Chapter 3942: Auction Begins

These six major forces each control many cities on the Chaos Continent. The Ye Family is a newly established power, while the nine major forces of the Heaven-Morn Sea Region have all pledged allegiance to the Cao Family.

Tianchenzi died on the Chaos Continent not long after reaching the Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage, so he naturally did not possess a "Earth" city.

The True Immortal cultivators in the hall discussed a wide range of topics, including interesting facts about the cultivation world, conditions on the Chaos Continent, and the exploits of powerful cultivators.

“Have you heard? Kunyuzi’s meditation cave has appeared. It’s said to contain a high-level poison cultivation technique, supposedly originating from the Dao Artifact Qiankun Pagoda.”

“A Dao Artifact? Is that true or false? There are too many rumors like that. I once attended an underground auction where a secret technique for enlightenment was presented, and the owner claimed it came from the Dao Artifact Qiankun Pagoda.”

“Precisely. Dao Artifacts appear only once every few million years, sometimes even tens of millions of years. They occasionally surface in remote sea regions, where few immortals discover them. Even if one is found, it’s difficult to achieve a high ranking.”

“I heard that Immortal Chi Meng successfully navigated the Dao Artifact Qiankun Pagoda and even achieved a high ranking. However, she’s been missing for many years. Given the lifespan of a Golden Immortal cultivator, she might still be alive.”

“Indeed. It’s quite possible that her next appearance will be as a Grand Unity Golden Immortal; there are many precedents for this.”

The cultivators discussed Dao Artifacts, which were truly too mysterious. Even Golden Immortal cultivators might never encounter a Dao Artifact in their entire lives, let alone a True Immortal. Furthermore, successfully entering the Qiankun Pagoda to pass its trials and achieve a high ranking was an even rarer feat.

While there are many powerful immortals in the cultivation world, only a small fraction ever encounter a Dao Artifact.

“I heard that the ancestor of the Nangong Immortal Clan entered the Qiankun Pagoda twice. I assume Senior Nangong achieved a high rank and acquired many valuable items, which is why the Nangong Immortal Clan rose so quickly.”

Theoretically, any immortal can enter the Qiankun Pagoda multiple times, provided they encounter the Dao Artifact Qiankun Pagoda when it appears, which is entirely a matter of luck.

“It's already remarkable to encounter the Qiankun Pagoda even once; for him to encounter it twice is truly rare. However, I’ve heard that each time the Qiankun Pagoda appears, it remains for a considerable period, so if one's escape speed is sufficient, they can make their way there.”

Ye Xuanji said.

“That's not necessarily true. I heard that the Dao Artifact Qiankun Pagoda's appearance duration is not fixed and depends on its artifact spirit.”

“Who knows? I doubt any of the participants here have ever seen the Dao Artifact Qiankun Pagoda.”

Ye Xuanji disagreed, trusting only what she had personally witnessed.

“That's true. If the Dao Artifact appears in the Scarlet Sun Sea Region, I believe only Golden Immortal cultivators would be qualified to enter. Even if we True Immortal cultivators managed to get in, we’d face enormous trouble upon exiting. Immortal Chi Meng was hunted after the news of her entering the Dao Artifact Qiankun Pagoda leaked, let alone us.”

Wang Changsheng seemed to sense something, turning his head to look in a certain direction, where he spotted Meng Tianfeng and Meng Tianmei.

Meng Tianfeng smiled slightly at Wang Changsheng, saying, “Fellow Daoist Wang, what a coincidence!”

“What a coincidence! Fellow Daoist Meng.”

Wang Changsheng nodded.

Jiang Tianhai’s gaze fell on Wang Changsheng. “Is this Fellow Daoist Wang?” he said. “I’ve heard much about you. I can’t believe that after so many years, you’ve reached the True Immortal Grand Perfection stage; it’s truly astonishing!”

“And you are, Fellow Daoist?”

Wang Changsheng was slightly taken aback.

“This is Fellow Daoist Jiang Tianhai, a core disciple of the Nine Immortals Sect,” Meng Tianmei introduced, her face beaming with pride. “He has a high chance of advancing to the Golden Immortal stage and rarely makes public appearances, so it’s perfectly normal that Fellow Daoist Wang hasn’t met him.”

Despite both being at the True Immortal Grand Perfection stage, she held higher regard for Jiang Tianhai.

“Ah, so it’s Fellow Daoist Jiang. My apologies for the oversight.”

Wang Changsheng said courteously.

Jiang Tianhai nodded, said nothing further, and proceeded upstairs.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, are you in trouble?”

Ye Xuanji asked via telepathy.

If they were acquainted, Jiang Tianhai would not have acted like that.

“No, I can handle it.”

Wang Changsheng replied via telepathy.

“If you need any help, just give me, your old friend, a shout. While my abilities are limited, assisting you won’t be a problem.”

Ye Xuanji said via telepathy.

Wang Changsheng nodded in thanks.

Cultivators continued to arrive, most of them True Immortals, but some Golden Immortals as well.

Wang Changsheng observed that the Sky-Chant Clan cultivators were in a private room on the 48th floor, the Cao Family on the 49th, the Yang Family on the 46th, and the Five Immortal Sect on the 45th. Generally, the private rooms for Golden Immortal cultivators were located on higher floors, while True Immortal cultivators were situated below the 40th floor.

He conservatively estimated that at least five thousand immortals were attending this auction, with no fewer than fifty Golden Immortal cultivators. This was despite the high admission fee; if spirit stones had been accepted as payment, the number of attendees would have been even greater.

More than half an hour later, as the hall grew increasingly crowded with cultivators, Ye Xuanji greeted Wang Changsheng and headed upstairs.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan strolled around the hall for a while before also heading upstairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, they each produced a green token. After injecting immortal power into them, the tokens glowed with dazzling green light, and they instantly vanished.

The next moment, they reappeared in the fifth private room from the left on the thirty-sixth floor.

Two clusters of green light illuminated, revealing the figures of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

It must be said that the Myriad Immortals Commerce Alliance had implemented excellent security measures for the participants.

Since no one saw which private room they entered, they could bid without reservation.

The private room was simply furnished, containing a green jade table and four matching stools. An exquisite tea set rested on the table, and a green formation glowed in the lower-left corner.

A shimmering silver magic mirror was embedded in the wall, displaying the ongoing situation in the main hall.

Wang Ruyan took out tea leaves, brewed some tea, and sipped it while they waited.

Half an hour later, a deafening dragon roar echoed, followed by a pleasant female voice resonating through the hall: “The auction is about to begin. Bidders may now enter their private rooms to participate.”

Most cultivators promptly took out a token, infused it with immortal power, and vanished in a flash of spiritual light.

A small number of cultivators did not enter private rooms, choosing instead to remain in the main hall. These were individuals who did not intend to bid on particularly valuable items; otherwise, they would have entered a private room.

The organizers did not expel them, allowing them to remain in the main hall.

Countless mysterious runes lit up on the hall floor, suddenly coalescing into a colossal bluestone platform several hundred feet wide. A fragrant breeze wafted through, and a beautiful young woman in a red dress descended from the sky, landing gracefully on the platform.

The young woman in the red dress had a voluptuous figure with a deep cleavage, a slender waist, and shapely hips. She possessed the cultivation of a late True Immortal.

“Immortal, are you from the Fox Clan? I believe I've seen you at the Immortal Fragrance Pavilion,” a lecherous-looking old man in a green robe quipped.

“The Immortal Fragrance Pavilion? We have indeed met,” the red-clad young woman replied, her voice sweet. “Do you remember what happened that night, Fellow Daoist?”

Upon hearing this, the green-robed old man’s gaze became entranced, and he began to mutter to himself, “That night, we drank together, and then…”

Before he could finish, a flicker of clarity returned to his eyes, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

“This is the Myriad Immortals Commerce Alliance’s auction hall,” the red-clad young woman said with a smile. “It’s best for everyone to refrain from discussing matters unrelated to the auction. If you wish to reminisce, we can do so at length after the auction concludes.”

The green-robed old man offered an awkward smile, wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, and dared not joke further.

“This humble one is Hu Yao, and I will be hosting this auction,” she announced. “The highest bidder wins. Let the bidding begin now.”

After her introduction, the red-clad young woman produced ten porcelain bottles of various colors. “These are Azure Glow Pills,” she explained. “They are suitable for True Immortal cultivators and are effective in enhancing immortal power. Each pill has been refined with the core of an early-stage True Immortal 1-color Chaos Beast, making their effect quite potent. The starting bid is two early-stage True Immortal 1-color Chaos Beast cores, and each subsequent bid must increase by at least one core.”