And while he was lost in thought, Chen Fei had already stopped caring about what he was thinking and calmly spoke up, "Duke Babidi, may I know when I can collect the Blood Ancestor Essence Stone?"

"...I have already brought the item. As long as the Magic Gold Coins are sufficient, you can take it at any time." Only then did Duke Babidi slowly come back to his senses, saying this while gesturing for someone to bring a box from behind. Upon opening the lid, the fist-sized Blood Ancestor Essence Stone lay quietly inside, its emanating presence causing Chen Fei's heart to skip a beat with excitement.

Obviously, this was the real deal! If he managed to get it, then it was very likely that his Mystic Stone Mirror would undergo a successful transformation into a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact!

"Duke Ovilia, sorry to trouble you," he then said slowly.

Hearing this, Duke Ovilia immediately stood up from his seat and addressed Duke Babidi, "Babidi, the Magic Gold Coins are in your Ashford Family's warehouse. Shall we go and confirm them now?"

"Good, no problem..." Upon seeing this, Duke Babidi couldn't help but sweep a glance over Chen Fei and Duke Ovilia, a look of deep surprise in his eyes. He then waved to the servant holding the Blood Ancestor Essence Stone behind him, saying, "Leave the item here."

Even though the auction's rules generally required payment and delivery to be conducted simultaneously, considering the reputation of the Ashford Family—and the fact that the Magic Gold Coins were stored in their family's warehouse—it seemed better to make a grand gesture and be done with it.

He then led Duke Ovilia out. However, after they left the VIP room, he truly couldn't suppress his curiosity. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Duke Ovilia, who is that Easterner? Why does it seem like... he doesn't take Bread or Vivian seriously at all?" Of course, there was another question he didn't voice aloud: did he actually have the capability and status to do so?

"Are you talking about Mr. Chen? He, well... If it's just Bread and Vivian, he indeed has the standing to not take them seriously." Hearing this, Duke Ovilia was also somewhat anxious and couldn't hold back his thoughts, blurting them out.

"You mean he has the standing to disregard Bread and Vivian?"

Hearing this, Duke Babidi was visibly shaken. After signaling for the people behind him to stay back, he again lowered his voice to ask, "Duke Ovilia, we have been friends for many years, with no conflicts between us. So, I was hoping you could tell me privately, who exactly is this Easterner, this Mr. Chen? Does he truly possess such strength?"

Upon hearing this, Ovilia hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should disclose what he knew about Chen Fei.

But soon after, he shook his head and said slowly, "Whatever I tell you, you'd better let it go in one ear and out the other. Don't even think about reporting it to Duke Vance, who's backing you. Just treat it as a joke."

"Duke Ovilia, you have my word," Duke Babidi immediately swore solemnly. "I, Babidi, now swear on the name of our Blood Clan ancestors that I will not reveal what you tell me to anyone." For the Blood Clan, an oath taken in the name of their ancestors was exceedingly sacred.

"You remember that assassin organization in Italy, called Crimson Fang, right?" Ovilia went straight to the point.

"Crimson Fang? Of course, I do. I believe their leader was someone called Jack the Blade, correct? It's said that he successfully assassinated even ss-Level Superpowered and once sneaked into the Vatican Holy See Church to kill someone. A very strong individual. But recently, I heard they were wiped out. Was that done by your Bread family?" Duke Babidi asked, startled.

"No, it wasn't us." Duke Ovilia simply shook his head.

"Not you? Wait... could it be…" Duke Babidi was first taken aback, then abruptly startled! As though realizing something, he became rooted to the spot.

"That's right. Crimson Fang was wiped out by Mr. Chen, personally and single-handedly," Duke Ovilia finally gave a definitive answer.

He paused, then continued, "And not only that. This time, your Ashford Family invited people from the Greek Barton Family, didn't you? Even Great Mage Dumbledore and his two S+ Peak-level followers came personally. Where are they now?"

"They left this morning, saying something important came up in their family that couldn't be delayed. What's the problem with that?" Duke Babidi didn't grasp the point of Ovilia's question and licked his lips. For some reason, he had a feeling that whatever he was about to hear would be quite astonishing.

"Of course, there's a problem. What important matter would require all of them to rush back personally? If it was that serious, why did they even come in the first place?" replied Duke Ovilia, his lips curling with incredulity.

"Duke Ovilia, please just tell me what's going on! Does their departure have anything to do with Mr. Chen?" Duke Babidi now seemed reluctant to casually call Chen Fei 'that Easterner' and instead followed Ovilia's lead.

"It certainly does! Alright, I'll just tell you straight. Before we came here, Great Mage Dumbledore's nephew had a conflict with Mr. Chen and was severely injured. Dumbledore stepped in, and along with his two Paladin followers, the three of them were so frightened that they each cut off one of their own hands!" Duke Ovilia disclosed.

HISS!

Even Babidi, a prominent figure in the Ashford Family and the European Dark World, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, a coldness spreading through his limbs.

With his strength and insight, he certainly understood what it meant to kill the legendary assassin Jack the Blade and to scare Great Mage Dumbledore and his two Paladin followers into amputating their own hands. At the very least, one would have to be an ss+ Peak Powerhouse to achieve such a feat!

That, that, that Easterner... Mr. Chen, who looks so young... could he really be an ss+ Peak Powerhouse?

Thinking of this, even Babidi couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

By now, he finally understood why that Eastern man dared to offend both Bread and Vivian. If I, Babidi, had such strength, I definitely wouldn't be afraid either!

While they were having this conversation outside the VIP room, Chen Fei, inside the room, suddenly tensed up, his expression becoming extremely excited.

This was because Grand Duke Abel, on the auction stage, had finally had someone bring up a platter. Set off by a brocade handkerchief, it held a Jade Compass that seemed to be crafted entirely from jade, radiating faint waves of Spiritual Energy. Moreover, he noticed that the front of the Jade Compass had a design just like the Tai Chi symbol. The left half of the jade was slightly darker and the right half a bit lighter. In the center of each of these two areas was an indent that exactly matched the shape of the Jade Ring and Jade Pendant he had obtained earlier!

"This is a magical Jade Artifact that Elder Nemosin of our Ashford Family stumbled upon. It likely originated from the East. Based on our tests, this treasure's greatest function is to cause the Blood Energy within our Blood Clan to undergo a metamorphosis, becoming stronger! However, this is only really beneficial to Blood Clan members below the Duke Realm; it's not of much use to those at or above the Duke Realm," Grand Duke Abel introduced methodically from the stage, then casually announced the bid. "The starting price is one thousand Magic Gold Coins, with each increment no less than one hundred."

"I bid one thousand one hundred Magic Gold Coins!"

"One thousand three hundred!"

"One thousand five!"

...

While the Jade Artifact's ability to assist those of the Blood Clan at or above the Duke Realm was minimal, its unique property of helping their Blood Energy to evolve and become stronger still made it highly coveted by many of the weaker Blood Clan members present, as well as by various major families and powers. Before long, the price slowly climbed to two thousand four hundred Magic Gold Coins.

In the VIP room, Chen Fei tapped his fingers on the sofa's armrest, his gaze fixed on the Jade Compass on the stage through the large floor-to-ceiling window. He had already made up his mind. It's already reached two thousand four hundred Magic Gold Coins. I wonder if the five thousand left in the warehouse will be enough. I can't possibly give up on this last Jade Artifact! So if anyone really wants to outbid me past the five thousand Magic Gold Coins limit, then they'll just have to... excuse me...

"Three thousand Magic Gold Coins!"

Following his bid, the venue momentarily grew quiet.

"Hey, did you hear that? That voice is..."

"It seems to be him, no mistake! The one who competed with Bread over the Blood Ancestor Essence Stone. He's interested in this magical Jade Compass too?"

"If he's interested, I might as well give up. This guy didn't bid on anything besides the Blood Ancestor Essence Stone, and now that he's suddenly bidding, he must really want it. How could I compete?"

"Hey, do you think Bread will let him win the bid so easily..."

...

Before the private murmurs had finished, a scornful voice rang out. "What, you want this thing? That makes sense; it looks like something from your East, so no wonder you're bidding. But do you even have that many Magic Gold Coins left? You're not broke, are you? Just three thousand... I bid four thousand!"

Inside the VIP room, Chen Fei's eyes suddenly turned cold, a flash of ferocity sweeping through them.

Is this bat creature truly seeking death?!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.