Chapter 2363: Unexpected News

Zhu Guo’er stepped forward and nodded in agreement. The twelve young women obediently stood up and positioned themselves behind Zhu Guo’er.

“Besides these twelve Fragrant Ladies, our alliance has prepared a few other small gifts. We hope you will graciously accept them as well,” the woman in purple said, a hint of a smile appearing in her beautiful eyes as she saw Han Li accept the Fragrant Ladies.

She then clapped her hands, and three handsome youths of a different race entered from outside the main hall. Each held a pale silver circular tray covered with an unknown red silk cloth.

“Your alliance is too kind. These Fragrant Ladies are already a generous gift; how can I accept any more?” Han Li said, waving his hand in direct refusal. After his gaze swept over the three trays, he had clearly seen through the coverings.

The woman in purple paused slightly but quickly recovered. “Since Senior Han doesn’t care for these gifts, I certainly won’t insist. You’ve traveled a long distance and must be tired, so I will now take everyone to their lodgings to rest for the night. We can discuss other matters later.” She then waved her hand, signaling the three youths to withdraw.

“I do wish to rest a bit. Please lead the way,” Han Li said, nodding without a change in expression.

Without further hesitation, the woman in purple then walked towards the hall entrance, with the others following leisurely behind her.

The moment they stepped out of the hall, a noisy clamor immediately assailed them.

Han Li’s eyes flickered slightly, and he realized they were standing beside a modest bluestone street. Although not bustling, the street was lively with people coming and going.

People wore various kinds of attire. Along both sides of the street, there were shops displaying different signs. Many entered and exited, some looking overjoyed, others with faces as dark as water, displaying a wide range of expressions.

What caught Han Li’s attention was that these passersby all possessed extraordinary aura and significant cultivation. Even the shop assistants standing by the storefronts had cultivation levels above the Core Formation stage.

Han Li’s spiritual sense then quickly swept further into the distance, revealing that this place was not just this one street. There were other streets extending in all directions—east, west, north, and south—lined with dense buildings. Although not very large, appearing to be only about a hundred *li* in radius, it was like a small town.

As for the main hall behind them, the entire exit vanished in a flash the moment they walked out, as if they had appeared on the street out of thin air.

Nearby passersby seemed oblivious to this phenomenon, as if it were a common occurrence.

“Are these people all invited by your alliance to attend the auction?” Han Li asked indifferently after retracting his spiritual sense.

“How could that be? Most of the esteemed guests attending the auction are resting in the guesthouses,” the woman in purple replied with a charming smile. “Most of the people here are members of our alliance, merely taking advantage of this opportunity to buy and sell rare items. Even ordinary members of our alliance are not qualified to attend the main auction.”

“I see,” Han Li said, adding nothing further.

At that moment, the woman in purple formed a hand seal. A flash of light enveloped her feet, and a patch of white mist instantly materialized, lifting Han Li and the others into the air and carrying them swiftly towards one end of the street.

“…That is the designated venue for this auction. At that time, various seniors and other invited fellow cultivators will gather there,” the woman in purple explained, pointing to a tall, tower-like building surrounded by several streets as she propelled the cloud mist to fly high in the sky. “Besides some rare treasures that have already been revealed to the public, this auction will also feature several unique artifacts extremely useful to Mahayana stage seniors. It will certainly not disappoint any of you.”

“This is the auction venue? It doesn’t look very big from the outside. Does it contain something more inside?” Han Li remarked, examining the tall tower.

“Senior, your discerning eye truly sees all,” the woman in purple replied respectfully, a flicker of surprise on her face. “This tower indeed connects directly to a blessed land. The inside is merely the entrance to the true auction hall. This arrangement allows for more fellow cultivators to be accommodated and also prevents anyone from harboring malicious intentions towards the auction.”

“It seems your alliance has truly put a lot of effort into this auction. But I wonder, how many Mahayana stage fellow cultivators will attend this time?” Han Li asked again.

“To answer you, Senior Han, since there’s still about a month until the auction officially begins, we cannot know the exact final number of Mahayana stage seniors. However, over twenty have already arrived, meaning the number of Mahayana cultivators attending this auction has already surpassed previous ones.”

There was nothing to hide about this information, so the woman in purple replied casually after a brief thought.

“Over twenty? Your alliance truly wields considerable influence to gather so many fellow cultivators of the same stage in such a short time,” Han Li praised, his expression subtly shifting.

“You jest, Senior,” the woman in purple replied with a soft laugh. “The reason so many seniors have graced us with their presence is not due to our alliance’s prestige, but rather the reputation we’ve built over many years. Many seniors have consistently gained something, big or small, from our previous auctions, which is why they are willing to travel such distances to gather here.”

“Heh heh, from your tone, it seems your alliance is very confident about this auction,” Han Li said, subtly bringing up his main concern. “However, I’ve heard that previous auctions offered cross-continental teleportation slots. Will such an auction item be available this time?”

“Cross-continental teleportation slots are indeed one of the special auction items, intended to allow fellow cultivators and seniors to reach other continents safely, so they wouldn’t be canceled easily,” the woman in purple replied truthfully, though slightly puzzled by his question. “However, for this auction, there have been some issues with the super teleportation array on the Thunder Realm Continent. Therefore, the teleportation slots to the Thunder Realm Continent have been temporarily canceled, and instead, the number of teleportation slots to the Blood Sky Continent has been increased for auction.”

“The slots to the Thunder Realm Continent have been canceled?” Han Li’s expression subtly changed.

“That’s right. Did you originally intend to go to the Thunder Realm Continent, Senior?” The woman in purple’s heart stirred.

“Not necessarily. If it’s the Blood Sky Continent, then so be it. I planned to visit it eventually anyway; it’s just a slight deviation from my original plans,” Han Li said, stroking his chin before his expression quickly returned to normal.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Guo’er, Blood Spirit, and the others behind him were startled, their expressions varying.

A moment later, the cloud mist carried everyone to the edge of the small town, finally descending into a lush, green dense forest.

This dense forest was filled with exceptionally pure spiritual energy, and only a few exquisitely carved jade-like pavilions and towers were built within it.

Each cluster of buildings was separated by several *li*, naturally isolated by dense, towering trees, creating an extremely secluded and elegant atmosphere.

The woman in purple led Han Li and the others directly to a cluster of buildings. Without her needing to summon anyone, seven or eight men and women dressed as maids and servants immediately emerged and knelt before Han Li and his companions.

“This is the Sky-Rank VIP building area,” the woman in purple said to Han Li with a smile, not even glancing at the maids and servants. “They are the attendants here. If you find them useful during your stay, you may keep them to serve you. If you find them troublesome, you can dismiss them immediately and have them leave.”

“With the Fragrant Ladies you just gifted me, I indeed have no need for these attendants. Please have them leave,” Han Li said noncommittally.

The woman in purple naturally had no reason to object and immediately issued an order to the attendants.

After bowing, the maids and servants respectfully left the area.

“Senior Han, please rest well here,” the woman in purple said, understanding the hint to leave. “When the auction is about to begin, I will send someone specifically to notify you. Oh, and if other fellow cultivators have free time, they might want to explore the town; perhaps there will be some unexpected gains. I will take my leave now.”

“Farewell, Immortal. I won’t see you out,” Han Li said casually, showing no intention to detain her. He then watched as she ascended into the sky again, swiftly flying away from the dense forest.

“Let’s go. Since they’ve put on such a grand display, we don’t need to be overly polite,” Han Li said, then calmly walked towards one of the pavilions.

Blood Spirit and the others followed closely.

A short while later, they all appeared in the ground-floor hall of the pavilion. Han Li sat composedly in the central main seat.

Blood Spirit, Old Ancestor Huashi, and the others stood respectfully to the side.

As for the twelve Fragrant Ladies, Zhu Guo’er had already assigned them their duties and sent them away earlier.

“Senior Han, are you really planning to go to the Blood Sky Continent first?” Blood Spirit murmured, his expression quite complex, showing both anticipation and a hint of hesitation.

“My original plan does need to change,” Han Li replied, his expression unchanged. “Do you perhaps have another way to get to the Thunder Realm Continent first?”

“You’re jesting, Senior,” Blood Spirit said with a bitter smile. “If there were another way to reach the Thunder Realm Continent sooner, I wouldn’t have kept it hidden all this time.”

“Since you have no other method, then let’s go to the Blood Sky Continent first. At worst, if necessary, we can find a way to return to the Thunder Realm Continent from there,” Han Li said slowly, a rare hint of solemnity appearing between his brows. “Regarding the Blood Sky Continent, although I’ve never been there, its strangeness is well-known. I’ve heard that besides the infamous Demonic Blood Arts, several other very mysterious legacies remain on that continent. They are said to be capable of slaying powerful enemies from thousands of miles away and eliminating opponents invisibly—a truly elusive and bizarre divine ability. Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit, you must have had some exposure to it back then, correct?”