Chapter 1075: Royal Wood Spirit

"Twelve million!"

"Fifteen million! I am from the Gale Alliance in the Northern Region. I trust you've all heard of our Gale Alliance's Shocking Cloud Art. If I acquire this woman, I will greatly benefit. Please show me some respect!"

"Heh, you're not the only one in the Blackya Realm who cultivates wind-element profound arts from the Gale Alliance. This is the Black Feather Merchant Guild; we don't care about status or favors, only how deep your pockets are! Twenty million!"

In a flash, bids from only a few individuals had already soared to twenty million, causing many to sit back in astonishment and disappointment.

"Twenty-three million!"

"Twenty-five million!"

Yun Che's brows remained furrowed. His spiritual sense swept the surroundings, and he noticed that no one seemed surprised by this "commodity." Clearly, they were all accustomed to it. This underground merchant guild was far more squalid than he had imagined.

The woman with the Wind Yin Body was originally a young lady of a sect, but her entire sect was wiped out overnight. Now she was confined in a cage, being auctioned off as a commodity. She was undeniably pitiful. If this were in the lower realms, he wouldn't stand by idly. But here, he wasn't foolish enough to meddle.

Amidst the continuous bidding, the woman was ultimately acquired by a young man seated in the front row for forty-three million Violet Profound Stones. The young man stepped forward, paid the forty-three million Violet Profound Stones, then personally unlocked the profound formation, pulled the woman into his embrace, and returned to his seat.

For this unfortunate woman, it was a turning point in her destiny. Out of deep sympathy, Yun Che could only hope that her buyer would treat her kindly, bringing an end to her cruel fate. Otherwise, she would merely fall from one hell into another.

"Congratulations, young master," Ji Ruyan said, revealing an incredibly charming smile. "I believe with this beauty, your cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds. Although I do not understand dual cultivation myself, I have heard that its essence lies not only in the fusion of Yin and Yang, but if souls can connect, there will be unexpected miraculous effects. Therefore, young master, you must treat her kindly, or you might slightly waste her Wind Yin Body."

"Naturally," the man replied with a faint smile.

Yun Che gave Ji Ruyan a deep look. He could tell that her words were genuinely heartfelt. When her gaze fell upon the woman with the Wind Yin Body, a flicker of pity also crossed her eyes. It seemed she hadn't completely lost all conscience.

"So, next up—"

"Miss Ruyan!"

A voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Ji Ruyan. Subsequently, a tall, burly man stood up in the center of the seating area. He wore no disguise, and his eyes radiated a captivating sharpness. Even his outer robe openly bore his sect's insignia—a black eagle with glaring eyes, looking down with disdain.

His life aura was extremely young, yet the profound energy pulsating from him was remarkably robust. He was clearly at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm, perhaps just a hair's breadth away from the Divine Tribulation Realm. His sudden exclamation and standing immediately drew everyone's attention. The entire stone chamber fell silent, and many gazes held varying degrees of awe. Clearly, this person's background was extraordinary.

"He is Ying Yushan, the youngest grandson of the Black Eagle Island Master, head of the Blackya Realm's third largest sect," someone next to Yun Che whispered. "It's said he's also the most talented and will likely inherit the island master position in the future."

"Oh, it's Young Master Ying," Ji Ruyan said with a faint smile. "How may I help you, Young Master Ying?"

"I wouldn't dare give orders, but..." Ying Yushan's voice was calm, yet his posture exuded an arrogant pride. "Your guild rarely extends personal invitations, so I assumed there would be rare and wondrous items. I traveled thousands of miles personally, full of anticipation. Unfortunately, what your guild has presented, while not trash, offers no surprises either."

Ying Yushan raised his head and declared proudly, "In two years, it will be the Profound God Convention. I am only a step away from qualifying to participate, so these two years are incredibly important to me; not a moment can be wasted. If your guild has anything good this time, you should bring it out sooner. For the esteemed Black Feather Merchant Guild to play coy is simply too boring. If you've only summoned us here for items like these, then I will take my leave!"

Ying Yushan's words drew sidelong glances from many, with those under sixty years old showing intense jealousy and envy. Given Ying Yushan's age and peak Divine Soul Realm cultivation, there was a very high chance he would participate in the Profound God Convention in two years. In the entire Blackya Realm, no more than a hundred people were qualified to participate in the Profound God Convention!

"Hee hee hee hee..." Ji Ruyan giggled, her enchanting eyes like blooming peach blossoms. "As expected of Young Master Ying, truly remarkable to be able to participate in the Profound God Convention. Ah, if this maidservant could just visit the Heaven Smiting God Realm once in her lifetime, I would die without regrets. The Profound God Convention is something I wouldn't even dare to dream of."

"Hmph! That's nothing," Ying Yushan said, his voice calm, but his face was filled with barely suppressed arrogance and pride. "I just want to know what surprise your guild has prepared for us this time. If the so-called surprise was merely that woman with the Wind Yin Body just now, then I will be utterly disappointed in your Black Feather Merchant Guild."

Ji Ruyan giggled again, her voice soft and sweet. "All you young masters are our guild's most important guests. Even if I had the greatest audacity, I would not dare to disappoint any of you. This surprise, I originally intended to save for last, but since Young Master Ying is so eager, I will, of course, obediently comply."

As her voice faded, she slowly raised her hand and clapped four times softly.

Rumble...

With a soft rumbling sound, another stone platform rose from beneath the ground near Ji Ruyan's feet. On top of the platform was a profound sealing formation, identical to the previous one. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the stone platform, eagerly anticipating this new surprise.

Evidently, this was another living creature. Ji Ruyan remained silent, a mysterious smile on her face, and lightly tapped her finger on the profound formation. Immediately, the profound light dispersed, revealing within the now semi-transparent formation a figure tightly curled in a corner...

A child!?

Yun Che could only see his side profile. This was a little boy, likely only around ten years old, with extremely distinctive features: bright green hair, and skin as luminous white as porcelain jade. These two physical characteristics made Yun Che's gaze suddenly sharpen, because they perfectly matched the descriptions of the Wood Spirit Race in ancient texts! Could it be that this child was a Wood Spirit!?

As the profound light completely dissipated, the little boy subconsciously turned his head slightly. His exposed ears were notably long and pointed, and the light gleaming in his eyes was distinctly emerald green! These, too, perfectly matched the descriptions of the Wood Spirit Race in ancient texts!

Facing countless terrifying eyes, the Wood Spirit boy bit his teeth, his body trembling as he curled up. His green, crystal-like eyes held deep fear, yet not a single tear fell. Beyond the fear, there was also clear, deep hatred. That special Wood Spirit Pearl Mr. Ji mentioned... it turned out to be a living Wood Spirit!

"A Wood Spirit!? Heh!" Ying Yushan, however, let out a faint laugh. "Wood Spirits are indeed becoming rarer, and catching a living one is even harder, but if you have enough profound stones, there are plenty of places to buy them! In comparison, people with the Wind Yin Body are far rarer! Miss Ruyan, is this 'surprise' of yours merely a joke on us?"

Yun Che's brows furrowed deeply, and his hands clenched. He needed a Wood Spirit Pearl. If it were merely a pearl, he would buy it at any cost. But before him was a living Wood Spirit, and just a child at that. To obtain its Wood Spirit Pearl, he would have to kill him...

"Don't be so impatient, Young Master Ying. If he were just an ordinary Wood Spirit, how could this maidservant presume to specifically invite all you young masters here?"

She moved her long legs, walking to the side of the profound formation that sealed the Wood Spirit boy. Her slender finger gently tapped into the formation, and she said with a smile, "All you young masters, please watch carefully."

A faint profound energy flew from Ji Ruyan's fingertip and touched the Wood Spirit boy's glabella. The Wood Spirit boy trembled all over but made no sound. Yet, on his glabella, a vibrant green light mark slowly emerged.

Whoosh––––

The moment this emerald light mark appeared, a burst of exclamations instantly echoed like thunder within the oppressive stone chamber. Apart from Yun Che, everyone stood up at once. Even Ying Yushan, who had been full of arrogance, had a drastic change in expression, his gaze vacant.

"Wood Spirit... Royal Clan!!" Ying Yushan roared, losing his composure!

Yun Che was puzzled.

"That's right, as all you young masters can see, this is no ordinary Wood Spirit, but rather... a Royal Wood Spirit!"

Ji Ruyan's finger withdrew, but the light mark between the Wood Spirit boy's brows lingered. "This maidservant dares to guarantee that while all you young masters recognize this symbol of the Royal Wood Spirit, this is surely the first time you've seen a true Royal Wood Spirit, for the last one appeared over two thousand years ago."

"Didn't they say... the Royal Wood Spirits were... extinct? This... it's actually real?" Ying Yushan's voice was filled with intense excitement.

"Since they hadn't appeared for over two thousand years, it was only natural to believe they were extinct. This maidservant also believed the Royal Wood Spirits were extinct until I found him."

The stone chamber immediately became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, with only continuous swallowing sounds breaking the silence. They had absolute faith that the Black Feather Merchant Guild's surprise wouldn't disappoint them, or they wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to attend. But no one had imagined the surprise would be this monumental. Because ordinary Wood Spirits and Royal Wood Spirits were entirely different concepts. This captured Royal Wood Spirit would cause a tremendous stir even in the Upper Star Realms.

"Royal Wood Spirits possess the purest natural power in the world. Although this Royal Wood Spirit has not yet fully matured, I believe, with your extensive knowledge, young masters, you are all very clear about his immense 'miraculous uses.' But allow this maidservant to elaborate a little further."

"With a Royal Wood Spirit, even the most demanding rare flowers and spirit medicines can be easily cultivated, and their growth rate will be at least ten times faster! Of course, keeping a living Wood Spirit in one's residence is a high-risk endeavor, and I believe most young masters wouldn't be willing to take such a risk. In that case, the Wood Spirit Pearl within him is an extraordinary treasure."

"The Wood Spirit Pearl of a Royal Wood Spirit is far beyond comparison to that of an ordinary Wood Spirit. Even if he were to end his own life and destroy his pearl, as long as it's extracted within a hundred breaths, the remaining spiritual energy, even if only twenty percent, would still surpass an ordinary Wood Spirit Pearl that retains one hundred percent of its spiritual energy perfectly. This is a top-tier exotic treasure that cannot be exchanged for any amount of profound stones!"

Yun Che's expression changed dramatically.

He needed a Wood Spirit Pearl that retained at least seventy percent of its spiritual energy. Such a high-quality Wood Spirit Pearl was extremely rare, virtually priceless and unobtainable. And the Wood Spirit Pearl within this Wood Spirit boy, even if forcibly extracted, even if he forcibly self-destructed it before extraction, its spiritual energy would still surpass an ordinary Wood Spirit Pearl with one hundred percent spiritual energy! It perfectly met... no, it exceeded his requirements!