Chapter 2683, Chess Piece Translator: Silavin & Danny Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys What was even more appalling was that the Monster King who was always with Yang Kai was suddenly exerting pressure on him comparable to that of a Third-Order Emperor, making Wu Ming feel like a big mountain was crashing down on him. Wu Ming was immobilized, his Emperor Qi unable to circulate properly. *Pa… * With a crisp sound, Wu Ming’s head was slapped aside. His cheek was blazing, his mouth was filled with blood, and pain shot through the entire side of his face. The many Emperor Realm Masters who had come for the auction gawked at the scene in amazement. Wu Ming, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was slapped in front of everyone’s eyes. How arrogant and savage was this young man named Yang Kai? Did he really think that he could be lawless with the backing of a Monster King? “How dare you…” Wu Ming clenched his fists, gritting his teeth at Yang Kai as he roared like an enraged beast. Before he finished speaking though, another palm quickly enlarged in front of his eyes and collided with his other cheek fiercely. Several teeth flew out, accompanied by the clear, crisp smack of the slap. Wu Ming’s head buzzed and spun, and he was in confusion for a while. It was not merely due to being slapped, but also because he could not accept that this was happening to him. How could a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, a Deacon of Star Soul Palace who had always been a class above everyone else, think that he would be humiliated like this in this meagre Flowing Shadow City? Triggered by the anger in his heart, he pushed his Emperor Qi madly, barely getting rid of Ying Fei’s imposing suppression before leaping back a few steps and shouting, “Enough!” “How dare you raise your voice before me! Come here!” Yang Kai’s face was ruthless as he stretched open his hand. Space Principles fluctuated, and Wu Ming was horrified to see that he had completely lost control of his own body and involuntarily flew towards Yang Kai. Yang Kai pulled back his fist and smashed Wu Ming’s face brutally as he moved into range. Blood spurted from his face instantly, but Yang Kai was not finished yet. He leapt up high in the air, bent his elbow, and plummeted, crashing onto Wu Ming’s back fiercely. The violent force impacted Wu Ming, causing him to spew out a mouthful of blood as he was completely beaten to the ground. He was then greeted by a storm of punches and kicks. The surrounding cultivators were dumbstruck as they watched the scene, stupefied. The young man named Yang Kai was like a common street thug pressing Wu Ming on the ground, beating him to a pulp while hurling curses at him the whole time. His actions were extremely arrogant. On the other hand, Wu Ming tried to resist a few times, but he was suppressed before could gather his strength. After a few tries, he seemed to have accepted that he had become a fish on the chopping block and resolved to curl up and cover his head with his arms, allowing Yang Kai to do whatever he wanted. No one had ever seen an Emperor Realm Master fight like this. Today was truly an eye-opener as the group of bystanders was both amazed and frightened at the same time. Within a short time, Wu Ming was beaten black and blue with a bruised nose and swollen face. He was almost unrecognizable with all the blood he was covered in. He would have died a long time ago from Yang Kai’s assault if not for his profound cultivation. Breathing slightly heavily, Yang Kai stomped on Wu Ming a few times before turning to Ye Hen and others and offering, “Would you like to collect some interest?” Ye Hen smiled wryly and shook his head humbly, “I will leave it up to Young Master Yang.” He knew that Yang Kai was helping Thousand Leaves Sect vent its anger. Now that Wu Ming was beaten to a pulp, sprawling on the ground, Ye He could indeed go up and collect some interest from him, but what was the point of doing that with the power of others? Yang Kai nodded lightly and did not insist. He bent over slightly and lifted up Wu Ming by the hair to face him directly, their faces almost touching as he openly threatened him, “This Young Master knows that there is still someone behind you. Tell that person that if even a single hair on my friends has been harmed, I will butcher him down to his bones and eat his meat while drinking his blood.” Wu Ming roared in laughter, his face twisted in madness as he replied, “That will depend on whether you have the ability!” Yang Kai stared at him coldly as he snorted, “Seems you have a death wish.” Wu Ming’s body trembled and a chill suddenly rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his arms and legs go cold. He thought that he had a bargaining chip in his hand that would make Yang Kai be cautious about his actions, but he did not think that this bastard would act so unscrupulously. Yang Kai very much wanted to kill this Wu Ming, so even though he was doing his best to conceal his murderous intent, it still pierced Wu Ming’s heart like a sharp sword, choking him. Wu Ming had no doubt that if he tried to anger Yang Kai again, he would cease to be in the next moment. “I can fulfil your wish,” Yang Kai grinned. “I’ve always been a kind-hearted soul, I’ll end your life right away if you just say yes.” Wu Ming was silent and did not dare to speak. Yang Kai snorted coldly before chucking him aside, as if throwing away a piece of garbage. Lying on the ground, Wu Ming watched Yang Kai leading his group into the auction venue. [Little beast, just you wait for me! How dare you be so presumptuous to this King just because you have a Monster King protecting you. Today’s shame will be repaid a hundred, no, a thousand times over!] Picturing Yang Kai kneeling down and begging for mercy filled Wu Ming with happiness. He cackled coldly, attracting the attention of the Emperor Realm Masters who came to participate in the auction, causing them to wonder if Wu Ming might have gone mad. The auction venue was designed in the form of a stepped well that spiralled upwards with each level, and it was more than large enough to accommodate thousands of people at once. Looking up, the oval ceiling was inscribed with drawings of great beasts, giving the whole venue the appearance of a beast den, filled with creatures ready to swallow all of the incoming cultivators whole. Ushered by a beautiful maidservant, Yang Kai and his party walked into a certain room. This room seemed to be at the top of the auction venue and, looking down, a clear bird’s eye view of the floors below could be seen. The maidservant saw how strong and violent Yang Kai had been at the door before, and could not help trembling at this moment, not daring to even take a breath. After leading Yang Kai and the others into their private room, she stammered shakily with a pale face, “Please wait a moment, the auction will begin soon.” Although she was just a maidservant, she also felt that the purpose of Yang Kai’s trip was to stir up trouble today, so after completing her duties, she promptly fled the room. All of the Emperor Realm Masters were introduced into different private rooms by the maidservants, and the hall below was gradually filled with other people. Although most people did not have enough financial resources to really participate, the more people who came, the better it was for the auction. Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense swept across the auction venue dauntlessly, and the noisy hall below instantly fell silent as no one dared to make a noise when being scanned by this powerful Soul. Ying Fei was doing the same thing. After a while, the two took back their Divine Senses one after another. “Young Master Yang, what have you found?” Ying Fei asked. Yang Kai shook his head and sat on the chair and replied, “Everything has been hidden deeply, how about you?” Ying Fei shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he had not noticed anything either, and frowned, “But since we can be sure that this is a trap, Young Master Yang should be careful. The more hidden the trap, the more dangerous it is.” Yang Kai nodded. Ye Jing Han was preparing tea on the side in a skilful manner, but worry filled her brow, and the same expression was apparent on Du Xian and Ye Hen’s faces. ….. “Honoured Master, everything is prepared,” Wu Ming, who was beaten by Yang Kai to a pulp just now, somehow appeared here, standing in front of an old man, reporting respectfully. It was unknown what kind of amazing pills he took, but his bruises and injuries had obviously recovered a lot, albeit there were still some traces left. On the other hand, internal injuries were not so easy to heal and his organs ached whenever he tried to circulate his Emperor Qi. [That little bastard was so heavy-handed…] The old man nodded lightly and asked, “How many Emperor Realm Masters have come?” 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂 Wu Ming reported, “More than thirty.” The old man was satisfied, “That’s enough.” After a pause, he signalled with a wave, “Since the guests are all here, let’s start.” Wu Ming received the order respectfully, “Yes!” Turning his head to the side, Wu Ming stretched out his hand and gestured, “Junior Sister, please.” Hua Qing Si got up slowly, glanced at the old man with an unreadable gaze, then stated respectfully, “Honoured Master, Disciple will leave now.” “Go!” The old man waved his hand in dismissal. Hua Qing Si walked towards the door, then suddenly turned towards the old man and knelt down before him, respectfully knocking her head on the ground three times. The old man’s eyes flickered slightly, as if he understood Hua Qing Si’s intention, but did not stop it, simply closing his eyes instead. [It’s your own life, and this is the path you chose. There won’t be any Master-Disciple relationship now that you chose to be my enemy!] Wu Ming stood aside and sneered softly, “Not appreciative at all!” Hua Qing Si remained unmoved and stood up after the kowtow. She took a breath as if she had lifted a huge rock off her shoulders, feeling a lot lighter physically and mentally, and walked out the door. When she passed by Wu Ming, she stopped to warn, “Wu Ming, you messed with someone you shouldn’t mess with, you will die miserably.” “You treacherous bitch!” Wu Ming was enraged and extended his hand, sending a big slap across Hua Qing Si’s face, leaving a red imprint on her pale skin. Hua Qing Si brushed her cheek lightly and mocked with a smile, “What? Trying to vent your frustration on me after getting beaten by someone else? I guess you’re only capable of that much.” This immediately set Wu Ming off as the scene of the previous humiliation he suffered at Yang Kai’s hand resurfaced vividly in his mind. His Emperor Qi surged madly as he raised his hand and swung towards Hua Qing Si’s head. Hua Qing Si not only did not even try to dodge, instead puffing out her chest as she welcomed the attack. “Enough!” The old man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, let out a sharp snort. Wu Ming froze, the raised hand still hovering mid-air. He glanced Hua Qing Si up and down for a moment then grinned, “If Junior Sister wants to seek death, Senior Brother will not let it happen. You are our precious chess piece after all!” Hua Qing Si gritted her teeth and snarled, “Despicable!” Wu Ming smirked, “Whatever you say. Our Honoured Master has promised to give you to me as a reward after this is over, so don’t worry, Senior Brother will love you well.” He emphasized the word “love” with a meaningful expression. Hua Qing Si’s complexion changed abruptly as she turned to look at the old man in disbelief, only to find him completely ignoring her. Her heart ached in numbing pain, knowing that Wu Ming had not lied. She had never thought that her Honoured Master had such a ruthless side. Perhaps before she had been too weak to come in contact with the real character of her so-called Honoured Master, but everything was slowly becoming clear to her after she broke through to the Emperor Realm “Go. Don’t keep our guests waiting,” the old man dismissed them. “Yes!” Wu Ming replied respectfully, glared at Hua Qing Si, then left the room with her.