Sale

“Six hundred and fifty thousand Pure Yang Great Pills?!” Seeing that figure, Yaoguang was somewhat astonished. “So high? If I recall correctly, an ordinary Radiant Sun Golden Core only earns a dozen or so Pure Yang Great Pills a year. Unless one establishes a faction to dominate a territory, or joins a top immortal sect, gathering six hundred and fifty thousand Pure Yang Immortal Pills would take forty thousand years without eating, drinking, or cultivating.” “Bounties on Azure Blue Golden Cores are almost all above two hundred thousand,” Li Hanqiu said. “That is because an Azure Blue Golden Core already possesses the qualifications to attempt a breakthrough to the Void Piercing realm. No one knows when such a person might truly step into the Void Piercing realm, so the organizations placing bounties on them are willing to spend lavishly, striving to crush them at the fastest possible speed before their advancement. Otherwise, once they achieve Void Piercing, disaster will fall upon the bountiers themselves. Look at these Incandescent White Golden Cores and Radiant Sun Golden Cores...” He pointed further down the bounty list. “The bounties for Incandescent White Golden Cores are only just over ten thousand, and those for Radiant Sun Golden Cores drop as low as about one thousand...” At this point, he could not help but sigh with emotion. “A thousand Pure Yang Great Pills is enough to buy the life of a Radiant Sun Golden Core—and, by the same token, enough to make a Radiant Sun Golden Core fight to the death.” Cheap. Far too cheap. “When looking through the records, I found that forty years ago, a Dao artifact was auctioned at the East Sea Immortal Market. If I remember correctly, it sold for one hundred and eighty million Pure Yang Great Pills?” Yaoguang asked via divine mind transmission. “You remember incorrectly.” Li Hanqiu glanced at Yaoguang. “The item that sold for one hundred and eighty million Pure Yang Great Pills wasn't a genuine Dao artifact, but a quasi-Dao artifact—one that possessed Dao charm, yet lacked the true might of a genuine Dao artifact. The price of a true Dao artifact reaches as high as one billion.” Finally, he added via divine sense, “Just like the Realm-Stabilizing Ring and Void Disk you gave me.” “How much?! One billion!” Even Yaoguang was shaken by this figure. He knew Dao artifacts were crucial to cultivators, especially those in the Void Refining stage; without a Dao artifact, there was virtually no hope of achieving Void Shattering. It was equivalent to an ordinary mortal lacking a house, making it very difficult to marry, bear children, and carry on the family line. Yet this price... It truly exceeded his expectations. “Indeed, one billion,” Li Hanqiu said, sighing. “More than enough to buy the life of a Void Piercing realm expert.” He then added, “Not a Void Piercing Battle Immortal, but a genuine Void Piercing expert.” At that moment, Yaoguang felt a genuine urge to take the risk of selling a Dao artifact to rake in an astounding one billion pills. With that one billion, his cultivation could likely surge directly into the Void Piercing realm at an unbelievable speed. And not merely as a novice Void Piercing cultivator, but likely not far from the peak of the Void Piercing realm. However, he still suppressed that thought for the time being. A Dao artifact was something that not only Void Piercing experts, but even Void Refining powerhouses would fight to the death to seize. If things went wrong, even Supreme Elder-level Void Shattering figures from the Ten Immortal Sects might intervene in person. The Three Thousand Great Daos! Although Beihai Star held only forty-nine complete Dao inheritances, the other Great Daos still circulated throughout the world in the form of divine abilities and great divine abilities, among which were abilities that pointed directly to karma. To sell a Dao artifact before possessing strength comparable to the Void Refining stage... That was simply courting death. Even putting this supreme divine ability up for sale carried immense risk. Were it not for Li Hanqiu providing cover as a “Void Piercing” expert, Yaoguang might not have had the audacity to take this gamble. As these thoughts crossed his mind, Yaoguang regained his composure. “Let’s first successfully sell this supreme divine ability.” Li Hanqiu nodded. “I have already obtained the invitation to the Immortal Market auction. We should head over now. This auction will last for ten days. While the items during the first few days are of average value, they might still be of use to you.” “All right.” Yaoguang nodded. The two did not waste any time, heading straight toward a structure situated at the center of the Immortal Market. The building was a towering spire thousands of meters tall, with formation light continually flashing across its surface. Viewed at night, it resembled a magnificent scenic landmark rising from the ground. At the very apex of the tower lay a lotus platform roughly three hundred meters across, with eight petals unfurled in a flat spread. Participating cultivators could enter the central formation from any of the petals. When Yaoguang and Li Hanqiu arrived at the lotus platform venue, they immediately “saw” the faint distortion of void enveloping the lotus platform area. This was the sign of a Void Piercing realm expert overseeing the premises. The Void Piercing expert’s deliberate display of presence was itself a warning. Moreover, the expert most likely belonged to the Great Shang Celestial Dynasty and held home-field advantage, enough to deter any Void Piercing cultivator from making reckless moves. As soon as Li Hanqiu arrived, this Void Piercing expert seemed to notice something. A divine mind message came over, offering a cordial greeting with a laugh: “May I ask which sect Fellow Daoist hails from? Wang Que, Defense Envoy of Donghai Prefecture, offers his respects.” “Defense Envoy Wang,” Li Hanqiu replied with his divine sense, adding, “Merely an unnamed wanderer, bringing a junior along to broaden his horizons.” Seeing that Li Hanqiu replied with divine sense and was deliberately wearing a mask, clearly wishing not to expose his identity, the Void Piercing expert simply said, “Very well. The decennial East Sea Immortal Market auction may have items of average value to the likes of us, but good things still appear from time to time, especially for Golden Core cultivators.” He tactfully refrained from further prying. “I will not disturb Fellow Daoist’s enjoyment. If you have any needs, feel free to contact me directly.” “Pardon the intrusion,” Li Hanqiu replied courteously. After their brief exchange, Defense Envoy Wang seemed to transmit a message to the reception personnel. Soon, an attendant who had attained the Radiant Sun Golden Core hurried over, bowing respectfully. “Distinguished guests grace our threshold, bringing immense honor to our East Sea Immortal Market. Allow me to escort you into the auction hall.” Li Hanqiu nodded slightly. They followed this Golden Core cultivator into the interior of the formation. As soon as they entered, their surroundings shifted instantly. Once the transition settled, Yaoguang found himself standing atop a majestic mountain peak. The mountain was hundreds of li tall, and as far as the eye could see stretched an endless sea of clouds. Before them lay a lotus platform several thousand meters in diameter, surrounded by numerous cultivators. At present, atop the lotus platform, a cultivator holding a bottle of pills was describing them. As he spoke, countless projections of light, shadow, and diagrams were cast into the void, allowing everyone to see them with absolute clarity. Around the lotus platform, besides the many cultivators seated upon the lotus petals, a dozen or so mountain peaks stood nearby, veiled in mist and hard to see clearly. The peak where Yaoguang and Li Hanqiu stood was one of the highest among the dozen. As soon as they arrived, two female cultivators of sweet temperament, their robes fluttering with soft immortal light that made one feel like a gentle spring breeze, stepped forward and bowed gracefully. “Zhiyun and Zhixue respectfully welcome the exalted immortals. Whatever needs the exalted immortals may have, please feel free to instruct us sisters, and we will do our utmost to fulfill them.” “Give me an auction catalog,” Li Hanqiu said. The woman named Zhixue quickly produced a jade talisman. Compared to the lists circulating outside, this catalog was far more detailed. Not only did it list ordinary auction items, but it also revealed the grand finale items for each day. Li Hanqiu glanced over it and handed it to Yaoguang, pointing out the finale items marked for the fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth days. Yaoguang looked through them. The reserve prices of these five finale items were all above one hundred thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. Any of them would serve as a plausible pretext for him to bring out the supreme divine ability in his possession that pointed to the Great Dao of the Heart—Seven Emotions Demon Slaying. The key was that these Pure Yang Great Pills could not be wasted. After scanning the list, however, Yaoguang took a liking to three of the finale items at once. “All three of these are quite good. The Dragon-Suppressing Post is an important material for strengthening a sect-protecting grand formation. With this treasure reinforcing it, as long as the Jiuxiao Sect produces three to five Radiant Sun Golden Cores in the future, we could rely on the mountain-protecting formation to withstand any attack below the Void Piercing realm. The remaining Flowing Void Crystal can serve as material for crafting a Dao artifact, and the Flame Demon Heart could be refined by me into a single-use expendable weapon—the Crimson Refined Divine Fire Thunder. Its destructive power is so formidable that even an Azure Blue Golden Core might not be able to withstand it,” Yaoguang said. Li Hanqiu glanced at the Dragon-Suppressing Post, which carried a starting price of one hundred and fifty thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, and said with some reluctance, “I basically won't be leaving the sect from now on, so let's save the pills meant for that material. Besides, setting up formations has always been intricate, time-consuming, and laborious. Without others to help, upgrading the mountain-protecting formation on your own would take three to five years at best, or perhaps eight to ten years at worst, wasting your time for nothing. Let’s pass on that one.” He looked at the Flowing Void Crystal and the Flame Demon Heart. “Since the Flowing Void Crystal is a material for crafting Dao artifacts, we must naturally purchase it. As for the Flame Demon Heart, if it can truly be refined into a Crimson Refined Divine Fire Thunder capable of blasting an Azure Blue Golden Core to death, that is all the more reason to secure it. With such a treasure at your side, I can rest a bit easier when you venture out to temper yourself.” After pondering for a moment, Yaoguang nodded. For the current Jiuxiao Sect, Pure Yang Great Pills that could rapidly elevate everyone's cultivation were indeed far more important than upgrading the mountain-protecting formation. “Then we shall buy these two treasures... However, the Immortal Market auction requires settlement immediately upon winning an item...” “Heh. Though the Pure Yang Great Pills the two of us can produce right now can be counted on one hand, given my standing as a Void Piercing cultivator, Defense Envoy Wang surely won't deny me the courtesy of paying afterward,” Li Hanqiu said with a smile. Hearing this and reflecting on the sheer weight carried by a Void Piercing expert, Yaoguang nodded as well. Thereafter, the auction proceeded methodically. On the sixth day, the Flame Demon Heart was secured by Li Hanqiu for one hundred and forty thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. And just as he had said, when he did not immediately settle the payment after winning the item, the auction organizers did not ask a single question, extending complete trust. After all, no one would believe that a Void Piercing powerhouse could fail to produce a mere hundred-odd thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. By the ninth day, when the Flowing Void Crystal went up for auction, the price of this Dao artifact material rapidly climbed to one hundred and eighty thousand. Sensing that the price had reached its peak, Li Hanqiu and Yaoguang exchanged a subtle glance, and Li Hanqiu contacted Wang Que directly: “Defense Envoy Wang.” “Is there anything I can assist Fellow Daoist with?” “I happen to desire this Flowing Void Crystal very much, but in order to cultivate a Dao art, I have recently invested nearly all of my wealth. Therefore, I intend to offer a supreme divine ability for sale through your Immortal Market’s channels to raise sufficient Pure Yang Great Pills to bid on the Flowing Void Crystal. What do you think?” “A supreme divine ability?!” Wang Que was slightly startled, yet remained prudent. “May I ask which sect this supreme divine ability originates from?” “It is the sect-guarding supreme divine ability of the Demon Refining Sect, which was destroyed thirty thousand years ago, named Seven Emotions Demon Slaying,” Li Hanqiu said with a smile. Hearing this, Wang Que immediately felt relieved. “It is actually this supreme divine ability? Does it come with the corresponding Dao art?” “I have not obtained that. If one wishes to cultivate the Dao art, one would have to find a way through the factions that inherited the Demon Refining Sect's legacy,” Li Hanqiu said. “Without the Dao art... the price will likely be much lower. Moreover, with only today and tomorrow left in the auction, there won’t be enough time to promote it, so I'm afraid it won't fetch a good price. Would Fellow Daoist consider waiting?” Wang Que asked with some regret. “It should be more than enough to cover the two items I won this time, shouldn't it? As for the remaining commission, simply follow your rules.” “Fellow Daoist is too polite,” Wang Que said, pondering briefly. “How about this: if Fellow Daoist trusts us, we are willing to offer six hundred thousand pills to purchase this supreme divine ability directly and put it up for sale in the next auction. If the eventual selling price exceeds six hundred thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, we will make up the difference to you; if it falls short of six hundred thousand, consider the divine ability purchased by us outright for six hundred thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. What do you think?” “Six hundred thousand...” Compared to the true worth of a supreme divine ability, this figure was on the lower side. However, it was, after all, a supreme divine ability lacking its companion Dao art. From that perspective, six hundred thousand was reasonable enough. Yaoguang glanced at Li Hanqiu, but did not interfere with his decision. After a moment of deliberation, Li Hanqiu said directly, “Six hundred thousand is not enough. Eight hundred thousand. If not, I can simply forfeit the bidding for the Flowing Void Crystal. While such materials are rare, they are not impossible to find with a bit of searching.” “Eight hundred thousand...” Wang Que did not respond for a dozen breaths. At this moment, likely not just Yaoguang, but even Li Hanqiu had broken into a nervous sweat. Fortunately... After a dozen breaths, Wang Que’s divine sense returned once more, delivering a lighthearted chuckle and a reply that brought immense relief to both of them: “Then we shall do as Fellow Daoist says—eight hundred thousand Pure Yang Great Pills.”