As soon as Chu Tian finished speaking, a deep, thunderous explosion rang out, filling the air with the stench of blood. The once bustling auction hall instantly turned silent, with all eyes turning toward the source of the noise. The clamor caused the auction to halt.

The guards rushed over, and Jian Yin, holding a disheveled and bloodied Lin He, stammered, "It... exploded, it exploded."

For Lin He, this was a tremendous humiliation. She stared at Jian Yin with wide, unblinking eyes, as though forgetting her pain. "This is all your fault!"

Jian Yin hurriedly explained, "You told me to do this!"

Lin He shot a furious glare at Chu Tian, who shrugged helplessly. "You can't blame me for this. The scorpion was too rogue—it stung you right there."

Lin He screamed in rage, "I'll kill you!"

The guards immediately stepped forward to stop her, and the head guard barked, "You troublemakers, come with me!"

Lin He sneered, "Who dares to touch me?"

The head guard snorted and immediately surrounded Jian Yin and Lin He. When Jian Yin saw the guard’s cultivation level—peak Golden Core—he panicked and said, "Miss Lin, this is their turf. Let's go with them."

Lin He immediately shouted to her subordinates in the distance, "Go fetch my father!"

The subordinates hurried off, while Lin He glared at Chu Tian, "Kid, you won’t leave today!"

The head guard turned to Chu Tian, "Young master, please."

Chu Tian wasn't scared at all; instead, he secretly laughed. "Let's go see who’s behind this auction house. I’ve always wondered who owns it."

Curious about the auction house’s mysterious background, Chu Tian decided to follow the head guard. They left the underground floor and ascended to the third floor.

The third floor was long and quiet, and as they walked, Lin He couldn't resist turning around and threatening Chu Tian, "Kid, my father will be here soon. I’ll make sure you die today!"

Chu Tian casually smiled, "Let’s see. Maybe your father won’t be able to take my life and will end up suffering instead."

Lin He fumed but couldn't find the words to respond. The head guard said nothing and continued leading them ahead until they reached a private room.

Inside, there was an old man carving wood in front of a tea table. His movements were slow but precise, and each stroke of his knife emitted a flash of golden light, leaving behind a unique symbol on the wood.

When they arrived, the head guard bowed respectfully, "Master, three people are causing trouble. How should we handle it?"

The old man set down his knife, raised his head to look at the three, and then at the head guard. "Speak. What happened?"

The head guard recounted the events, and after hearing it, the old man’s distinct blue eyebrows twitched, and his almost toothless mouth twitched into a smile.

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Lin He immediately snapped, "What are you laughing at?" The head guard shot her a glare, "Shut up!"

Lin He huffed, "What? This is the Ghost City. Are you planning to kill me? Be careful of the experts outside—they’ll come in and kill you!"

The old man smiled but didn’t reply, while the head guard unsheathed his sword and glared at her, "Try it!"

Lin He was so frightened she took a few steps back, and Jian Yin quickly interjected, "Seniors, please don’t be angry. This was all a misunderstanding. Please don’t hold it against us!"

The old man took a sip of tea, then slowly said, "In our auction house, we have a decree from the city lord’s mansion. Anyone who causes trouble here can be dealt with on the spot. No one from outside will interfere."

At these words, Lin He and Jian Yin’s faces changed drastically. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and a guard yelled, "No one is allowed inside!" But an authoritative voice boomed, "Who dares stop me?"

Several guards burst in, and a middle-aged man with wild hair and a vicious expression entered. Lin He, seeing the man, rushed forward excitedly, "Father!"

The middle-aged man was Lin Hu, the head of the Lin family. When he saw his bloodied daughter, he immediately turned to Chu Tian in rage, "You killed my son and injured my daughter. You’re asking for death!"

Ding~ Anger increased by 1.

Chu Tian sucked in a breath. Lin Hu was at least at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and he might even be close to Nascent Soul. His strength was terrifying. The fury emanating from him was like a gust of wind. Lin Hu’s right hand shot out like a fierce tiger’s claws, aiming at Chu Tian.

Chu Tian quickly retreated with his Flying Cloud Step, and Lin Hu growled, "Dare to run? Seeking death!"

As Lin Hu prepared to attack again, the old man threw a teacup toward them. Lin Hu’s punch collided with the cup, and his attack was blocked as if the cup had absorbed all the force, causing his fist to rebound.

Chu Tian turned to the old man and smiled, "Thank you, master."

Lin Hu glared at the old man, "Xie Lao, are you protecting him?"

The old man chuckled, "Lin family head, this is my place. You want to kill someone? Did you ask for my permission?"

"Xie Lao, after I kill him, I’ll give you some spirit stones as compensation. What do you think?"

Lin Hu clearly feared the old man, but still tried to negotiate. The old man remained unfazed and smiled, "You know that I maintain neutrality here. No one is allowed to fight, and definitely not allowed to kill."

Lin Hu growled, "Then what do you want?"

Xie Lao’s eyes gleamed with wisdom. "Let’s solve private grudges the way they’re solved in Ghost City. How about it?"

Lin Hu’s eyes flashed with sharpness, and after a pause, he turned to Chu Tian, "Kid, do you dare accept my challenge?"

Chu Tian, not knowing how private grudges were settled in Ghost City, looked at Xie Lao. The old man nodded, signaling the head guard to explain the rules.

It turned out that in Ghost City, if two people wanted to fight, both had to agree and then designate a specific area for the duel. The fight would continue until one side died. Chu Tian realized that dealing with Lin He and Jian Yin would be too easy, but he wasn’t going to agree for nothing.

With a helpless smile, Chu Tian said, "A life-or-death duel? I’m not brave enough."

Lin Hu snorted, "You had the guts to kill my son, but you’re afraid to fight me?"

Lin He glared at him, "Coward!" Jian Yin chimed in, "Kid, if you have the guts, fight. Don’t be a turtle hiding in its shell."

Chu Tian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sure, but I have one condition."

Everyone leaned in, curious about what he would say. Chu Tian looked at the fierce Lin Hu, and the eager Lin He and Jian Yin, and said, "I want to know: who will fight me? Also, if it’s a life-or-death duel, there has to be something in it for me, right?"

The old man smiled at Chu Tian, while Lin Hu sneered, "Of course it’ll be me fighting you!"

Chu Tian sized him up and said, "You? Even if you gave me all your family’s spirit stones, I still wouldn’t agree."

"Then what do you want?"

Chu Tian pointed at Jian Yin and Lin He, "Any one of them will do, or both. As for you, family head, you’re not involved. If they both fight me, I expect ten billion spirit stones."

At these words, Lin Hu and the others began cursing furiously. Chu Tian just sat back and soaked in the rising anger, while the old man chuckled, "Looks like your private grievances can’t be settled easily."

At that moment, Gui Meng appeared beside Lin Hu and whispered something to him. Lin Hu’s anger faded, and he smiled. "Fine, ten billion it is. But once you take the money, you can’t back out."

Chu Tian didn’t understand what Gui Meng had said to make Lin Hu agree so quickly, but he wasn’t afraid of Lin He and Jian Yin. He smiled, "Fine, but I want the spirit stones first."