Chapter 138: Realm!

Walking along the roadside, the three women with Qian Mo accompanied him as Ling Xuan lightly furrowed her brows and said, "Husband, why do I feel like those two people we just saw looked somewhat familiar?"

Hearing this, Qian Mo felt a sudden surge of panic inside. After all, he had just beaten up a father-in-law and even robbed him blind. Maintaining a calm exterior, he replied, "Familiar? Then why didn't you tell me just now? It must be your imagination. He was about to attack us, yet you think he looks familiar? My dear, you're overthinking it."

As he spoke, Qian Mo gently patted their heads.

*This was my father-in-law,* he thought. *If I get exposed, it'll be a disaster. But I suppose he won't bring it up either. Besides, if they admitted it, it would only be humiliating for them. Their faces aren't nearly thick enough for that.*

Qian Mo was not worried at all that they would expose themselves. Therefore, he had deliberately been a bit rough with them—how dare they provoke young master? They must have grown tired of living. If he weren't his father-in-law, he would have used his spiked club to smash them into meat paste.

"By the way, where is the Heaven and Earth Pavilion auction house located?" Qian Mo asked.

Ling Xuan nodded, pointed ahead, and said, "It's just a hundred meters up ahead, make a left turn," making a graceful gesture as she spoke.

Qian Mo extended his divine consciousness outward, and sure enough, there was a massive building inside. The auction house was quite large and exceptionally unique.

"I heard that the master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion is a mysterious figure? No one has ever discovered his identity?" Qian Mo asked.

"According to my intelligence, that is correct, though someone probably has discovered it without leaking the news. Rumor has it that he is a peak nine-star Dou Sheng," Ling Xuan replied.

"A peak nine-star Dou Sheng? It seems I must go take a look. If possible, I'll invite him to become a puppet in our Samsara Realm," Qian Mo said, licking his lips.

The three women: "........."

The two women immediately rolled their eyes. "All you ever think about is puppets day in and day out. Why don't you refine all the factions in the Western Continent as well?"

Qian Mo's eyes lit up with a grin. "Haha, my wives truly know me best! When the time comes, your husband will pay him a personal visit. If he refuses to obey, I'll just refine him into a puppet."

The two women: "......."

They stopped talking. Anything they said would only benefit this fellow.

.........

Outside the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, there was a constant stream of traffic and crowds. Everywhere were people from various major sects and powerful factions of the Western Continent—some with swords strapped to their backs, others with sabers at their waists. If you could imagine it, you could see it.

The rule of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion was that everyone had to patiently wait in line. There were four entrances in total, distributed across the four sides of the building.

Each side had a massive crowd of people.

"It seems this Heaven and Earth Pavilion auction house is quite popular, and it makes a fortune. Should I also open a Yama Prison auction house myself when the time comes? It must be based strictly on item-value exchanges," Qian Mo muttered with a helpless smile as he wrapped his arms around the two women, approaching the vicinity of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion and looking at the bustling avenue filled with people. However, as Qian Mo appeared, the gazes of several people fixed on him. Why was this person dressed so strangely?

"Husband, your outfit really draws a lot of attention," Ling Xuan said, looking at Qian Mo's unfamiliar clothes, wondering where on earth he had gotten them.

"Hmph, they simply don't understand. Your husband's outfit is the most trendy attire of the twenty-second century! They lack insight and don't get it!" Qian Mo snorted coldly, his voice thick with mockery.

"Alright, let's put that aside for now. With so many people here, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for us to get inside," Yun Yi said softly from behind her veil.

"That's hardly a big deal. By the way, do you ladies want to see what the master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion looks like?" Qian Mo asked with a corner of his mouth curved upward. "I happen to have a slight interest."

"Could husband be able to find him?" Ling Xuan asked. She was also very curious about this legendary mysterious figure.

Yun Yi nodded in silent agreement.

"There is nothing under the heavens that your husband does not know," Qian Mo declared. With a sweep of his divine consciousness, he scanned the entire Heaven and Earth Pavilion and located a mysterious person inside a secret chamber—someone who appeared to be an old man.

"Eh? Who? Who is peeping at this old man?!" Inside the secret chamber, an aged voice resounded. Furrowing his brows, the old man wondered what kind of person dared to spy on him.

Qian Mo's lips curved into a smile as he told the two women, "Found him. Judging by the voice, he's an old man."

"Let's go, your husband will take you across."

With a wave of his hand, Qian Mo tore through the void, taking the three women right inside.

..........

Inside the secret chamber, a ray of sunlight filtered through, illuminating rows of teapots on a table.

An elderly man sat sipping tea, his brows still furrowed in thought. Who on earth was that person just now? He hadn't even been able to catch their trace, yet he was a peak nine-star Dou Sheng—it shouldn't have been possible for them to escape his awareness. Could the other party have possessed some sort of divine artifact?

Thinking along these lines, the old man relaxed slightly. Only this explanation made sense.

Just as the old man's mind was racing with thoughts, a tear violently ripped open the void within the room.

The moment the old man saw this, his pupils constricted and he grew instantly alert. However, sensing no hostility from the other side, he relaxed a fraction.

"I wonder which senior expert has graced my room," the old man said, feigning composure.

Anyone capable of tearing through the void right under his nose was definitely no ordinary person. He decided to first probe their intentions; perhaps it wasn't a bad thing.

Following that, he saw a strangely dressed man accompanied by two women and a little girl appear in the room.

Qian Mo embraced the two women, glanced around, and then looked at the old man ahead. "Old man, are you the heavily rumored, mysterious master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion?"

"Ahem, little friend, I am indeed the master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. May I ask what business brings you here?" the old man choked on his tea upon hearing this title, quickly recovering to ask.

"Oh, nothing much. I came here for two reasons," Qian Mo said.

"Oh? And what might those two reasons be?" the old man asked, his interest piqued.

"First, I wanted to come and take a look at the legendary mysterious master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. Second, there are simply too many people outside, and this young master lacks the patience to wait in line, so I came to ask you for a VIP room."

"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person either. I have three tier-9 beast cores and three tier-9 medicinal pills right here; you can choose for yourself! As for my daughter, you can see how young she is, so we'll spare her."

With a wave of his hand, three tier-9 beast cores and three tier-9 medicinal pills appeared on the tea table before the old man, the pills neatly contained within medicine boxes.

To Qian Mo, these things were completely useless; he had piles of them lying around.

When the old man first heard him speak, he thought it was just a joke, but the next second, the six items on the table shocked him to his core.

As for the beast cores, he wasn't particularly astounded, but the tier-9 medicinal pills—damn it, those scared the wits out of him!

A single one was already unimaginably precious, let alone three.

"Does my little friend truly wish to trade three tier-9 medicinal pills for a mere VIP room? In truth, a single one would suffice," the old man asked in sheer astonishment.

Did this kid think tier-9 pills grew on trees?!

"Such a small matter. Look at you, a peak nine-star Dou Sheng, yet a mere few tier-9 pills have you shaken like this. Hurry up and give me an answer—can I get a seat in the best VIP room or not? My legs are getting tired from standing," Qian Mo said, shaking his head with a trace of mockery.

Hearing this, the old man felt extremely awkward. What shocked him the most, however, was that the other party had instantly seen through his cultivation realm, whereas he couldn't perceive the young man's strength at all. The fellow seemed entirely devoid of Dou Qi, acting as though he were an ordinary mortal.

"Little friend, bringing out such priceless treasures—aren't you afraid that this old man might capture you, or wipe you out and take them all for myself?" the old man tested him.

"Haha! Old man, it's not that I look down on you, but if you truly dared to do such a thing, I would make the Heaven and Earth Pavilion vanish from the Dou Qi Continent forever," Qian Mo laughed heartily, his tone instantly turning gloomy.

..........

"Infinite Suppression! If I don't show you people some color, you'll never learn."

Suddenly, an unprecedented, overwhelming force descended directly over the entire Heaven and Earth Pavilion. Everyone inside and outside the pavilion was instantly pressed flat against the ground.

"Ah!!"

"What the hell is this?!"

"Heavens, what is going on?!"

"How should I know? We're nine-star Dou Sheng, so why can't we even put up the slightest resistance?!"

........

Everyone outside collapsed in agony, crying out to the heavens without getting a response, screaming to the earth without avail.

Inside the room, a loud *bang* echoed. The moment Qian Mo had spoken those words, the old man felt a sense of impending doom. He immediately unleashed his peak nine-star Dou Sheng cultivation to resist, but it had zero effect.

"How is this possible?!" The old man crashed to the floor, his pupils dilated in utter disbelief. How could a peak nine-star Dou Sheng like him be completely powerless to resist?

"Old man, let me show you something," Qian Mo said, waving his hand in front of the old man. A screen materialized in the air. The old man's pupils violently constricted as he saw that every single person inside and outside the Heaven and Earth Pavilion was pinned flat to the ground, utterly unable to fight back.

Before long, the clamor and cries for help from outside echoed into the room.

"This, this..." The old man thought he must be dreaming. This was the most humiliating and wretched moment of his entire life.

"Well, old man? Do you still want to try robbing my things?" Qian Mo released the two women, conjuring a massive spiked club into his hand and tapping it rhythmically as he slowly walked toward the old man.

If the old man dared to act arrogant even now, he would smash him directly with the club and let him experience its taste.

"Gr-Great... Senior... my apologies for the previous offense... I meant no malice... please spare my life." Seeing the gigantic, thorny weapon appear in Qian Mo's hand, the old man began to tremble violently. If that thing struck his skull, the outcome would be utterly indescribable. Immediately, his courage completely evaporated.

"Of course I know you had no malice, otherwise your Heaven and Earth Pavilion wouldn't exist anymore, and you wouldn't be standing here talking to me. I just can't stand you acting all arrogant in front of me. Usually, I'm the only one who acts arrogant in front of others. I just wanted to show you what true power looks like." Qian Mo withdrew the club and spoke.

Seeing the club vanish, the old man finally let out a long breath of relief. "Yes, yes, it was Tian's fault. Please forgive me, Senior."

"Can I go to the best VIP room now?" Qian Mo crouched down and slowly asked.

"Yes, yes, yes! Not only can Senior enter the finest VIP room, but you are also the Super VIP of our Heaven and Earth Pavilion," the old man hastily replied. If his old friends could see him now, they would certainly laugh themselves to death.

"Good, then that's settled. This young master isn't a heartless or unreasonable person; I'll let you keep those three tier-9 pills, but I'll take back the three beast cores. Do you have any objections?" Qian Mo said. After all, the three beast cores could be converted into World Coins by selling them to the system.

"No, n-no problem at all," the old man hastily shook his head.

"What is your name?" Qian Mo asked.

"Tian Aogu," the old man answered.

"Hmm, it suits you quite well," Qian Mo nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he lifted the Infinite Suppression. Outside, the crowd and Long Aogu let out massive sighs of relief.

Long Aogu struggled to his feet, his legs still trembling slightly, and quickly sat back down.

"Hehe, many thanks, Senior."

"Senior, there is still some time before the auction begins. Would you care to join Long in having some tea? Later, Long will personally escort you over," Long Aogu said with a forced smile, wanting to mend relations. A faction of this caliber was not someone the Heaven and Earth Pavilion could afford to offend. At the same time, he cursed himself for what he had said earlier—if he had just kept his mouth shut, none of this would have happened. Someone who could tear through his set barrier so effortlessly and casually walk in without a shred of panic was obviously no ordinary person; how could he have been so foolish?

"My wives, how do you feel about this?" Qian Mo asked.

"We'll listen to Husband," the two women replied as they held Ling Er.

"Senior is truly young and promising, possessing such profound cultivation at such a tender age, alongside two such beautiful wives," Long Aogu praised as the two women and Ling Er took their seats, with Qian Mo sitting beside them.

"Naturally. This young master is brimming with charm; of course they fell for me," Qian Mo picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and laughed.

The two women rolled their eyes in unison.

"Good tea. I don't have many virtues, my only virtue being my boundless kindness, and my only flaw is being far too kind," Qian Mo remarked as he sipped his tea.

Everyone: "......"

Could you have any shame? Given the murderous aura you projected just now, who dares call you kind?

You're nothing short of a murdering demon!!

"Um... may I ask Senior's honorable name?" Long Aogu inquired.

"Oh, my humble name is not worth mentioning," Qian Mo waved his hand dismissively. "This seat is Qian Mo."

Everyone: ".........." Didn't you just say it wasn't worth mentioning? Then why did you bother telling me?!

"Ah, so it is Senior Qian! I have long admired your esteemed name!" Long Aogu said with false modesty.

"Admired for a long time? Do you know me?" Qian Mo asked.

"Ahem... this is the first time I've heard of it," Long Aogu choked on Qian Mo's words. Could this guy follow a normal script for once?! The sequence of his cards was entirely wrong!

"Then stop admiring it for a long time. Admiring it up close will do," Qian Mo waved his hand dismissively.

"Right, old man, what kind of tea is this?" Qian Mo asked.

"Uh... this is the Snow Mountain Red Qilian that this old man has cultivated for many years," Long Aogu replied.

"It's actually Snow Mountain Red Qilian?!" Qian Mo put on a look of utter shock.

"Oh? Could Senior have heard of it?" Seeing Qian Mo's shocked expression, a wave of pride swelled within Long Aogu. He hadn't expected his tea to be so famous!

However, Qian Mo's ensuing response left him dumbfounded.

"What stuff? Never heard of it, no idea," Qian Mo shook his head with a completely straight face.

Long Aogu felt like vomiting blood. If you don't recognize it, what the hell are you looking so shocked for?! Long Aogu felt this was the most frustrating conversation of his entire life...

The words Long Aogu had meticulously prepared in his mind vanished entirely; he had originally wanted to show off a bit, but now the opportunity was gone...

"Never mind, as long as it tastes good. Come, my wives, have a taste as well," Qian Mo unceremoniously picked up the teapot, poured two cups, and handed them to the women.

"Dad, Dad, I want some too!" The little one protested, disgruntled that she had been left out! Hmph, children had no human rights!

"Haha."

Everyone was amused by the adorable little girl.

"Come, come, Mother has some here. Have a sip," Ling Xuan and Yun Yi said with extreme doting, each letting her take a sip.

"Is it good?" Ling Xuan asked.

"Mmhmm, delicious!" the little one giggled.

..........

The tea session went rather well for everyone, and time quickly ticked by as the scheduled hour for the Heaven and Earth Pavilion's auction approached.

"Old man, how many items are being auctioned by your Heaven and Earth Pavilion this time?" Qian Mo asked, putting down his teacup.

"This time is a relatively large-scale auction featuring a total of ten items, every single one of which is a masterpiece."

"Would Senior care to hear about these ten items?" Long Aogu asked.

"No need, this young master doesn't like spoilers. Also, stop calling me Senior; I don't like it. Just call me Young Master," Qian Mo waved his hand.

"Very well, Young Master." Although Long Aogu didn't quite understand what a "spoiler" meant, he gathered it meant the young man preferred surprises over prior knowledge. He nodded hastily.

"Alright, it's about to start. Let's head to the VIP room so we can get used to the environment early," Qian Mo stood up first and said.

"Very well, then Long will lead the way," Long Aogu stood up as well, saying, "Young Master, please follow me. I'll take you through a shortcut; there are simply too many people outside."

Qian Mo nodded slightly and followed behind Long Aogu, while the two women followed closely, carrying the little girl.

Along the way, Qian Mo observed the interior layout: grand and beautiful.

As Long Aogu watched Qian Mo admiring the surroundings, he smiled inwardly and decided to probe: "Young Master, how do you find the layout of Long's Heaven and Earth Pavilion?"

Hearing this, Qian Mo thought to himself: *This old man wants to fish for compliments again? Heh, it's not going to be that easy!*

Maintaining an indifferent expression, he replied, "Mediocre at best, barely passing as acceptable," speaking as if he didn't care in the slightest.

When Long Aogu heard this and looked at Qian Mo's nonchalant, harmless expression, anger flared in his heart. *Mediocre? Barely passing? If it were anyone else, I'd have slapped them to death on the spot! But unfortunately, I can't beat this guy...*

This Heaven and Earth Pavilion had cost him countless fortunes and top-grade spiritual minerals to construct! Others could only look on with envy, yet this fellow casually dismissed it as mediocre and barely acceptable!

Suppressing the rising anger in his chest, Long Aogu kept a forced smile and said, "It seems Young Master has seen auction houses far superior to our Heaven and Earth Pavilion. May Long be enlightened as to where they are?"

Qian Mo smiled inwardly, knowing the old fellow was boiling with rage on the inside yet didn't dare unleash it, making him suffer憋屈 (suffocated with frustration)! *Hehe!*

Putting on the air of an aloof expert, Qian Mo said, "Naturally. Telling you won't hurt—that auction house is called the Yama Auction Pavilion!"

"Its interior layout and scenery are a hundred times better than your Heaven and Earth Pavilion—luxurious and stunning. You should go take a look when you have the time."

As Qian Mo spoke, he felt immensely pleased with himself for advertising his own auction house.

The two women immediately caught on and smiled inwardly, thinking to themselves that their husband was truly toying with this senior.

"Yama Auction Pavilion? This... old man has been in these parts for over a millennium, how come I've never heard of it?..." Long Aogu had zero impression of such a place! Where on earth did this Yama Auction Pavilion come from? Yet looking at Qian Mo's utterly calm expression, it didn't seem like he was lying.

"May I ask where this Yama Auction Pavilion is located, Young Master?" Long Aogu inquired.

"In the Western Continent," Qian Mo replied mysteriously.

"The Western Continent? But old man has traveled across this region for over a thousand years and never heard of it. If it truly existed, it's impossible that I wouldn't know," Long Aogu said with a bitter, helpless smile.

"Ah, that just means your knowledge is shallow and your horizons are narrow, old man!" Qian Mo said in a flat tone, thick with heavy mockery and pity.

Shallow... and... narrow horizons?!! *Damn... you! I've traveled all across the Western Continent!!*

*And you're telling me my horizons are shallow?!*

For the first time, Long Aogu felt what a failure life was!

If not for the sake of saving face, he would have coughed up a mouthful of blood right then and there. He was being driven mad with anger—absolute, infuriating madness!

"Rest assured, if this young master's guess is correct, the influence of the Yama faction will soon resound across the entire Western Continent," Qian Mo said casually, playing with his fingers.

"Uh... how does Young Master know this... Could it be..." Long Aogu suspected that the person before him was either a member of that Yama Auction Pavilion or its master.

"This young master deduced it by pinching my fingers and calculating!" Qian Mo struck the pose of an otherworldly expert, stretching out his right hand as if he were a fortune-teller.

Hearing this, Long Aogu felt a chill run down his spine. This person could not be communicated with using normal logic, or else he would genuinely be angered to death one day.

Instantly dismissing the thought that Qian Mo was the master of that pavilion, Long Aogu felt a wave of profound exhaustion wash over him. This was the most difficult person to communicate with he had ever met in his life!

Sporting a strained, artificial smile, Long Aogu said, "Young Master is truly a divine being!"

The underlying sarcasm in his sentence was palpable.

Qian Mo glanced at him sideways and burst into laughter. "Naturally! This young master is exceptionally well-versed in astronomy above, geography below, masters the void on the left, and transcends the supreme on the right!"

"If this young master is not a divine being, who is?!"

As soon as Qian Mo uttered these words, Long Aogu felt like weeping. He wanted to scream in rage in his heart: *You wretched beast, can you show some respect to the elderly?! I'm your senior! I'm several thousand years old! Can you stop infuriating me? I'm going to die of anger sooner rather than later!!*

If Qian Mo knew what Long Aogu was thinking, he would surely have laughed and said, *As a matter of fact, just this morning, a peak nine-star Dou Sheng was literally angered to death by me—actually scared and angered straight to death...*

However, on the surface, Long Aogu's smile was hideously stiff and forced as he nodded and said, "A divine being indeed... Please tell Long, what was the outcome of your divination?"

By the end of his sentence, Long Aogu was quietly grinding his teeth as he took the lead and walked toward the stairs ahead.

As they walked, Qian Mo felt an indescribable rush of exhilaration, watching someone get infuriated by him yet not dare to strike back, forced to maintain a compliant expression.

He laughed heartily, "Haha, since Old Man Long is so eager to know, then this immortal master will reluctantly enlighten you!"

Hearing this from the stairs ahead, Long Aogu nearly missed his step and tumbled down. The pool of blood that had been churning in his chest finally surged upward, but he forced it down with all his might.

*How utterly shameless! Why on earth does a person like this exist?! He's an absolute beast of the cultivation world!*

The two women behind them could only exchange speechless glances; their husband's skin was truly thicker than city walls... both of them felt their faces flush with embarrassment.

"Please, Divine Being Qian, enlighten me!" Long Aogu suppressed the blood in his throat, his face turning rather pale as he spoke.

"Haha, this divine being just calculated that I am, without a doubt, the most powerful being in this entire Dou Qi Continent!" Qian Mo laughed loudly, standing proudly with his hands behind his back.

*Puff—*

Up ahead, Long Aogu finally couldn't hold it in any longer. The blood he had forcibly suppressed earlier spewed violently from his mouth. He felt his vision turn pitch black, and a strong urge to faint washed over him. He couldn't take it anymore—he simply couldn't! Who was Long Aogu, anyway? He had never suffered such humiliation in his life, yet today he was being driven to vomit blood from pure, unadulterated anger. He was miserable; this person was utterly shameless, and the worst part was that he couldn't beat him! If he could beat him, he would have pinned him to the ground and beaten the living daylights out of him long ago!!