"Predecessor?"
Guan Hu thought he had misheard and blinked hard, asking Ye Ling in a trembling voice, "W-what did you say?"
Ye Ling smiled lightly and said, "I will hold an auction in Tianren City, not only with a hundred-thousand-year-old Bloodstone Ganoderma, but also with treasures more precious than the Bloodstone Ganoderma."
"Treasures more precious than the Bloodstone Ganoderma?"
Guan Hu's head was a bit muddled. He really couldn't imagine what kind of treasure could be more precious than a hundred-thousand-year-old Bloodstone Ganoderma.
However, given Ye Ling's strength, Guan Hu believed that what Ye Ling said could not be false.
With the appearance of a hundred-thousand-year-old Bloodstone Ganoderma and even more precious treasures, once Tianren City hosted this auction, it would likely make Tianren City the most eye-catching city in the entire Lingzhou. Perhaps even the oldest sects and sacred lands in Lingzhou would come to participate in the auction!
At that time, this small Tianren City would gather countless powerful individuals and become the center of the storm!
As Guan Hu thought of this, he could foresee how much of a stir Ye Ling would create in Lingzhou and even in the several major states near Lingzhou!
Guan Hu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cautiously replied to Ye Ling, "Predecessor, the treasures you are offering are too precious. I'm afraid our Tianren City's auction house cannot afford them..."
What level of auction house auctions what kind of items? Treasures like the hundred-thousand-year-old Bloodstone Ganoderma usually only appear in the grand auctions held once every ten years in the central region of Lingzhou, hosted by the three sacred lands.
If such a treasure appeared in Tianren City, once the news spread, Tianren City would likely be massacred the very next day!
Ye Ling, however, paid no attention to this. Seeing the hesitation in Guan Hu's eyes, he immediately grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up, asking, "Are you saying you want to refuse me? Of course, I respect your decision."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Guan Hu's legs went weak with fear. He cried, "I-I am willing to help you, Senior. I will have the entire army help you publicize it, and I will definitely make this auction a resounding success!"
Ye Ling smiled slightly again, released Guan Hu's collar, and patted his shoulder, "Since you are willing to help me publicize it, then go mobilize them. I want to see your Tianren City army do this for me."
Guan Hu forced a smile and said, "Understood, I guarantee the task will be completed."
"Very good, go."
"Th-thank you, Senior."
Seeing that Ye Ling was willing to let him go, Guan Hu breathed a sigh of relief. He respectfully bowed to Ye Ling, then stiffly turned and walked towards the crowd.
"Wait, I have one more question."
Ye Ling called out to Guan Hu again, startling Guan Hu into turning back immediately and asking Ye Ling in a trembling voice, "Does Senior have any other instructions?"
Ye Ling asked, "Who will be the City Lord of your Tianren City next?"
Guan Hu replied tremblingly, "According to custom, after the City Lord falls, his heir usually inherits the position. If the City Lord has no heirs, then the Qingyue Sect, which governs this region, will appoint a new City Lord..."
"Now that both Tianxiong and Tianyuan have been killed by Senior, the Qingyue Sect should have received the news. They will likely send people to handle this matter soon."
Ye Ling frowned, "In other words, not only can this ownerless Tianren City not appoint its own City Lord, but it will also be governed by the Qingyue Sect?"
"If the Qingyue Sect governs Tianren City, won't they interfere with my auction?"
Hearing Ye Ling's question, Guan Hu knelt down to Ye Ling again, crying, "Senior, please don't torment me anymore. I am just a small City Lord's guard, a nobody in Tianren City. How can I afford to offend a behemoth like the Qingyue Sect?"
"Senior, although the Qingyue Sect does not interfere with the life and death of the City Lord, they will definitely intervene in major matters like the succession of the City Lord... And Senior is also going to auction the Bloodstone Ganoderma in Tianren City. How can the Qingyue Sect not be envious?"
Hearing Guan Hu's words, Ye Ling's brow furrowed slightly.
He had originally planned to suppress Tianren City with his might, then help Ayu sell the Bloodstone Ganoderma, and also sell some cultivation techniques himself to accumulate some currency in the Nine Heavens Realm for future activities.
After that, he would help Ayu build a trustworthy team so that Ayu could succeed Tianren City Lord and have a foothold in the Nine Heavens Realm.
In this way, he would have repaid Ayu's kindness.
But from the current perspective, the Qingyue Sect was an insurmountable obstacle.
If he insisted on helping Ayu take the position of Tianren City Lord, he would have to defeat the Qingyue Sect.
A large sect like the Qingyue Sect, which controlled thirteen cities, would have intricate relationships. Once he defeated the Qingyue Sect, it would be like pulling out a radish and bringing out the mud. He might have to deal with the entire Lingzhou!
And Lingzhou was one of the major states in the first heaven of the Nine Heavens Realm with the richest cultivation resources. Once there was a change in Lingzhou, other major states would likely bare their fangs at Lingzhou and begin their invasion.
This way, to consolidate Ayu's position, he would have to deal with the surrounding major states as well. Da Feng Novel Network
But as the plate grew larger, there would be troublemakers everywhere, and Ayu's cultivation and experience would not keep up. He would also have to spend effort helping Ayu improve her cultivation and teach her about the treacherousness of human hearts...
Of course, these were minor matters for Ye Ling. The most crucial point was... he did not want a pure Ayu to become a scheming emperor.
Guan Hu did not know that Ye Ling had already thought about dealing with the surrounding major states. Seeing Ye Ling frown, he thought Ye Ling was wary of the Qingyue Sect and quickly said, "Senior, although you killed Tianxiong, Tianren City is just a small border town. I estimate the Qingyue Sect does not attach much importance to it, and they will certainly not fall out with Senior because of Tianxiong."
"As long as you are willing to share some of the auction proceeds with the Qingyue Sect, it is not impossible for them to appoint you as the City Lord of Tianren City!"
Hearing Guan Hu's suggestion, Ye Ling came back to his senses, looked at Guan Hu who was offering advice, and asked with a smile, "You mean, I hold my own auction, sell my own things, and still have to give money to the Qingyue Sect?"
"Why?"
Guan Hu trembled, "Senior, this is the territory of the Qingyue Sect after all. Although Senior's strength is extraordinary, the Qingyue Sect is also a behemoth with countless powerful individuals. If Senior offends the Qingyue Sect, I'm afraid..."
"Qingyue Envoy has arrived!!!"
At this moment, a powerful voice rolled down from the sky, followed by a colossal teleportation array appearing above Tianren City.
Ten disciples of the Qingyue Sect and a Qingyue Envoy with peak Saint cultivation appeared.
The rogue cultivators and soldiers outside Tianren City, seeing the arrival of the Qingyue Sect, all felt their hearts tighten and knelt down towards the Qingyue Sect!
Guan Hu saw the Qingyue Envoy standing in the void, his face turned even paler, and he said to Ye Ling tremblingly, "Pre-predecessor, these are people from the Qingyue Sect. P-please do not act rashly!"