Ye Feng spun around abruptly at the sound, rising to his feet, arcane energy already coursing towards the Tang knife in his hand.
He was quite tense, as Blood Wolf and Blood Badger had said the secret room was empty, but just now…
"Why are you back? Can't that Blood Skeleton guy send someone reliable?"
Just as Ye Feng suspected this might be a trap set by Blood Wolf and Blood Badger, the male voice spoke again.
"Hmm?"
Ye Feng frowned slightly.
He realized there was no one at the source of the voice, seemingly a black box?
"Blood Wolf and Blood Badger, right? What do you want, speak quickly?"
At this moment, the black box spoke again.
"Why aren't you talking!"
Frustrated by the repeated lack of response, the person seemed to grow angry.
The box pulsed with black mist, swirling around it, making the already dark box even blacker.
"Doesn't seem to be any offensive capabilities? And no visual range?"
Ye Feng, wearing a tin mask, squinted slightly and cautiously took a few steps towards the black box.
"You're not Blood Wolf and Blood Badger? Who are you?"
At this, the male voice spoke again.
Ye Feng still didn't reply, paused briefly, and then continued forward, soon arriving in front of the black box.
It was a perfectly black, non-reflective, seemingly light-absorbing, square box, covered in all sorts of scribbled runes on its exterior.
For some reason, the runes on the black box gave Ye Feng a very uncomfortable feeling, and looking at them for too long even made him a bit dizzy!
"Who are you? Why are you here, where is Blood Skeleton? Make him come see me!"
The black box spoke again, with clear displeasure, and the black mist swirling outside became denser.
"Strange thing~"
Ye Feng muttered to himself.
He then found a stick and pushed the black box into a trash can, pouring water and cotton into it to muffle its voice.
"Who are you, how dare you disrespect this seat…."
"Where is Blood Skeleton? Make him come see me!"
…
Although the black box continued to make noise, it was significantly quieter.
Afterward, Ye Feng began to search the secret room, as his allotted time was running short, and the information within this room seemed quite extensive.
…
Time flew by.
Inside the secret room,
Ye Feng's expression was one of great shock!
After a thorough search, he discovered that the background of the Skull Society was far more complex than he had anticipated.
The Skull Society had arrived in the Sands twenty years ago and quickly occupied this arsenal. Their reason for coming to the Sands was not, as the outside world believed, a mere territorial dispute, but a deeply considered plan!
According to the information Ye Feng found, the Skull Society's original purpose in coming to the Sands was to find something called the "Netherworld Script Divine Stele." All other activities, including collecting arcane origin stones, profiting from auctions, and even capturing hand-ring wearers, were secondary…
And this Netherworld Script Divine Stele was the treasure that had previously drawn heavenly punishment to the Sands… For some unknown reason, the Netherworld Script Divine Stele had been buried somewhere within the Sands…
"No wonder Li Sen said before that the Skull Society members were idle in the Sands and often wandered around; it turns out they were looking for clues to the Netherworld Script Divine Stele!"
Looking at the stacks of sand dune topographical maps in his hand, Ye Feng suddenly understood.
After more than twenty years of searching, the Skull Society seemed to have made significant progress. Clues to the Netherworld Script Divine Stele were discovered in the super sandstorm zone of the Sands… The Skull Society's leader, Blood Skeleton, had even personally gone to verify it there…
"According to Blood Wolf and Blood Badger, the Skull Society seems to be subordinates of Brad Base, but this Ouroboros symbol…"
During his search, Ye Feng had found several items engraved with the Ouroboros symbol, including that black mist-shrouded box…
"The Skull Society's large skull banner also bears traces of the Ouroboros symbol. If the Skull Society belongs to Brad Base… is this Brad Base related to the Dark Holy Church?"
Recalling the Skull Society banner he had seen on the outskirts of the weapon city, a thought flashed through Ye Feng's mind.
"Damn, time flies!"
Glancing at the watch on his left wrist, Ye Feng's expression changed. He quickly tidied up the scene and then made a hasty departure from the secret room.
…
Meanwhile,
At the auction house,
Xue Yuli and Xiaoxiao's faces were grim, as the man in the metal bull-head mask, along with a group of his subordinates, had surrounded them.
"Yo, you guys have a lot of money, huh? Bought so many arcane origin stones!"
"Boss Iron Bull is a bit short on cash lately, looking to borrow some from you!"
"As for when you'll get it back…"
"Hehehe~!"
"Women… smell so good…"
"Hehehe!"
…
The metal bull-head masked man and his group of subordinates let out lewd chuckles.
"Boom! Rumble! Boom!…"
Suddenly, a series of massive explosions echoed.
The entire auction house shook, dust and debris rained down, and large plumes of smoke and dust billowed from the intersecting passages outside the auction hall…
"Ah!"
"What's happening?"
"Explosions? Did the mountain collapse?"
"Run!"
…
The deafening explosions in the confined space, coupled with the earth tremors, instilled immense fear. The auction house descended into utter chaos.
Xue Yuli, seizing the opportunity, pulled Xiaoxiao and prepared to flee.
"Don't let those two women escape!"
Seeing this, the metal bull-head masked man shouted, lunging towards Xue Yuli and Xiaoxiao.
"Boom!~"
"Crack~!"
"Ah!~………."
Suddenly, a dull thud and a sharp crack of breaking bones were heard, followed by the metal bull-head masked man's pig-like screams.
In the ensuing confusion, someone had wielded a large morning star and delivered a brutal blow to the metal bull-head masked man's thigh, shattering his leg.
"It's… it's you? Number 250?!"
Seeing Ye Feng's familiar attire and tin mask, the metal bull-head masked man's face was filled with horror.
"Don't just stand there, run outside!"
The newcomer was Ye Feng. As his words fell, Xue Yuli pulled Xiaoxiao and they quickly dashed towards the exit.
Ye Feng, meanwhile, quickly stepped forward and removed the large, helmet-like metal bull-head mask from Iron Bull.
"You… what do you want?"
Iron Bull, clutching his bloodied thigh, was terrified.
"Boom~ Hiss!"
"Ah!…… Ah…."
"Boom boom!~ Ah….."
…
After a series of dull thuds, screams, and the sound of spraying blood, Ye Feng tossed aside the helmet-like bull-head mask and quickly departed, leaving behind a mangled Iron Bull, his bones broken and piercing his flesh, his face a bloody mess.
Most notably, a glowing metal plate bearing the number 250, deeply embedded into Iron Bull's flesh, was eerily conspicuous…
"Damn it, there's a 250 lying on the ground!"
A burly man, in a rush to escape, saw the conspicuous 250. Without a word, he delivered a kick to Iron Bull's waist, sending him rolling.
"Hell, this guy looks like that rich patron from earlier, why's he just lying there like a dead fish?!"
"Damn it, beat him up!"
"Rob him!"
…
Not a few people took the opportunity to vent their anger or to loot. After another flurry of punches and kicks, Iron Bull breathed his last.
…