Author's Note
I know the chapters have been coming out a bit less frequently, but I'll try to make them longer to make up for it. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy the story!
Xia Tao
Forty minutes had passed, during which a variety of items had been auctioned off—techniques, pills, weapons of various levels. Nothing that particularly interested us. The only worthwhile acquisitions we made were a couple of alchemical recipes; I still held onto the hope that one day we'd establish our own alchemy department, where we could produce a steady supply of useful concoctions. But judging by the looks of things, the "warm-up" phase was finally coming to an end, and the auction was about to get more interesting.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the auctioneer announced, her voice brimming with anticipation, "the warm-up is over. Now we move on to our more exclusive offerings." She gestured grandly as the first item was revealed. "Presenting… the core of a Refining of Elemental Energy Spirit Beast. Starting price: 1,000 spirit gems."
The bidding began almost immediately.
"1,100."
"1,200."
The numbers continued to climb steadily.
"...7,500 spirit gems. Going once, going twice… sold to the Green VIP room!"
Hmm. I wasn't entirely sure what we'd do with the core, but it might come in handy one day. Better to have it in our possession than regret not buying it later.
Interestingly, they didn't label the VIP rooms with numbers, which could imply a ranking and risk offending someone. Instead, each VIP room was identified by a color. There were ten in total, and ours was the Green VIP room.
"And now, a very special item, ladies and gentlemen!" the auctioneer announced with a hint of dramatic flair. "A Demonic Horn, preserved for several thousand years. Unfortunately, we do not know the identity of the demon it came from, nor its level, but we'll temporarily disable the sealing array so you can experience its aura firsthand."
With a wave of her hand, the suppression field around the horn was lifted. Instantly, an intense wave of energy washed over us, alien and almost indescribable. It didn't exactly evoke revulsion, but it was profoundly unsettling—something so foreign it seemed to resonate from an entirely different realm.
I felt a shiver crawl up my spine, but next to me, Liu Qing's reaction was far more intense. Her eyes blazed with something primal, and she gripped the balcony railing so hard it began to crack under her fingers. After a few seconds, the aura faded as the sealing array snapped back into place.
"As a bonus, this horn comes with its own containment barrier," the auctioneer continued smoothly. "Starting price: 50,000 spirit gems."
Liu Qing turned to me, her face pale but her eyes fiercely determined. Through a spirit message, she pleaded, "Master, I don't know why, but I need that horn. My entire being is calling for it… I beg you."
This was unexpected.
The bids began rising quickly.
"65,000."
"71,000."
I turned subtly to the golem beside me and sent him a quick message. He relayed the bid to our attendant, who immediately raised her hand to signal the auctioneer. "120,000 gems from the Green VIP room!"
"120,000 gems—Green VIP room! Any higher bids?" the auctioneer asked, her voice ringing across the hall.
"200,000 gems—Blue VIP room!"
"400,000 gems—Purple VIP room! It seems we have a real bidding war here, ladies and gentlemen! What could our esteemed guests see in this ancient demonic relic?"
"1,000,000 gems—Green VIP room!" I instructed, my pulse quickening. One million spirit gems—an enormous sum, but seeing the desperate look in Liu Qing's eyes, I can cope with it.
The auctioneer's eyes widened in delight. "Ladies and gentlemen, one million spirit gems! Oooh, now things are getting exciting! Could it be that I've found my future husband here?" she teased, casting a playful look in our direction.
A wave of laughter rippled through the hall, but I kept my focus, waiting to see if anyone would challenge our bid.
"One million spirit gems—anyone willing to offer more?" The auctioneer paused, letting the tension build for a few moments before calling out, "Sold!"
The auction continued with a few more spirit beast cores, though we didn't bother bidding. We'd bought the first core out of curiosity, but there was no point in collecting more when we had no immediate use for them.
Some time later, there was a knock on our door. An attendant entered, carrying a small chest containing the Demonic Horn. With a wave of his hand, the golem lifted the chest into the air, opened it briefly to inspect the contents, then stashed it away in his spatial ring. The attendant bowed respectfully and left.
As we waited for the next items of interest, a scene erupted in the hall below. The protagonist from the White VIP Room was locked in a heated argument with the representatives of the Eternal Flame Sect in the Red VIP Room. The Eternal Flame Sect were notorious for their arrogance, and it wasn't long before their boasting led to a full-blown clash. It escalated to the point where even the head of our sect had to step in to bring the order back. How the protagonist ended up in the White VIP Room, typically reserved for major sects, was a mystery to me, but I supposed we'd find out eventually.
The root of the conflict? A 6-star Pure Yan Sword—a weapon that perfectly aligned with Yang energy, making it highly desirable to the Eternal Flame Sect. Why the protagonist wanted it, I couldn't say. In the end, our sect leader purchased the sword for an impressive 3 million spirit gems. I couldn't help but chuckle, imagining the expressions on the faces of the Eternal Flame Sect disciples and Protagonist as they watched the sword slip out of their grasp. Lol!
Our group also managed to acquire a body cultivation technique and a sword technique, each for 500,000 gems. I was surprised no one else had fought for them—they were valuable skills, may be i am wrong though. Additionally, we picked up a few natural treasures, including one with a spatial attribute, which cost us another 200,000 gems. The Eternal Flame Sect tried to provoke us a few times during the bidding, but since we were making our offers through our attendant, we simply ignored them. They lost interest soon enough when they realized we wouldn't respond to their taunts. We later learned that such treasures needed to be transported in special containment rings, as they wouldn't fit in ordinary spatial rings.
Then came an unexpected item.
"Next, we have an ancient manuscript from our sect's archives," the auctioneer announced, gesturing to a slim book resting on a pedestal. "According to legend, it contains hidden insights into cultivation, though, unfortunately, we have yet to fully translate it. Nonetheless, it's a rare artifact, even for advanced collectors."
A genuine book. In this world, most information was stored in crystals or other similar things. A physical manuscript was almost unheard of. Out of sheer curiosity, we purchased it for 315,000 spirit gems.
Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.
"And now," the auctioneer proclaimed, her voice filled with excitement, "the highlight of our auction, the items many of you traveled far and wide to see!" She gestured toward the stage as the lights dimmed, drawing all attention to the center where four pedestals stood. "Ancient energy-storing pyramids made of celestium! Ladies and gentlemen… behold!"
Spotlights illuminated the pedestals, and the four pyramids glimmered with a mesmerizing, otherworldly light, their surfaces iridescent and shifting in hues.
"The starting price for each pyramid is one million spirit gems…"
And with that, the hall erupted into chaos.
Bids flew in from all sides, the numbers climbing at a dizzying rate.
20 minutes later
In the end, we sold one pyramid for 25 million spirit gems and the second for 22 million. We'd even participated in the bidding ourselves to avoid drawing suspicion that we were the original owners. Interestingly, both pyramids were purchased by the Red Forest Mountain Palace. I wondered what they wanted them for.
As for the third and fourth pyramids, we exchanged them for a soul cultivation method of a lower rank. Saying we were shocked would be an understatement—such techniques were exceedingly rare in our region. But considering we'd already stocked up on everything we needed and have a gems more than we can spent, it felt like an excellent trade.
At the end of the auction, the Blue Mist Elder entered our VIP room again.
"I hope you liked the auction" he said, handing a storage ring to the golem. "This contains the balance, after deducting what was spent on your purchases. I'll escort you back to your residence."
We followed him back, flying quietly on our cloud. For some reason, I felt a strange unease, the image of that girl from earlier flashing in my mind. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about her, something unsettling.
After a short flight, the cloud descended at the border of our territory. The golem turned to the elder and spoke in a low, steady voice.
"If there is something you wish to discuss, I suggest you visit me tomorrow at noon. I will be leaving this place soon."
The elder inclined his head. "Very well. I'll return tomorrow at noon. There are a few matters I'd like to discuss."
Without another word, the golem turned toward the mountain and disappeared, ignoring the elder entirely.
The Blue Mist Elder turned to us with a polite nod. "Until we meet again," he said, stepping onto his own cloud and flying off.
With that, we made our way home, eager to begin examining our haul from the auction.
Shu Ying
A Little Earlier
I found him! I FOUND that bastard! Ahahahahaha! At first, I could hardly believe it, but as I looked closer, I knew. There was no mistake—it was him! Ahahaha, oh, he's going to pay. That worthless scum, that wretch!
My face must have twisted into such a sinister grin that even my nanny took a step back, startled.
Turning to her, I pointed in the direction of the departing cloud. "Find out who was on that cloud," I ordered, my voice cold and sharp.
"Why do you need this information, young mistress?" she asked, her usual calmness faltering as she took another cautious step back. My gaze must have promised a world of suffering because she flinched, her face paling.
"I'll find out, mistress," she said quickly and hurried off toward the accompanying elder.
I began to scheme, a thousand delicious plans swirling through my mind. Oh, I'm going to make him suffer. I could already picture him exploding under a storm of my spirit bubbles. Ahahahaha!
No… no, that would be too quick. Too easy. I didn't know how long I'd be stuck in this backwater world, but I knew one thing: killing him outright would be too merciful. Too quick, too final. No, I had all the time in the world, and I was going to make him suffer properly. Slowly. Methodically. I wanted him to feel every ounce of frustration, every moment of helplessness, until he wished he'd never crossed paths with me.
First things first, I thought, smirking to myself. I need to find a way to get close to him.