Chapter 293 - Things Have Deviated From The Plan

"Is that so?" Cassius gave an awkward laugh as he stroked his chin. He didn’t feel like the topic needed elaboration, so he decided to focus on the auction.

It was around 1:30 p.m, and a pale golden light poured through the high windows onto the stage, reflecting off the marble floor. The scent of women's perfume drifted through the air.

The number of people attending the auction was neither too many nor too few; all were dressed in suits or looked radiant. Some wealthy individuals leaned on canes, holding glamorous female companions with slightly narrowed eyes. All of them seemed determined to obtain certain items.

Before the auction officially began, waiters dressed in black and white vests walked slowly and elegantly through the aisles. Each waiter was a specially selected, tall, handsome young man. Some held trays steadily with drinks on top and a white cloth draped over their forearm. Others carried a stack of brochures, placing them at every occupied seat with a smile. Their expressions and demeanor were impeccable.

Cassius casually ordered a cup of black tea and picked up the brochure, which smelled of freshly printed ink. The brochure included images and information about the antiques and their starting prices.

He flipped through casually and quickly found the unknown antiques related to ancient ruins. His finger paused on a page featuring a cross sword. His gaze lingered briefly before turning the page, where he saw the Kupan Demon Box.

Cassius closed the brochure and saw that Feng Liusi had closed his eyes beside him. He was probably still adapting to his new Death's Fang Force. When he turned to look at the stage, the auction had already officially begun.

Starting from item number one, antiques were continuously brought from backstage to the front. Professional auctioneers introduced their detailed backgrounds, and invited interested guests to bid.

Cassius crossed his arms over his chest, indifferent to the bids until half an hour had passed.

"Next up for auction is a 1.2 meter-long cross sword of unknown age. However, we can confirm it's quite ancient. This cross sword comes from an elderly collector in Bright Mountain City who has entrusted it to us for auction, with a starting price of 10,000 federal coins," the auctioneer said slowly. "Interested parties may begin..."

"Ten thousand."

"Eleven thousand."

"Thirteen thousand."

"..."

Some sword enthusiasts on the circular seats immediately began to bid, but each increment wasn't very high. Cassius paid no attention to the rising bids around him. Instead, the auctioneer's words echoed in his mind.

From an elderly collector in Bright Mountain City...

Bright Mountain City... Mirror Lake... Alphama Mountain Range...

Cassius had encountered the direct bloodline Blood Race there and accidentally obtained the Rune of Wisdom in the depths of the mountains. Could that ruin really be related to the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance?

When he saw the murals on the first day of the antique exhibition, he had his suspicions. Now, with the emergence of certain evidence, it seemed increasingly possible. However, he still didn’t have enough information to be completely confident.

Cassius waited patiently, and before long, the Spiral-Eye Sword was won by a middle-aged man in a suit. He wasn't a Covert Martial Arts Practitioner, nor a dark creature. He seemed like just an ordinary person who might unfortunately be in for trouble later.

However, Cassius also couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was an ordinary person controlled by the Blood Spirit Society or Gate Organization behind the scenes.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The auction continued until the Kupan Demon Box appeared on stage.

"Twenty thousand." A brown-haired young man in a gray suit made the first bid, placing his just-emptied drink on the table in front.

"Thirty thousand." A gentlemanly old man near Cassius's seat spoke up.

Many others also quickly expressed interest. The price of the Kupan Demon Box quickly reached the range of one hundred thousand federation dollars. The purchasing power of Hongli Federation dollars was still quite impressive in this era.

The bidding continued on for a minute before the price of the demon box reached three hundred thousand. The number of competitors had now dropped from double digits to five people. Cassius glanced over them, unsure who stood behind them.

In the end, the demon box's price was raised to seven hundred thousand and was won by a goateed old man.

On the stage, the auctioneer struck the gavel. "Seven hundred thousand! Congratulations to bidder number nine..."

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Suddenly, violent explosions sounded inside the venue. Bright yellow flames expanded, and a rush of heat swept through the hall. The glass on the windows shook and shattered onto the floor without surprise.

"

Ahhh

..."

"Run!"

"Terrorist attack!!!"

As screams echoed throughout the venue, the individuals dressed in suits who had previously moved calmly and elegantly all fell into panic. Some unhesitatingly abandoned their female companions and fled alone; others trembled with fear, cowering in terror.

When faced with life-threatening danger, one's true nature would be revealed.

Whizz!

A rocket whistled through the hole in the hall and exploded with a boom. It blasted a crater in the marble floor, sending flames and debris flying.

"Who made a move? Who couldn't hold back anymore?" Cassius reached up and caught a flying fragment of metal, his expression somewhat grim.

The situation was beyond his plan. He had expected the Gate Organization and Blood Spirit Society to wait until after the auction to act. As the organizer, the Cloud Dog Fist was a force that couldn't just be ignored; whoever acted first on their turf would be targeted. Other hidden observers could then reap the benefits. Yet, some reckless fool still decided to act first.

"The Gate Organization and Blood Spirit Society... Quite bold." Cassius admired.

In a secluded corner across the hall, Black Peacock, wearing a black wide-brimmed hat, suddenly stood up, his gaze sharp and deep.

"What does this mean?!" He instinctively turned and met a pair of scarlet eyes.

The two exchanged glances as if both were saying "It wasn't me..."

At the same time, in the shadows outside the circular plaza, the forces of the Gate Organization and Blood Spirit Society, who had been waiting since morning, heard the explosions from inside.

"

Cough cough cough

, what's going on?" In the darkness, a man with three swords at his waist coughed while frowning.

"An unexpected situation has occurred." Beside him, Purple General, who always had drooping eyelids and a lethargic demeanor, suddenly opened his eyes. "Plans never survive first contact with the enemy... Let's act directly!"

"Agreed!" Blade Demon frowned slightly, nodding.

Immediately, shadows flickered in the once narrow and quiet alleys nearby, as hurried footsteps spread rapidly.

In the Tulip Antique Exhibition hall, a man in a black tailcoat emerged from the shadows. He was slender and thin, and his skin was as pale as a corpse. He wore a hat with red strands of hair falling over his forehead, like the color of fresh blood.

"Lotus..." Black Peacock's glasses glinted slightly as he looked at his temporary ally. "Someone acted before us..."

Lotus walked over slowly, his voice icy cold and devoid of any warmth. "So I will act as well."

As he stepped forward, a thick, blood-like viscous liquid suddenly surged from his pant legs. It wrapped around his feet and then spiraled upwards like vines. It covered his calves, thighs, torso, arms, and all the way up to his head.

It had only taken an instant for Lotus to transform into a bizarre, blood-red monster. He took another step forward, and more blood gushed from his body. This sickly sweet-smelling liquid formed layers over his body like armor, causing his slender body to swell.

In just a few breaths, he transformed into a blood-armored man standing two and a half meters tall. The surface of the liquid now had a rubber-like coating, and something similar to blood vessels that were as thick as a thumb was exposed at the joints. His shoulders were now inexplicably adorned with shark-like serrated spikes.

He was determined to obtain the Kupan Demon Box!

Boom!

The marble floor suddenly cracked as the Blood Spirit Society's president, Lotus, vanished from where he stood. He leaped forward, accelerating to the point where he left afterimages and sonic booms in the air.

Lotus grabbed the Kupan Demon Box placed on the high platform with one hand. The whole process was unimaginably easy. The attackers were still rushing in through the hole in the wall, and the security personnel near the stage had been knocked away one by one.

Had the Kupan Demon Box been obtained so casually before everyone could even react?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The entire platform suddenly exploded, as if it had been rigged. Terrifying orange flames expanded and exploded, carrying a strong smell of gunpowder and intense heat. The smoke formed a mushroom-like shape as it billowed upward. Almost instantly, half of the hall was engulfed and the blood-armored man was swallowed entirely, disappearing without a trace. It seemed to have been a premeditated trap!

"Hahaha, finally lured you out! Blood Spirit Society!" Suddenly, two agile figures with formidable Qi rushed into the hall. A white-haired old man wearing white training clothes with a ruddy complexion was first through the whole, while a strong man with gray hair and two bronze-colored muscular arms followed him in.

The so-called terrorists who had just used rocket launchers to attack the hall stopped one by one and stood respectfully to the side.

That's right, it was a self-directed performance that had been personally coordinated by Cloud Dog Fist's sect master, Tom. Even if it meant destroying half the exhibition hall and damaging the reputation of the Tulip Antique Exhibition, it was all worth it. That was just how Covert Martial Arts Practitioners fought.

They had deliberately set a trap and quietly waited for the forces with different intentions towards the Tulip Antique Exhibition to take the bait. The two of them had hoped that it would be the Blood Spirit Society who couldn't hold back. Turns out, that was indeed the case.

The white-haired Elder Oro looked at the raging flames, his face somewhat flushed in the hot air. His gaze suddenly turned to the circular seats, where about one-fifth of the guests remained. Some were so frightened they nearly wet themselves. Others were inexplicably calm and not at all startled by the commotion.

"Sect Master, there must be remnants of the Blood Spirit Society hidden in the crowd. Why not capture them all and interrogate them one by one?" The white-haired elder said coldly. Cloud Dog Fist was not afraid of a city's upper-class people. Besides, they were just going to investigate, not kidnap them for ransom.

"Hmm, arrest everyone in the crowd who is out of the ordinary; don't let any of them go. We must interrogate them thoroughly." The gray-white-haired man's eyes flickered. A box that was neither gold nor wood appeared in his hand.

It was the Kupan Demon Box!

"This thing is probably quite valuable and has great use. Those who want to possess it must know its purpose," Cloud Dog Fist's sect master Tom squeezed it slightly. It looked effortless, but he was actually using a great deal of strength. Even a box made of ordinary steel would be twisted and deformed by his fingers.

However, the Kupan Demon Box was seemingly unaffected. Sunlight shone on it, and the surface of the demon box shimmered with a blue-purple light. It had a demonic, eerie allure.

"Seal off the entire venue! No one is allowed to leave!" Oro shouted loudly, and a large number of Cloud Dog Fist disciples rushed out from all directions. They coordinated with the security personnel to surround the Tulip Antique Exhibition hall. There were also additional personnel around the circular plaza.

Even the rank and file disciples of Cloud Dog Fist were incredibly strong. There were seven or eight pugilists, each with a formidable Qi, and quite a few gunmen carrying heavy firepower. They surrounded the building fully.

"A bunch of rats hiding in dark corners. We finally caught them all at once!" Oro's face betrayed the anger that had been simmering for a long time. He intended to act personally. A group of Cloud Dog Fist disciples carrying firearms followed him.

Before they could act, they heard footsteps from the burning platform. Oro realized something and looked incredulously over, his fists clenching almost subconsciously.

A figure slowly walked out from the bright yellow flames. It was charred black, and riddled with holes from the explosion. However, the monster had not died. It had a broken potion bottle in its clawed hand, glass shards falling from between its fingers to the ground.

"

Hahaha

... I knew you wouldn't be so easy to kill!" Tom laughed.

A black figure appeared like a bat in the distance. Black Peacock had somehow appeared near the high platform, his Qi dangerous and eyes blazing as he looked at a secluded corner.

"What? Too scared to show yourself?" Tom smirked.

"Don't joke around. The one who should be scared is you..." Three formidable figures stepped forward. Their Qi surged like raging waves, giving an illusion of a tsunami.

At the same time, sounds of battle and slaughter came from outside the antique exhibition hall. Two figures rushed in, blazing like the brightest candles in the darkness as their killing intent boiled over.

Shing!

A dazzling blade Qi whistled through the air. It cut through several people along its path and sliced through walls, carving an exaggerated furrow on the marble floor of the hall.

Oro glanced at the terrifying blade Qi that had brushed past him, then at the five formidable Qi rising within the hall. He quietly retreated to Sect Master Tom's side and whispered.

"Sect Master, perhaps we should withdraw for now. Things seem to have deviated from the plan a little..."