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The leisurely days drifted by. A few days later, Xi Luo returned and informed Morova and the others that he had been summoned again by the Holy Light Temple to participate in a major operation. If he performed well, he might have the chance to return to Saint Spirit Mountain.

Having spent a long time together, everyone knew that this young man was usually somewhat casual and full of tricks in battle. However, at heart, he was extremely devout to the Holy Light Temple. Although he had been distrusted and pushed out on Saint Spirit Mountain, he was nearly exiled to the Central Desert. Yet, if given the chance to return to the temple, he would still unquestioningly obey the commands of the clergy. Thus, no one could persuade him to stay, and they could only watch him go. Afterward, the adventure team's spirits sank, while Chen Xuanfeng and his two companions continued to wander around, their enthusiasm undiminished.

Two more days passed, and the scheduled "Dark Auction" officially began. Chen Xuanfeng and his two companions, holding invitations, entered the auction venue.

Although it was called an underground auction, it wasn't actually held in an underground building. On the contrary, this utterly secretive auction was grandly held in the most prestigious building in Golden City—the grand ballroom of the city lord's mansion. And, coincidentally or inevitably, the lord of Golden City was one of the major shareholders of this dark auction.

Such a secretive and high-end auction naturally wouldn't follow the same procedures as other auctions, allowing anyone to come and go. Those who could enter were either regular patrons or the wealthiest individuals from major auction houses, and these people would also have the opportunity to become regular customers of the dark auction in the future.

The city lord's mansion ballroom was vast, with a main hall for five to six hundred people and six side halls, divided by sculptures, fountains, and curtains. The auction looked more like a masquerade ball, the kind human nobles love, with about two hundred guests, both men and women, wearing bizarre masks. Many even wore wigs, and their extravagant, almost operatic attire ensured that no one could recognize anyone else. After all, what was about to take place here was an auction that could overturn more than half of the laws of the various nations on the Mainland. Although some dared to sell and others dared to buy, and the auction house had various means of maintaining secrecy, if a buyer's appearance was remembered by someone with ill intentions, it could still lead to significant trouble.

Even without seeing their faces, one could sense from the guests' demeanor and speech that they were accustomed to the commanding presence of those in high positions. In other words, those who came here were undoubtedly powerful figures with influence. These people were not just buyers but also the protectors of this auction. It was their tacit understanding that allowed such dark transactions to thrive.

For first-time customers like Chen Xuanfeng, there were dedicated attendants to accompany them, explaining the various intricacies of the dark auction to ensure they didn't make any mistakes. After all, the people who came here could be of any status—it wouldn't be surprising if the emperors of the Yellow Dragon Empire or the Tiele Empire were here incognito. If someone were dissatisfied due to poor service, it could lead to significant trouble.

The auction was conducted simultaneously in the six side halls, each with a different focus. The side hall auctioning slaves and the one auctioning weapons and equipment were the noisiest, while the side halls auctioning ancient artifacts and magical beasts had the most people. The side hall auctioning magical items, which only professionals could appraise, had very few people, but those who lingered there all exuded a profound and deep aura, undoubtedly top figures in the magical world. Among them were two individuals who sent chills down one's spine, leading Chen Xuanfeng to suspect they were Liches from the Island of the Dead. As for the last side hall, no goods were displayed, but this was where the largest transactions of the dark auction took place. Here, things that could determine the rise and fall of nations were traded—territories, titles, super magical beasts, and various items that could trigger, influence, or prevent wars. Due to the gravity of these transactions, even in this secretive auction, they were hidden behind thick curtains and protected by multiple magical barriers before any discussions could take place.

Chen Xuanfeng didn't plan to visit the last side hall but did take a turn around the magical items side hall. He secretly took out the orb that could detect "forbidden spell mark crystals" to check, but unfortunately, there was no reaction, indicating that at least no forbidden spell casters with "forbidden spell marks" were present. However, he hadn't expected much to begin with and was just testing the waters, so he wasn't discouraged. He continued to take Jin Luosha to see the other auctions.

As for magical beasts and fantastical creatures, the three of them had little interest. Jin Luosha's current fantastical beast, "Holy Angel Sigaleth," had been further enhanced after merging with the power of the "Holy Spear Quinilon" and had reached the level of a high-tier super magical beast. Chen Xuanfeng already had a powerful ghost wolf and had recently acquired the "Black Gold Treant Guardian," both of which were super powerful forces. As for the artificial human girl Li Jia, with three Crystal Dragons at her command, even a Golden Dragon couldn't compare.

After browsing the weapons and ancient artifacts halls, the three found nothing of interest. It wasn't that the dark auction was overhyped—in fact, many of the items auctioned here could make the emperors of nations envious. However, firstly, the three of them had such high standards that even treasures worth cities didn't catch their eye; secondly, they had no interest in artistic or archaeological value, making many rare items unappealing to them; and thirdly, the true focus of the dark auction was on the "illegal" aspect. Many items were gathered here because they were stolen goods or forbidden items, such as stolen royal relics or cursed weapons from the Island of the Dead. While these items were precious and rare to humans, they held little value for Chen Xuanfeng, the werewolf lord. Items like royal relics were useless to him, and forbidden items, compared to having a super Lich in his home, were nothing more than ordinary objects within easy reach, offering no allure.

In the end, it was the slave hall that made him pause for a moment, mainly because a group of barbarian warriors from the northern ice plains was being auctioned at that time, and these warriors had been sold from Chen Xuanfeng's territory.

In the human world, barbarian slaves were also taboo. From a public perspective, barbarians were allies of humans in the fight against orcs and had nearly been wiped out for this cause (the matter of forbidden spells had naturally been altered and glorified by humans). Humans naturally couldn't mistreat their allies. However, the underlying reason was the barbarians' fertility, which was almost comparable to that of half-orcs. Experts had calculated that with the abundant resources of the human world, if barbarians were allowed to reproduce freely, a population base of ten thousand could grow to ten million in fifty years. This would undoubtedly become a significant threat to humans. Therefore, although various nations had sent inspection teams to "rescue" barbarian slaves, in reality, if these unfortunate races were discovered, they would inevitably face complete extermination.