Curious onlookers crowded around the luxurious carriage pulled by two ferocious beasts as they sought to discover who would emerge from it. Given the emblem on its side, many wondered who from the City Lord's Mansion would bother to come to this monthly auction, while others speculated on the treasures that attracted them here.

Still, none dared come too close, fearing those beasts would rip them apart with their sharp claws or maul them with their long fangs, until an unlucky one, pushed by the crowd in their restlessness, came slightly too close to those beasts.

Their head turned sharply toward him. They growled, showing their intent as violence became clear in their eyes. The closest one's maw opened, revealing a row of small but barbed teeth shining in the depth of that dark gulf.

The beast sought to leap toward its prey, yet as its restraints became taut, the chains binding it to the carriage shone. The light propagated to its body, enveloping it in countless runes. The feline beast came to an abrupt stop, unable to go further despite its efforts.

It thrashed, seeking to plunge its fangs into the man, wishing to drink its blood, yet was denied. Drool flowed from its deadly jaws as it revelled in the scent of fear and horror wafting from the man as cold sweat dripped down his back, drenching his garment.

The man retched from the disgusting odour coming from the beast's mouth, a reminder of all that was left from its past victims. The man fell on the ground on his ass before backpedalling back toward the crowd, yet most didn't budge, only looking at the poor man with contempt on their faces. None sought to help him, even as the beast crept closer to him as it fought against the bonds that held it.

If anything, the onlookers only spurred the beast, craving some actions. Yet, the carriage glowed with renewed intensity. A light pulse travelled from the carriage to the beast along the chain, ending on its flesh.

The beasts howled in pain as runes were seared on their skin, even visible through their furs. Their domineering demeanour soon faded, replaced with looks of abject fear as they looked back toward the carriage. This was their master showing these beasts their place. Despite their ferocious natures, they were nothing more than slaves before these cultivators.

Despite their current subservience, a hint of defiance could be seen in the depth of their eyes, which didn’t go unnoticed by the crowd. While the crowd had shown scorn for the unfortunate victim, now, this contempt was aimed toward the beasts, showing that despite the majesty of their strong and agile body, forged through countless generations of evolution toward the apex of what a predator should be, those beasts were nothing but playthings for the might of cultivators.

"Enough!" a voice broke through the audience's din, silencing them with overwhelming authority.

The voice was feminine yet fierce as if the crowd were beneath her, and their obedience was to be expected. Even the beasts recoiled slightly merely from hearing it. The silence was suffocating as they waited for the owner of that voice to show herself. They held their breaths, internally speculating who could possess such a domineering attitude. Still, a single name came to mind, and they waited with anticipation.

Then, the carriage's door opened, and the crowd went wild. The first thing they saw exiting the carriage was Qin Yun dressed in a black garb. He scanned the crowd, noticing their gazes toward him. Some showed confusion, others disdain, and some, surprisingly, jealousy. Some showed a dismissive attitude and walked away uninterested, while others barely masked their aversion to his presence; Qin Yun even spotted some of his past flings in the crowd waving at him, yet he simply ignored them.

Then, as he reached the ground, the crowd became silent once again. None could retract their gazes from the woman emerging from the darkness of the carriage. Unlike some guests, her dress was black and plain, showing almost no skin, yet it only emphasized her presence.

She wasn't the most beautiful woman these people had ever seen, yet none could look away. Her nature demanded their unmitigated attention as if a monarch had emerged before her subject; some even felt the urge to kneel.

Her dispassionate eyes only lingered on the crowd for so long before dismissing them with her gaze as if they weren't worthy of being reflected upon them. All that could be heard was the strained gulps within the audience and her soft feet hitting the ground.

“Impressive,” Qin Yun said softly, yet Sun Ya ignored him. She withdrew her hand from Qin Yun's and began walking away from him as the crowd parted ways, showing her a clear path up the stairs. Some in the crowd sought to object to this treatment, as she was nothing more than the maid of the Sun Clan, yet they felt their bodies deny them this luxury.

As the duo climbed the stairs to the auction hall, leaving behind a sea of curious onlookers, only a single individual dared to bar their path. She was a young woman, slightly younger than Sun Ya herself. While seemingly an adult, her facial traits were somewhat childish, contrasting with the ampleness of her bosom, overflowing from her tight dress.

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While Sun Ya could be likened to a wisteria flower, elegant but deadly, this young woman was more akin to a rose, a vibrant beauty with thorns apparent for all to see.

At the sight of Sun Ya, the young lady shook her head, her black hair held in long twin tails cutting the air as if two whips. Her face showed a confident smugness, which Sun Ya promptly ignored as she merely walked past her, opting to continue climbing the stairs. The young lady's cheeks turned red as she noticed chuckles from the crowd. She pointed her slender hand toward its origin, and several men clad in gold armour emerged from her side and rushed toward it.

Seconds later, a commotion occurred below, shattering the silence, yet the young lady ignored it and chased after Sun Ya. "Sun Ya! How dare you ignore me?”

Sun Ya barely altered her pace as she heard this cry of frustration. Qin Yun looked curiously at her expression, only to see that she was full of exasperation. He then turned below and saw the young lady huff and puff as she sped toward them, even overtaking and standing in front, this time blocking their path.

“Must you always do this in public?” Sun Ya sighed. “Can’t you consider your clan’s reputation, young lady Ma?”

Qin Yun knew he had seen this woman before but couldn't place her until he heard what Sun Ya said. This was the young woman he had seen over a month ago arguing with Sun Ya over the paradise bird's core. He hoped their animosity wouldn't be an obstacle he would have to overcome to get his hands on this item.

“Who cares about these plebeians?” the young lady said as if she was haughtiness personified. “Does their opinion mean anything? They should be grateful they can even breathe the same air as our Ma clan!”

"Is this how they teach their young ones in your clan, or is this something inborn? I've rarely met a Ma that didn't think this way," Qin Yun replied, somewhat amused.

“Who the hell are you to address me?” the young lady said with a frown before pointing her finger toward him.

Soon after, three large individuals appeared before him. Their golden armours showed signs of blood splattered on their surface, no doubt coming from the pitiful individual who had the audacity of laughing previously. Qin Yun tilted his head, feeling somewhat intrigued that, despite all that had happened between himself and the Ma clan, there still existed some who didn't know who he was. He wondered if she was simply clueless or merely a sheltered young lady.

“I didn't expect your taste in servants to have stooped so low," the Ma young lady told Sun Ya. "You shouldn't be afraid to teach them their places."

Sun Ya shook her head, then looked at the woman before her with pity.

“What about the Lian clan's guards all around us. Are you simply going to ignore them? Doesn't your family already have enough conflict with them?" Sun Ya asked.

“Look at them!" the Ma girl spread her arms wide. "Do they dare cross me for this nobody? They don't even dare move."

Yet, her gaze became somewhat uneasy as she said those words. Unlike the gaze she had expected—looking down, unable to meet her eyes—the soldiers clad in silver guarding the whole length of the stairway looked unfazed, ignoring all of them as if whatever happened here was none of their concerns. If anything, they seemed more preoccupied with making sure none interfered than stopping this confrontation.

The young lady frowned yet refused to back down. She only motioned for her men to do their thing, which they did without uttering a single word of protest. However, Qin Yun could see the reluctance in their eyes. After all, they weren't as clueless as their mistress. Still, Qin Yun would show them no mercy—not anymore. Usually, he would have offered a warning, but he knew it would have fallen on deaf ears; he was done with their antics.

As a guard put a hand on his shoulder, pressing onto him with all the might a Void Core cultivator nearing the peak could offer, Qin Yun did the same, brushing off all the pressure that sought to push him down as if it was but a mere breeze.

Qin Yun's hand landed on the man's golden pauldron. His fingers dug into the metal as if the concept of sturdiness didn't exist. His fingers displaced the material as if it were a viscous liquid before they reached deeper, striking the skin. Still, it couldn't stop their advance.

The man howled in pain as blood spurted from the wound. A loud crack was heard as the man's shoulder deformed from the force, his arm dangling limply to his side. Still, Qin Yun didn't stop there. Even as the man's face contorted with pain and others were stunned with shock and awe, Qin Yun's own expression remained utterly indifferent to the man's pain. If anything, he dug deeper, severing the man's shoulder at the root.

The arm fell from its socket, scattering flowers of blood onto the stone stairs before a flood of the same red liquid emerged from the wound and erased the picture in a puddle of gore.

“I dare you to touch me again," Qin Yun said calmly, only showing a slight but eerie smile.

The remaining men reeled back, unwilling to confront him, only looking at their companion clutching his wounded shoulder as the colours were leaving his face. Some onlookers couldn't stomach the gore, turning away while trying not to retch, while others couldn't help but cheer Qin Yun on. However, upon looking at Qin Yun's face, they suddenly stopped and turned silent. An oppressive silence lingered until Qin Yun spoke again.

"I thought not," he said as he bypassed the guards, who were unwilling to stop him. "You people only know to oppress those without the means to retaliate, yet can't help but crumble under those stronger than you. While this is a praiseworthy trait for any species seeking survival, it can't help but make me laugh when it comes from cultivators who seek to defy the very laws of nature."

Qin Yun stopped before the young lady, looking down at her. While her small shoulders trembled slightly under his gaze, her own was steady, looking straight into his eyes. Qin Yun could see she was terrified of him, yet her pride wouldn't let her cower.

He smiled momentarily, granting her a slight reprieve, yet reality came crashing down onto her again. Qin Yun extended his hand, reaching for her head. She sought to back away, yet her feet wouldn't move. She could only wait for her eventual demise.

“That’s enough!” Sun Ya said, her voice clear, free from any fear. She looked at him, showing a slight hint of scorn. "Remember why we are here. You can't afford to stir up any more trouble."

Qin Yun’s hand lingered over the young woman’s head for a few seconds more. However, just as he was about to retract it, a ball of flames appeared high into the night sky. Unlike the pure light that the Sun clan was proud of, this was a pure blaze that sought to scorch the world.

The ball of fire descended like a meteor toward the city yet stopped mere moments before hitting the formation dome protecting it. Wings sprouted from the ball, transforming it into what seemed like a giant bird of flame. They spanned at least half the city's width, bathing it in their radiance.

The heat from those wings radiated outwards, crashing into the formation and making it shimmer. Even with the formation dispersing most of it, Qin Yun could still feel it scorch his skin slightly. He raised his head, gazing into the centre of those wings, only to see a woman dressed in red. His eyes could barely sustain her sight for a moment before he had to look away. It was as if that woman was flame incarnate.

"Come out, you Qin bastard!" A voice crashed down from overhead, shaking the earth below. "If you don't give me a suitable explanation, don't blame me for reducing your clan to ash!"