Chapter 67: The Void-Piercing Crossbow

At this moment, a hint of impatience was already apparent on Ina’s face; her delicate brows drew together ever so slightly. Yet, thanks to her beauty, this faint annoyance did not provoke any displeasure but instead lent her an alluring air, as though a beauty’s gentle ire only added to her charm.

Leaning back against her chair, one hand propping up her head, Ina cast a sidelong glance at the boisterous, shouting crowd. Her gaze, tinged with envy and jealousy, soon rested on Maya in the arena, and she spoke with a tone that carried an inexpressible undertone: “Hmph, the auction’s been going on for half the day, and not a single medicinal herb we want has appeared. It seems waiting any longer is pointless… What a waste of time!”

Shi Yan, seated beside her and well acquainted with Ina’s temperament, naturally detected the subtle implications in her words. For someone as proud and confident in her appearance as Ina to speak this way was indeed rare. Yet, he was not too surprised; after all, when he had first laid eyes on Maya earlier today in the auction hall, he too had been struck by her breathtaking beauty.

Seeing Ina in such a state, Shi Yan could only sigh helplessly. “There’s nothing we can do about it. The medicinal herb we’re searching for—Venomfuse Grass—is simply too rare. It’s seldom seen, and its growth conditions are extremely stringent, confined to a single region. Even within the entire Empire, it’s hard to find any traces of it. The Loga Mountains near us once produced this antidotal spirit herb, but over the past decade or so, it has all but vanished. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have—”

“All right, enough!” Clearly irked by such discouraging words, Ina interrupted Shi Yan, her tone impatient. “Since that’s the case, let’s just leave as soon as the auction ends. We’ll think of something along the way…”

…

At this moment, the auction hall was a scene of utter excitement, shouts ringing out from all directions. While this was partly due to the items being auctioned, it was perhaps even more because of Maya’s stunning presence…

Standing poised, Maya had just successfully auctioned off a set of medicinal herbs with some restorative effect on battle energy. She swept her gaze over the crowd, then clapped her hands, signaling two attendants to step forward. Each carried a square wooden tray draped in black cloth, one in each hand.

Clearly, there were items on the trays. Notably, the bulge under the black cloth on one tray suggested something sizable. The crowd couldn’t help but speculate—could it be another weapon?

Maya took in their reactions with a subtle smile. Turning slightly, she pulled the black cloth from one of the trays, revealing a crossbow with a dark, almost glossy sheen to every gaze in the auction hall.

The construction of the crossbow was peculiar, quite unlike ordinary crossbows. Its entire body was jet-black, likely forged from some hard material. Those with keen eyes noticed it was set with a magic core, and an indistinct sense of danger arose in their hearts.

After all, even the lowest-level magic core in this world was of the third rank—equivalent to a Douluo-level human expert. In Changling City, few would dare underestimate a Douluo. In fact, there seemed to be no one above the Douluo level—a Doulong—within the city. A weapon with a third-rank magic core would thus be tremendously lethal…

“As you may recall,” Maya began, her voice carrying lightly, “some days ago our auction house sold a sword inlaid with a third-rank magic core. Its true power is something Chief Kina knows best, as he is here among us…” She glanced meaningfully at a certain spot in the crowd and smiled.

At her words, many present turned their attention toward Chief Kina. In recent years, the Kina family had risen rapidly, attracting much discussion. At the last auction, they had even managed to steal the spotlight, drawing attention from all sides.

Finding the focus suddenly shifted to himself, Chief Kina, who had been sitting calmly in his seat, was momentarily taken aback before forcing a wry smile. Maya was indeed shrewd, never missing a chance—no doubt she intended to use his words for a bit of extra publicity…

Under the weight of the crowd’s gaze, Chief Kina cleared his throat softly and nodded. “Indeed, the sword’s power is quite remarkable… Lately, when wielding it, I can faintly sense the threshold of a breakthrough.”

Though his words hinted at the sword’s might, Chief Kina spoke with care. He avoided mentioning the exact power of the Edgebreaker Sword, instead alluding to his own increase in strength and creating an unspoken sense of intimidation.

As expected, many in the hall showed clear changes in expression. In Changling City, each of the three great powers was led by a Douluo-level expert. As for the auction house, though rarely seen, few doubted it, too, had such a powerhouse. Together, these four constituted the strongest factions in the city; no other force had yet produced a Douluo.

The Kina family, meanwhile, seemed poised to follow closely behind these four. Although they could not yet compare, after them, the Kinas were likely the strongest. Should Chief Kina break through to Douluo in the near future, the family’s status would rise accordingly, solidifying their position as the city’s fifth great power.

It was clear, then, just how much a single Douluo meant to a family in Changling City. For the Lie and Auburn families, however, this caused little alarm; they paid it only passing attention, for their own strength was on an entirely different level.

“Advancing to Douluo, is it?” murmured Lord Chet, shaking his head. “But only one. Even as the city’s fifth, there remains a vast gap between them and the top four; it cannot shake the established balance of power…”

Maya simply smiled, unfazed by Chief Kina’s response, and continued, “But what we are auctioning today is not merely a crossbow—this is the Voidshatter Crossbow, set with a lightning-element magic core of the fourth rank!”

No sooner had Maya spoken than the entire auction hall erupted in a collective gasp, all eyes riveted to the Voidshatter Crossbow!

A fourth-rank magic core!

The crowd was in an uproar. A fourth-rank magical beast alone would be enough to shock anyone—it was equivalent to a Doulong-level powerhouse!

Given the formidable constitution of magical beasts, even an ordinary Doulong might not be able to deal with one. Currently, not even the strongest Lie family had a Doulong. If such a beast ever rampaged through Changling City, it would cause untold casualties, and not even Douluos would be spared!

The energy stored within such a beast’s magic core would, naturally, be immense. The Edgebreaker Sword had fetched a price of 120,000 gold coins at its last auction; this Voidshatter Crossbow, with its even rarer core and the renowned offensive power of the lightning element, would surely start at no less than 150,000—perhaps far more.

At this moment, even Lie Chen and Auburn Shan found themselves unable to look away.

“Of course,” Maya went on, quieting the hall with her words, “such descriptions alone cannot do justice to the Voidshatter Crossbow’s power. Its true purpose is not merely to shoot arrows—you’ll notice it lacks any spring mechanism. Instead, if you channel battle energy into the crossbow, it will form a mighty arrow of pure energy. The higher your strength, the stronger the energy arrow. The craftsman who forged this crossbow sought to imitate the Earth-rank combat skill—Voidshatter Arrow. Though its power cannot truly compare to the original, it is an extraordinary creation, and thus, its starting price is 250,000 gold coins!”

Like a thunderclap, her words exploded among the crowd, sending them into a frenzy!

What?! Simply by channeling battle energy, one could fire an energy arrow?!

Moreover, the stronger the user, the stronger the arrow?! Was this truly an imitation of the Voidshatter Arrow, an Earth-rank combat skill?! Amid their shock, the increase of 100,000 gold coins over their expectations was almost subconsciously overlooked…

Stunned, the crowd was left speechless. The ability to manifest battle energy externally was the mark of a Douluo-level expert; firing an energy arrow required at least that level of mastery. Yet this crossbow allowed anyone to do so, provided they could channel battle energy!

With the added force of a fourth-rank lightning magic core, who could fathom the destructive power of the energy arrow it could unleash? That it was said to imitate the legendary Voidshatter Arrow—a skill of awe-inspiring renown—made it all the more extraordinary.

At this moment, whether it was outsiders like Ina and Shi Yan or members of the city’s great families, all were struck dumb with shock. Even Lie Chen, Auburn Shan, and Lord Chet himself were visibly shaken!

For Auburn Shan, shock quickly gave way to unbridled delight; for Lie Chen, frustration turned to a dark and brooding resolve. Yet, in their hearts, both harbored the same thought—

“We must obtain this Voidshatter Crossbow!”