← 百炼成仙

第两千一百一十七章 笼中鸟郑璇

The scene revealed a tall and slender young woman, who appeared to be around twenty years old. Her appearance was delicate and beautiful; though not breathtakingly stunning, she was certainly a first-rate beauty. Lin Xuan's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized her: "Zheng Xuan? How could she be here?"

Lin Xuan's astonishment was understandable. This young woman was Moon's beloved disciple in the mortal world. During their last encounter, an unexpected event had brought Lin Xuan back to the Heavenly Cloud Twelve Provinces, and several of Moon's disciples, including Liu Xin and Yin'er, had seen her. However, Zheng Xuan seemed to have vanished without a trace.

It was said that she had mysteriously disappeared during one of her outings.

Though Lin Xuan felt a tinge of regret, he couldn't do anything about it. The affairs in the cultivation world were unpredictable; perhaps she had met with danger and perished, or maybe she had encountered some other opportunity to greatly advance her cultivation.

Regardless of what happened to her, Lin Xuan never imagined that after hundreds of years, they would meet again under such circumstances.

Zheng Xuan had actually ascended to the Spirit Realm as well. This was indeed a cause for celebration, but it also brought about hidden dangers; she had been captured and brought here to be sold at the Grand Treasure Fair.

To be fair, Lin Xuan wasn't very familiar with Zheng Xuan as a junior disciple, but Moon and this young woman were like sisters, bonded by their shared bond. Without knowing her, there would have been no reason for him to intervene now that she was in captivity. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to face Moon again.

Regardless of the situation, Lin Xuan had to save her from this predicament.

Lin Xuan's thoughts raced as a voice echoed in his ears: "Fire Cloud Venerable, is this truly a body with the Five Yin Absolute Pulse?"

The speaker was a short and plump cultivator who looked around thirty years old. He said proudly, "It's genuine. You must know how valuable such a body can be. If it weren't for my cultivation technique conflicting with hers, I wouldn't have sold her off. It would greatly assist in breaking through the bottleneck."

"This kind of opportunity is rare and hard to come by. Fellow cultivators, don't miss out on this chance."

With Fire Cloud Venerable's words still ringing in his ears, a murmur spread among the crowd.

"Five Yin Absolute Pulse body? I didn't hear wrong?"

"The典籍say that only an infant or higher stage yin spirit can perform the传承融合ritual to reincarnate and re-cultivate. The chances of such a body are slim."

"But if it is true, it would be immensely useful for us. We should try to acquire her."

The murmurs continued as Fire Cloud Venerable brought Zheng Xuan to the Grand Treasure Fair instead of the underground auction hall, clearly with his own agenda.

Indeed, Tianshi Sect's cultivation techniques were mostly of a Yin-cold nature. Bringing in a female cultivator with the Five Yin Absolute Pulse would make her a valuable commodity.

Seeing that the Tianshi Sect's cultivators were indeed interested, Fire Cloud Venerable beamed with satisfaction: "The base price for this girl is one million middle-grade crystal stones. Fellow cultivators, feel free to bid."

"One million middle-grade crystal stones?"

Many cultivators gasped in shock; converting it into lower-grade crystals would amount to ten billion.

Although most participants at the Grand Treasure Fair were above the Separation Stage, few had witnessed such a high-priced auction before. It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over their heads, extinguishing any hopes they might have had.

The base price was one million middle-grade crystal stones. While this body would be immensely useful for breaking through the bottleneck, it wasn't something they could afford to desire.

Most people gave up, but as the auction began, several cultivators still joined in the bidding.

One million middle-grade crystal stones? In a room filled with wealthy cultivators, many had deep pockets.

"Ten million."

"One hundred and ten million."

"Two hundred million."

"Two hundred million."

The cold voice echoed, increasing the bid by eight hundred thousand middle-grade crystal stones. All the cultivators were stunned, their expressions turning to awe and bewilderment.

Not only did this person increase his bid by eight hundred thousand middle-grade crystal stones, but his identity was also significant. The ancient demon, a formidable old monster from Tianshi Sect at the Separation Stage, had joined the bidding.

Wasn't he known for his aversion to female companionship?

But considering the Five Yin Absolute Pulse body's potential in breaking through the bottleneck, it made sense that he would be interested.

With this bid, other cultivators immediately gave up. After all, they were Tianshi Sect members; how could they dare compete with their own senior elder?

Moreover, they couldn't afford to do so since a cultivator's wealth was generally proportional to their cultivation stage.

Fire Cloud Venerable was taken aback by the scene and frowned slightly. He hadn't expected even the ancient demon to be interested in this girl, but two million middle-grade crystal stones wasn't too high a price.

The room fell silent as Fire Cloud Venerable asked: "Senior Ancient has bid two million middle-grade crystal stones. Is there anyone willing to offer more?"

After repeating his question twice, he was about to confirm the auction when a cold voice interrupted: "Hold on, Lin's bid is three million middle-grade crystal stones."

"What?!"

All cultivators were stunned. Zheng Xuan trembled at the sound of this voice and turned her head in excitement, only to see disappointment as she recognized the unfamiliar face.

Lin Xuan had used the Shape-Shifting Technique and restored his cultivation stage to the late Profound Concealment Stage. A Separation Stage cultivator spending such a large sum of crystal stones would attract too much attention, making him an easy target for others.

Someone was bidding so generously without fear of offending the ancient demon. The other cultivators were shocked and turned their heads in curiosity.

They wanted to see who dared to challenge this formidable old monster openly.

Though the auction was based on the highest bid, in the cultivation world, strength reigned supreme. Lower-stage cultivators wouldn't compete with higher-stage ones unless necessary, as it brought no benefits and was an unwritten rule.

Despite being watched by everyone, Lin Xuan remained unfazed. His composure ensured he didn't show any signs of unease.

Suddenly, two piercing gazes shot his way.

It was the ancient demon!

Though he casually glanced over, that gaze seemed to penetrate his very soul.

Lili!

The other party hadn't released any spiritual pressure, but Lin Xuan swallowed hard, feeling like a prey being stared down by a venomous snake or beast.

"Four million."

The ancient demon's calm voice echoed in his ears.

Lin Xuan smiled. His prediction was correct; he couldn't be upset about it. While cultivators could privately use their strength to bully others, they had to maintain certain etiquette publicly, especially at the Grand Treasure Fair hosted by Tianshi Sect. As a senior elder, he couldn't afford to undermine his own sect's reputation. (To be continued)

Reading Settings

18px
1.8
65ch
Show Pinyin + Chinese + English