Chapter 57: Phoenix nirvana, reborn from the flames!
"Fifty thousand Mana Crystals."
"Whoosh."
In an instant, a sword aura whizzed past, narrowly missing Timothy. The chilling sword aura slashed down, carving a huge gash in the wall.
"What are you really here for? If you don't have a good reason, don't blame me for cutting you down," Selene said, her body radiating a bone-chilling coldness, her barely concealed murderous intent now fully visible.
"I'm here for two things: to snatch treasures and to beat up the so-called geniuses," Timothy slowly stood up.
"You've got some nerve. Our Cristar's auction house is protected by powerful figures, and now with Miss Selene here. You think you can just come here and cause trouble?" Mira scolded angrily.
"The treasures you're auctioning, including my forged underwear, all come from shady sources. Since none of us are saints here, I guess it's fair game," Timothy said, covering his face with his hand as wisps of spiritual energy flowed into him, gradually dissolving his disguised appearance.
All eyes were on Timothy, eager to see who dared to provoke them like this.
But when Timothy's true face was revealed, the room fell silent, everyone staring in disbelief, at a loss for words.
"Isn't that Timothy, the one who made a name for himself in the Valley of the Undead?"
"Why is Timothy here?"
"We're screwed, we've really messed up now!"
Mira and everyone at Cristar's auction house were shocked.
They knew the consequences of auctioning off forged underwear belonging to Timothy.
"Don't even think about running. We haven't settled the score from earlier," Timothy sneered, stepping forward, his figure turning into an elusive shadow.
He didn't go straight for the treasure chest but started attacking indiscriminately inside the venue.
"So, you were the one who bid five hundred Mana Crystals for my underwear? Offering such a small amount, who are you looking down on?"
"And you, you said Timothy isn't that good-looking, and you're better looking?"
"And you, planning to promise your daughter to me? Heh, father-in-law, we can discuss this matter later..."
Although the people in the auction house were not weak, they couldn't withstand Timothy's high cultivation level and the backing of Goddess Sylvia.
Almost no one could fight back.
"Bang, bang, bang."
With each punch Timothy threw, cries of agony followed.
"I was wrong, I won't dare again!"
"Timothy, no, Grandpa! Please let me go!"
Especially the guy who claimed he was handsomer than Timothy, who was now beaten to a pulp, his face swollen like a pig's head.
Even if he recovered, his features would likely be crooked.
Just then, seizing what they thought was a chance when Timothy was distracted, several hired experts from the auction rushed up, trying to carry away a beautifully crafted wooden box.
The treasure inside the wooden box was incredibly valuable, and if it were really stolen, Cristar's auction house would suffer a huge loss!
"Stop right there."
But as the three men just picked up the wooden box, they found Timothy already blocking their path.
"Kid, even though you're also a Mystic Core, you don't really think you can take on the three of us alone, do you? We might respect Goddess Sylvia, but if you push us too far, don't blame us for getting rough!"
Timothy smirked, "You sure about that?"
"Bang, bang, bang."
Unfortunately for them, the muscle the auction house had hired wasn't up to scratch.
With their inflated skills, it only took a few moves for Timothy to knock them down easily.
[Destroyed the spirit of three Mystic Core monks, skill point +1]
"Wow, that was almost too easy!"
Timothy had anticipated this and snatched the wooden box from their grasp.
After breaking the two locks on the box, just as he was about to open it, he felt a chill from behind.
Approaching him was Selene from the Blooming Sanctuary.
Timothy smiled, "Looks like you want to fight, miss?"
"That's right, I've been itching to teach you a lesson," Selene's voice was icy, her sword gleaming with a cold light.
"Funny, the feeling's mutual," Timothy tossed the wooden box casually to the ground, his fighting spirit soaring.
The more talented the prodigy, the more he enjoyed the challenge!
Selene frowned slightly. Usually, people trembled with fear at the sight of her.
But with Timothy, she sensed something was off.
Selene struck suddenly, her sword aura slicing through the air, which Timothy easily dodged.
But in that instant, a faint, almost invisible phantom appeared behind her.
"That's... the God of Flowers Form!"
The crowd was stunned.
Normally, such a manifestation was something only the strongest monks from Ocean's Gate could conjure.
But there were exceptions.
For those ancient and mystical sanctuaries, each had a divine effigy protecting its descendants.
The top warriors of such sanctuaries, if they reached a certain level of power, could also summon the phantom of the god that guarded their land.
The phantom of the God of Flowers appeared behind Selene. Although the image was somewhat ethereal and its power nowhere near what a true master of manifestations could wield, in Skyveil City, it had enough force to destroy half the city!
"Run!"
Anyone who could move was scattering, frantically fleeing the venue.
Mira, with resentment, glanced at the wooden box behind Timothy but dared not attempt to snatch it again, choosing instead to escape with the crowd.
In the vast underground space, aside from the monks who had been beaten down, only Timothy and Selene remained.
The phantom fluttered, and an immense aura began to emanate from Selene.
A gentle breeze blew, and the next moment, the phantom of the God of Flowers behind her began to solidify and transform, taking on various forms.
There were giant flowers as large as monsters, tendrils like tentacles, and even an army of human-shaped figures formed.
"I heard you made quite the impression in the Valley of the Undead, defeating countless strong opponents. Let me see what you've got!" Selene's voice dropped, and the sky filled with humanoid floral phantoms wielding weapons charged towards Timothy.
However, as the leading floral general barely touched the ground, Timothy's arms were already wrapped in golden light, his body radiating an incredibly profound and deep aura.
In an instant, his figure exploded with speed, incredibly swift. The floral phantoms swung their weapons, but they couldn't match Timothy's velocity.
With the first strike, Timothy grabbed its head.
The earthen phantom looked immensely sturdy, yet it was firmly grasped, struggling in vain to break free.
With the second punch, he pierced right through its chest.
The leading floral phantom collapsed, and the surging army of phantoms behind hadn't even reached the ground yet.
Timothy clenched his fist in the air, and a tiny flame in the void suddenly grew and expanded, emitting scorching, boiling heat.
The space itself seemed to twist.
"Boom!"
A fireball flew out, expanding exponentially in an instant.
The sky full of phantoms instantly caught fire, the flames, tinged with a holy golden color, fiercely burning.
It was like a surging beast, constantly devouring and evolving.
The fierce fire blasted Selene's body, nearly throwing her to the ground.
She had never faced such a defeat before.
The scorch marks on her dress were proof enough of the fire's threat.
Selene's gaze grew even colder, her aura and killing intent continuously surging forth.
However, Timothy didn't give her any chance to react.
A blur flashed, and Timothy's figure seemed to disappear from the ground, moving towards her at an incredibly fast speed.
Amidst the sea of fire, a green armor suddenly flew out, merging into Selene's body.
Instantly, Selene burst forth with a speed far surpassing her earlier efforts.
Within the pervasive sea of fire and phantoms, their figures flickered incessantly.
Every collision between them produced a thunderous crash.
And sent out fierce shockwaves, continuously striking the surroundings.
"Boom."
When Timothy's fist, covered in golden light, collided again with Selene's sword.
The resulting blast of air was utterly uncontrollable, sweeping through the entire underground space.
Although this place had been fortified with arrays and other means, it couldn't withstand such an attack.
"Boom!"
With a tremendous noise, the ground suddenly collapsed.
The underground space's walls bent and cracked, crumbling like clods of earth.
Boulders fell, and Selene's pupils shrank as she quickly leapt towards the sky.
However, just as she reached mid-air, Timothy burst through the sea of fire, attacking fiercely.
This time, even Selene couldn't maintain her composure.
With no foothold and the God of Flowers Form restricted by space and surrounded by the sea of fire, she couldn't unleash her full power.
Her situation was extremely perilous!
Within the sea of fire, a fist wrapped in both flames and golden light struck fiercely.
Green phantoms continuously flowed into Selene's body and sword, covering the blade with a green glow, constantly emitting spiritual energy.
Selene crossed her sword in front of her chest, intending to block the strike.
However, when the fist landed, she realized she had underestimated the situation.
The punch was far more formidable than she had imagined.
The immense force, as if capable of lifting ten thousand pounds of rock, was like a ferocious river beast, wildly unstoppable!
This punch carried an unstoppable momentum!
Even with the help of the phantom, Selene couldn't block the strike.
The blast swept past, and her slender figure was sent flying.
Like a kite with its string cut, fortunately, the phantom's protection allowed her to barely stand up even after crashing heavily to the ground.
"Is this what defeat feels like?"
Always among her peers, even facing any opponent, Selene could almost always dominate.
But facing Timothy, she felt so weak and powerless.
Yet even so.
The pride of Blooming Sanctuary, and her own pride, made her refuse to admit defeat!
Her sword's glow intensified, and the towering phantom of a thousand flowers reappeared behind Selene.
The sudden burst of powerful spiritual energy even blew Timothy back dozens of feet.
"Timothy, you are indeed stronger than I thought. But don't think you can win against me just like that."
"Blooming Sanctuary's blessing, a thousand flowers converge!"
A green light spread rapidly around, and a phoenix's cry echoed in the sky.
Within the continuous vortex of spiritual energy, the phantom of the God of Flowers transformed, turning into a Forest Wyrm!
Although this Forest Wyrm emitted a green light, the oppressive aura it released was far beyond what any Mystic Core could match.
"If that's the case, then let's try this new sword my wife just gave me."
Timothy drew the Phoenix Blade, a gift from Goddess Sylvia.
Although the sword's core was damaged, when surging flames appeared on the blade,
It was as if a phoenix was dancing in the sky.
Phoenix nirvana, reborn from the flames!
As Timothy's sword thrust into the sky, the majestic flames within the sword's aura seemed like a true phoenix!
"Boom!"
A powerful blast of air surged in all directions, as flames collided with the phantom image of a phoenix, sending a massive surge of spiritual energy skyrocketing.