Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

The very night Lin Yun was taken under the protection of the Celestial Spirit Auction House, Wei Yunhang rushed to Fire City and went straight to the auction house’s local branch.

In the main hall, Wei Yunhang stood with two Core Disciples from Taiqing Academy. He looked at Chairman Nie, his voice cold as he spoke, "Chairman Nie, this isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with each other. Let’s get straight to it. Name your price. What will it take for you to hand over Lin Yun?"

Like Chairman Qian, Chairman Nie, the head of the Fire City branch, also had good private relations with the higher-ups of Taiqing Academy. However, this time, the order had come directly from Chairman Qian. As he was about to become her direct superior and the head of the entire Eastern Domain, Chairman Nie had no choice but to obey his command.

With a faint smile, Chairman Nie—though just an ordinary person of average looks—possessed a certain charm in her every expression that other women lacked.

Instead of answering Wei Yunhang’s question, Chairman Nie asked with a light laugh, "Young Master Wei, why are you so determined to kill Lin Yun? Weren’t you once friends?"

Hearing this, Wei Yunhang snorted. "Friends? Stop beating around the bush, Chairman Nie. Just tell me what it will take for you to hand over Lin Yun."

Wei Yunhang’s objective today was simple: he wanted Lin Yun. At this point, even Qin Feng’s life or death was secondary to eliminating Lin Yun.

Having gone from friends to mortal enemies, and having spent time with and even fought alongside Lin Yun, Wei Yunhang knew just how terrifying and monstrously talented he was.

He remembered their first meeting. Back then, he hadn’t paid Lin Yun any mind at all. Although Lin Yun was considered to have the potential of a Demon Fiend, he lacked the Combat Power to contend with the Five Great Demon Fiends.

And yet, how much time had passed? Lin Yun had already broken through to the Celestial Spirit Realm. Even Wei Yunhang couldn’t hope to match such speed, to say nothing of Lin Yun’s now even more monstrous Combat Power.

Wei Yunhang knew that with someone like this, if you couldn’t kill them at the first opportunity, it was best not to make an enemy of them at all.

Now that they were already mortal enemies, Wei Yunhang would use every means at his disposal to ensure Lin Yun did not leave the territory of Taiqing Academy alive.

He spoke with Chairman Nie for a long time, but in the end, she showed no intention of handing over Lin Yun. She simply told Wei Yunhang to wait for the new head of the Eastern Domain to arrive in Fire City and to take the matter up with him directly.

Completely unaware that the new head of the Eastern Domain was Chairman Qian from Wind City, Wei Yunhang simply believed that Chairman Nie was brushing him off.

Lin Yun was severely injured; this was the perfect opportunity to kill him. Every moment that passed introduced more uncertainty, and Wei Yunhang wanted no more complications in this matter.

His tone took on a threatening edge. "Chairman Nie, if I recall correctly, the Celestial Spirit Auction House has a rule that all branches are forbidden from participating in local conflicts." Clearly, Wei Yunhang intended to use the auction house’s own regulations to pressure her.

Hearing this, Chairman Nie’s expression remained unchanged. She replied coolly, "I am not interfering in any conflict. I am merely following the orders of the head of the Eastern Domain by sheltering Lin Yun."

After this lengthy exchange, Wei Yunhang knew it was impossible to get Chairman Nie to hand over Lin Yun willingly.

Without another word, not even a perfunctory farewell, Wei Yunhang turned and left the Celestial Spirit Auction House with the two Core Disciples from Taiqing Academy in tow.

After leaving the Celestial Spirit Auction House, Wei Yunhang commanded the two Core Disciples behind him, "Gather our people and surround the Celestial Spirit Auction House. The moment you see Lin Yun, kill him on sight."

Although his desire to kill Lin Yun had reached a fever pitch, his reason told him he could not clash with the Celestial Spirit Auction House head-on. Otherwise, the entire Taiqing Academy could be destroyed in the process.

Back at his home—the Wei Family residence in Fire City—Wei Yunhang’s expression was utterly grim. He was in such a foul mood that he didn’t even have a pleasant word for his own father.

After curtly dismissing his father, Wei Yunhang sat alone in the Wei Family’s main hall, pondering a solution.

’If Lin Yun stays in the Celestial Spirit Auction House until the people from Flawless Palace arrive, killing him will become extremely difficult. At that point, it could very well trigger a full-scale war between our two sects.’

’This war wouldn’t be like the one in Jincheng, which was just a battle between Spirit Realm experts. This would be a total war involving tens of thousands of disciples from both sides—a war that could bring ruin to both Flawless Palace and Taiqing Academy.’

The thought made Wei Yunhang extremely agitated. He couldn’t storm the Celestial Spirit Auction House, so what was he supposed to do?

After a long period of contemplation, Wei Yunhang finally made a decision. He would first gather all of Taiqing Academy’s Core Disciples, Direct Disciples, and Main Seat Elders in Fire City. As for the rest, he would have them return to the Academy. They wouldn’t be of much use, and with so many people already gathered in Fire City, their presence was unnecessary.

After sending out a series of orders, Wei Yunhang spoke with chilling killing intent, "Lin Yun, I swear you will not leave Fire City alive."

「Three days later.」

In those three days, the people of Taiqing Academy had cast an inescapable net around the Celestial Spirit Auction House. Their disciples were everywhere. It was said that Wei Yunhang knew precisely how many birds flew out of the auction house each day.

Over those three days, Lin Yun’s injuries had improved considerably. He could at least get up and walk around. Sitting in the courtyard pavilion, he was well aware that Taiqing Academy’s disciples had placed the entire Celestial Spirit Auction House under surveillance.

Toying with the Communication Token in his hand, Lin Yun reflected on the situation. ’I expected all of this. And I also know that Wei Yunhang would never dare to attack the Celestial Spirit Auction House by force.’

A cold smirk touched Lin Yun’s lips as he muttered to himself, "Wei Yunhang, watching over a fish on the chopping block, yet unable to eat it... It must be frustrating, isn’t it?"

The fish he spoke of was, of course, himself. He was currently trapped inside the Celestial Spirit Auction House. There was no doubt that if he took so much as a single step outside, Wei Yunhang would kill him without a moment’s hesitation.

But as long as he stayed inside, there was nothing Wei Yunhang could do.

Lin Yun hadn’t been idle during these three days. Luo Feng and the others had been informed of the situation, and Flawless Palace had made its preparations. All of its disciples, excluding the Outer Disciples, were already on their way to Fire City.

Furthermore, Chairman Qian was expected to arrive in Fire City the next day.

Most importantly, Qingfeng Saint had contacted him proactively. He told Lin Yun that he had found an Alchemy Grandmaster to refine the Saint-Breaking Celestial Pill using the Pill Formula and was confident it would be successfully created soon.

Upon receiving the news, Lin Yun told Qingfeng Saint to come to Fire City in the Eastern Domain at once.

Lin Yun now had a few strategies to deal with Wei Yunhang, but his intuition told him that Wei Yunhang wasn’t the greatest danger. A more threatening person was hiding in the shadows. It was this gut feeling that made him so eager to summon Qingfeng Saint back.

He sat in the courtyard for the entire afternoon. Just as the sun began to set, a voice as melodious as a songbird’s rang out.

"Heh, Lin Yun. It’s been a long time..."

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