His Majesty Lights the Fire, Black Sky City Becomes a Powder Keg

The instant darkness descended.

The underground auction hall erupted like a pot of boiling oil with its lid ripped off.

Killing intent, furious roars, formations, weapons, soulfire, icy qi, and corpse mist all burst forth at once.

The distinguished guests who had been bidding just moments earlier were now drawing their blades and hacking at the people seated beside them.

Because everyone believed the other side had struck first.

More importantly, they had all wanted to fight for a long time.

The rules of Blackheaven City had restrained them for far too long.

So long that their eyes had turned red.

So long that whenever they saw an old enemy sitting across from them and sipping tea, they wanted to smash both the teapot and his head.

Now the lamps were out.

The formations were in chaos.

A fragmentary dragon-vein map had appeared.

And on top of that, someone had shouted from the darkness:

“Kill one and break even! Kill two and make a profit!”

Everyone agreed that it made perfect sense.

Inside a stone chamber belonging to the Taiyin Sacred Land, a white-robed elder had just begun to raise his Cold Moon Domain when a cloud of Netherworld soul mist suddenly exploded beneath his feet.

Within the mist, ghostly figures howled and lunged straight at his soul.

His expression changed drastically.

“The Netherworld Demon Sect!”

“So you were prepared for this all along!”

In the chamber belonging to the Netherworld Demon Sect, a black-robed Martial God was just about to explain when a wisp of Taiyin chill suddenly appeared behind him.

The icy qi was sharp as a needle, piercing into his meridians.

He immediately roared:

“You old dogs of Taiyin!”

“You attacked first, and you still have the nerve to accuse us?”

Boom!

The Netherworld soul banner unfurled, and ten thousand ghosts wailed.

The Taiyin Cold Moon rose into the air, freezing everything within a hundred yards.

The two forces collided. In an instant, the underground space was coated in thick frost, only to be gnawed through by the evil spirits until it was riddled with holes.

The Sword Mound and White Bone Sect were even more straightforward.

Sword cultivators had never been good at explaining themselves.

Young sword cultivators in particular.

Their creed in life was simple:

If you can draw your sword, don’t waste your breath.

If you can’t draw your sword, go into seclusion.

A disciple of the Sword Mound sensed corpse qi approaching through the darkness and, without a word, slashed out.

By sheer coincidence, the target was the natal corpse puppet of an elder from the White Bone Demon Sect.

Half the corpse puppet’s head was sliced away.

The White Bone elder’s eyes turned red on the spot.

“My corpse puppet!”

The Sword Mound disciple replied coldly:

“Evil things deserve to be destroyed.”

The White Bone elder’s voice trembled.

“That was refined by my Dao companion!”

The Sword Mound disciple fell silent for a moment.

Then he became even angrier.

“As expected of the demonic sects. You people really are perverted!”

The White Bone elder completely lost his mind.

“I’ll kill you!”

Corpse qi surged like an ocean, while bone chains swept across the auction hall.

Sword light poured down like a waterfall, sending sparks flying through the void.

The Blood Lotus Sacred Land and the Blood Prison Demon Sect were no less active.

A brawny man from the Blood Prison had just charged forward when he stepped on a bottle of Blood Lotus secret poison.

The poisonous mist exploded. In an instant, his entire leg was covered in blood-red lotus patterns.

He looked down and flew into a rage.

“You dogs from the Blood Lotus! You scattered poison all over the floor?”

The Blood Lotus elder snapped back:

“That was an auction item!”

The Blood Prison man roared:

“Your mother was an auction item!”

He threw a punch, sending blood fiend energy soaring into the heavens.

The Blood Lotus elder was blasted dozens of steps backward, so furious that his hands trembled.

“What vulgar demon cultivators!”

The Blood Prison man sneered.

“Your sacred land isn’t vulgar? You people use poison!”

Between the Golden Repository Sacred Land and the Myriad Souls Demon Sect, the Soul-Calming Nail finally caused everything to explode.

A Martial God from the Golden Repository Sacred Land reached out, trying to reclaim the Soul-Calming Nail.

But the people from the Myriad Souls Demon Sect thought he was trying to seize the fragmentary dragon-vein map.

Both sides attacked at the same time.

Golden light from the Soul-Calming Nail collided with the black tide of ten thousand souls, and the auction stage collapsed in an instant.

Zi Yuan stood at the center of the turbulent currents, her face deathly pale.

She had hosted countless auctions.

She had seen people curse because they could not afford an item.

She had seen people refuse to pay after winning a bid.

She had seen people recognized by an enemy halfway through an auction, dragged outside, and hacked to pieces.

But she had never seen an auction turn into a melee between sacred lands and demonic sects within the time it took to drink half a cup of tea.

This was no longer an auction mishap.

This was a historical event.

And inside Chamber Nineteen—

The true culprit was earnestly eating a second plate of pastries.

Wang Hao had discovered that although the first plate had been awful, the second plate was actually acceptable after they changed the filling.

Yin Jiuyou stood behind him, rapidly flipping through the account book.

“Your Majesty, the total value of the goods sold so far is approximately one hundred and thirty million spirit stones.”

“Thirty percent has already been advanced by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.”

“If the auction collapses completely, we may not be able to collect the remaining balance.”

Wang Hao frowned.

“How can that be?”

“Business must be conducted honestly.”

Yin Jiuyou glanced at the people fighting outside.

“Your Majesty, they may not be in a convenient position to make their payments at the moment.”

Wang Hao set down his pastry.

“Then make the Myriad Treasures Pavilion pay.”

Yin Jiuyou was stunned.

“Will the Myriad Treasures Pavilion agree?”

Wang Hao replied calmly:

“If it refuses, then it’s a black shop.”

“If a black shop refuses to repay its debts, we are merely doing justice on Heaven’s behalf.”

Yin Jiuyou suddenly understood.

So this was how one completed the logic loop.

The Demon Lord said coldly:

“You simply want to rob the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.”

Wang Hao corrected him:

“I am a creditor.”

“When a creditor comes to collect a debt, how can that be called robbery?”

The Demon Lord said:

“When did they ever become indebted to you?”

Wang Hao pointed outside.

“Just now.”

The Demon Lord fell silent.

He suddenly felt that there had to be a reason the demonic path had declined over the years.

Compared with Wang Hao, they were far too unsophisticated.

Just then, an ancient, furious shout rang out from the depths of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

“Enough!”

Boom!

A black curtain of light suddenly descended.

A terrifying pressure blanketed the entire underground auction hall.

Every warrior below the Martial God realm was instantly forced to their knees.

Even the Martial Gods felt their chests grow heavy.

It was as though a black divine mountain had been placed on top of their heads.

Old Man Heitian had made his move.

He had not truly appeared in person.

But a phantom, half-rotten flesh and half-skeleton, had already manifested above the auction hall.

The phantom stood a hundred yards tall.

One half was an old man, while the other was a bare skeleton.

Its gaze descended upon the crowd like two decaying black suns.

“Within Blackheaven City, slaughter is forbidden.”

“Those who violate this rule will die.”

His voice was not loud.

Yet it shook everyone’s souls until they went numb.

Many rogue cultivators vomited blood on the spot.

The Martial Gods of the Taiyin Sacred Land, the Netherworld Demon Sect, the Sword Mound, and the White Bone Sect also temporarily halted their attacks, their expressions ugly as they looked toward the phantom.

Half-step Transcendence.

Even half a step was already enough to stand above the Martial God realm.

It was the pressure of one who had touched the origins of Heaven and Earth.

Like mortals gazing up at the sky as it collapsed.

Old Man Heitian looked down at the crowd.

“As for the fragmentary dragon-vein map, Blackheaven City will provide an explanation.”

“For now, everyone will return to their chambers.”

“Anyone who acts again will be slain by this old man.”

The hall fell into a brief silence.

The reason Blackheaven City had stood for so many years was precisely because of this kind of deterrence.

The sacred lands and demonic sects were not afraid of Blackheaven City.

But they were unwilling to lose their higher-ups here.

Especially while the truth remained unclear.

However, just as everyone was about to suppress their fury—

A lazy voice suddenly rang out.

“What an imposing display from Blackheaven City.”

Every gaze instantly converged on Chamber Nineteen.

Wang Hao slowly rose to his feet.

He was still wearing that middle-aged merchant’s mask.

His aura was still at the peak of the True Intent realm.

Yet his voice carried clearly throughout the entire hall.

Old Man Heitian’s gaze descended upon him.

“Who are you?”

Wang Hao replied blandly:

“A pitiable merchant who is owed the remaining balance by Blackheaven City.”

The entire hall fell silent.

At a time like this, you’re still thinking about the balance?

Zi Yuan nearly vomited blood.

She suddenly realized that all the chaos tonight might have something to do with this man.

Old Man Heitian’s voice turned icy.

“You were the one who started this chaos?”

Wang Hao sighed.

“Old man, one should speak with evidence.”

“The goods were auctioned by your Myriad Treasures Pavilion.”

“The lamps were hung by your Myriad Treasures Pavilion.”

“They were the ones who started fighting.”

“The fragmentary dragon-vein map was also brought out by your Myriad Treasures Pavilion.”

“I—” He paused, then corrected himself. “I’m merely a merchant.”

He nearly let the truth slip.

But it was no great matter.

If anything, it only made him seem even more arrogant.

Black light surged in Old Man Heitian’s eyes.

“Take him down.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the walls all around them split open.

Twelve black-armored puppets charged out at once.

Every one of them possessed the aura of a peak True Intent realm expert.

Two of the puppets had even faintly reached the Gang Qi realm.

They lunged toward Stone Chamber Nineteen.

Han Shanyue took a single step forward.

He had been pretending to be a mute strongman all this time.

Now, at last, he no longer needed to keep up the act.

He raised his massive battle-axe and swept it across.

Boom!

Two puppets exploded on the spot.

Their fragments shot backward like a rainstorm, smashing countless craters into the walls.

Xue Wuhen transformed into a bloody shadow. Threads of blood-colored light shot from his fingertips, piercing through the cores of three puppets in an instant.

Yin Jiuyou flicked his sleeve. Formation flags fell to the ground, and black mist surged backward, trapping several more puppets in place.

New Emperor Sword was the most excited of them all.

It transformed into a young man, grasped its own true form—a long sword—and charged straight into the swarm of puppets.

“My master said I’m allowed to hack things up today!”

A flash of sword light.

A Gang Qi realm puppet split in two.

New Emperor Sword froze for a moment.

“Huh?”

“There’s strange iron inside!”

Its eyes immediately lit up.

Then it stopped fighting.

It began to eat.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The people of Blackheaven City watched in horror.

A sword had transformed into a human.

It was using its own body to cut down puppets.

And after cutting them apart, it was eating them.

What kind of sinister monstrosity was this?

An elder of the White Bone Demon Sect muttered:

“Even those of us who refine corpses aren’t this twisted.”

The disciples of Sword Ruin wore complicated expressions.

“That sword… is terrifying.”

“And it’s an embarrassment to sword cultivators everywhere.”

New Emperor Sword heard them and flew into a rage.

“You’re the embarrassment!”

It swung its hand, sending a streak of sword qi slashing toward them.

The Sword Ruin disciple’s expression changed. He hurriedly drew his sword to block.

Boom!

The two sword lights collided.

With the combat strength of a seventh-stage martial artist, New Emperor Sword actually forced that Sky Soaring realm sword cultivator back a hundred yards.

The Sword Ruin Martial God’s gaze sharpened.

“A strange artifact that has taken human form?”

“And one with quite a high ranking.”

Wang Hao glanced at New Emperor Sword.

“Don’t go around cutting people at random.”

New Emperor Sword looked aggrieved.

“He insulted me.”

Wang Hao said, “Insults are fine. But if he hasn’t paid, you’re not allowed to cut him.”

New Emperor Sword suddenly understood.

“Got it.”

The expressions of everyone from Sword Ruin darkened further.

The phantom of Old Man Heitian grew even colder.

“You have a Martial God as a guard and a strange artifact capable of taking human form.”

“You’re no ordinary merchant.”

Wang Hao smiled.

“Of course I’m no ordinary merchant.”

“I’m a great merchant.”

Old Man Heitian’s fury began to rise.

He lifted his withered palm.

Countless black runes gathered between heaven and earth.

Before that palm even descended, the entire underground auction hall began to collapse.

The great formation of Blackheaven City was stirred.

The might of a half-step Transcendent descended like a black curtain of heaven.

The Martial Gods of Taiyin, Yellow Springs, Sword Ruin, White Bone, and the other forces all changed color. They hurriedly shielded their disciples and retreated.

They had no intention of blocking the attack for Wang Hao.

Nor did they want to be accidentally injured by Old Man Heitian.

Wang Hao looked up at the descending palm.

At last, his expression grew somewhat serious.

A half-step Transcendent was indeed powerful.

It was far stronger than a peak Martial God.

If he took the attack head-on, his second-level Martial God cultivation would certainly suffer.

But suffering a setback did not mean he would die.

Nor did it mean he could not make his opponent miserable.

Wang Hao took one step forward, and his aura suddenly erupted.

Boom!

Second-level Martial God!

His black robe billowed wildly.

His blood and qi surged like a true dragon rising from the abyss, shaking the restrictions of the underground auction hall until they rang out.

The mask on his face shattered instantly, revealing a young and coldly handsome face.

Imperial might spread through the air.

Like the sun hanging high in the sky.

Like the sovereign of the Nine Provinces looking down upon the mountains and rivers.

Everyone present changed expression at the same time.

“Wang Hao!”

“He’s the Emperor of Great Xia!”

“What is he doing here?”

The pupils of the Yellow Springs Demon Sect members contracted sharply.

The people of the Taiyin Sacred Land also turned pale.

Sword Ruin, White Bone, Blood Prison, Blood Lotus, Golden Watchtower, and Myriad Souls—all of them suddenly understood many things in that moment.

Yet they still did not fully understand.

Because they could not bring themselves to believe it.

The storm that had recently swept across the Sacred and Demonic lands might truly have been orchestrated from behind the scenes by this young emperor.

Old Man Heitian’s gaze sank.

“Emperor of Great Xia.”

“You have some nerve.”

Wang Hao stood with his hands behind his back.

“My courage has never been lacking.”

“Otherwise, how would I dare come to a black shop to collect a debt?”

Zi Yuan could not help saying, “Our Myriad Treasures Pavilion is not a black shop!”

Wang Hao looked at her.

“Have you paid the remaining balance?”

Zi Yuan was rendered speechless.

Wang Hao nodded.

“Then it is.”

Old Man Heitian’s palm seal descended.

“Sharp-tongued.”

“Die!”

The black palm seal was like a heavenly stele suppressing the world.

The entire underground space seemed incredibly tiny at that moment.

Countless martial artists felt as though their souls had frozen solid.

If that palm landed, let alone Stone Chamber Nineteen—even half the underground auction hall would be reduced to dust.

The Demon Lord’s eyes turned cold, and he was about to strike.

But Wang Hao raised a hand to stop him.

“I’ll do it.”

He wanted to test it.

He wanted to know exactly where his limits lay now.