To shut Zhang Ke'er's mouth, Chu Chen successively bought tangyuan, osmanthus cakes, poria cakes, candied fruits, malt sugar, turtle jelly, roasted sweet potatoes, dragon's beard candy... dozens of snacks.

In the end, under the horrified gazes of Chu Chen and Zhong Sheng, Zhang Ke'er's little belly swelled up at a visible rate~

Only then did Zhang Ke'er pat her round, bulging belly with satisfaction, deciding to keep Chu Chen's secret about liking pigtails.

For one day~

"Ke'er, weren't you at the Imperial Palace meeting your Master? Why did you run over to Shenhuo City to attend the auction?"

Looking at Zhang Ke'er, who was humming a little tune as she walked, Chu Chen felt a bit curious:

"Why are you also here for the auction?"

"Tell me honestly, did your Master tell you to follow me?"

Zhang Ke'er shook her little head like a rattle-drum while chewing the dragon's beard candy in her mouth, mumbling vaguely:

"Master called me to the Imperial Palace just to tell me she is going into Secluded Cultivation again, preparing to break through to the Great Saint Tenth Heaven~"

"She told me to look after you when I have nothing to do, saying that although your talent is high, you only have an Essence Condensation Realm cultivation base right now. If anyone bullies you, then..."

Hearing this, the Dao Guardian Zhong Sheng, following behind, had his eyes light up.

Intelligence!

This was major intelligence concerning the Empress's whereabouts!

He had to quickly write it down and report back to the Palace Master to claim a reward~

From another perspective, the fact that even such a confidential matter as the Empress's Secluded Cultivation was not hidden from him, her Dao Guardian.

It seemed that he, Zhong Sheng, had long since infiltrated the enemy's inner circle and deeply won Chu Chen's trust.

"Then how did you know I was going to attend the auction?"

Participating in the auction was a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was impossible for this Zhang Ke'er to have been secretly following him in the shadows the entire time, right?

"Tch~ This Saintess can't be bothered to follow you~"

Seeing through Chu Chen's thoughts, Zhang Ke'er said with disdain:

"This Shenhuo City auction is only held once every half a year. I heard there are quite a few treasures. How could I miss it?"

Chu Chen originally thought that Qi Lao'er mentioning this auction to him was just a casual remark, nothing significant.

But since even Zhang Ke'er, the Saintess of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, had come, this auction house was probably far from simple.

Faintly, Chu Chen also began to feel some anticipation.

He possessed top-grade full-attribute spiritual roots, and coupled with the Chaos Heaven-Swallowing Manual, it could be said that no matter what kind of technique, spiritual object, or treasure in this world...

He, Chu Chen, could accept them all. He wasn't picky in the slightest~

"Enough talk, let's go quickly. The auction is about to start."

Zhang Ke'er chewed the dragon's beard candy in her mouth over a dozen times before swallowing it in one gulp. Then, swinging her pigtails, she grabbed Chu Chen's hand, preparing for Sword Riding:

"Usually, the first and last items at an auction are rare treasures. If we don't hurry over, we'll be late~"

Chu Chen nodded and likewise controlled a flying sword, riding the wind through the air.

Seeing this, the Dao Guardian Zhong Sheng behind them, in order to conceal his strength, also summoned a flying sword Dharma Treasure from his storage space and followed via Sword Riding.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!!"

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!"

"My young master is attending the Shenhuo auction and is pressed for time. If you know what's good for you, get the fuck out of the way!!"

.......

Before they had even flown a few dozen Zhang, Chu Chen and the others were disturbed by a series of urgent hoofbeats and curses.

Following the sound, they saw a carriage pulled by two Crimson Flame Treasure Horses, driven by a coachman, recklessly charging through the busy streets with boundless arrogance.

Although the Crimson Flame Treasure Horse was a low-grade Demon Beast that had long been tamed by human cultivators, it could travel ten thousand Li a day and possessed astonishing stamina. Furthermore, its entire body was bathed in scorching flames, burning anyone who dared approach.

These two Crimson Flame Treasure Horses possessed sturdy bones and majestic spiritual power within their bodies. Shockingly, each one possessed an Essence Condensation Realm cultivation base. Clearly, the identity and status of the carriage's owner were extremely extraordinary.

Bang! Bang!!

Under the vicious lashing of the whip, the two Crimson Flame Treasure Horses spread their hooves and galloped wildly. Street vendors along the road couldn't pack up their stalls in time, and vegetable stands, winnowing baskets, and other goods were instantly smashed to pieces.

All kinds of vegetables, melons, and fruits, and even some rare spiritual objects and Pills, spilled across the ground.

Some merchants who couldn't dodge in time were knocked over several times by the charging Crimson Flame Treasure Horses, their faces bruised and swollen.

Most of the vendors on the street were ordinary mortals. When danger approached, the adults knew to evade, but what about the children?

"Mother~ Mother~"

"Mother, where are you? Waaah~"

......

A little girl wearing a floral padded jacket, her hair tied in twin ox-horns, and holding a candied hawthorn stick, had been separated from her mother in the chaos. Right now, she stood in the middle of the street, sniffling and wailing loudly.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"

The sound of galloping hooves closed in from afar. The coachman clearly saw the helpless little girl standing in the middle of the street, yet not only did he fail to slow down, he smiled fiercely, raised the horsewhip in his hand, and ruthlessly lashed it down.

"Hmph, daring to block my young master's path, you are courting death!"

After a few heavy lashes, the flames wreathing the two Crimson Flame Treasure Horses blazed even higher. They reared their necks, let out twin neighs, and charged madly toward the little girl.

Seeing the carriage drawing closer and closer, the little girl finally reacted, so terrified she even dropped her candied hawthorn stick.

The little girl wanted to turn and run, but gripped by terror, her body refused to obey. The moment she took a step, she tripped and fell to the ground, bursting into loud sobs.

The fall itself was nothing, but beneath the crack of the whip, the bestial nature of the two Crimson Flame Treasure Horses erupted. They raised their flame-bathed hooves and stomped viciously toward the little girl.

An Essence Condensation Realm Demon Beast inherently radiating flames-even an ordinary Essence Condensation Realm cultivator might not be able to withstand this stomp.

Let alone...

Let alone a four or five-year-old little girl.

"Nannan! My Nannan!"

"Save my daughter! Please save my daughter!!"

The separated mother finally spotted the little girl, but upon looking closely, she saw her daughter about to perish beneath the horses' hooves. She instantly collapsed to the ground in terror.

Swish!!

Seeing the little girl on the verge of being crushed, a flying sword tore through the sky, shooting down from the nine heavens with vibrating sword qi.

The flying sword transformed into a streak of light, instantly piercing through the heads of the two Crimson Flame Treasure Horses at extreme speed. Blood splattered as the blade embedded itself deeply into the bluestone-paved official road.

The sword body vibrated continuously, its sharp chime resonating through the surroundings.

Bang! Bang!!

Their heads pierced through, the Crimson Flame Treasure Horses crashed headfirst to the ground. The flames enveloping them extinguished in unison. The massive horse corpses lay sprawled across the street, bright red blood flowing from their wounds and pooling on the ground.

Silence!

A deathly silence!

Taking advantage of the chaos, the middle-aged woman rushed forward, scooped the little girl tightly into her arms, and bowed gratefully to Chu Chen and the others in the sky. Then, without looking back, she plunged into the crowd and vanished.

They were merely ordinary mortals; staying behind would only lead to death.

"Aiyo, which heaven-killed bastard did this?!"

Caught off guard, the coachman was thrown headfirst from the carriage by inertia, hitting the ground and bruising his face.

After scrambling up from the ground, the coachman swept his dark gaze across the scene and quickly spotted Chu Chen's trio standing mid-air upon their flying swords.

"You even dare to kill the precious horses of my General's Mansion. It seems you don't want to live anymore, do you?!"

"Don't think you can run rampant in Shenhuo City just because you're cultivators. My General's Mansion doesn't entertain such nonsense."

"Get the hell down here right now and apologize to our young master, or else..."

Before the coachman could finish speaking, Chu Chen crooked his finger. The flying sword embedded in the bluestone transformed back into a streak of light, plunging ruthlessly toward the coachman's heart.

"Courting death!!"

Bang! Bang!!

Seeing the flying sword about to pierce the coachman's heart, a furious roar erupted from within the carriage. Another flying sword shot out, forcefully intercepting Chu Chen's blade.

"Aiyo, you scared me to death! Scared me to death!"

Still in shock, the coachman hurriedly knelt on the ground, weeping tears of gratitude toward the young master inside the carriage:

"Thanks to the young master, otherwise this lowly one's life..."

Swish!!

Before his words of gratitude could finish, yet another flying sword descended from the heavens, manifesting as an afterimage that entered through his back and burst out his chest.

It instantly pierced the coachman's heart, leaving a gaping, bloody hole in his chest.

"Ah!!!"

"Damn it! Damn you to hell!!"

With a deafening "Boom!", the luxurious carriage shattered into pieces. A youth in brocade robes emerged, his face dark and brimming with Killing Intent. He glared at Chu Chen in mid-air, gnashing his teeth:

"You even dare to kill my people? You truly... do not know the immensity of heaven and earth!!"

"You think you are invincible under the heavens with just a Ninth Heaven Essence Condensation Realm cultivation base?"

The brocade-robed youth sneered fiercely, extracting a jade pendant from his Storage Ring before crushing it to summon reinforcements:

"In this Shenhuo City, my General's Mansion is the heavens! I, Guo Shaoyu, am the law!"

General's Mansion?

Guo Shaoyu?

Chu Chen was slightly taken aback and glanced at Zhang Ke'er beside him.

Zhang Ke'er shook her head like a rattle-drum. As the Saintess of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, aside from the Empress, the five Palace Masters, and the Elder Council, she wasn't familiar with anyone else.

Thus, Chu Chen looked at his Dao Guardian, Zhong Sheng. He figured someone with Zhong Sheng's slightly lower status ought to know of such a heaven-defying General's Mansion, right?

"Answering the Young Master, the five branch palaces of my Divine Flame Imperial Palace all have the position of General. Combined, there are no less than a hundred Generals."

"It's just that this so-called General Guo... this old servant... this old servant truly has never heard..."

Before Zhong Sheng could finish, Chu Chen waved his hand impatiently:

"Forget it, it doesn't matter."

"Anyway, today he crashed into me, the number one profligate of Shenhuo City. Consider it his entire family's sheer bad luck!!"

As his words fell, Chu Chen stepped upon his flying sword, transforming into a streak of light that shot directly toward Guo Shaoyu to kill him.

This Guo Shaoyu was merely at the First Heaven of the Sea Cleaving Realm. Though two realms higher than Chu Chen, to someone capable of fighting across realms like Chu Chen, killing him was as easy as slaughtering a pig or a dog.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Chu Chen unleashed a flurry of sword strikes. Even without drawing his terrifying great killing weapon, the Star-Fall Sword, he still beat Guo Shaoyu into absolute defenselessness.

Swish! Swish! Swish!!

But just as Guo Shaoyu was on the verge of defeat, five or six armor-clad soldiers charged out aggressively, raising their feral sabers to strike at Chu Chen.

"Haha, brat, these are the Shadow Guards of my General's Mansion!"

"Every single one of them possesses a Heaven Opening Realm cultivation base! So what if you can fight? Beneath my Shadow Guards, you will surely die!"

Guo Shaoyu coughed up blood as he spat arrogant words:

"Kill him! If the sky falls, I, Guo Shaoyu, will shoulder it..."

Boom!!

But before Guo Shaoyu's words could land, the bodies of the five or six Shadow Guards were instantly encased by a bone-piercing frost, turning into human-shaped ice sculptures in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Ke'er had made her move.

Instant kill!

"Still daring to act arrogant in front of me, the number one profligate of Shenhuo City?"

Chu Chen kicked Guo Shaoyu down to the ground. Then, before hundreds of onlookers, he raised his flying sword high, the sharp tip pointed directly at Guo Shaoyu's heart:

"In your next life, when you see your daddy, open your eyes wide and steer clear!!"

Guo Shaoyu's face turned ghastly pale from fright. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his five or six Shadow Guards to fail at blocking even a single move from the maid beside Chu Chen.

"I was wrong! Spare me! Spare me!"

"My father is a General of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace! If you kill me, you will surely die..."

Pfft!!

The long sword pierced his heart, completely nailing Guo Shaoyu dead to the bluestone slab.

"Zhong Sheng, I hate trouble."

"Striking the young only brings out the old; just thinking about it gives me a headache~"

After killing Guo Shaoyu, Chu Chen wiped the bloodstains from his long sword while indifferently instructing his Dao Guardian, Zhong Sheng, behind him:

"Find Guo Shaoyu's home. Find the General's Mansion. Exterminate his entire clan. Leave not even a chicken or dog alive!!"

As soon as these words dropped, Zhong Sheng's body trembled before he cupped his hands in salute:

"Yes, Young Master!"

Zhong Sheng tore through the void with his bare hands and vanished.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the void shattered once more.

When Zhong Sheng reappeared, he looked exactly as usual.

Only... that grayish-brown robe was now stained with a considerable amount of bright red blood.

"Let's go. Time to attend the auction."

Chu Chen nodded in satisfaction, then led Zhang Ke'er and Zhong Sheng into the auction house.

Leaving behind...

Leaving behind the entire city's subjects, stunned!