"These two are distinguished guests of our Ice Fort."
"I will be presiding over the auction shortly and won't have time to attend to them. Liangyue, look after them well in my stead, and while you're at it, explain the main treasures to be auctioned in the Snow Lotus Hall today."
"See to it that they are not neglected!"
Shi Boying spoke coolly, her tone lacking the warmth she had shown toward Luo Chen earlier.
From this contrast alone, it was evident that the female Foundation Establishment cultivator named Liangyue held little standing in her eyes.
Faced with such differential treatment, Qiu Liangyue did not mind in the least, acting as if it were only natural.
She looked at Luo Chen and Wang Yuan, extending a hand in invitation.
"Fellow Daoists, this way, please!"
Luo Chen and Wang Yuan exchanged a glance and calmly followed behind her.
...
The Snow Lotus Hall was vast, yet several times smaller than Binglan Palace.
As the three walked along the corridor toward the auction hall, conversation flowed naturally.
"May I ask how to address the two of you?"
"This humble one is Luo Chen."
"Wang Yuan."
"Ah, so it is Fellow Daoist Luo and Fellow Daoist Wang! I am Qiu Liangyue, a disciple of the Ice Fort, currently serving as a deacon at the Snow Lotus Market."
Qiu Liangyue introduced herself.
She then produced a thin inventory sheet, preparing to introduce the resources slated for the upcoming auction.
However, she had barely unfolded the list when she lifted her head in doubt.
"Wang Yuan?"
"Yes. Does Fellow Daoist Qiu have something to say?" Wang Yuan asked flatly.
Qiu Liangyue furrowed her brows, feeling as though she had heard this name somewhere before.
After pondering for a moment, she asked hesitantly, "Dahe Market? Are you from Dahe Market?"
Wang Yuan did not hide it and nodded right away.
At the side, Luo Chen noticed that Wang Yuan seemed ready to answer anything directly, so he quickly cut in.
"We did indeed come from Dahe Market a few years ago. In a manner of speaking, that makes us Fellow Daoist Qiu's neighbors."
The Snow Lotus Market sat just upstream of Dahe Market, extremely close by.
Families Luo Chen was familiar with, like the Nangong family, had moved to Dahe Market from the nearby Snow Lotus Market back then.
With the shared connection of being "neighbors," the atmosphere between the three warmed up a bit.
After all, meeting old acquaintances in an unfamiliar land was always comforting!
Qiu Liangyue smiled. "I thought Fellow Daoist Wang's name sounded familiar, and it turns out I was right. Back then, Dahe Market had a figure reputed to have the greatest combat strength in the Qi Refinement stage, also named Wang Yuan. My memory served me well."
"Who would have thought that after all these years, you would actually reach Foundation Establishment as a mere rogue cultivator."
Wang Yuan glanced at Luo Chen and kept his mouth shut.
Luo Chen rallied his spirits and said, "Isn't Fellow Daoist Qiu the same? I recall that back then, Fairy Liangyue was the most renowned female rogue cultivator across several markets."
"Now, not only have you established your foundation, but you have also joined the Ice Fort. It truly commands immense admiration!"
Speaking of her current achievements, Qiu Liangyue felt a touch of pride.
However, with Luo Chen's mid Foundation Establishment cultivation plain to see, she naturally could not put on airs.
After a couple of modest remarks, she could not help sighing with emotion.
"Foundation Establishment... For rogue cultivators like us, it is truly fraught with hardship."
The three conversed as they walked.
Luo Chen felt a twinge of empathy. "What you say is very true."
Brushing aside a stray lock of hair, Qiu Liangyue sighed repeatedly. "Back then, to achieve Foundation Establishment, I dashed about everywhere, visiting nearly every market in the vicinity and attending countless auctions, great and small, yet I pleaded bitterly in vain for a single Foundation Establishment Pill."
"Especially that Dahe Market of yours. The people's hearts there were truly deceitful—far more perilous than Liuguang Market, which was notorious for swarming with marauders."
Luo Chen gave an awkward chuckle. "Well, Dahe was right next to the Million Mountains, and people dealt with demon beasts every day, so the folk there were indeed a bit uncivilized, haha."
Perhaps because after establishing her foundation, she had had no one to praise her glory and no one to hear about her hardships, Qiu Liangyue was in high spirits for conversation.
"Back then, I bought some resources at a black market."
"Before I could get very far, an overbearing marauder mugged me on the spot, forcing me to detonate the precious blood talisman I had just won at great cost!"
Hearing this, the corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched slightly.
He offered a casual platitude: "That was truly lacking in decency."
Wang Yuan, who had remained expressionless the entire time, also stiffened.
Looking at Luo Chen, Qiu Liangyue had by now recalled who he was.
The most sought-after Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in Tianlan Immortal City today!
Lord Fire Spirit—Luo Chen!
His renown resonated like thunder!
She said from the bottom of her heart, "I believe such scoundrels were merely a minority among the tens of thousands of rogue cultivators in Dahe Market. If Lord Fire Spirit had been present back then, with your chivalrous heart, you surely would not have stood idly by."
Wang Yuan turned his face aside at just the right moment, staring into the reflection cast by the ice-carved wall.
His shiny bald head gleamed, his teeth clenched tight!
Luo Chen put on a face of deep anguish and indignation, declaring solemnly, "Back then, I was preoccupied with cultivation and knew little of such happenings."
"Just as you say, had I been present, I would have harshly punished that insolent brigand and shown him that Dahe Market is no lawless wasteland!"
*Crack!*
The sound of popping knuckles rang out.
Qiu Liangyue glanced at Wang Yuan with a puzzled look.
Wang Yuan forced an exceedingly stiff smile. "Just stretching my hands and feet. Nothing to worry about."
Qiu Liangyue nodded.
Then she continued:
"Still, it truly proved the old saying that fortune leans upon disaster!"
"After barely escaping that brash robber, I was pursued by other marauders from Dahe Market. Fleeing in panic, I ducked into a nearby mountain."
"And by sheer chance, I stumbled right into the legacy cave abode left behind by an Ice Fort Foundation Establishment senior!"
"Not only that, but inside their storage bag, I was lucky enough to find a Foundation Establishment Pill."
"After successfully establishing my foundation, I used that senior's token of identity to join the Ice Fort through sheer good fortune."
Qiu Liangyue was filled with emotion, as if bitterness had finally turned to sweet reward.
"Now, at last, I am no longer all on my own."
Luo Chen cupped his hands at the right moment. "That is truly worthy of hearty congratulations!"
Qiu Liangyue smiled freely. "I wouldn't say hearty congratulations, but if I ever run into the overbearing robber who drove me into that corner back then, I actually want to say thank you to him."
"Fellow Daoist's noble spirit is truly open-minded!" Luo Chen gave a thumbs-up.
"Those are two entirely different matters. Giving thanks is for the opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment. But after thanking him, I would naturally slaughter him on the spot without a second thought; otherwise, how could my mind ever be at peace?"
Qiu Liangyue spoke casually.
Her tone still carried a trace of the habits from her early days as a rogue cultivator.
Vengeance swift and clear!
Luo Chen shot a glance at Wang Yuan and coughed dryly twice.
He immediately changed the subject.
"Since Fellow Daoist traveled thousands of li to Tianlan, you must have passed by Dahe Market along the way! I wonder, what is the situation in Dahe Market right now?"
At the mention of Dahe Market's present state, Qiu Liangyue's expression grew solemn.
"That place is no gentle land!"
"Could you elaborate a bit?"
"Certainly!"
...
The auction hall of the Snow Lotus Hall was shaped like an open fan.
There were no VIP private booths; everything was kept simple.
After all, the Snow Lotus Hall primarily sold various specialty goods from the Ice Fort and did not regularly host auctions.
Only when rare resources accumulated in excess would they occasionally use an auction format to dispose of a batch of goods at high prices.
In terms of quantity, there was not much.
Qiu Liangyue arranged seats for Luo Chen and Wang Yuan in the elevated rear rows with the best view.
Sitting here gave a clear view of the entire hall.
Moreover, in an auction among cultivators, distance was never an issue where the host might fail to notice a bid.
After taking their seats, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan tacitly watched Qiu Liangyue walk away until her figure vanished before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
With a casual flick of his sleeve, Luo Chen cast a Sound Isolation Art, enveloping the two of them.
"Our cover isn't blown, is it?"
"I wore a disguise back then. It's impossible for her to tell!"
"That's good, that's good!"
Luo Chen exhaled, looked at Wang Yuan, and couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"'Overbearing marauder'?"
Wang Yuan gave him a speechless look. "'Chivalrous heart'?"
"Hahaha..."
From the very first moment Qiu Liangyue appeared, both Luo Chen and Wang Yuan had recognized her.
She was precisely the unfortunate female cultivator who had stumbled into Luo Chen's trap when he framed the Fu family back in Dahe Market.
At that time, Luo Chen had released a counterfeit blood talisman forged by Wang Yuan through the Zhenlong Black Market, which she had purchased at auction.
Later, he even had Wang Yuan rob her, forcing her to detonate the talisman on the spot.
Only in that way was a baseless charge pinned onto the Fu family.
Luo Chen had been the mastermind working from the shadows and had never shown his face, but he certainly had no "chivalrous heart."
And Wang Yuan was naturally the "overbearing marauder" in Fairy Liangyue's words.
"Quite a twist of fate, isn't it?"
After having their laugh, Luo Chen gradually regained his composure.
According to Qiu Liangyue, present-day Dahe Market had turned into a ghost domain spanning a thousand li!
Ghost King Pang Renxiong had broken free.
The thousands of rogue cultivators who had died in the inner city back then were now entirely enslaved and manipulated by him.
The ghost domain had expanded outward from the inner city, swallowing a radius of a thousand li.
Former places like Mount Xiaohuan and Crescent Moon Valley were also trapped deep within.
Not only that, but demon beasts straying inside had been devoured and converted by the ghost king.
Now, in that vast ghost domain, besides the single ghost king, there were several dozen formidable ghost generals!
Moreover, the bounds of the ghost domain still showed faint signs of expanding.
A Golden Core Master from the Ice Fort had once gone inside to investigate, only to nearly perish at Ghost King Pang Renxiong's hands.
Now, that place had become a forbidden zone!
Rogue cultivators could not enter, and sect Foundation Establishment cultivators dared not draw near.
The Ice Fort did not wish to clean up this mess; after that reconnaissance, they simply left it alone.
In any case, if the ghost domain continued to spread, it would extend downstream, posing little threat to Snow Lotus Market.
Passersby could simply take a detour.
Learning of Dahe Market's current condition, Wang Yuan could not help feeling immensely fortunate.
"It's a good thing we listened to you back then and insisted on leaving Dahe Market. Otherwise, we would probably be part of that legion of vengeful spirits right now."
Luo Chen sighed softly. "Who knows when the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect will send people to deal with that ghost domain. Dahe Market is truly a wondrous place. If we could claim it for ourselves, it would be more than enough to serve as the cradle of our rise."
As a major market directly facing the Million Mountains of the Eastern Barrens, Dahe Market enjoyed extraordinarily favorable geography.
The amount of resources harvested there each year was immense.
This was readily apparent from how the six great Nascent Soul superior sects had not hesitated to establish branch estates there despite the long journey.
Constrained by his low cultivation back then, Luo Chen had not come into contact with higher-tier resources.
Yet even among lower-tier resources, countless treasures had surfaced.
For instance, the eight-hundred-year Root of Heaven and Earth, a spiritual medicine that could be used directly to establish a foundation.
And the Six-Leaf Heavenly Emperor Lotus collected by Mi Shuhua in his early years, a top-tier resource capable of extending any cultivator's lifespan by sixty years regardless of realm!
Such precious treasures could not simply be gathered in a "commercial center" like Tianlan Immortal City.
Wang Yuan casually remarked, "Even if it really is restored, it likely wouldn't be our turn to profit. Besides, isn't the Luotian Association doing quite well right now?"
Luo Chen paused, then gave an easy smile.
"True enough. I was being too greedy."
Setting that topic aside, Luo Chen retrieved a bamboo slip that Qiu Liangyue had given him before departing.
Recorded upon it were most of the resources appearing at this auction.
Immediately, his gaze fell upon the names of five Tier 2 demon beasts!
To profit, one did not necessarily have to possess a massive market like Dahe Market.
So long as one controlled enough talent, one could naturally generate greater benefits.
And Luo Chen himself possessed the means to "manufacture talent."
Looking at those names, Luo Chen murmured to himself:
*Having harvested so many resources without being able to digest them in the short term, in the end, we still lack enough people capable of holding their own.*
*It is also time for the Luotian Association to produce a few more Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.*
*Anyone else might be helpless in this regard.*
*Yet I possess a unique, heaven-bestowed advantage!*
*Emperor's Flowing Syrup...*
Chapter 301