Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 482 Auction

The auction lasted a whole day.

They worked from the moment the sun rose in the early morning until the sky turned red at dusk.

The Zhuxian Sword was the last item auctioned.

After Jian Shisan returned to his seat, Zhang Yiyuan glanced around the audience, his voice filled with more emotion than it had been that morning.

"Gentlemen—"

The noise in the square gradually subsided.

"This auction is now over, but I have just made a decision."

Zhang Yiyuan paused, a smile playing on his lips, "Tianyuan City is preparing to open the Martial Arts Pavilion for three days."

"Over these three days, everyone can verify each other's martial arts skills. The Celestial Elders of Tianyuan City will personally guide you, regardless of your background, sect, or cultivation level."

The square fell silent for a moment, then—

Holy crap!!!

"Martial Arts Hall?! Free?!"

"Three days?! And a Celestial Ancestor personally guiding me?! Am I hearing things?!"

The Martial Arts Hall in Tianyuan City is a landmark of Tianyuan City, and it hasn't been open since the last time.

Because opening that place once requires a huge amount of spirit stones.

Now you can get three days for free, and even have a celestial ancestor teaching you step by step.

The independent cultivators felt they had made a huge profit from this.

The disciples from several minor sects were so excited that their legs trembled. They patted each other on the shoulder, and some even had tears in their eyes.

Someone in the crowd shouted at the top of their lungs, "May the City Lord be mighty!"

That shout was like igniting a powder keg.

"A great calamity is coming; I'm willing to sell my life to Tianyuan City!"

"Yes! Let's follow Tianyuan City!"

Some have already started challenging each other to duels: "See you at the Martial Arts Pavilion tomorrow!"

The guy next to him wasn't backing down either: "Fine, let's meet! Anyone who chickens out is a coward!"

"Come on then! I was just thinking of having this new knife I bought blessed!"

Zhang Yiyuan stood on the stage, smiling as he watched the commotion below.

Xiao Yi was the first to stand up, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Yiyuan, and said, "Lord Zhang, you are very kind."

Xu Tian and Qing Yangzi also stood up, smiling and bowing in greeting.

Jian Shisan, holding his sword, nodded slightly.

Master Xukong put his hands together in prayer and chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Amitabha, well done, well done."

Zhang Yiyuan smiled and waved his hand, indicating that everyone should not be shy.

Then he turned to look at Lin Chen and bowed slightly:

"Young Master Lin, I have a favor to ask."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Speak."

"Please say a few words for today's grand event, young master."

All eyes in the audience immediately turned to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen thought for a moment, then slowly walked up to the high platform.

Standing on it and looking down—wow, it was a sea of ​​heads.

Celestial beings are at the very front, terrestrial immortals are in the middle, and beings below the celestial level are at the very back, arranged layer by layer, with no end in sight.

Everyone was watching him.

There were those who felt awe, those who were expectant, those who were curious, and those who were unconvinced.

Lin Chen was silent for a few seconds before speaking.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, as if it were being spoken right next to everyone's ears.

"Gentlemen."

"I know many of you are afraid."

"I'm afraid of those things from beyond the realm, afraid the sky will fall, afraid I can't bear it, afraid my family can't bear it, afraid the sect can't bear it, afraid this calamity... I won't be able to get through it."

Lin Chen's gaze swept from left to right, from front to back, and everyone felt that Lin Chen was looking at them.

"Fear is normal; not being afraid is fake."

Lin Chen paused, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and chuckled softly:

"I'm scared too. I'm scared that something will happen to my family. I'm scared that after this ordeal, many people will be gone."

Some people in the audience lowered their heads.

Some people clenched their fists.

Some people's lips moved, but no words came out.

Lin Chen's voice suddenly rose a few decibels: "But—what's the use of being afraid?!"

"If you hide at home, will things from beyond the realm stop coming? If you seal yourself off from the mountains, will the great calamity bypass you?"

Lin Chen's gaze swept lightly over the three monks of Mount Sumeru, then he said, word by word:

"No, they won't let you go just because you're afraid, they won't forgive you just because you kneel down."

"What they want is everything you have, your life, the lives of your family, the last spirit stone in your pocket, and the last bowl of rice in your hand."

The array patterns beneath Lin Chen's feet on the stage seemed to be activated by his emotions, lighting up for a moment.

The celestial beings below the stage slightly narrowed their pupils.

They sensed the fleeting aura emanating from Lin Chen.

It was bottomless, like a sleeping beast turning over.

The others felt as if the sky had collapsed in that instant.

Lin Chen's lips curled up slightly, and his voice suddenly rose a few decibels:

"But let me tell you—"

Lin Chen raised his hand and pointed at everyone below the stage.

"Those things from beyond the realm aren't that scary! What are they? They're not ghosts or gods, not some invincible entity! They are just—"

Lin Chen grinned.

"A gang of robbers, robbers who come to seize territory, resources, and lives."

Someone in the audience swallowed hard.

"What do we do when we face them?" Lin Chen held up one finger.

"It's simple. If they want your life, you take theirs first. If they want to eat you, you kill them first."

Someone in the audience burst out laughing.

Laughter spread like wildfire, from a small area to a large one.

Lin Chen raised his hand, and the laughter slowly subsided.

"Gentlemen—remember this one sentence for me."

Lin Chen's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into people's hearts.

"Those extraterrestrial creatures are just paper-cut window decorations and beasts."

Lin Chen looked down at the audience, his eyes shining brightly.

"So don't be afraid of it. If you're afraid of it, it's stronger than you. If you're not afraid of it—"

Lin Chen paused, then turned his lips down.

"It's just a pile of shit."

The audience erupted in cheers.

Laughter, applause, and cheers mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere.

Even the most ethereal beauties in the front row couldn't hold back their laughter, shaking their heads and smiling.

Even Jian Shisan's lips twitched, which could be considered a smile.

Lin Chen's voice suddenly turned somber.

"The future is bright."

"But light is not something you wait for—it is something you fight for."

The fact that we can sit here today chatting, drinking, and shopping didn't fall from the sky; it was earned by those fearless predecessors who risked their lives.

"What will ensure our descendants live in peace? It will be because we are not afraid to die today."

Lin Chen clenched his fist and slowly raised it above his head.

"Will we be able to get through this ordeal?"

"Yes!" Lin Chen answered himself, "Definitely!"

"Let me put this out here—if any of those things from outside the realm come, I'll kill them one by one; if two come, I'll kill them both!"

Kill them until they're terrified, kill them until they dare not come, kill them until they avoid the people of this land!

"As long as we are all united, there is no calamity we cannot overcome, no reactionary force we cannot defeat—cough, extraterrestrial beings!"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Lin Chen's face as he thought to himself: Damn it, I almost let it slip.

The cultivators below the stage remained silent for a moment, and then burst into applause.

"Young Master Lin is right!"

"Kill them one by one!"

"Kill them until they're terrified!"

"Defeat the extraterrestrial creatures!"

Some people shouted until their voices cracked.

The celestial beings in the front row and some disciples from major sects did not join in the applause and cheers, but their eyes all changed.

The three old monks on Mount Sumeru exchanged glances.

Master Xukong spoke slowly, his voice very soft: "Benefactor Lin... has an affinity with Buddhism."

Wuming nodded.

Wujing nodded and added, "The connection is not shallow."

The auction concluded amidst applause and cheers.

The crowd dispersed, but the liveliness of Tianyuan City continued.

The streets were full of people, gathered in twos and threes.

They talked about tomorrow's martial arts pavilion, the treasures they photographed today, and Lin Chen's words just now.