Castle of Black Iron

Han Yuanhong was dominating the auction of some silver secret items in the Secret Items Pavilion of Gold and Power market.

What the Imperial Affairs Ministry entrusted Han Yuanhong’s father to do should actually be done by Gold and Power Law. As the master of Gold and Power Law, according to the result of the discussion between Han Yuanhong and Han Zhengfang, even if they were just pretending to complete the task, Han Yuanhong had to try his best to collect silver secret items in the Treasures Meeting for the Imperial Affairs Ministry.

Even pieces of God’s Star could be sold in this Treasures Meeting, not to mention silver secret items.

The silver secret items being auctioned in the Treasures Meeting mainly came from two sources: first, like that of the piece of God’s Star, after some major knight clans declined, facing the 3rd holy war, treasures such as pieces of God’s Star and silver secret items could not bring prosperity to their clans any more; conversely, they might incur threats to their clans. Therefore, these clans would choose to auction these treasures left by their forebears for something more practical in case that these treasures were robbed away.

Second, silver secret items came from very few lucky dogs. These lucky dogs were basically knights. When most of the knights were spending great efforts in seeking silver secret items, these lucky dogs had one or two silver secret items. Those lucky dogs with one silver secret item would like to exchange it for something more practical, such as urgent cultivation resources like earth-element crystals; those with two silver secret items would keep one silver secret item for themselves while exchanging the other one for cultivation resources or something that they needed.

The silver secret item being displayed on the counter of the auction house was a short sword.

After wiping out the spiritual mark of its owner, this short sword suspended in a special crystal showcase whose volume was about 64 cubic meters as it was constantly changing its shapes between a colorful, brilliant short sword with sharp sawteeth and a real, colorful double-headed snake which constantly swam in the crystal showcase.

The greater part of the audiences were representatives of major clans across Taixia Country. These major clans would never think that they had enough silver secret items. These representatives would always be followed by one or two juniors of their clans who were taken out to see the world. It was the first time for many juniors to see the real object of silver secret items. Therefore, they were all dumbfounded as they whispered to each other.

Because Gold and Power Law was an organization that Emperor Xuanyuan used to compete with the other 6 top clans in Taixia Country, the Treasures Meeting of Gold and Power Law was generally ignored and resisted by the other 6 top clans in Taixia Country. Although the 6 top clans also assigned knights to attend the Treasures Meeting for the sake of the face of Gold and Power law, those major clans and forces on subcontinents were more passionate about this.

The original owner of the silver secret item was an earth knight. He wanted to exchange this silver secret item for water-element crystals that he demanded urgently.

The starting price was 200 water-element crystals. When it rose to 1200 water-element crystals, the rising speed evidently slowed down.

One water-element crystal could be exchanged for 6 earth-element crystals, namely, 1,200 water-element crystals were equal to 7,200 earth-element crystals. It was already a big figure. Even those major clans of Taixia Country could not easily afford such a great number of element crystals. Whatever, no clan could plant these element crystals in their own land. All the element crystals had to be gained from Earth-element Realm; additionally, the more advanced the element crystals were, the more difficult it would be to gain them. Compared to silver secret items, element crystals were the urgent strategic resources of all the clans and sects.

When it rose to 1200 water-element crystals, the bidders started to raise the price meticulously as they communicated with their clan elders or heads through remote-sensing communications devices simultaneously so as to confirm their bottom lines.

”1290 water-element crystals...1290 water-element crystals, is there any higher quotation...” A beautiful female auctioneer shouted on the platform.

When Han Yuanhong implied his assistant to raise the figure to 1,300, loud chaos suddenly drifted from outside the auction house of the Secret Items Pavilion, causing him to frown unpleasantly.

’Who dared make trouble in the Treasures Complex? Does anyone want to imitate Cui Li?’

With a loud noise ”bang”, a side door of the hobby of the auction house was pushed open forcefully from outside, attracting the attention of many people in the auction house.

A guy with a long face and sparse beard broke inside in a flurried way regardless of the others’ looks. He came all the way to Han Yuanhong’s side as he approached Han Yuanhong’s ear and whispered to him, ”Master, there’s an emergency outside...you...you’d better take a look outside!”

”What’s the matter?” Han Yuanhong asked as he continued, ”Does anyone dare make trouble in the Treasures Complex?”

”Erm...almost like that. Master, you will know it when you come outside...” The guy with the long face and sparse beard looked embarrassed as he didn’t know how to say.

Watching the strange expression of this guy, Han Yuanhong immediately walked out of the auction house unpleasantly with a killing intent, followed by that guy with the long face and sparse beard.

...

The moment Han Yuanhong left the auction house, he had seen hundreds of people gathering in the courtyard of Treasures Complex. When Han Yuanhong exited, the noise suddenly disappeared.

Han Yuanhong felt that everybody else was looking at him. The onlookers’ eyes even contained something strange, which looked extremely weird. Even some knights of Gold and Power Law who were responsible for maintaining orders in Treasures Complex looked at him in a strange way as if they were surrounding to watch a surging hidden force among the mass.

The surrounding bizarre eye lights and weird atmosphere made Han Yuanhong’s heart pound unconsciously. However, as an earth knight who had seen the world, he could not be flurried by such a scene.

Han Yuanhong didn’t see anyone stirring up trouble here, he looked up at the sky along the finger of that guy with the long face and sparse beard.

——Finance Minister Han Zhengfang is the Master of Heavens Reaching Church

The 12 huge words in the brilliant, crimson sunglow were flying over here from afar, striking terror in Han Zhengfang’s heart.

Each huge word was over 1,000 m long. They flew above 6,000 m in the air territory of Xuanyuan Hill like a celestial being’s calligraphy. Being composed of over 100,000 wild swans, when they were still 10 miles away from the air territory above Gold and Power Market, everybody in Gold and Power Market could already see them clearly.

Han Yuanhong’s body rocked twice as if he was going to fall down. At the sight of 12 huge words, he felt that his head was split open by a huge ax falling off the sky. In a split second, Han Yuanhong’s eyes sparkled as his head buzzed.

’It’s over!’

It was the first whim that occurred to Han Yuanhong’s mind. Han Yuanhong didn’t even have time to consider why the 12 huge words could appear in the sky in this manner. Compared to the reason and process of the appearance of the 12 huge words, the result was more terrifying for Han Yuanhong.

In a split second, Han Clan’s power and prestige would disappear. In the blink of an eye, Xuanyuan Hill would become the graveyard of Han Zhengfang and Han Yuanhong.

Han Yuanhong finally understood why those people in Gold and Power Market watched him with strange looks.

There was a proverb in Taixia Country that the son had to pay off his father’s debt; there’s another proverb that the son would inherit the undertakings of his father. If his father was the master of Heavens Reaching Church, undoubtedly, Han Yuanhong himself was also the remnant of Heavens Reaching Church. Anyone who could kill Han Yuanhong, the young master of Heavens Reaching Church would have reputation and fame at the same time.

Only dignitaries could enter Treasures Complex. At this moment, there were at least 20 earth knights in the courtyard of Treasures Complex. No matter how powerful was Han Yuanhong, he didn’t feel that he could resist so many earth knights at the same time.

A few minutes ago, Han Yuanhong was still commanding in his Gold and Power Market; however, at this moment, Han Yuanhong felt that he became a fat piece that was thrown into a wolf pack.

It was pretty quiet inside Treasures Complex. At the same time, many onlookers’ eyes grew increasingly perilous while a surging hidden force was going to break out at any time.

’I could not waste time anymore.’ Han Yuanhong made his determination almost in a split second. After so many years’ experience, Han Yuanhong immediately worked out a way to stabilize the current situation for the time being.

”It’s a blasphemy!” Han Yuanhong roared with a solemn look as his face turned completely pale. He looked straight into the eyes of the onlookers with fearless, bloody eyes as he said, ”Moles of demons and Heavens Reaching Church must be manipulating this plot as they want to slander my father and me in order to make Xuanyuan Hill chaotic. I will prepare for it right now and request the Supreme Court to carry out an overall investigation about this event!”

After saying that, Han Yuanhong rolled his sleeves furiously as he turned around and walked towards his office in Treasures Complex.

After exchanging a glance with each other, many knights who wanted to arrest Han Zhengfang just now became a bit hesitated. If it was really a blasphemy manipulated by the Heavens Reaching Church and demons, they would offend the finance minister of Taixia Country and Han Clan as a whole once they jumped out to fight Han Yuanhong at this moment; additionally, after this event, they might even be counterattacked by Han Clan with the excuse that they colluded with demons and Heavens Reaching Church.

The great meritorious service might also be a great trouble.

When the others became hesitated for a few seconds, Han Yuanhong had already disappeared.

After exchanging a glance with each other, nobody in Treasures Complex dared move.

...

Han Yuanhong was still clenching his fist. As a result, his knuckles turned white with raised green tendons while slightly shaking.

He pretended to be stable; however, only he could feel that the firm ground felt as soft as cotton. So far, his brain was still chaotic while golden sparkles were flickering in front of his eyes.

He just pretended to be furious and calm in front of the public so as to seek for more time for him to escape.

Of course, both Han Yuanhong and Han Zhengfang didn’t have any mental preparation against the 12 huge words in the sky; neither did the official forces in Xuanyuan Hill make any preparation about that. If the official of Taixia Country had long known the background of Han Yuanhong and Han Zhengfang and was ready to arrest them, the 12 huge words were completely redundant which would frighten away the snakes. Because this was an emergency for everybody, it was of great significance for Han Yuanhong to strive for one more minute to escape.

After entering his study in Treasures Complex, Han Yuanhong closed the door from inside. At this moment, only that guy with the long face and sparse beard still closely followed Han Yuanhong with a resentful look so as to express that he was loyal to Han Clan.

”Master, this might be a vicious plot set by demons and Heavens Reaching Church or the revenge of Cui Li and Bai Clan...” The guy with the long face and sparse beard racked his brain and wanted to display his talent at this moment; however, he didn’t notice Han Yuanhong’s bad look. Unimaginably, he almost hit the truth although he just fabricated some reasons.

”You’ve really done too much for me over these years!” Han Yuanhong said genially.

The guy with the long face and sparse beard felt being flurried as he hurriedly lowered his body while raising his sparse beard pleasantly, ”Master, it’s my honor to serve you...”

Soon after the word ’you”, Han Yuanhong had already slightly pressed his palm on his head and turned his brain into a paste. Before this guy with the long face and sparse bear straightened up his body, his two eyeballs had already jumped out of his eye sockets as he immediately fell onto the ground like a dead dog.

Han Yuanhong threw the last glance at this guy with a glassy-eyed look. ’Previously, this guy was not a member of Heavens Reaching Church; as he’s a bit smart and could be loyal to me, I just kept him alive as my lackey and eye in Gold and Power Market. Over these years, this guy has done too many things for me; if this guy fell into the hand of the Supreme Court, he might ruin our plan. Of course, he could not stay alive.’

’I’ve got some more subordinates in Xuanyuan Hill; however, given the emergency, I couldn’t care too much about that.’

After killing one person, Han Yuanhong rapidly came to a wall of the study. He pressed some places on the wall, revealing an entrance of a hidden tunnel leading to the underground space. Han Yuanhong immediately jumped inside...

As he left there too hurriedly, Han Yuanhong didn’t even close the door of the hidden tunnel.

Actually, even if he closed the door of the hidden tunnel, it wouldn’t work anymore. If any knight wanted to look for the cave in this study, any blow would expose the entrance of the hidden tunnel. Although nobody dared be that presumptuous in Treasures Complex in normal times, many people dared be that presumptuous today for sure...

...

After a few minutes, after receiving no response from inside the study, the three earth knights in uniforms who were assigned by the Supreme Court here to ”invite” Han Yuanhong to the Supreme Court for an interrogation broke the door of the study into pieces while more people surrounded to watch what happened inside.

After catching sight of the corpse in the study and that entrance of the hidden tunnel, the face of the earth knight who broke the door turned solemn at once...

”Catch up with him...”

The three earth knights immediately jumped into the entrance.

All the onlookers inside Treasures Complex were in an uproar at once...

Before the three earth knights of the Supreme Court arrived, Han Yuanhong, the son of Han Zhengfang had killed one person and escaped far away, which lit the battle flames in Xuanyuan Hill at once.