The Duan family hadn't sent many people — only about a dozen in total, fewer than the delegations from the various superpowers who had come to watch the duel. Yet when the crowd caught sight of the pale-faced middle-aged man leading the group, a cold aura radiating from his entire body, one by one they let out gasps of surprise.
"Ice Demon Duan Hanshan! He's actually here?"
"Now this is going to be interesting. The Ice Demon's skill is no less than the Hermit's — and in a head-on fight, he might even be stronger. Before, the Hermit took a neutral stance and didn't want to get involved in either side's affairs. But Duan Hanshan is a different story. He's notorious for being fiercely protective of his own."
The various superpowers watched the man stride in at the head of the group, and each of them wore an expression of gleeful anticipation.
Duan Hanshan was the foremost member of the Duan family's second generation, and his standing within the Azure Commerce Association was every bit as high as the Assassin Hermit's. He had been waging campaigns across the Western Continent's southern and northern frontiers for years, and his reputation actually surpassed the Hermit's. Though called the Ice Demon, his explosive temper was legendary throughout the entire industry.
Upon arriving, Duan Hanshan did not head for the VIP seats in the main hall. Instead, he walked straight up to Shi Feng. The oppressive chill of his aura made the Perfection-realm experts from the various superpowers around them shudder.
"So you're the Black Flame who killed Man Hao at the entrance?" Duan Hanshan stared at Shi Feng and asked, his voice as cold as ice.
At Duan Hanshan's confrontation, the onlookers all wore expressions of "just as expected."
This was technically inside the Auction House, Azure Commerce Association territory at that. But Duan Hanshan was not the type to care about such things. If Shi Feng gave even a slightly poor response, things would not end well.
"That's right. You need something from me?" Shi Feng nodded and shot the question right back at Duan Hanshan without the slightest hesitation, as though he hadn't sensed the man's killing intent at all.
The moment Shi Feng spoke, the entire crowd drew in a sharp breath, each person staring at him in disbelief.
"Is this guy insane? He's still trying to act tough at a time like this?" The blue-robed assassin who had already made his way to the second-floor hall stared at Shi Feng with eyes practically bulging out of his head.
Who was Duan Hanshan?
He was the Western Continent's God of Slaughter — otherwise he wouldn't have earned the title Ice Demon. Even the guild masters of the various superpowers had to show him a measure of respect. But Shi Feng was behaving as if nothing were wrong. The assassin could almost admire the man's nerve.
"He probably doesn't know about the Ice Demon. After all, Zero Wing is just a guild operating within a single kingdom — they likely have no idea about affairs on the Western Continent." Beside him, Qing Lin's mouth twitched at the sight. "But speaking to the Ice Demon like that? He's finished for sure."
The Hermit maintained a neutral stance within the Azure Commerce Association and had no desire to meddle in either side's business — that was understandable. Duan Hanshan, however, was a completely different matter.
No sooner had Shi Feng finished speaking than the killing intent radiating from Duan Hanshan surged violently, casting an overwhelming pressure across the entire hall.
"Very good! You've got nerve, boy. It seems if I don't make a showing here on the Eastern Continent, people will forget that the Azure Commerce Association is to be taken seriously." Fury surged within Duan Hanshan, and the surrounding mana began converging toward him. The temperature in the area plummeted.
"Now this Black Flame is really done for."
Everyone understood that Duan Hanshan was genuinely furious. At this point, even Miaowuyin and Tianshou Yunkai could do nothing about it — after all, the elite fighters in Duan Hanshan's inner circle were all top-tier experts, more than capable of holding Tianshou Yunkai at bay for a short time.
Just as a clash seemed moments away, a deep, resonant voice suddenly echoed throughout the hall.
"Old Ice Demon — are you planning to break the Association's rules?"
As the voice rang out, every gaze in the hall turned toward its source.
A middle-aged man in dark gray armor, roughly fifty years old, with sharp sword-like brows and piercing eyes, emerged from the stairway. His commanding presence was no less imposing than the Hermit's. Simply standing there, he resembled a drawn blade, and even the surrounding Perfection-realm experts did not dare take a single step closer.