The Transaction Concludes

Xinghong Ancient City. Inside the two massive houses, willpower relentlessly probed the ancient corpse. One powerhouse after another was visibly shaken. An expert said in a low voice, "Tianduo, you mastered the breathing art?" Su Yu said indifferently, "Seeing is believing. Cultivation arts are hard if you find them hard, and easy if you know the knack." "These remains... may we extract a drop of blood to inspect?" Without another word, Su Yu struck the corpse with a punch. A jolt of counter-force rippled from the body. Su Yu's fists were exceptionally potent, yet a corpse that had been dead for countless years still pushed back against his blow, leaving the onlookers marveling in awe. Ignoring their reactions, Su Yu struck again. Moments later, while the onlookers winced at the damage to such a prize, his fist shattered the corpse's arm, causing black, putrid, decaying blood to seep out. The crowd probed it once more. Someone furrowed their brow and said in a grave voice, "Corrupted by death qi. The value of this blood... might not amount to much." It was impressive enough that any blood remained at all. They could tell there was very little of it left, likely drained by the sheer passage of time. Su Yu did not mind in the slightest and said, "Don't look at me—it was like this when I found it. When I got my hands on it, the corpse was already tainted with death qi. As for how that happened, I have no idea." None of them pressed the matter. It was possible that after dying all those years ago, the body had been eroded by the dead spirit realm. They wanted to know the exact reason, but determining that would require a thorough investigation. At that moment, from the God race's side, an expert of the Tianyi God race spoke up. "May I examine the corpse's palm?" Su Yu's heart stirred slightly. He raised the corpse's hand. Even at the eighth stage of the Sun Moon Realm, the hand looked somewhat atypical; it had failed to fully revert to its normal shape, and thick calluses coated the fingertips. However, it was heavily eroded by death qi. The Tianyi God race expert carefully examined the hand, then probed the blood corrupted by death qi. After analyzing it closely, he sighed inwardly and sent a voice transmission to the Primordial God Race powerhouse. *"It is indeed a predecessor of my Tianyi God race!"* He was certain of it. This was a member of the Tianyi God race. A remarkably powerful predecessor! He himself was only at the seventh stage of the Sun Moon Realm, yet this predecessor emanated such overwhelming pressure despite having been dead for countless ages. In life, he must have been formidable indeed. In the ancient era, their Tianyi God race had also been a glorious power. To think that the remains of their clan's predecessor had fallen into the hands of a scoundrel from the Primordial Demon Race—infuriating! Deserving of death! And after seizing them, the fellow was even auctioning them before all the myriad races. It was a blatant insult to the Tianyi God race. Unfortunately, things had already reached this point, and nothing he said would change that. Having confirmed the identity, the Tianyi God race expert did not know the corpse's exact name, but there was no doubt it belonged to an ancient Tianyi clansman. The divine character inside was also an ancient divine character of the God race. The corpse wore ancient garments as well, though they were somewhat tattered. Erosion from death qi marred the body in numerous places, giving off a faint stench of decay. Strictly speaking, if a modern corpse were eroded to such a degree, its actual value would be minimal. Death qi was extraordinarily difficult to deal with, and the energy and resources required to neutralize it would be enough to give anyone a massive headache. Powerhouses from every race probed the remains repeatedly, confirming the general authenticity. It was genuine! As for the corpse's cultivation in life, the immense span of time made it difficult to pinpoint precisely. Soon, however, someone pointed out, "This is merely the remains of a ninth-stage Sun Moon, not an Invincible!" Whether it truly was or not, they were determined to declare it wasn't. If it were acknowledged as the remains of an Invincible, the price would be far too high. Su Yu immediately feigned indignation. "How could it not be an Invincible's remains? Countless years have passed, yet it still radiates such immense pressure..." "Perhaps it was well-preserved inside the ancient space!" Su Yu sneered, "If you don't want to buy, don't buy! I wasn't counting on the corpse itself fetching a fortune anyway. The main prize is the ancient breathing art. To me, whether the corpse was an Invincible or not doesn't even matter..." *Idiot!* Several people cursed under their breath. What nonsense! If it were truly an Invincible's corpse, the value would be astronomical. How could it not matter? Su Yu added impatiently, "You've seen it and inspected it. Genuine or fake, you all know the truth in your hearts..." Someone cut in, "Tianduo, aside from these, is there anything else?" Su Yu said indifferently, "Whether there is or isn't has nothing to do with you. Even if I have other things, I'm not selling them. Is that a crime? I'm only selling what's here. Buy it or leave it!" "..." The crowd was left speechless. Yet his words implied that Tianduo might indeed be holding something back, which was only natural. At that moment, Zhu Guangshen narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Tianduo, must you insist on trading for Heaven and Earth Profound Light and the like? Treasures aren't limited to just those..." Su Yu replied coldly, "Humans, don't try that nonsense with me. Everyone among the myriad races knows how impoverished the human race is. If you have nothing of value, don't participate in the auction!" "..." Zhu Guangshen cursed inwardly. He had actually been looked down upon by a demon! Well, that was expected. The Gods and Demons looked down on humans by nature. Everyone knew they were a race of paupers. Inside the massive house, the representatives of the major races—the Gods, Demons, and Immortals—looked completely impassive, a few even wearing faint smiles. The humans... posed no competitive threat at all! Su Yu then added coldly, "To prevent anyone from maliciously driving up the bids without intending to pay, leaving the items unsold, anyone who places a bid must first pay me ten drops of Sun Moon blood essence as a deposit. If someone bids maliciously, their blood essence will not be refunded. For legitimate bidders, it will be returned once the auction concludes!" At those words, Zhu Guangshen could not help but snap, "You didn't mention this before!" Su Yu sneered, "Seeing you humans reminded me! The human race is dirt poor—do you even have the wealth to buy this? You humans are cunning. If you deliberately bid an absurdly high price so that no one else can compete, and then fail to produce the funds, wouldn't you just be stalling for time to find a way to steal the remains?" He swept his gaze across the others and said coolly, "This is for your benefit as well. Ten drops of Sun Moon blood essence is nothing! It will keep prices from being driven sky-high, which would only force you to pay more—at which point, it won't just be a matter of ten drops of blood essence. It also serves to weed out those who can't afford it so they can scram early!" The powerhouses of the mighty races, including the Gods and Demons, nodded slightly, faint smiles on their faces. Now this was how business should be done! Malicious bidding could indeed inflate prices artificially, and humans were notorious for pulling such stunts. Regardless, ten drops of blood essence was still valuable; if the humans truly placed malicious bids, they would suffer a tangible loss. Su Yu continued, "If someone makes a malicious bid and cannot pay on the spot, their bid will be voided, and the item will pass to the second-highest bidder. As for the one who couldn't pay, their ten drops of blood essence will belong to me, while the remaining deposits will be returned! Likewise, if the second-highest bidder cannot pay, their deposit will also be forfeited, and it will pass to the third..." The crowd nodded in agreement. This was indeed a sound measure. It prevented penniless troublemakers from wreaking havoc! Even Jiyue of the Rade family nodded as she looked at Su Yu, sighing with admiration. The family's young genius had planned this thoroughly. While it might result in a slightly lower final price, it ensured a solid, reliable transaction, preventing a situation where the buyer couldn't pay after everyone had dispersed. Su Yu said in an eerie, chilling tone, "Ten drops of blood essence is the price of admission. Is there anyone who cannot pay? Equivalent values of Heaven and Earth Profound Light or Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid are acceptable as well. I stated earlier that those are the primary items I want. If you don't even have a few strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light, you might as well leave right now!" Several people cursed inwardly! It seemed that throwing around empty bids would now carry a real cost! While some were naturally displeased about paying a deposit, those who genuinely intended to buy did not care much. Compared to this corpse, the cultivation art, and the ancient Heaven armament... ten drops of Sun Moon blood essence truly amounted to very little. Some even thought it was too cheap. For a transaction of this magnitude, shouldn't the deposit be at least a hundred drops? Well, if it were that high, not everyone would take it in stride. Ten drops was well within acceptable bounds. Su Yu watched them in silence, waiting for them to hand over the fees. More than twenty factions were present, nearly thirty. Not a single one withdrew. Those lacking Sun Moon blood essence paid with other resources instead. Soon, an enormous sum in deposits landed in Su Yu's hands. Su Yu inspected them thoroughly, primarily to make sure none of these fellows tried to substitute their own blood essence. At the Sun Moon Realm, dead was dead, but the living were capable of rebirth from a single drop of blood. He had to be on guard against anyone trying to sneak in their own blood essence to stage a rebirth and turn the tables on him. Fortunately, inside the ancient city, using the blood essence of a living person would attract dead spirits. Blood from the dead, however, was harmless. He glanced around and noticed that no powerful dead spirits had appeared, which meant everything was in order. Su Yu rejoiced inwardly. The equivalent of 270 drops of Sun Moon blood essence was already a staggering fortune—it was what one would gain from slaying twenty-seven Sun Moon experts. Sure enough, gathering all these powerful races in one place made fleecing them far more lucrative. As for returning those deposits... the chances of that happening were slim to none. This also meant twenty-seven factions intended to participate. Even the humans had paid up. Su Yu felt a twinge of sympathy for Zhu Guangshen and Qin Hao. Earning wealth was difficult for them, and parting with ten drops of Sun Moon blood essence couldn't have been easy. Yet there was no helping it; he had to fleece them alongside the rest, or it would draw too much suspicion. With those thoughts running through his mind and the preliminaries concluded, Su Yu said indifferently, "Enough nonsense. We'll use Heaven and Earth Profound Light as the standard. One drop of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid counts as three strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light. Other items will be evaluated according to the prices set by the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. I trust the Heaven Hunting Pavilion won't ruin its own reputation over a single auction! The starting bid is one hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light!" A starting bid of one hundred strands right off the bat was certainly not low. Of course, the corpse was worth that much. On the God race's side, Zhan Wushuang suddenly said in a calm voice, "Let's be clear first: does the winner receive everything you showed earlier?" Su Yu replied flatly, "Of course. The cultivation art, the Heaven armament, the corpse, and the divine character are all included. Did you think I'd split them up? If split, they wouldn't fetch this price!" Zhan Wushuang nodded. That was acceptable. On the Demon side, Dawo asked, "And Demons pay ten percent less?" Su Yu nodded slightly. "I am a Demon, after all. While I won't hand it over for free, I can certainly offer the Demon race a concession... Of course, the exchange happens on the spot. If the Demons cannot produce the payment right here... my apologies, but it goes to the next bidder. I do not do business on credit!" The Demon experts remained silent. Tianduo had already made a concession; pressing further would be useless. The other races raised no objections either. It was completely understandable for Tianduo to offer a discount to his own race, especially since he still had to rely on the Demons for protection. The ones most eager to obtain the corpse were naturally the Gods. After all, the corpse belonged to the Tianyi God race; acquiring it might yield far more information and benefits for them. The moment Su Yu declared the auction open, Zhan Wushuang immediately called out, "Three hundred strands!" He tripled the price in one go! This would weed out the impoverished bidders immediately, preventing a drawn-out bidding war where the price crept up bit by bit. The moment he finished speaking, Dawo countered, "Five hundred!" "..." The onlookers exchanged bizarre glances, swallowed curses lingering on the tips of their tongues. This was Heaven and Earth Profound Light, not origin qi liquid. Increasing the bid by hundreds at a time—how was anyone else supposed to play? The Gods and Demons were truly colossal powerhouses, standing at the very pinnacle of existence. To harvest Heaven and Earth Profound Light, experts at or above the Sun Moon Realm had to venture to the edge of the All-Heavens Battlefield and capture it in the endless void. Sometimes, a Sun Moon expert might spend years out there without securing a single strand. Several hundred strands represented the fruit of dozens of Sun Moon experts spending a decade in the endless void. Of course, the Gods and Demons had no shortage of Sun Moon experts and could easily afford the manpower. Furthermore, accumulated over countless years, their reserves were naturally immense, not to mention the massive spoils reaped from conquering various minor realms. Yet for smaller races, five hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light... they might as well sell their entire clan. Five hundred drops of first-stage Sun Moon blood essence was equivalent to slaying fifty first-stage Sun Moon experts. Minor races didn't even possess that many Sun Moons to begin with. Even Su Yu was secretly astonished. They truly were rolling in wealth! *Damn!* The Gods and Demons were absurdly rich, leaping straight to five hundred strands without batting an eye. To think he had previously hoped to fleece merely a hundred strands and call it a day. It was fortunate he had been willing to invest. At this moment, Su Yu's own pockets were practically empty! His Heaven Yuan Qi was nearly depleted—though he had extracted a little more—and he had spent almost everything else, including purchasing ancient artifacts and even shattering his own divine character. Hadn't it all been to make a massive profit? Evidently, his gamble had paid off! Paid off enormously! The total cost of everything he had assembled did not even amount to a hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light—and calling it a hundred strands was already an exaggeration. Of course, an eighth-stage Sun Moon corpse was inherently precious. The Gods and Demons had opened with jaw-dropping bids, driving the price to five hundred strands in the blink of an eye. The Tianyi God race expert frowned at the Demons, while the Demons remained completely calm. After all, with their ten-percent discount, they held the upper hand. Just as both sides were calculating their next moves, a Dragon race expert with towering horns spoke calmly from the crowd: "Eight hundred strands!" There was no competing with this! Zhu Guangshen and Qin Hao looked at each other. Qin Hao quickly sent a voice transmission: *"Guangshen, pooling everything you have, about how much can you scrape together?"* *"Around five hundred!"* *"Same here..."* Qin Hao met his gaze, an expression of sheer sorrow on his face. This was likely the entirety of what the Great Ming and Great Qin Prefectures could pull together. How pathetic, how miserable. At this rate... it felt like even a thousand strands wouldn't stop the bidding! *Damn it!* At that moment, the sole thought in Qin Hao's mind was: *If I slaughtered everyone present, would all of these treasures belong to me?* *Then I'd be rich!* Of course, if he wiped them out, dozens of Invincibles would likely descend upon human territory in no time to crush the human race. *** Su Yu's heart was pounding as well. *Holy crap!* *They're this rich?* *This is beyond ridiculous!* *Damn it all!* He had truly underestimated the myriad races, especially these dominant powers. Then again, given the resources they had hoarded over countless ages, what did this amount to? To someone in the Lingyun Realm like him, it seemed vast, but what about to a Sun Moon? To an Invincible? What was more, there were numerous Invincibles! Countless Sun Moons! They were purchasing on behalf of entire races, not as individuals. An individual might not possess such wealth, but a race certainly did. While Su Yu was lost in thought, Gu Shan, the strongest expert present from the Archaic Giant race, could not help but curse under his breath. "If I don't bid now, I won't even get the chance to speak! Nine hundred strands!" He had made his move. That was his absolute limit; he didn't have a single copper more! At least he had participated in the bidding! It was better than being eliminated before even getting a word in, like several other factions. Several groups that had originally intended to bid fell silent, looks of helplessness on their faces as they simply gave up! When the dominant races competed, the rest could only watch from the sidelines! For instance, the native Nine Realms of Nine Stars Island had been sent by the Thousand Domains Alliance with a respectable budget, backed by pooled funds and resources. Yet here they were, out of the running the moment the bid hit nine hundred strands! The Five Elements race remained entirely silent. Forget it, they conceded. Their objective was to locate Foutuling, not buy treasures, and they couldn't compete with the titan races anyway. "One thousand!" At that moment, Zhu Guangshen placed a bid! He had no choice but to bid! With a sense of helplessness, he cursed internally. If he didn't bid now, they wouldn't even be able to afford the next increment. Zhu Guangshen genuinely wanted to secure the prize, especially the breathing art. He had assumed five hundred would be enough, but reality had proven that his Great Ming Prefecture was indeed dirt poor! There was simply no comparison! The Gods and Demons possessed absurd amounts of wealth! He truly wished he could charge into the God Realm and Demon Realm and rob them blind! At this moment, the impoverished onlookers trembled, left with no choice but to watch the great races increase their bids by hundreds at a stride! Su Yu was thrilled to the core, but his excitement soon gave way to vigilance. *Damn!* Paying such a steep price meant that whoever was swindled would pursue him to the death. It wouldn't be surprising if an Invincible personally came hunting for him. For any great race, losing this much wealth was no minor blow. The white-masked figure from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke: "Fifteen hundred strands!" In an instant, the price soared to a new peak. Zhan Wushuang said coldly, "The Heaven Hunting Pavilion intends to participate as well? These are the remains of a predecessor of my God race. Does your pavilion truly intend to buy the corpse of my race's elder?" The Heaven Hunting Pavilion was merely an intelligence organization... Though everyone knew they possessed vast wealth, their entry into the bidding with such an outrageous offer displeased the Gods and Demons greatly! It was simply too high! Jumping straight to fifteen hundred strands was likely near the limit of what the remains were worth. If it were purely an eighth-stage Sun Moon corpse with its blood essence intact, fetching five hundred strands would have been impressive enough. What was more, this corpse lacked full blood essence—it might not even yield a single drop. The body had also suffered severe erosion from death qi, meaning its inherent value was nowhere near this high. Yet with the added pedigree of an ancient near-Invincible or Invincible, combined with the breathing art... fifteen hundred strands was by no means low. At this stage, Xuan Wuji of the Immortal race, who had remained silent until now, paused briefly before speaking: "Eighteen hundred!" "..." Silence fell over the room. Another three-hundred-strand increase! The other contenders among the top ten races and the ancient clans were instantly knocked out of the running, unable to keep up. On the human side, those who had contemplated stirring up trouble gave up. Forget it, they couldn't bid anymore. Even if they called out a number, no one would believe them. At such an exorbitant price, how could they bid? It would be a joke! Meanwhile, Su Yu's heart leaped in his chest. *Holy crap, holy crap, it's so high! I'm really striking it rich!* *Of course, the more wealth I get, the greater the danger.* *No matter! Men die for wealth just as birds die for food. I accept the risk! The myriad races want me dead anyway!* At eighteen hundred strands, the remaining powerhouses hesitated, wavered, and deliberated. By this point, the only factions still capable of competing were the Gods, Demons, Immortals, Dragons, and the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. It wasn't that the other major races couldn't afford it—no dominant race lacked such savings; if the humans pooled the wealth of all thirty-six prefectures, they could easily produce tens of thousands of strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light. However, bankrupting oneself just to purchase a corpse was simply not worth it. The surrounding geniuses watched with reddened eyes, staring at Su Yu in sheer envy and jealousy. He was about to make a killing! Heaven and Earth Profound Light... While it might not all be paid in pure light and would likely include other treasures of equivalent value, it was an astronomical fortune regardless! Tianduo could never use it all alone! If someone were to kill Tianduo... Well, for now, everyone suppressed such thoughts. This was a truly heaven-defying stroke of fortune! They couldn't even fathom what kind of serendipity was required to stumble upon such immense gains. Yet Tianduo had simply shattered an ancient pocket dimension! Had the fortune of the Demon race surged to such heights? The members of the Five Elements race felt especially bitter. Rumor had it that the pocket dimension had shattered during a clash with Foutuling. That opportunity might very well have belonged to Foutuling, yet Tianduo had swallowed it all for himself—and on top of that, Foutuling was now missing! The more they thought about it, the angrier they became! They wished they could slaughter Tianduo right then and there! After the Immortal race placed their bid, no one spoke for a long time. Su Yu said indifferently, "If no one else bids, it goes to the Immortal race..." "Eighteen hundred and fifty strands!" the Demons bid once more. "Two thousand strands!" On the God race's side, Zhan Wushuang said in a grim tone, "If any other race bids higher, take it. Two thousand strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light... you might not even be able to make full use of it! This is a God race corpse, not one of your own..." Su Yu countered calmly, "Facts have proven that even a Demon can cultivate this breathing art without the slightest hindrance. I succeeded, didn't I?" Zhan Wushuang sneered, "The breathing art only tempers the physical body, not the sea of will! Tianduo, do you truly think you are the only one who knows it? Ask Modona if he knows it! Do you think I don't? Naturally, the technique is precious, but don't assume it is the sole copy in the entire All-Heavens and Myriad Realms!" Su Yu instantly glanced at Modona. Modona gave a slight nod, offering no elaboration. He indeed knew it! It was only natural. He had once been granted an audience with the Demon race's Half-Emperor... Well, the Half-Emperor had not appeared in person, but his willpower had probed Modona once, transmitting the inheritance of the breathing art to him. Thus, he knew it. This also proved that the Primordial Demon Race possessed it, as did nearly all the ancient races. Naturally, those who received the inheritance were extraordinarily few. There were many reasons for that, and Modona saw no need to explain. Zhan Wushuang spoke again. "This is the corpse of a predecessor from the Tianyi God race, the divine character belongs to the God race, and the Heaven armament is already battered and broken... Everyone, what would you gain from taking it? For the breathing art? Even if you cultivate it to deepen your foundation, that presupposes you possess the immense talent and resources required. Otherwise, if you can't even complete thirty-six casts, what use is this breathing art to you?" Two thousand strands was truly an astronomical price! At this point, the other great races hesitated. The Dragon race powerhouse parted his lips several times, but ultimately said nothing. Forget it, they couldn't squander their wealth recklessly! Besides, their primary objective on this trip was to secure the Ancient Dragon Blood Tree, so they hadn't brought an endless supply of goods. If they bid any higher, they wouldn't be able to bring the Ancient Dragon Blood Tree home! On the Immortal side, Xuan Wuji also frowned in silence. The Immortal race lacked the unified control wielded by the Primordial Demon Race and the Primordial God Race. Pureblood ancient immortals were few, and the Immortal Emperor had been in seclusion for ages, leaving the Immortal race largely governed by the domains of various Immortal Kings. Under such circumstances, it was difficult for them to gather enough resources for a trade of this scale. The only ones who could truly afford such an exorbitant sum were the Gods and Demons. Even the ancient races couldn't compete! A duel between the Gods and Demons! Everyone recognized this and sighed inwardly. In the end, these two races remained the wealthiest. Among the Demons, several powerhouses conferred among themselves. Soon, Dawo sent a voice transmission to Modona: *"Do we bid again? It's too high. After all, it's a God race corpse..."* If it were a Demon corpse, they could push further. After all, they enjoyed a ten-percent discount! Modona was silent for a moment before replying, *"Bid twenty-two hundred. Tianduo will only take two thousand from us, matching the Gods' current offer. If the Gods bid higher and spend several hundred more strands, let them have it!"* Dawo took a deep breath and spoke: "Twenty-two hundred strands. Tianduo, does the ten-percent discount still stand?" Su Yu said indifferently, "It stands!" Dawo said no more. On the God race's side, Zhan Wushuang and the high-stage Sun Moon expert both furrowed their brows deeply. Twenty-two hundred strands! That price was enough to make even the wealthy Gods and Demons bleed. Was it truly worth it? Meanwhile, Su Yu was practically stiff with tension. The price had climbed so high that either the Gods or the Demons were guaranteed to take it. With such an absurd sum at stake, wouldn't they assign an Invincible specifically to hunt him down? *I won't be able to survive in the All-Heavens Battlefield anymore!* His transformation techniques could not fool an Invincible. *Then my only choice will be to slip back into the Human Realm, or simply take refuge in a minor realm!* At the very least, he couldn't stay anywhere near the Sea of Stars in the near future. It was far too dangerous! An Invincible could see through him with a single glance. Crossing paths with one would mean certain death! Silence fell over the room once more. During the prolonged quiet, Dawo could not resist saying, "If there are no further bids, it belongs to the Demons. Tianduo, you can finalize the deal!" He felt a prickle of nervous excitement, his breath catching in his throat! Twenty-two hundred strands... an astronomical sum! Tianduo had truly struck gold this time—provided the fellow survived. And surviving required him to return to the Demon Realm. The Rade family would never permit Tianduo to keep such vast wealth to himself. While a genius's personal fortune could not be lightly seized, if Tianduo did not surrender at least half of it, the Rade family might not protect him! With so many treasures and no protector... Tianduo would have to watch his back even within the Demon Realm! Getting assassinated in secret would hardly be surprising! The Demon Realm was far from united; if it were, wars wouldn't exist there. Su Yu looked at the God race experts again and said calmly, "Will the God race bid again? This is the corpse of a Tianyi God race powerhouse. If you don't bid, it goes to the Demons!" He then added, "What about the Immortals and Dragons?" Truth be told, he would have preferred selling to the Immortals! Then again, not selling to them had its advantages. On the surface, the Immortal race was an ally of the humans; if Su Yu's identity were ever exposed, having conned the Immortals out of so much would create complications. Conning the Gods and Demons, on the other hand, carried no such burden—they were mortal enemies anyway! As for the Dragons, it was best not to swindle them either. The Dragon race remained relatively neutral for now; swindling them of such a fortune would trigger a chain of headaches. Conning the Gods and Demons, however, was fair game, resulting in zero moral loss. Su Yu weighed the situation inwardly. *Not bad.* Now to see if the Gods would raise the bid! Selling to the Gods was the best outcome, as it would net him the most profit. Among the Gods, Zhan Wushuang and his companions conferred urgently via voice transmission. Moments later, Zhan Wushuang said in a grim tone, "Twenty-three hundred strands!" Dawo sighed and remained silent. A long silence settled over the room this time. No one spoke. After a long pause, the Dark Fiend Dragon smiled broadly and said, "If no one else is bidding, it's about time to conclude!" He was making a fortune as well! A thirty-percent cut was a massive windfall! It was more than he could ever hope to earn in a lifetime—thirty percent of that was nearly seven hundred strands! Even if he captured one strand per year in the endless void, it would take him seven hundred years! More importantly, he couldn't survive outside for seven hundred years; if he stayed out that long, he would become a dead dragon! At this moment, the dust had finally settled. The other great races placed no further bids, and those who wished to buy couldn't afford it. Su Yu smiled as well and said, "Then it belongs to the God race! Twenty-three hundred strands... settled on the spot. Of course, if the God race cannot produce this amount, it passes to the Demons, and if the Demons cannot pay, it passes to the Immortals..." He looked at Zhan Wushuang. Zhan Wushuang furrowed his brow and said calmly, "The God race can naturally afford this price!" Taking a deep breath, he declared, "Five hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light, three hundred drops of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid, one hundred Sacred Yuan Qi Fruits, and ten of each type of Five Elements Spirit Fruit..." At these words, the eyes of the Five Elements race powerhouse lit up, though his expression soon dimmed. Still, he asked tentatively, "Would you be willing to sell them to the Five Elements race? Ten strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light per fruit..." Like Dragon Blood Fruits, these items were immensely beneficial for the elemental transformation of origin qi in the Five Elements race. Unfortunately, even the Five Elements race possessed none of their own. Their value was extraordinarily high! Ten of each type of Five Elements Spirit Fruit meant fifty fruits in total, worth a staggering five hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light. Three hundred drops of Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid were worth nine hundred strands. The Sacred Yuan Qi Fruits were also supreme treasures ideally suited for origin qi transformation, though not quite as rare as the Five Elements Spirit Fruits; valued at three strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light each, one hundred of them were worth three hundred strands. Together, these items totaled twenty-two hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light. In addition, the God race offered five Earth armaments... but Su Yu flatly refused: "No weapons!" What a joke. He was a master blacksmith himself. Tracking markers on weapons were standard practice! He wasn't falling for that! Zhan Wushuang did not argue and quickly said, "Then we'll add fifty Heavenly Blood Fruits." Su Yu didn't know what those were, but someone soon provided an explanation. A member of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion said, "Heavenly Blood Fruits are used to bolster physical blood and qi! When the physical body grows powerful, the blood and qi might not keep pace, leading to qi depletion, declining physical functions, and an inability to unleash one's full strength. They are exceptionally beneficial for rapidly advancing geniuses, and their value easily reaches one hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light!" With that, the total reached the equivalent of twenty-three hundred strands of Heaven and Earth Profound Light. Su Yu said without hesitation, "Then so be it. But let me inspect the goods first..." Zhan Wushuang said coldly, "Hand over the items to me first!" Su Yu retorted in annoyance, "My cultivation is weak, while look at how powerful you all are!" With that, he swiftly swept everything into a storage ring and said, "Surrounded by a crowd of Sun Moon experts, I have nowhere to run. Hand over the items first, and I will hand over the storage ring immediately!" Zhan Wushuang frowned, uneasy. After a moment's thought, he said, "Then I must first inspect the complete version of the breathing art!" Su Yu scowled. "Fine. Pay half upfront, and I'll let you inspect it. If there are no issues, we'll exchange the storage ring for the remaining half!" "Agreed!" Zhan Wushuang quickly reached an understanding with him. The next moment, Zhan Wushuang tossed over a storage ring, and Su Yu tossed back a jade talisman. The onlookers stirred restlessly... but ultimately refrained from acting. Starting a war with the God race was not a wise choice. Zhan Wushuang immediately began examining the cultivation art, while Su Yu swiftly probed the storage ring, transferring its contents while continuously cleansing the items to prevent any hidden tracking marks. His "Calamity" divine character verified them bit by bit. Zhan Wushuang studied the jade talisman for a while, his brow furrowing slightly. It seemed profoundly mystical... He had cultivated breathing arts before, and after studying the text Su Yu provided, its underlying principles and general flow suggested it was indeed viable. However, it was impossible to verify on the spot. A technique like this couldn't be mastered in a single day; even a genius like him would need three to five days just to grasp the basics. While Su Yu had initiated it, Zhan Wushuang could sense that he had merely scratched the surface. That was only natural, given how brief his cultivation time had been. Overall, the principles held up. Tianduo lacked the capability to fabricate such a convincing breathing art in just a few days; the fellow hadn't known it before and likely hadn't even heard of it. He passed it to a high-stage Sun Moon expert of the God race, who examined it for a moment and gave a slight nod. There were no glaring issues. From the text's description, while somewhat esoteric, it was generally coherent. Zhan Wushuang took a deep breath and said, "Now exchange the remaining half..." At that moment, the Dark Fiend Dragon spoke up: "Tianduo, what about my thirty percent?" Su Yu replied quickly, "Once the transaction is complete, Lord City Lord will escort me to relocate to a room in the innermost ring. I will hand it over to you right before entering. You don't think these people will keep their hands to themselves, do you?" The Dark Fiend Dragon smiled. That worked! Inside the city, he had no fear of Tianduo escaping. Soon, the second phase of the exchange began. The others watched in silence. Zhu Guangshen spoke up gloomily, "Return my ten drops of blood essence, and the Shanhai admission fee..." He felt utterly depressed! He had come all this way just to watch the spectacle, accomplishing nothing. The sheer wealth of the Gods and Demons exceeded his wildest imagination! Su Yu snorted coldly and casually kicked a human Shanhai captive over to Zhu Guangshen's side, then kicked another toward Qin Hao, snapping, "Is that enough?" The humans hadn't submitted human Shanhai captives for their admission fees, but since Su Yu had casually kicked two humans back to them, nobody cared. Since they were merely admission fees... who cared about the details? Zhu Guangshen said nothing. Though he wasn't familiar with these two Shanhai experts, they looked vaguely recognizable, likely belonging to other prefectures. Taking them in was fine by him. Su Yu ignored him and continued the exchange with Zhan Wushuang, speaking as they traded: "I will return everyone's deposits. After reaping such a colossal harvest, what does a little pocket change matter? Just let me finish the transaction first..." With that, he received the second storage ring. Su Yu inspected everything carefully once more and swiftly transferred the contents into his own storage ring. Then, he tossed the ring containing the corpse across to Zhan Wushuang. With that, it was over! Su Yu turned and headed back into his house, saying as he walked, "These admission ticket captives, I return them all to you..." There were still twenty-five Shanhai realm captives! All of them were bound and immobilized! The instant Su Yu turned his back, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He had chosen this house deliberately, positioning it slightly out of direct line of sight from the opposite side. The next moment, a surge of overwhelming willpower swept over every single captive! *Boom!* Explosions erupted! A mass of Shanhai captives detonated simultaneously. In an instant, more than twenty Shanhai dead spirits materialized outside Su Yu's door and outside the opposite house, accompanied by an endless swarm of lower-realm dead spirits. Inside the opposite house, everyone was stunned! What happened? "Damn it..." Some were still bewildered. The trade was already finished—what was he doing? Did Tianduo just slaughter those captives? Amid their confusion... absolute chaos erupted. Countless dead spirits surfaced, including a massive horde of Shanhai dead spirits, and the faint, terrifying aura of Sun Moon dead spirits began to manifest. At that exact moment, Su Yu hurled buckets of fresh blood out from inside the house. A dense, writhing mass of dead spirits instantly choked the entire street. Inside the room, Su Yu dissolved into a gentle breeze, slipped out the door, transformed into a dead spirit, and melted seamlessly into the undead army! Outside the ancient house opposite, the doorway was blocked solid by dead spirits. Gu Shan, the strongest among them, eyes gleaming, peered toward the perimeter with a furrowed brow. It seemed something had emerged from Tianduo's house, but with the dead spirits blocking the way and death qi thick in the air, he couldn't see clearly. Moments later, dozens of Sun Moon experts roared in fury, their blood and qi erupting with terrifying power! Their control was astonishingly precise; rather than slaughtering the dead spirits, they blasted the undead blocking their path aside! Across the street, inside the ancient house, the room was already empty—its occupant gone without a trace!