BTTH: Starting With Auctioning Green Lotus Core Flame

As soon as Gu Qing Yang's words fell, he launched himself like a cannonball towards Niu Meng, his speed tearing through the air, ripping apart the ground beneath his feet, and causing the very fabric of space to crack. The air around him crackled with the piercing sound of explosive force.

Yet, Niu Meng remained unfazed, standing calmly in place with a ghostly smile on his face. He straightened his back, crossing his arms behind him in a posture of arrogance.

Such a cocky attitude only served to further enrage Gu Qing Yang.

With a resounding boom, Gu Qing Yang's fist collided with Niu Meng's position, and the air was filled with a thunderous explosion.

However, an unseen barrier suddenly materialized before Niu Meng, effortlessly absorbing the full force of Gu Qing Yang's strike. The recoil sent Gu Qing Yang stumbling several meters backward, his breath labored and his eyes filled with fury.

He looked down at his right hand, which now throbbed with a numbing pain, his face darkening as he growled, "Who the hell are you?!"

"I am Niu Meng, a Guardian of Heaven Ascending Pavillion!" Niu Meng responded with a calm yet commanding tone.

"Niu Meng? Heaven Ascending Pavilion?" 

Gu Qing Yang's gaze shifted from Niu Meng to the Heaven Ascending Pavilion in the distance, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind. Just as he was about to speak further, he realized that several exceptionally beautiful women had appeared around him, seemingly out of nowhere.

The leader, Bai Ling, had a piercing gaze. With a subtle movement of her fingers, the previously damaged ground instantly returned to its original state.

Witnessing this, Gu Qing Yang's expression grew even more peculiar. A doubt arose in his mind. Is the Heaven Ascending Pavilion a branch of some powerful clan from the Central Plain?

Bai Ling, undoubtedly the strongest among them, exuded an aura so powerful that it felt like a raging sea crashing over Gu Qing Yang, forcing the mighty Dou Saint to take an involuntary half-step back.

"The Heaven Ascending Pavilion has its own rules," Bai Ling stated, her voice cold and firm. "Since you've broken those rules, you must face the corresponding punishment."

With a graceful turn, Bai Ling bowed deeply toward the central peak of the valley, where the Heaven Ascending Pavilion stood towering over everything.

Suddenly, from the top of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion, a blinding golden light burst forth, condensing into a formidable spear—the Godslayer Spear—hurtling towards Gu Qing Yang with lethal intent before he could even react.

Gu Qing Yang's face paled in horror as he sensed the overwhelming danger from the spear, a threat that could end his life in an instant.

In a desperate move, Gu Qing Yang twisted his body and summoned a brand-new longsword, slashing it with all his might towards the incoming spear. But to his utter shock and terror, his full-powered strike shattered into pieces under the force of the golden spear.

The violent energy sent him crashing backward, blood spurting from his mouth. Despite being a peak powerhouse, he was utterly powerless against the Heaven Ascending Pavilion's attack. In just one move, he was left vomiting blood and lying on the ground.

Even worse, the force of the blow caused his cultivation level to waver dangerously, as if he could drop back to the Dou Venerate realm at any moment.

Fear gripped Gu Qing Yang completely. But rather than fleeing, he immediately sat down cross-legged, desperately trying to expel the sacred and inviolable energy invading his body.

Yet, this energy was far beyond what someone like him could resist. In a matter of moments, Gu Qing Yang coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his cultivation plummeted directly to that of a One-Star Dou Saint.

Terrified, Gu Qing Yang finally surrendered, shouting, "I'm sorry, I was wrong! Please, stop!"

He knew all too well that this energy had been deliberately directed at him, slowly forcing his realm to regress.

Inside the Heaven Ascending Pavilion, Li Xiao paused, looking at the system notification indicating a deduction of one thousand system points. He sighed inwardly, feeling the sting of losing what amounted to a million gold coins. This was a debt he would have to recoup.

The Godslayer Spear, still hovering in the air, flickered with a faint light before gradually dissipating into nothingness.

Gu Qing Yang heaved a sigh of relief, his pale face devoid of any color as he lay weakly on the ground, gasping for air. There was no former arrogance in his expression anymore, only fear and dejection.

He hadn't anticipated that such a small auction house would possess self-defense capabilities so powerful that it not only made his cultivation regress but also left his injuries unable to heal.

Bai Ling's voice was icy as she spoke, "The Pavilion Master has spared your life today, but if you dare violate the rules of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion again, no matter where you run, you will be obliterated."

Gu Qing Yang, now drained of his earlier arrogance, nodded heavily. He knew that one wrong word could indeed result in his death right then and there.

Yet, deep within, he was profoundly shocked—how could there be the power of Heaven's Law in this place?!

"Now, let's discuss the matter of compensation," Linglong stepped forward briskly, pulling out a pen and paper to begin her calculations. She even included the one million gold coins that the Pavilion Lord had spent.

The total came to one billion gold coins.

"In total, that will be one billion gold coins. Will you be paying by card or in cash?"

"Huh?"

Gu Qing Yang stood frozen in shock, his expression resembling a stunned emoji, filled with disbelief.

"Um… may I ask what the one billion gold coins are for…?" Gu Qing Yang stammered.

"Obviously, it's for the damage you caused to the property here," Linglong responded impatiently as she tore off the slip of paper and stuck it onto Gu Qing Yang's forehead. "You destroyed three peach trees, each personally planted by the Pavilion Lord and carrying great significance. Each tree is valued at ten million gold coins."

"And the land you trampled on is the land we've painstakingly cultivated, priced at one million gold coins per square meter. Add in various miscellaneous damages, as well as the mental distress caused to our little lion and Brother Niu Meng, and the total comes to one billion one hundred million gold coins. Since you're a powerful member of the Gu Clan, we've waived the remaining hundred million, so please pay the balance."

"Uh… so, what you're saying is, 'This road was built by me, these trees were planted by me, and if you want to pass, you'll need to pay a toll?'" Hearing such a shameless demand came out of the woman's lips unabashedly, Gu Qing Yang couldn't restrain the change in his expression. "Isn't this just outright robbery…?"

Bai Ling's voice remained cold as she retorted, "Pluck a feather from every passing goose, leave no beast unskinned—those are the rules of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion. Problem?"

Gu Qing Yang quickly responded, "No, no! What a… a remarkably reasonable fee…"

"I'll pay right away…" Gu Qing Yang reluctantly pulled out a purple-gold card from his storage ring. The card, engraved with the amount of one billion gold coins, could be safely withdrawn anywhere.

Linglong nodded approvingly as she took the purple-gold card, preparing to return and transfer the funds to the Pavilion Lord's personal account.

"Wait, Miss."

"Hmm? What is it?" Bing Shuang asked, her gaze cold, as frost began forming visibly around her feet.

Gu Qing Yang struggled to stand, despite his drop in cultivation. Although he was now a mere shadow of his former self, he could at least say he had survived—a small blessing amid the misfortune.

However, this so-called blessing came with a bitter aftertaste.

"Could you allow me to enter the Heaven Ascending Pavilion to participate in the auction? As you must be aware, the God Seal Art is a sacred treasure of my Gu Clan. It cannot fall into the hands of outsiders; otherwise, all hell will break loose!"

Gu Qing Yang pleaded desperately. Despite his reputation as a ruthless leader, he was willing to sacrifice his dignity for the sake of his clan's future.

Everything he did was for the Gu Clan!