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Facing Yi Chen's murderous intent, Qian Renhan kept his attention entirely on the auction floor, focused on what grade of attribute-less cultivation technique he could trade for the insights of a sixth-rank alchemist. As for the man next to him—whom he assumed was a clown from the Black Sovereign Sect attempting a last-minute betrayal—he didn't spare him a single glance.
When Yi Chen saw Qian Renhan ignore him, his brow furrowed slightly before he sneered mockingly. "You think I'm someone from the Black Sovereign Sect and that you're safe because attacking you during the Black Sovereign Pavilion's auction would harm their reputation? Laughable, truly laughable. What a filthy dump this Blackhorn Region is. What a pathetic sect the Black Sovereign Sect is. I wouldn't even let those trash lick my toes—they're too dirty for that!"
These words finally elicited a reaction from Qian Renhan, who looked at him with a hint of curiosity and asked, "Which major power in Central Continent are you from?"
"Heh, begging for mercy now is far too late. My name is Yi Chen, and I never remember the names of those who die by my hand. Die with your regrets!"
"Blood-Dissolving Bone-Shattering Palm!"
With a cold shout, Yi Chen's palm suddenly erupted with a terrifying suction force. Under its pull, he struck at Qian Renhan's neck with full power.
"This aura!"
Everyone in the auction house felt the overwhelming killing intent explode forth, sending chills down their spines. They all turned their eyes to the VIP box where Qian Renhan sat.
"That damn Yi Chen!"
Mo Tianxing's eyes filled with fury. He soared into the air, his powerful battle energy surging, as he flew toward Qian Renhan's box. He couldn't afford to offend Yi Chen or the Heavenly Underworld Sect backing him. However, if Yi Chen were to kill Qian Renhan here at the auction, the Black Sovereign Sect's reputation would be utterly ruined.
But when Mo Tianxing arrived at Qian Renhan's VIP box, his pupils contracted sharply. Inside was a pool of fresh blood, and at its center lay a headless corpse. The severed head was embedded into the wall near the entrance—its owner unmistakably Yi Chen.
Qian Renhan picked up Yi Chen's storage ring and looked up at Mo Tianxing with an indifferent gaze.
Just one glance from Qian Renhan sent cold sweat streaming down Mo Tianxing's back. He couldn't even defeat Yi Chen, yet Yi Chen had been killed in an instant by Qian Renhan. Did that mean Qian Renhan could kill him just as effortlessly? When had such a terrifying expert arrived in the Blackhorn Region?
"Senior, due to poor oversight, that fool violated the auction rules and disturbed you. I, Mo Tianxing, am willing to compensate for any inconvenience caused. For this transaction, the Black Sovereign Sect will waive all service fees. Additionally, we will offer five sets of fifth-grade alchemy materials and corresponding pill recipes," Mo Tianxing said with a forced laugh, cursing Yi Chen's ancestors a thousand times in his heart while hurriedly clasping his hands in respect.
Representatives from various major forces in the auction house had already seen Qian Renhan's appearance through their spiritual perception. Each of them swallowed nervously and resolved to issue sect-wide notices as soon as the auction ended—none of their disciples must ever offend this man.
The intense burst of battle energy and killing aura from that Blood-Dissolving Bone-Shattering Palm had made even the strongest among them, including Mo Tianxing, feel the presence of death. And the fact that Qian Renhan had killed Yi Chen in a single strike—could he be at the peak of Dou Zong, or even half a step into Dou Zun? Power like that could wipe out everyone present.
After waving Mo Tianxing away, Qian Renhan's hand surged with pitch-black battle energy. He swept it over Yi Chen's corpse with a grasp and a pull. In the next instant, a translucent figure identical in appearance to Yi Chen emerged—it was his soul.
"You killed me? You actually dared to kill me? My Heavenly Underworld Sect will never forgive you!" Yi Chen screamed wildly. He had cultivated to this point, reached seven-star Dou Zong before the age of twenty-five, and had been appointed as the future sect master—a supreme genius destined to lead the Heavenly Underworld Sect. Yet he had perished here just like that.
To be killed instantly—his killer had to be a Dou Zun. But what kind of short-sighted Dou Zun would come to a hellhole like the Blackhorn Region? Were they insane? And how could someone like that even reach the Dou Zun level in the first place? The heavens are truly unfair!
"Quite the soul force. It's my first time tasting one like this. I wonder how it'll taste?"
Due to the low quality of Qian Renhan's battle energy and the heavy mental drain from using Light of Time and Space twice in a row, he hadn't been able to consume the souls of the three Dou Zun experts from the Gu Clan.
He completely ignored Yi Chen's final words. With a surge of sinister soul power in his hand, Qian Renhan wiped away Yi Chen's consciousness, crushed his soul into a ball, and shoved it directly into his mouth to chew. "Crunch, crunch"— the sound was like munching on potato chips, except these chips had no flavor.
A soul cannot be swallowed whole. It contains a person's entire life—memories, experiences, identity. If these aren't erased first, absorbing the soul would cause all its memories to flood into Qian Renhan's mind, possibly distorting his thoughts and causing a split personality.
Even an entity as powerful as the Devouring Flame of the Void had to extract the soul's origin before devouring a soul of emperor-level power. But Qian Renhan didn't need to worry about that. With his evil-attributed battle energy, he could erase a soul's memories completely—making them crispy and clean for consumption.
Such is the power of the Dark Element's progenitor—it's no exaggeration.
After devouring Yi Chen's soul, Qian Renhan's soul power increased slightly. He wasn't sure how much exactly, as he'd only been in this world for eight days. Of those, four had been spent cultivating the Emperor Seal Art, and the rest mostly in slaughter and soul consumption.
After fully absorbing Yi Chen's soul, the complete memory of Yi Chen's cultivation technique surfaced in Qian Renhan's mind. His eyes lit up instantly.
Heavenly Underworld Fiend Arts—a high-tier Earth-level, attribute-less cultivation technique, the core cultivation method of the Heavenly Underworld Sect. The stronger the malice in the user's heart, the more powerful the technique becomes.
Blood-Dissolving Bone-Shattering Palm—a mid-tier Earth-level close-combat technique. Upon striking a living being, it strips the flesh down to bone, absorbing blood and muscle to convert into cultivation energy.
Downside: The more flesh consumed for power, the greater the toll on the user's life force.
It was a method of cultivation that traded lifespan for strength. But the choice lay with the cultivator—truly deserving of its Earth-rank status.
Heavenly Underworld Shura Hand—the sect's ultimate martial art. A high-tier Earth-level close-range technique that can determine life or death with a single strike.
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Looking at so many powerful techniques—especially one that suited him so perfectly—even someone as calm and composed as Qian Renhan couldn't help but laugh. With these skills in hand, what did he have to fear from the Gu Clan's first wave of pursuit?
"The Heavenly Underworld Fiend Arts grow stronger the deeper one's killing intent—not merely from killing itself. The more one kills, the stronger the inner malice becomes. But without truly cultivating a heart capable of killing, even endless slaughter will lead down a crooked path."
"Yi Chen… Young Master of the Heavenly Underworld Sect? Nothing more than that."
As Qian Renhan finished absorbing Yi Chen's memories, the auction for the sixth-grade alchemist insights also concluded. He had successfully exchanged them with Canaan Academy for a quasi-Earth-level attribute-less cultivation method.
Based on his calculations, it would take a Dou Zun-level expert about one month to travel from the Central Continent to the Northwest Region. Nine days had already passed.
Adding in the time required to locate him in the Blackhorn Region, that left him with roughly three to four weeks.
Given that, Qian Renhan decided to delay cultivating the Heavenly Underworld Fiend Arts by two weeks. Once he began, the density of his battle energy would increase severalfold, which would slow down his progress in devouring and leveling up.
Strangely, on the Dou Qi Continent, switching from a low-grade technique to a high-grade one—while keeping the same elemental attribute—didn't reduce one's cultivation level. Apparently, conservation of energy, a fundamental law of physics, simply doesn't apply in this fantastical world.
(End of Chapter)