Chapter 326: Sheepskin

The auction began at 9 PM and was now past 2 AM.

With the Soul-Guiding Grass secured, Qin Sang had no further reservations and confidently participated in the bidding. He ended up spending more than half of his spiritual stones and, before the auction concluded, managed to acquire several types of spiritual wood, along with a top-grade magic artifact named the Yellow Sand Flag.

Money spent can always be earned again. Spiritual stones are best used to enhance one's strength; hoarding them won't produce offspring.

This artifact requires no preparation; with spiritual energy, it can instantly create a vast domain of swirling yellow sand. Within this covered area, countless grains of sand billow, stones fly, and dust rises, all in constantly shifting patterns.

If an opponent enters the yellow sand, their spiritual sense becomes clouded, causing a dizzying sensation. They can only vaguely perceive a small area around them, as if trapped in an illusionary array.

Its drawbacks are that the flag cannot be moved once activated, or the domain of swirling sand will collapse, and the artifact itself does not possess significant offensive power.

Qin Sang had a specific strategy in mind when he bid three thousand spiritual stones for this artifact. His current approach to combat is formulated based on the magic artifacts he possesses.

Among his combat methods, both the Silver Blade Talisman Treasure and the Ten Directions Yama Banner require time to prepare.

Therefore, it's best to seize the initiative when encountering an enemy. If there's no opportunity for a sneak attack, or if he's ambushed, and his Fiendish Corpse and Ebony Sword can't deal with the opponent, he would have to use the Nine Dragon Sky Carriage Talisman to escape the battlefield, gain some distance from the enemy, prepare his treasures, and then seek an opportunity to counterattack.

But if the opponent is exceptionally well-prepared and there's no chance to escape, Qin Sang would be in a bind.

The Yellow Sand Flag serves as a perfect supplement. Qin Sang doesn't need it to kill enemies; he merely needs it to make opponents hesitant and prevent them from launching a full-scale assault. He can hide within the yellow sand, gaining time to prepare his talisman treasures or the ghost banner.

Additionally, most of the spiritual wood Qin Sang acquired was traded from other cultivators who, lacking sufficient spiritual stones to participate in the bidding, were selling their spiritual wood on site.

Including the Falling Phoenix Vine and Dripping Water Wood, even after the Ebony Sword absorbed these spiritual woods, its strength was still insufficient to support a third killer talisman. However, at the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about his cultivation being restricted by the Ebony Sword for a while.

Qin Sang was very satisfied with these acquisitions. The items auctioned later became progressively more valuable, and knowing he couldn't afford them, he simply relaxed and watched. He planned to leave Yinshan Pass after the auction concluded and he attended the secret market.

Precious treasures continued to appear, and the excitement reached new heights. The cultivators' emotions were thoroughly stirred.

As the auction neared its end, the treasures grew even more valuable, and the bidding became exceptionally fierce. The fervent atmosphere almost seemed to lift the roof. Among the items was even a live egg of a Cloud-Soaring Eagle demonic beast!

The Cloud-Soaring Eagle is a powerful flying demonic beast. Upon reaching adulthood, it possesses the strength of a Demonic Spirit stage beast, with a certain probability of further breakthroughs.

Demonic beast eggs are extremely rare and valuable. Raising a Cloud-Soaring Eagle from a young age can result in a loyal spirit beast; unlike forcibly subduing an adult one, it will rarely betray its master.

Cloud-Soaring Eagles are incredibly fast, moving like the wind. Their physical bodies are robust, especially their talons, which are exceptionally sharp, comparable to magic artifacts.

They are rare spirit beasts, whether used as companions or mounts.

Among the relics of the Earth Rift Elder, the cultivation methods for the Cloud-Soaring Eagle were detailed in the insights left by that Core Formation cultivator from the Spirit Taming Sect. If properly nurtured, there's a significant chance it can break through to the late Demonic Spirit stage, granting it combat prowess equivalent to a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Upon seeing the Cloud-Soaring Eagle egg, Qin Sang was naturally very tempted. However, after bidding twice, he was deterred by the fierce competition. Unless he brought out the Blood-Dripping Ghost Mushroom, his remaining spiritual stones would certainly be insufficient.

Without hesitation, Qin Sang definitely wouldn't choose to do that.

Firstly, Cloud-Soaring Eagles have a very long growth cycle and are extremely troublesome to raise, which would undoubtedly impact Qin Sang's own cultivation. He lacked the energy to dedicate himself to nurturing a Cloud-Soaring Eagle. Even if he waited for the Cloud-Soaring Eagle to mature, by then Qin Sang might already have reached the Core Formation stage, rendering a mere Foundation Establishment level combat strength effectively useless.

Secondly, since Qin Sang could refine Fiendish Corpses as assistants, his need for a spirit beast wasn't as urgent.

In truth, Qin Sang still harbored a slight regret.

This was the essence of an immortal's grandeur. His wish to fly on a sword had already been fulfilled. But when would he be able to ride a crane freely down to Jiangnan?

After the Cloud-Soaring Eagle egg, a succession of precious elixirs, three talisman treasures, and two sets of forbidden magical tools appeared, pushing the climax to its peak.

Finally, a set of forty-nine parent-child formation flags, capable of serving as a mountain gate guardian array, was the ultimate treasure. After a Daoist master purchased it for an astonishing price, the maiden no longer emerged from the darkness.

Just as everyone thought the auction was about to end, still feeling a sense of unfulfillment, Gao Yi, smiling, announced in a clear voice, "Thank you all, fellow Daoists, for your enthusiastic participation. This auction's success means I have not failed the City Lord's important trust. Furthermore, there's one more matter that requires your brief patience. The Golden Water Array was originally set to be the final auction item, but a Core Formation stage senior, having heard about this auction, was suddenly inspired and wishes to offer a treasure for some amusement. Whether you can seize this opportunity and acquire this treasure depends on your abilities!"

Under countless surprised gazes, Gao Yi turned and bowed towards the darkness, respectfully saying, "Senior, please hand the treasure to this junior."

No sooner had Gao Yi finished speaking than a buzz of whispers erupted in the hall, everyone utterly astonished.

It was rumored that after the Stone Island Trade Fair, Yinshan Pass also held a separate auction specifically for Core Formation cultivators, which was quite renowned in the Minor Cold Region and was said to contain countless rare treasures, giving rise to many legends. Why would this Core Formation cultivator not participate in that auction, yet come here to join in the fun? It had to be admitted that even the strongest pseudo-Core cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage found the gap to the Core Formation stage difficult to bridge. Even someone as powerful as Gao Yi could only refer to himself as a junior. Unless under special circumstances, the disparity in strength directly determined wealth; no matter how good a treasure, it would be difficult to fetch a price satisfactory to a Core Formation cultivator.

However, after their initial surprise, the crowd's overriding emotion was excitement! Coming from the hands of a Core Formation cultivator, and handled with such solemnity by Gao Yi, it was certainly no ordinary treasure.

Gao Yi bowed and waited silently. Moments later, a ripple appeared in the darkness, and a wooden box slowly flew out. Gao Yi carefully took the wooden box, scanned the room, and under countless expectant gazes, gently opened it, tilting it slightly to reveal its contents to everyone.

To everyone's surprise, the wooden box contained neither a powerful magic artifact nor a rare elixir; it held only a single, remarkably unremarkable item.

A piece of sheepskin!

The sheepskin emitted no spiritual radiance, bore no writing, and looked utterly ordinary.

Qin Sang, who had initially been watching with a casual interest, felt his heart suddenly pound when he saw the sheepskin. His pupils, hidden beneath his mask, constricted slightly, and he instinctively sat up straight. This piece of sheepskin was strikingly similar to the one he had stripped from the black-robed demonic cultivator by the Sinking River!