BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

Not long after the auction began, Xiao Yan was already starting to regret it. The reason was simple—the quality of the items being auctioned was just too low. A weapon embedded with a mere Tier 2 Monster Core was being praised to the skies, let alone the other goods. Aside from purchasing a cauldron, Xiao Yan hadn't made any further moves. And the only reason he bought the cauldron wasn't that it was high quality—it was simply because his previous one had exploded during refining, and he needed something to get by for now.

Just as he was getting bored enough to doze off, a sudden commotion in the crowd drew his attention. Curious, he looked toward the auction stage, only to be stunned by what he saw.

On the auction platform sat a large iron cage, and curled up inside it was a girl who looked no older than seven or eight. Her body was frail and sickly, clothed in thin rags still stained with traces of blood—wounds from repeated whipping.

Though the Jia Ma Empire didn't prohibit the slave trade, few were willing to buy a child slave who looked like she could drop dead at any moment. As a result, this girl had failed to sell many times. Each time she returned, she was met with more lashes, and her already weak body grew even more fragile.

Some buyers with particular preferences had once considered bidding on her. But upon noticing the faint green scales on her wrist, they quickly abandoned the idea. Those scales marked her as the offspring of a human and a snake-person—children often viewed as cursed and ominous.

The auctioneer on stage continued to sing her praises, trying his best to sell her. But still, no one raised a hand. With a sigh, he was just about to instruct the assistants to carry the cage off when a raspy voice called out from a VIP room.

"Five thousand gold coins."

The one who placed the bid was none other than Xiao Yan. Of course, it wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. He had discarded such sentiments centuries ago. The reason he bid was because he noticed the girl's peculiar eyes. Even from a distance, he could see the flickering of three tiny green dots around her jade-green pupils.

'To think I'd actually see someone with the Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils here. Seems my luck is just ridiculous lately.'

After winning the bid, even Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile in delight.

The Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils was a rare and special constitution—comparable in uniqueness to Xiao Yixian's Woeful Poison Body. However, this pupil ability was far more terrifying. The Woeful Poison Body was powerful but came with extreme risks. Most who possessed it met tragic ends.

But those with the Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils were different. This constitution brought no harm to its owner and instead conferred immense benefits. The pupils could suppress nearly all serpent-type magical beasts, allowing the user to forcibly control them and even absorb their cultivation to speed up advancement at a terrifying rate.

What interested Xiao Yan most, however, was the secondary ability of these pupils. When properly developed, the eyes could form an internal space and exert direct influence on others' souls—creating illusions, forcing astral projections, even taking control of others' bodies.

If he could refine his own Annihilation Flame Eyes using these unique pupils, the resulting soul techniques would become exponentially more powerful. After all, the Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils were known as the most mysterious ocular constitution under the heavens. Techniques used through them were naturally amplified in strength.

Unfortunately, these pupils only appeared in hybrid children born of humans and snake-people. In all the continent's history, such individuals were incredibly rare.

Because they were hybrids, children born with the Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils often endured discrimination and exclusion during childhood. This led most of them to grow up cold-hearted and withdrawn. One such person Xiao Yan had defeated in his past life—the master of the Sky Snake Mansion—was exactly like this.

'Come to think of it, this girl does look a bit like that Sky Snake Mansion Master… Don't tell me she is that one?'

The thought made Xiao Yan's expression turn odd.

'If this girl really is the future master of the Sky Snake Mansion… then my luck's just absurd. Out of all the enemies I had in my past life, I keep running into them one after another. At this rate, next I might just stumble into Hun Da'er too…'

At the idea, Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. 'Tch. Why ruin a good mood by thinking of such a disgusting bastard? But hey, if that scumbag ever falls into my hands… just imagining it makes me feel better already.'

Just after the girl with the Jade Snake Three Flower Pupils was taken off stage, Xiao Yan's Qi Gathering Powder was brought out. Its appearance instantly ignited the atmosphere in the auction hall.

Qi Gathering Powder was a hot commodity no matter where you went. Even though most people in the crowd had already broken through to Dou Practitioner, how many of them didn't have children? If their descendants took this powder at the ninth level of Dou Qi, it would practically guarantee a smooth breakthrough.

As a result, Xiao Yan's three powders were bid up to a whopping ninety thousand gold coins—thirty thousand more than expected. The five Beast Strength Pills didn't fare quite as well, but since they could temporarily boost strength, they were also well-liked and were auctioned off for eighty thousand.

As for the highlight of the auction—the two Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills—their final price soared to a jaw-dropping one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins.

Though both the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills and Qi Gathering Powder were fourth-rank pills, the latter only worked on those at the Dou Qi stage, while the former was effective for Da Dou Shi. Its low resistance level meant a person could safely take two of them and instantly jump two stars in rank.

Da Dou Shi weren't rare in Black Rock City. These individuals were either high-ranking nobles or leaders of mercenary groups, all of whom were wealthy and powerful. Even the local Alchemist Guild had jumped into the bidding war. After all, these Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills were peak fourth-rank—beyond what even their president could concoct. That's why their prices skyrocketed under intense competition.

Xiao Yan's Mysterious Cauldron Technique scroll didn't generate as much buzz. After a round of bidding, it sold for just thirty thousand gold coins.

(End of Chapter)

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