MTLNOVEL Chapter 420: What... but how?
A single disciple stood there, dressed in the uniform of the Heavenly Moon Sect's inner house. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail, his posture straight, and his expression calm.
Just a disciple?
"Isn't that… Yu Shen?"
"One of the inner sect disciples..."
"But twenty thousand?!"
"That's enough to bankrupt most Grand elders!"
Even the two enraged elders went completely silent, jaws clenched, their pride crumbling instantly.
Julian leaned back slowly in his chair, his gaze fixed on the bidding disciple below. His lips curled into a sly, knowing smile.
So… she did come after all.
That "disciple" standing so boldly with confidence, was none other than the Sect Leader herself, carefully disguised in male attire.
She came with a different name and face this time, Julian thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.
She was careful, calculated and always two steps ahead.
Meanwhile, on the stage, Fi Feng stood momentarily stunned.
His mouth opened slightly, eyes narrowing as he stared at the calm-faced "inner disciple" who had just bid twenty thousand high-grade spiritual stones like it was pocket change.
How…?
An inner disciple with that kind of wealth?
He hesitated, but quickly masked the confusion with a smile.
"Oh…! The young master here has bid twenty thousand!" he declared loudly, his voice regaining its composure.
He turned his gaze towards the audience.
"Anyone else?" he asked.
But no voice came.
No one dared raise their hand.
Not after that number.
Fi Feng began the countdown.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
Fi Feng clapped once.
"Congratulations to the young master!" he called, gesturing toward the dagger.
"This magnificent treasure — the Dragon's Breath Dagger — has been won by you! You may collect it after the auction concludes."
Polite applause followed, but the tension remained.
Who is that inner disciple… really?
But no one dared ask out loud.
Julian, meanwhile, chuckled silently. As bold as ever, Sect Leader. Let's see what you're planning this time.
With that dramatic turn, the auction continued.
Fi Feng, ever the professional, didn't disappoint. He moved swiftly, introducing one eye-catching treasure after another — rare pills, scrolls, elemental crystals, relics.
Each item sent ripples through the crowd.
But that same "young disciple" — the one from the Heavenly Moon Sect — bid.
And won.
Every time.
Whether it was a flame-rooted essence, a Heaven-Tier refining cauldron, or even a sealed beast core, the mysterious bidder casually raised a hand and made an offer no one else could beat.
Time after time.
By the fifth bid, the crowd had stopped reacting in surprise.
By the seventh, they were raging in silence.
Again?
Another one?
Does this bastard want to empty the entire auction?!
Some gritted their teeth while some cursed in silence. A few hot-blooded disciples whispered among themselves, even considered raising hands to challenge — but they stopped.
Because deep down, everyone knew:
No ordinary disciple could spend this freely.
Twenty thousand stones. Thirty. Even forty.
No hesitations. No flinching.
If someone could throw around that much wealth, then someone powerful had to be backing them.
Maybe a Grand Elder.
Or worse… maybe even the Sect Leader herself.
They swallowed their rage and turned their attention to the scraps — low-grade talismans, cracked relics, or cultivation manuals.
Up in the Sapphire Lobby, Julian sat with a satisfied smile, clearly enjoying the drama.
Nothing had truly caught his attention so far.
But then… something changed.
As the next pair of maids stepped gracefully onto the stage, carrying a covered item between them, a sudden surge of pain shot through Julian's body.
Without warning, the death energy inside him flared wildly — spiraling out of control. Unbearable pain filled his being and gushes of blood escaped his lips, staining the glass and his robe.
Julian closed his eyes, immediately forcing his concentration inward.
What is this…?!
His death energy had took a form of a beast — roaring, pulsing and clashing violently against his lightning and creation energies.
He channeled both of the energies, trying to stabilize the balance.
Calm down… he told himself. Control
But the death energy wasn't listening.
It wasn't just reacting randomly — it was responding to something.
Something in the hall.
What's happening? Julian thought, panic creeping into his chest.
The maids gasped in fear at the sight of the blood, but Julian raised his hand, and the maids, instantly understood, shutting their mouths and silencing themselves.
The hall hadn't noticed yet.
Fi Feng, unaware, smiled confidently as he reached for the black fabric covering the next item.
"And now, for something quite… unique," he said, pulling it away and revealing the item to the curious gazes.
A pendant laid neatly on a tray, its design so simple that it was almost disappointing.
The crowd shifted uncomfortably.
"Is that it…?"
"Looks plain."
"Feels like a scam."
But in the Sapphire Lobby… Julian's breathing froze and his body tensed.
His death energy — though still under suppression — flared again, violently trying to escape the confines of his body.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he channeled more lightning energy to cage it down.
The strain was immeasurable, not from the pendant's pressure but from his own body's reaction to it.
What is this…?
This whole situation caught Julian completely off guard.
His death energy wasn't just anything— it was one of the supreme energies, formed by an indirect combination of the original death energy and his own will. He still remembered the near death experience when he had forced the death energy into submission by attacking it with creation and lightning energy.
It was a fusion that went beyond comprehension.
And it meant, in the truest sense that there was nothing in the entire reality — not divine, not cursed, not anything— that was capable of influencing it in any way.
Except…
If it was the original death energy itself.
His heart pounded faster, his chest tightening with fear as his gaze locked onto the pendant.
Is it really that…? he thought, a chill running through his spine.
But how…?
His mind raced, digging through memories, fragments, anything he had ever learned or sensed, desperately searching for any explanation, any logic, any possibility — but found none.
No matter how hard he tried… there were no answers.
And how could there be?
He wasn't just standing in some random world. He was in his own world — a space entirely separate from the outer world, a world made of his own sea of consciousness.