"Escape?" The two grey robed men were exasperated. How are they supposed to escape when they are surrounded by ghosts!?!

The bamboo hat man reassured them with a gentle smile, "Don't panic."

The two grey robed men, "..." Yes, they surely won't panic because some random stranger told them not to!

The bamboo hat man clearly saw that they still didn't trust him. A helpless sigh fell on his lips, and he turned to the remaining of his group, "Let's go?"

They nodded back.

Only the two grey robed cultivators remained confused.

"GET THEM!!!" The ghost soldiers howled. They rushed and clambered towards the cultivators, each holding their weapon of choice, trying to capture the targets' heads-

The clamour of ghosts were wild and untamed.

Suddenly, a flash of red had darted before their faces. A tall man, dressed in extravagant crimson red robes, with his long black hair laying on his back, and a strand of it tied into a braid, connected with a red pearl. A black eyepatch covered this handsome man's left eye.

The ghosts hesitated.

They could sense that this man was definitely a ghost. However, the power he radiated was completely off the charts!

"CHARGE!" The ghost soldiers ignored all the danger signs, and continued charging forwards.

Suddenly, the red-robed tall man glared.

In an instant, a glare of light had blinded everyone present. The silver light illuminated the dark and drowsy Ghost Nation, like a shooting star running across the skies. There was the clear sound of butterflies flapping their wings, gently washing the breeze ashore.

When the ghost soldiers opened their eyes, they found themselves surrounded with silver butterflies!

"What are these-"

All of a sudden, the ghost soldiers realized something was amiss. The trespassers were gone! The six mysterious cultivators and the two grey robed men... they all disappeared!

"DAMMNIT!" The ghost soldiers swore angrily.

It was a diversion!

"Everyone, go check the streets and shops of Ghost Nation thoroughly! We must find those trespassers at all costs!" The ghost soldiers hurriedly raced inside their kingdom, leaving only two soldiers to guard the gates.

Meanwhile, two grey robed cultivators had panted.

They leaned against the brick wall, having successfully infiltrated in Ghost Nation. "That was..." They looked at one another, then turned to look at their saviours. "Thank you, benefactors!" They hurriedly clasped their hands, giving their thanks.

Their benefactor—the six mysterious cultivators—merely waved a hand.

"It was nothing." The man with the fan had said.

The grey robed cultivator bowed, "I never thought that the Yiling Patriarch, HanGuang-Jun and their friends would come to rescue us."

The six mysterious cultivators, "..." Their identities were exposed already?!?

"H-How'd you know us?" Wei Wuxian was baffled.

The two grey robed men looked at each other. Then, they bowed, "Let us introduce ourselves. We are disciples from the Qinghe Nie Clan."

It was then Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan understood.

"Clan Leader Nie sent us here to... well, probably for the same reason as benefactors came out here for." The disciples explained. "It's about the auction house. We heard that there would be many ancient artifacts to be pawned. Clan Leader Nie instructed us to participate in the bidding."

The three couples felt concerned.

The Clan Leader of Qinghe Nie; Nie Huaisang. Who knew what plan he had in mind.

"Actually," the grey robed men knew what the three couples were thinking. They added, "Clan Leader Nie is actually cooperating with the other Three Great Clans; Lanling Jin, GusuLan, and Yunmeng Jiang. We came to an alliance, to retrieve an artifact and keep it safe from harm."

The three couples were surprised.

So it seemed like the Four Great Clans are working together on this?

"Are benefactors also going to the auction house?" The two disciples asked. They received a nod from the three couples.

"Then, shall we go together?"

In response, Shen Qingqiu snapped his fan shut. "That will be a no."

The two disciples from Qinghe Nie were confused. "Why?"

"Tell them, Xie-xiong." Shen Qingqiu waved.

Xie Lian nodded. "You guys are underaged. You're not allowed to enter."

The two disciples, "..." But they already infiltrated in the kingdom! At this point, do they really have to care about the rules—

"But, you look seventeen at most!" One of them blurted.

Hearing that, Xie Lian felt a bit giddy. "Thank you, but I'm actually-"

"Anyways." Wei Wuxian interrupted him. "Go back and find Nie Huaisang, tell him that the Yiling Patriarch ordered you to return."

The two disciples shrunk. Did they have to? After all they've gone through...

"Now go. Shoo shoo." Shen Qingqiu fanned himself.

The two disciples could only leave the three couples be. They sneakily left, pulling a hood over their heads so that they wouldn't be recognized.

Luo Binghe snaked an arm around his Shizun's waist.

"Shall we go find the auction house?"

An ocean of ghosts were filing in a large building. The building was a huge stadium, with the walls curving and built as a sphere. All in all, it looked like a dome.

"This is the auction house?" Lan Zhan was hesitant.

As the ghosts continued filing inside, the three couples were pulled in by the current.

Before they knew it, the three couples entered the auction house. Inside, hundreds of seats were sprawled across the ground. Many ghosts took a seat in the back. In the front, a high stage stood mightily. On the wooden and moldy stage, a long dining table was spread out.

Laid across the table was a long red carpet, with unknown objects resting underneath.

"Let's take a seat in the back." Xie Lian pointed.

They wanted to avoid attention, after all, ghost soldiers were still looking out for them. They unanimously decided that it is best to hide in the back.

As the three couples trudged past columns, more ghosts took their seats.

It was then... they found a familiar face.

"You!" Luo Binghe and Bo Fan blurted out simultaneously.

Immediately, both parties took out their weapons. However, after realizing their surroundings, they both placed their weapons away.

They couldn't fight now... not before the auction begins.

"What makes you come here?" Bo Fan asked offhandedly. By his side were Yi Ran and Nu Wang.

Hua Cheng's eye(s) thinned. Bo Fan was a demon, while Yi Ran was a demonic cultivator. Although Nu Wang was a female ghost, it was still dangerous for them to infiltrate in Ghost Nation.

"None of your business." Luo Binghe immediately looked away.

Yi Ran crossed her arms over her chest, "You guys are here for the Strongest Sword, ain't ya? It's so obvious, practically written right on your faces."

The three couples shrugged. It didn't matter whether or not they know.

After all, everyone in the auction house was here for that sword.

"Actually," Bo Fan was arrogant, "We're also here for the sword. It's about time that I switch up my weapon. This longsword is getting rusty-"

A hand was clamped over his mouth. "Why the hell did you tell them?" Yi Ran was enraged.

Two balls of blue fire ignited in her eyes.

"It was pretty obvious." Bo Fan grinned. "Everyone here is for that sword."

Yi Ran's face darkened. She withdrew her hand, then said, "Nu Wang. Shut his mouth up for me."

Nu Wang did as she was instructed to do, pulling out rope from nowhere and sealing the demon's mouth shut.

Bo Fan could only glare at his two comrades.

The three couples didn't know what else to say, so they passed by and took a seat in the back. Shadows covered their figures, making them invisible to the surroundings.

Xie Lian pondered on where Feng Xin and Mu Qing were.

They should've infiltrated into Ghost Nation by now... right?

As he thought that, Wei Wuxian felt a strange feeling. It felt like someone was constantly looking at him... This disturbed him.

For some odd reason, that gaze never left!

This really creeped him out!

Wei Wuxian wondered, Should I go tell Lan Zhan that I'm being harassed? But then, his eyes just drifted towards the direction where he felt that gaze...

When he saw who was looking at him, Wei Wuxian fell silent.

JIANG CHENG!?!

There it was. An inconspicuous figure in the back, wearing purple and black robes, making him look strange amongst the crowd of people wearing cheap rags. Over those robes were a black cloak, faintly covering his black hair, which was tied up with a violet ribbon.

However, the black cloak couldn't hide the arrogance he radiated.

Wei Wuxian blinked. He watched Jiang Cheng extend out a hand, point at Wei Wuxian, then himself...

Then, Jiang Cheng moved slightly to the left... revealing the... cultivators sitting behind him. At that point, Wei Wuxian couldn't believe his eyes.

Behind Jiang Cheng was a bunch of cultivators; such as Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, and even Lan Xichen!

It turned out that there are both enemies and friends in this hell.

"You're here for the sword?" Wei Wuxian whispered.

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"You're in an alliance with the other Three Great Clans... to retrieve the sword, right?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Jiang Cheng's face darkened. "How'd you know?"

Seeing that he's upset, Wei Wuxian felt a sense of accomplishment. "We met some disciples from Qinghe Nie, and they told us the situation."

Jiang Cheng lowered his head angrily, not wanting to talk anymore.

Lan Zhan heard the two's entire conversation. Seeing his fixed gaze, the remaining three couples had turned to look at their direction.

"Oh? Clan Leader Jiang is here, along with Clan Leader Lan." Xie Lian greeted them quietly.

Lan Xichen waved, "I see that great minds think alike."

Shen Qingqiu buried his face in his fan, "It's beginning."

This had captured everyone's attention. They all turned to look at the stage, which had an extra presence lingering there. An especially tall female ghost stood there, wearing a cheongsam, embroidered with the colour of cranberry yellow. Designs of daisy white orchids were sewn across the hem, swaying side to side. Her legs were long and delicately white.

The female ghost's hair was tied into a bun.

Her lips were coated in rouge, smiling seductively. This female ghost was the host, and she stood before the large dining table.

"The auction will officially begin now!" She announced, her voice containing hints of deep tenor.

A commotion of voices begun to clamour within the crowd. The ghosts were all excited for the auction to begin.

"Let's see our first goods." The ghost host smiled. She swiftly removed the red carpet, revealing all the artifacts underneath.

There was a traditional hairpin, with the edges hung of pearls, arranged to look like a branch of sweet flowers. On one side of the hairpin was a beautiful feather. This feather ranged from colours of vermillion red to canary yellow, as if sweeping the skies with a breathtaking sunset.

All of the ghosts' eyes were attracted to this feather.

"This is a hairpin accessory." The ghost host began to introduce. "The pearls were collected from one of the oldest oysters in the sea. And this feather..." She held out the most alluring part of the hairpin, "This was from an ancient Phoenix. It was said that a Phoenix flew over the lands of poverty, then dropped this feather."

"Afterwards, the land was gifted with luck and everyone turned wealthy instantly! Thus, this hairpin is gifted with the phoenix's luck." The ghost host smiled. "For all the ghosts out there, this accessory is a good choice if you want to bring something home for your wives."

"Alright." The ghost host let the ghosts think. "Let's begin the bidding. Starting from the price of 1,000 yuan!"

The two Qinghe Nie disciples: We're going to the auction! YAY!

Wei Wuxian: Not so fast

Qinghe Nie disciples: ...why?

Xie Lian: You guys are underaged. Get out of here!

Qinghe Nie disciples: Then what about that brat, Jin Ling! Why does he get to be there!?!

Xie Lian: This... circumstances came up and-

Shen Qingqiu: Let me simplify it for you, Xie-xiong

Shen Qingqiu: If you want to go to the auction, get rich and come back

Jin Ling: That's right. My uncle is packed with money

Wei Wuxian: ...which one?

Jin Ling: Correction. My uncles are packed with money

Jiang Cheng: ...

Lan Xichen: ...

Nie Huaisang: ...

Wei Wuxian/Mo Xuanyu: ...

Lan Zhan: ...

Jin Guangyao from the dead: ...