For the many Foundation Establishment cultivators present, this auction had indeed yielded many fine items. Quite a few people obtained what they desired. Lin Feng was one, and Li Ziyao was another.
After the auction concluded, the crowd gradually dispersed. Lin Feng noted the venomous glare Li Ziyao shot his way as he left, but he merely sneered inwardly, dismissing it entirely.
As for why he had bid so decisively at first, only to abruptly abandon the fight later—whether it was truly deliberate mockery aimed at the Li Family—even Loong Xingkong and the others couldn't help but ask. Lin Feng, however, only smiled faintly and offered no answer.
By the time the gathering broke up, it was already evening. At Loong Xingtian's invitation, Lin Feng and his companions, including Dongfang Yuhui, all went together to a large spirit cuisine restaurant in the city for a sumptuous dinner before finally taking their leave.
Lin Feng politely declined Loong Xingtian's invitation to visit the Loong Family residence, giving the reason that he planned to depart the next day.
Yes, all objectives for coming to Biquan City had been achieved. Lin Feng had no desire to linger here any longer and intended to set off back to Qingyun City tomorrow.
—Besides, if he delayed too long... someone might grow impatient...
And late that very night, unknown to anyone, numerous Li Family experts, including Li Yanghui, quietly slipped out of Biquan City, their destination unknown...
...
The next morning, Lin Feng left Biquan City with Zhang Fangzhou and his two sworn brothers, embarking on the journey back to Qingyun City.
This trip to Biquan City could truly be called a bountiful return. Not only had his equipment generally been upgraded by a tier, but he had also acquired many high-quality cultivation resources. He still had nearly two million spirit stones remaining, which should be sufficient for a long period of 'extravagance'.
The four companions traveled at a decent pace, frequently taking shortcuts along secluded trails. Because of this, merely two days later, a vast, dense forest appeared on the horizon. Within the seemingly endless expanse of trees, several towering peaks pierced the clouds—this was unmistakably the Seven Peaks Forest.
Lin Feng and his group then entered the Seven Peaks Forest directly, intending to traverse its eastern flank as they had done when coming, to reach Qingyun City more quickly.
Just as Lin Feng and his companions entered the Seven Peaks Forest, a figure who had been stealthily tailing them from a distance, concealed in a shadowy spot, released an unidentified grey bird.
The bird spread its wings and soared into the clouds, flying towards an unknown destination...
...
In an unnamed location between Biquan City and Qingyun City, atop a densely wooded mountain peak, within a patch of deep shadow, sat seven or eight figures cross-legged, seemingly engaged in meditation.
Suddenly, the two figures at the forefront opened their eyes almost simultaneously, looking towards the sky ahead. A small grey silhouette streaked towards them, landing directly on the outstretched right hand of the person on the left.
That person reached out, retrieved a small slip of paper tied to the leg of the grey, sparrow-like bird, glanced at it, and an icy flash of murderous intent immediately sparked in his eyes.
"The Seven Peaks Forest... Excellent... That shall be your burial ground!!"
...
At the same time, another location, somewhere within the Seven Peaks Forest.
A four-person adventuring party was swiftly traversing the woods, hot on the trail of a large, grey jackal.
The grey jackal ran like the wind, its speed so great it left afterimages in its wake. Yet, the four pursuers behind it kept pace effortlessly. Especially the blue-robed youth at the forefront—his movements were lightning-fast, even slightly outpacing the jackal, gradually closing the distance.
"Awooo!!"
Finally, the jackal seemed to realize escape was futile. It abruptly spun around, its body still sliding forward due to momentum. Its massive maw gaped open wide—purple light flashed—and an arm-thick bolt of purple lightning suddenly shot forth from its mouth!
"Careful!!"
The blue-robed youth's gaze sharpened. His warning shout echoed as he kicked off the ground, veering sharply sideways and successfully dodging the incoming purple bolt. The three behind him reacted slightly slower but managed to evade the attack unscathed.
"Swoosh!! Thwack!!"
Not only had the blue-robed youth dodged the jackal's attack, but he also accelerated explosively mid-leap. In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside the jackal. Sword light flashed as he thrust his blade straight out, piercing the jackal's neck with pinpoint accuracy!
"Awoo..."
The jackal let out a final, agonized howl, crashing heavily to the ground. It tumbled over a dozen meters, plowing a long furrow in the earth before finally lying still, utterly lifeless.
The blue-robed youth landed gracefully, sheathed his sword, and walked towards the carcass.
The other three hurried over excitedly. A young woman with a smattering of freckles exclaimed happily, "Whew, glad it didn't get away! Hehe... Brother Zhou, you're amazing! Bagging this mid-stage Level One Lightning Jackal means today wasn't wasted!"
A grey-clothed youth also looked on with admiration. Watching the blue-robed youth store the jackal's body, he asked, "Brother Zhou, what now? Should we look for other demon beasts?"
The slightly plump youth beside him interjected, "I don't think so... It's getting really late. I think we'd better head back quickly. Those rumors lately... they're kind of scary!"
Mention of 'rumors' caused both the grey-clothed youth and the young woman to pale slightly, a flicker of fear crossing their faces. They both looked towards the blue-robed youth.
The blue-robed youth looked up at the sky, pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Xiao Li is right. Safety first. We should head back before dark. I've also been feeling... this place has an eerie vibe lately. It's clearly different from before..."
"Yeah... Hardly anyone dares to come into the Seven Peaks Forest now," the plump youth agreed, nodding. "The rumors say several cultivator teams have entered and never come out again. Don't know if it's true, but... we've been searching here all day and haven't seen any other cultivators. Even the demon beasts seem scarcer than before. The situation is definitely off... We should hurry..."
"Grrr..."
Just as the group was still discussing, a low, guttural growl suddenly reached their ears. The blue-robed youth's expression changed drastically. He spun around towards the thicket on their left, shouting a warning, "Danger!!"
"What is it?! A demon beast... Ah!!"
Panic flashed in the eyes of the other three. The young woman had just cried out nervously when her pretty face suddenly drained of color, and she couldn't stifle a scream!
A massive, blurred black shadow had lunged from the shadowy thicket ahead! Its speed was terrifying, making its form almost impossible to discern clearly. The shadow leaped several meters high, pouncing directly at the blue-robed youth at the front of the group!
"Hah!!"
The blue-robed youth's pupils contracted. Dodging was impossible now. And with three companions, weaker than himself, behind him—he couldn't dodge. A low shout burst from his lips. His left hand snapped up—a golden talisman in his palm flared brightly—and a shimmering golden shield materialized instantly before him. Simultaneously, his right hand swept out, the long sword reappearing, thrusting straight towards the oncoming black shadow.
"Thud!! Clang!! Crack..."
A muffled impact—the sound of the shadow's razor-sharp claws striking the light shield. Followed by a metallic clang—the youth's sword stabbing into the shadow's body, sparks flying. And then... the distinct sound of a sword shattering!!
"Ahhh!!"
The blue-robed youth's face twisted with horror, the expression barely registering before the light shield before him shattered explosively. An unimaginable force slammed into his chest. He felt as if his chest had been ripped open wide—his life force draining away at a terrifying speed—as his entire body was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball!
"Brother Zhou!!"
"Ah!!"
The blue-robed youth felt a gaping hole opening in his chest. Flying through the air, his last blurry shreds of consciousness caught the young woman's terrified scream and the plump youth's despairing wail...
"Thump..."
The blue-robed youth's body hit the ground heavily. His chest was horrifically caved in, blood gushing freely. He was already devoid of breath.
On the other side, the enormous black shadow landed amidst the remaining three. Then came several more desperate screams in quick succession. In less than ten seconds, silence once again descended upon the area...
"Munch, munch..."
The black shadow stood amidst scattered limbs and torn flesh, ravenously tearing at a mutilated corpse. Only now could its form be clearly seen: it resembled a massive black ox, roughly lion-like but with a long, horse-like tail. Its entire body was pitch black, like ink.
"Rustle, rustle..."
Just then, faint footsteps sounded from the direction the beast had charged. A young man with short purple hair and a grim expression emerged from the thicket. Following close behind him was a figure entirely shrouded in a black cloak, its features invisible. It moved silently behind the purple-robed youth, like a shadow—emitting not a sound, nor... the faintest hint of life.
The purple-robed youth stepped over the gore-strewn ground without a glance, showing no fear towards the ferocious beast either. His eyes burned with annoyance as he walked towards the creature, cursing, "I told you to leave one alive... leave one alive! And you killed them all again!! A beast is always a beast, incapable of even the simplest command!"
"Grr..."
The black beast suddenly turned its head, a severed arm still dangling from its jaws. Its eyes blazed crimson, devoid of any emotion, radiating pure menace.
"What?! Daring to disrespect me?!" The purple-robed youth's eyes flashed dangerously. He suddenly raised his right hand, forming a seal with his fingers as he pointed towards the beast!
"Owwwh!!"
Instantly, the beast let out a piercing howl of agony, its whole body convulsing violently as if subjected to excruciating torment. The arm fell from its jaws, and it collapsed onto its belly. Yet, its eyes remained fiercely crimson, utterly devoid of spirit or awareness—a profoundly eerie sight.
"Hmph!! A beast that's already died once, still daring to defy its master?!" The purple-robed youth snorted coldly, then muttered with dissatisfaction, "Corpse puppets made from demon beasts are such a hassle. I really don't know why the sect ordered research into this... If this damned beast hadn't suddenly lost control at the critical moment that day, how could that rare spirit beast have escaped..."
His eyes filled with vexation and regret as he scanned the surrounding forest. "We only know it fled into this forest in the end. Yet after searching for seven or eight days, not even a shadow of it... It might have escaped elsewhere long ago... It's infuriating!"
"We'll keep looking... There might be someone nearby who's seen traces of that spirit beast. It could be... the kind of legendary, unique spirit beast that appears only once in a thousand years... We must capture it!!"