looked at the guests present with a bright smile. Being a member of the Mortal World Pavilion, she naturally hoped that the price would rise as high as possible. Of course, she wouldn't stop the guests from fighting over an item. The fiercer the fight, the happier she was.

It was to the point that Bai Yu would sometimes fan the flames. For instance, when she was asking if there was any guest who would like to offer a higher price, she would purposefully glance at Ye Yunhai. Her meaning was evident: "Are you still fighting?"

This time, Ye Yunhai didn't pay Lin Mei'er's dissuasion any mind. He was determined to teach Qian Shuxiao a lesson. "You want this item so badly that you refuse to let go, yes? Fine, then. Just cough up as much money as you have. Show me how much you're willing to pay. Isn't your family famous for having coffers that rivals that of a city? I don't believe it!"

"500,000 taels," Ye Yunhai yelled while giving Qian Shuxiao a provoking look.

As if he knew Ye Yunhai wouldn't give up, Qian Shuxiao didn't appear angered. He turned his head to look at Ye Yunhai. "Young Master Ye, you sure are interesting to buy this bow for 500,000 taels. May I ask if you know how to use it? Or perhaps you already know the Taoist technique to open this Firebird's Nest?"

"You don't have to worry about that for me. I like this bow and it's priceless. I'm willing to pay for it."

"It's priceless and you're willing to pay for it? But that depends on whether you can afford it! Miss Bai Yu, I request that his deposit registration at the Mortal World Pavilion be inspected. Does he still have 500,000 taels left after deducting the money for all the items he won earlier? If the answer is no, then he's bidding maliciously. I can request that his bidding right for this item to be withdrawn." Qian Shuxiao saluted Bai Yu and then hinted at the green-clothed person next to her.

Qian Shuxiao had a rough idea of how much money a Young Master of the General's Manor possessed. Moreover, the largest bank in Luoyang City belonged to his family. Ye Yunhai had already bought seven or eight items today. How could he cough up another 500,000 taels of silver? Qian Shuxiao wasn't afraid of spending money but he also wasn't a fool.

A short moment later, a gray-clothed young servant discreetly approached Ye Yunhai. "Young Master Ye, the sum registered under your name is insufficient to pay for this item. The green-clothed person, Lord Leng, told me to pass on a message to you: Stop while you're ahead."

Simultaneously, a gray-clothed servant also walked to Qian Shuxiao. "Young Master Qian, a person of great moral stature doesn't remember the offenses committed by someone with a low moral stature. Please make another bid and consider it as a favor to the Mortal World Pavilion. We'll adjust the price later and return the difference."

Qian Shuxiao took note of Ye Yunhai's expression before looking at the green-clothed man who remained quiet all along. Right then, he knew that the Firebird's Nest was his. He had no plans of kicking Ye Yunhai while he was down. After all, when it came to business, amiability was what ushered wealth in and facilitated networking.

"500,001 taels," Qian Shuxiao yelled with his hand raised.

As expected, Bai Yu swiftly declared him the owner of the Firebird's Nest. Moreover, she even personally delivered the bow to him.

Qian Shuxiao had just accepted the Firebird's Nest when he heard Ye Que exhaled a drawn-out breath.

"Ka!"

A sharp and clear sound.

The sword case containing the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords opened with a creak.

"Done." Ye Que clapped his hands and then immediately closed the lid of the case.

Even so, tens of people inside the hall turned to look at Ye Que in unison.

Ordinary people, even Qian Shuxiao who sat so close to Ye Que, might not notice at all. However, cultivators, even a Rank 2 martial artist like Lin Mei'er, had noticed a burst of enormous Sword Intent the moment Ye Que unraveled the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords.

The Sword Intent surged as violently as large rivers. Moreover, it came in waves. The entire process occurred as swiftly as the blink of an eye.

"What's that item? To have such sharp Sword Intent!" the green-clothed man next to Bai Yu muttered to himself. He was the person-in-charge of the dragon ship that hosted the flower-viewing drinking banquet this time and a Grade 2 executive of the Mortal World Pavilion, Leng Wuxin.

"This brocade box doesn't seem to be one of the items up for auction this time. Did this person bring it himself? But why would he open it here?" Leng Wuxin looked confused.

Right then, Bai Yu brought a silver crystal ball to the stage. There appeared to be a droplet suspended inside the crystal ball. The amazing thing was that the droplet kept shifting its form despite no one touching it. It was sometimes a sphere, sometimes a rhombus, and sometimes a needle. It was incredibly strange and mysterious.

Ye Que happened to lift his head at that moment and saw the droplet. Ye Que, who was eternally calm in the face of events, finally began to sweat profusely.