"You dare lay a hand on him, try it!"
A voice rang out, laced with anger, and accompanied by an overwhelming burst of sword intent that surged through the hall.
The top lackey under Emperor Tom—Shen An—had arrived.
This terrifying sword intent made everyone trying to block Tom feel like a blade was at their throats. A single misstep, and their heads might roll.
The host and the three strongmen immediately broke out in cold sweat. Was this guy made of steel? This was the Heaven Dou Auction House! He actually dared cause trouble here?
All eyes in the hall turned toward the source of the commotion—what a rare spectacle.
But upon seeing that the speaker was a handsome young man, most onlookers simply sighed—reckless youth.
Ning Fengzhi watched Shen An with keen interest. How amusing. What was this boy planning to do? Take the catgirl home? If that happened, Rongrong would probably cry herself to death.
The master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was clearly enjoying the situation.
No matter Shen An's motives, Ning Fengzhi was determined to protect him.
Very few dared make trouble at the Heaven Dou Auction House. He just happened to be one of them.
Meanwhile, standing nearby, the elder Chen Xin—who appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary old man—was already itching to act.
His teacher Tom was about to be bullied. Of course he had to step in and be of service.
The top lackey under Emperor Tom—Chen Xin—was eager for action.
As Shen An barked his warning and released his sword aura, a large number of soul masters stepped forth, eyes filled with hostility.
The host, who had been sweating profusely just a moment ago, straightened his back with renewed confidence.
"The Heaven Dou Auction House has always valued harmony and profit. We don't lightly provoke our honored guests—but that doesn't mean we're afraid of trouble," he said proudly. "Honored guest, please return to your seat. I can overlook what's happened."
But as he spoke, something felt off. Why was that sword aura growing even stronger?
Another young man rose to his feet. "And what if we refuse?"
The host broke into another cold sweat. Although Xue Qinghe wore a mask, that meant nothing. Some people didn't need a face to be recognized.
For someone like this, he could be turned to ash and still be identified.
"You must be joking, Your Highness. The auction house has its own rules. If you wish to participate, you may do so through the proper channels," said a soul sage hidden behind the curtain.
His powerful aura radiated without restraint. His tone was neither humble nor arrogant—he had no intention of backing down.
"Oh? But what if I don't want to follow the proper channels?" Xue Qinghe said coolly.
Shen An and Tom clearly intended to rescue the catgirl, and she naturally chose to back them to the end.
Ning Fengzhi became even more intrigued. His usually steady student was actually throwing his full support behind Shen An?
The soul sage's eyes narrowed in frustration. He cursed silently. When they auctioned off female slaves before, this guy hadn't acted like this. What was going on today?
To be fair, even if all the factions behind the Heaven Dou Auction House banded together, not even Xue Ye the Emperor scared them, much less this Crown Prince.
But was it really worth offending Xue Qinghe over a mere catgirl?
Just as the soul sage hesitated, an imposing voice rang out.
"Qinghe, as your uncle, I should support you—but the auction house is conducting legitimate business, and now you're interfering?"
"And all for a catgirl? That would be a disgrace to the royal family."
Seated in the red VIP section, Xue Xing spoke without reservation.
He was inwardly ecstatic. Xue Qinghe was actually clashing with the auction house over a catgirl.
Now that he had spoken up, the factions behind the auction house would surely look favorably upon Xue Beng.
This would weaken Xue Qinghe while increasing Xue Beng's noble support. No matter how you looked at it, it was a win-win.
The soul sage of the auction house suddenly smiled—Xue Xing's appearance was perfectly timed.
"Your Highness, as you can see, your uncle's words make sense. Why don't you return to your seat? Let's follow the rules and spare the royal family any embarrassment."
Xue Qinghe's face darkened. This clown Xue Xing… If she hadn't held back from needless killing, Spirit Hall would've already wiped out both Xue Beng and him.
Seeing so many stand in their way, Tom was furious. It looked at Shen An with a helpless expression, like a kitten begging for help.
Shen An smiled. "Go on, Tom. Get her out. I want to see who dares stop us today."
Whatever Tom wanted to do, Shen An would never hold him back. He'd always spoil him quietly.
He stared unflinchingly at the soul sage. Having advanced to Soul Ancestor and consumed a strength-boosting elixir, he didn't expect guaranteed victory—but at the very least, he could hold his ground.
The soul sage narrowed his eyes, seven soul rings rising around him. Shen An? Just a mere Soul Elder dares to challenge me?
Crown Prince, cat, young man.
The soul sage quickly deduced Shen An's identity.
Fame meant recognition. As a high-level soul master, he was naturally familiar with Shen An's characteristics.
'Xue Qinghe is a tough opponent, and Shen An is well-known. Hurting him would damage the auction house's reputation. So I'll make an example out of the cat.'
'If those two still don't know their place, then for the sake of the auction house's dignity, I can't back down.'
In an instant, the soul sage made his decision. His third soul ring lit up, and his wide palm struck out toward Tom.
Xue Qinghe's eyes turned icy. Attacking her ally in front of her? Too arrogant.
Ning Fengzhi quickly called out, "Sword Uncle."
Chen Xin gave a calm smile and prepared to intervene—but then suddenly paused, grinning.
A beam of green light burst forth, and the soul sage actually sensed danger.
But as a soul sage, how could he retreat because of a mere sense of danger? Besides, today's auction wasn't relying on him alone.
For high-value auctions like soul bones, they had a Soul Douluo and several other soul sages hidden in reserve to prevent unexpected incidents.
A massive hand of condensed soul power surged toward Tom with terrifying force—only to be cleanly sliced apart by a green sword light.
Having become a Soul Ancestor and acquired a 50,000-year soul ring, Shen An was far stronger than before. Previously, he had managed to duel a soul sage just with his fivefold speed boost.
Now, facing a third soul skill head-on? Easy. If the opponent didn't unleash his Martial Soul True Body, Shen An was confident he could kill him outright.
Seeing his third soul skill destroyed by a single sword strike, the soul sage's expression changed dramatically. A Soul Elder… had such power? Unbelievable!
Tom took the opportunity to sprint toward the cage. Though it was locked, that posed no problem for him.
He stretched out a paw, popped out a sharp claw, and deftly inserted it into the keyhole. With a soft click, the lock opened.
The catgirl looked at Tom with fearful eyes—but then a glimmer of hope lit up in them. She seemed to see her savior.
At that moment, several powerful auras locked onto Tom—elite soul masters hidden in the auction house.
This was no longer just about a catgirl. It was about the auction house's dignity.
If they backed down now, what about next time? How would they stay in business?
A withered voice rang out. "Enough. Let's end this farce."
An old man stepped forward, eight soul rings shining brilliantly. Several powerful figures followed him—each with an aura matching that of the soul sage.
"Your Highness, please leave with your people and your cat. Otherwise, the royal succession may encounter… complications," the old man said coolly, his words full of veiled threat.
Xue Xing was overjoyed. What a lucky break!
The implication was clear: if Xue Qinghe continued to cause trouble and embarrassed the auction house, they wouldn't mind backing Xue Beng instead.
Xue Qinghe smiled, but there was an indescribable chill beneath it. The Soul Douluo elder felt a faint unease.
What was going on? She was just a Crown Prince. With the royal family in decline, what was there to fear? he thought to himself.
But Xue Qinghe looked at him with disdain. Did he really think she had risen through political scheming?
Wrong. Everything she had was thanks to Spirit Hall experts physically eliminating anyone in her way.
Before she could act, a gentle voice cut in.
"Oh? You say the royal succession might be affected? Qinghe is my student. If this is how she's treated, what does that say about me as her teacher?"
The elder froze. That voice—how could he not recognize it?
The owner of that voice was someone the Heaven Dou Auction House absolutely could not offend—Ning Fengzhi, famed leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Beads of cold sweat instantly formed on the old man's forehead. He lowered his head and said respectfully, "Greetings, Sect Master Ning. I misspoke earlier—there was no intention to interfere in the royal succession."
"Today's events were entirely the fault of the auction house. We are prepared to bear full responsibility. The catgirl may be taken without restriction."
When he saw the cold-faced elder behind Ning Fengzhi, the Soul Douluo dropped to his knees even faster.
With Xue Qinghe, they could still argue about saving face.
But with Ning Fengzhi? If they dared press that point, the auction house might not live to see tomorrow.
Ning Fengzhi didn't reply. Instead, he turned to Xue Qinghe and Shen An. "Well? Do you accept their apology?"
Xue Qinghe also looked to Shen An. She had stood up for him—so his wishes came first.
Shen An smiled faintly. He knew this was just treating the symptoms, not the root.
Sure, the catgirl was saved today. But as long as the Heaven Dou Auction House remained, there would always be another catgirl, leopard girl, or rabbit girl to be auctioned off.
But so what? He couldn't save every soul in the world. He could only start with the one in front of him.
Besides, the catgirl had been discovered because of the Star Dou Great Forest's upheaval. Indirectly, if Tom hadn't pranked those two soul beasts, maybe she'd still be living peacefully.
"Fine. I'll take the catgirl, and we'll let today's matter go," Shen An said.
The Soul Douluo elder breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was over.
But one man was not satisfied. Chen Xin said coldly, "Leave the catgirl aside for now. You dared strike at Tom earlier—this matter must be settled."
The top lackey under Emperor Tom—Chen Xin—requested battle.
The Soul Douluo elder's face froze. "Tom is…?"
Tom meowed at the perfect moment, proudly pointing at himself. He loved when others stood up for him.
The elder gritted his teeth. "What does Sword Douluo intend to do?"
Chen Xin said evenly, "Simple. He struck at Tom once—so I strike at him once. After that, we'll call it even."
The soul sage turned pale. The difference between a Titled Douluo and a regular soul sage was like heaven and earth. Taking a blow from one? Wasn't that just a death sentence?
His eyes filled with pleading as he looked at the elder beside him.
But the elder hesitated as well. That soul sage was one of their top experts.
"You have no right to refuse."
"Sword Douluo, please proceed. We accept the punishment," the elder said, dropping to his knees again without hesitation.