The Tianzhen Pavilion at Hai Shi.
Alighting from the carriage, Ling Tian carefully surveyed this place, renowned as Qing Yuan City's finest.
The dome, constructed from Myriad Demon Blood Jade, soared over a hundred zhang high, with seven hundred and twenty purple marrow crystal chandeliers suspended in mid-air.
The moment Ling Tian stepped through the heavy Xuan Iron gate, the Breath Concealing Talisman in his qiankun bag spontaneously ignited—this was the Tianzhen Pavilion's "Bone-Illuminating Mirror" probing for truth.
He looked up to see an eight-armed Asura bas-relief in the center of the dome, each hand cradling a rare treasure of heaven and earth.
The uppermost left hand clutched a pulsating heart, from which blood mist condensed into four demonic characters: Highest bidder wins.
"Roar!"
The Dragon's roar bell chimed, shaking the blood jade into a shower of powder.
The auction stage rose from the ground, and seventy-two rays of starlight descended from the dome.
The rabbit demon auctioneer lightly tapped the star-steel platform with her toes, her round rabbit tail swaying gently like a soft sponge.
Two tufts of silver fur on her long ears quivered with her movements, her eyes were a rare rouge red, and the demonic patterns at the corners of her eyes seemed to be outlined with rouge ground from blood coral.
"This humble one, Tao Yao, is the auctioneer for this auction ~"
She curtsied, her twelve pairs of Soul Devouring Bracelets jingling on her wrists.
"Welcome, everyone, to this year's Tianzhen Pavilion auction. To prevent newcomers from being unfamiliar, this humble one will explain the Tianzhen Pavilion's two ironclad rules—"
"First, Blood Pact bidding. Write your bid on a jade tablet with your vital blood. If there is a false report..."
Tao Yao pointed her fingertip upwards, towards the blood jade tentacles extending from the dome, "The Blood Jade dome loves nothing more than to devour lies."
"Second, Golden Bell, no regrets. After the Golden Bell rings, if there is any change of heart..."
She lightly blew on her fingertip, and a debt contract appeared in the Void Realm, "The Nine Netherworld will pursue the debt to the end of Reincarnation."
Tao Yao smiled charmingly, but her voice carried a hint of chill, sending shivers down one's spine.
"Now, the auction officially begins."
The first item for auction was the Netherworld Yin Fiend Pearl.
A gray pearl the size of a pigeon's egg, its surface covered with human-face protrusions, constantly shifting between joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Resentful Qi condensed into black mist, permeating the entire venue.
"Refined from thousand-year-old submerged corpses in the Netherworld Sea, it is a supreme treasure for ghost cultivators, capable of saving ten years of arduous cultivation..."
"Starting bid is ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with each increment no less than one hundred."
"Fifteen thousand!" A clanging sound came from a private room on the third floor, where half a bronze mask was faintly visible—that was "Ghost Market Judge," a black market magnate.
"Twenty thousand." The beautiful corpse in the Yinkui Sect Young Lord's arms spoke, blood characters appearing on her tongue.
"Thirty thousand."
"Forty thousand."
The price steadily climbed.
Finally, an old woman in the northwest corner threw out a rotten animal skull: "Forty-five thousand, plus three jin of Soul Devouring Gu!"
The Golden Bell rang, and the Yin Fiend Pearl was swept into the old woman's satchel by black mist.
The second item for auction was the Red Plume Fire Feather.
When the Fire Feather appeared, the surrounding purple marrow crystal lamps simultaneously exploded, fire light soaring to the sky, and the phantom of a Phoenix's Nirvana shimmered into existence.
"Refined by Southern Bright Lihuo, it is a supreme treasure for Artifact Refining..." Tao Yao's hair tips curled slightly, but her voice remained sweet.
"Starting bid is thirty thousand, with each increment..."
"Fifty thousand!" The Xuanhuo Sect Elder's body ignited with azure flames, his gaze fervent, "This feather is of the same origin as this old man's innate true fire, no one shall snatch it!"
"Sixty thousand." A lazy female voice, carrying an undeniable authority, came from a private room on the top floor.
A mysterious woman sat within, a Phoenix mask concealing her face. Flames danced on her fingertips, transforming into miniature Bi Fang birds fluttering and dancing... The bidding was fierce, and when the price broke the one hundred thousand mark, the entire venue fell silent.
"One hundred and fifty thousand." The voice from the VIP private room rang out.
With a soft chime of the Golden Bell, a maid delivered the Red Plume Fire Feather into the private room.
The third item for auction was the Witch Tribe Blood Cauldron.
A three-legged bronze cauldron, with twelve pale skulls hanging from its ears, all emitting mournful wails. The gluttonous patterns on the cauldron's body seemed to be sucking fresh blood.
A servant was swept by the cauldron's aura, instantly turning into stark white bones.
"That... that is the Myriad Soul Cauldron used for sacrifices by the Witch Xian Nation!" someone exclaimed.
"Indeed, this cauldron forms its own blood pool realm, capable of nourishing..." Tao Yao dipped her fingertip in fresh blood and drew a Talismanic Incantation on the cauldron's surface.
"Five hundred thousand!" The Southern Border Witch Elder suddenly stood up, his human-bone staff spewing dark green poisonous miasma, "This cauldron is a sacred artifact of my tribe, how can others covet it!"
"Five hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Five hundred and eighty thousand!"
..."Eight hundred thousand." The representative of the Heavenly Central Continent Imperial Family raised his imperial seal, and a Luck Golden Dragon roared forth, "Your Majesty wishes to place this cauldron at the Meridian Gate to suppress evil."
The Blood Cauldron ultimately belonged to the Imperial Family.
The fourth item... the fifth item... the sixth item... Ling Tian watched silently. Although these treasures were good, they were not what he needed.
Until the appearance of the seventh item for auction.
Moon Soul Grass!
Within a crystal casket, a three-inch silver grass shimmered with moonlight, its nine serrated leaves as thin as cicada wings, with faint blue light spots flickering in their veins.
When darkness fell, the grass body automatically outlined a Taiyin star map, and dewdrops on its leaf tips transformed into ice crystals and fell.
"It's actually Moon Soul Grass!"
Ling Tian's heart pounded. This was precisely the core Materials he needed to create a "soul refining talisman," which could help him achieve a Nascent Soul Breakthrough!
"The Earth Treasure Moon Soul Grass, containing extreme Yin moonlight, can be used for Alchemy or as medicine. Starting bid is ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with each increment no less than one thousand."
"Fifteen thousand!" A hoarse voice came from a corner—that was Butcher Sanyin, the black market master, whose withered hand wore seven skull rings.
"Twenty thousand." Shi Wuya, the Yinkui Sect Young Lord, embraced the beautiful corpse, his voice cold.
Butcher Sanyin's skull rings clinked, sparking: "Young Lord Shi's Yin Qi is already heavy enough, there's no need to snatch this ultimate Yin item. Twenty-five thousand!"
"Thirty thousand." Ling Tian suddenly spoke.
The entire venue fell silent for half a breath, dozens of Divine Sense swept over him, and someone scoffed: "Where did this wild cultivator come from..."
"Forty thousand." The beautiful corpse in Shi Wuya's arms opened her eyes, her pupils reflecting Ling Tian's mask, "Little brother, this grass has the scent of this humble one's rouge."
"Forty-five thousand." Butcher Sanyin's withered hand crushed a jade cup, and black mist condensed into a ghost face.
Ling Tian's eyes flickered. The Spirit Stones in his qiankun bag were just over one hundred thousand, but the soul refining talisman was impossible without this grass!
He had to take a gamble!
"One hundred thousand!" Ling Tian called out in a deep voice.
The entire venue erupted in an uproar.
"Where did this wild brat come from, daring to snatch things from this Young Lord!" The beautiful corpse in Shi Wuya's arms opened a bloody maw, her scarlet long tongue licking towards Ling Tian's direction.
Wherever it passed, blood characters appeared in the Void Realm: "Yinkui Soul Refining, Nine Days Limit," each character dripping with corpse oil.
Ling Tian flicked his finger, and a Talisman transformed into a paper man that swallowed the blood characters. The paper man swelled into a blood-red balloon and exploded into a sky full of Talisman ashes in front of Shi Wuya.
"Presumptuous!" A furious roar, mixed with powerful true essence, suppressed Shi Wuya's beautiful corpse.
"No fighting is allowed within the Tianzhen Pavilion. Violators will die!" The voice from the top floor infuriated Shi Wuya.
"One hundred thousand, going once!"
"One hundred thousand, going twice!"
"Ding-a-ling ~ Sold."
The Golden Bell chimed, and a rabbit demon maid delivered the Moon Soul Grass into Ling Tian's hands.
"Brat, you snatched this Young Lord's item, don't even think about leaving Qing Yuan City alive..." Shi Wuya glared fiercely at Ling Tian, his eyes full of venom.
The eighth item... the ninth item... After the ninth item was sold for the astronomical price of one million five hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
The tenth, and final, grand finale item was slowly being pushed onto the auction stage!