Chapter 213: Ghost Market Auction, Soul Search Secret Technique

Wang Yu was certain that when the Purple Gold Merchant Association first established itself in Guiling City, it served as Young Master Jin Lin's intelligence network. It might also have had some connection with Qian Zhong back then. Now that True Master Qing Yang had secretly subdued it, this vast and complex conspiracy had completely fallen into Wang Yu's hands.

He noticed that both the Sword Sect's Emissary, Chang Xi, and Jin Lin, the successor candidate of Jinman Tower, seemed to enjoy orchestrating complex plans. These plans were intricate and complex, and although the final returns were considerable, it was difficult to ensure everything developed according to plan if one's strength was insufficient. This controlling nature and arrogance truly reflected their privileged backgrounds – so incredibly audacious!

“City Lord,” True Master Qing Yang cautioned, “this Ghost Market auction has many participants at the Core Formation and even Nascent Soul stages. It's best for cultivators as weak as us to refrain from bidding.”

“I understand.”

Qing Yang’s warning was not without reason. Wang, ever mindful of risks, naturally wouldn't naively believe that the Yanluo Ghost Market’s rules were absolute. Besides, he had no money now, so he couldn’t buy anything too high-end. Most third-tier spiritual items had controllable risks. As for fourth-tier items, even if he had spirit stones, he wouldn't bid. Still, as he’d said before, he came this time to broaden his horizons and, incidentally, to turn Jin Lin's calculations against him. He really wanted to see the astonished expression on his enemy's face after their scheme was thwarted.

The two walked all the way to the tall tower in the center of the Ghost Market. After passing through a dark curtain that rippled like water, their surroundings suddenly brightened. They appeared in a spacious private box, with a transparent barrier like a floor-to-ceiling window in front of them, and black, square blocks all around. These were likely private boxes similar to theirs, totaling thirty-two levels from bottom to top. Wang Yu and his companion were on the eighth level, and directly below them was a floating jade platform. At this moment, the platform above was empty, and the entire tower-like auction hall was silent, as if only the two of them were there.

Just then, a surge of ghostly mist boiled up from the ground, and a beautiful female ghost, pale all over and wearing an exquisitely tailored maid’s dress with a slit, emerged from beneath the earth. Her eyes flowed with bloody tears, yet her demeanor was exceptionally respectful.

“Distinguished guests, the 136th Nascent Soul-level auction of the Yanluo Ghost Market will begin in half an hour. Here is the list of items available for your advance viewing. Once the auction officially begins, your servant will assist you with bid relay and item delivery arrangements. So—until then!”

The female ghost then sank back into the ground. Wang Yu and Qing Yang exchanged glances; the Ghost Market's auction was indeed discreet. After examining the auction list, as expected, it contained information only on extremely rare second-tier spiritual items and most third-tier spiritual items. They did not have advance access to information regarding fourth-tier spiritual items. Even so, seeing the list of over sixteen hundred rare spiritual items, Wang Yu was astonished. Just one Ghost Market possessed such a formidable collecting capability. He couldn't even begin to imagine how abundant the resources of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect were.

“Outside is where opportunities lie for someone like me, a grassroots cultivator. The class stratification within sects is absolute; Deacon Xu's pill shop serves as a cautionary tale, like a lamb awaiting slaughter, unable to offend anyone.”

Wang Yu was inwardly vigilant. Half an hour of free time wasn't too long, so he quietly recited the Prajna Heart Sutra to cultivate his mind as time slowly elapsed.

“Dong—”

Under the watchful gaze of the multitude, two black-robed figures suddenly appeared on the empty floating jade platform. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful, and they brazenly released their auras.

Peak Sixth-Layer Nascent Soul!

Just a step away from being Great Cultivators of the late stage, these were indeed the powerful beings, Yanluo and Yanfu. Nascent Soul cultivators active in the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain were mostly early-stage cultivators (first to third layers). Mid-stage cultivators were already considered formidable, and late-stage cultivators were invincible Great Cultivators. The fact that these two could carve out a niche for themselves on the border of two major hegemons truly demonstrated their prowess. Observing the harmony of their auras, they likely cultivated a joint attack technique from the same source. Their deterrent power, stemming from their strength, was thus further elevated!

“Esteemed guests, without further ado, the 136th auction officially begins. This first item will be personally overseen by myself, Lord Yanluo.”

Spiritual light flickered. Ghost Lord Yanluo hurled an item into mid-air. Its ethereal and enticing spiritual energy clearly indicated it was a treasure, which indeed it was.

“This item is called Thunder Extreme Treasure Liquid, a third-tier lightning-attribute Core Formation spiritual item. It was obtained from a true disciple of the Thunderfire Monastery in the Taihu Spirit Domain. The starting bid is one million spirit stones.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu was slightly astonished. Ghost Lord Yanluo’s implication was clear: this item was obtained by killing a true disciple of the Thunderfire Monastery. Those unafraid of retribution should bid; only peak Foundation Establishment cultivators typically needed such a treasure. However, some might purchase it for their descendants. He expected at least a period of silence, but bids quickly followed, announced by Lady Yanfu at her side.

“One point three million.”“One point six million.”“Two point three million!”“Two point four million…”

The price soared rapidly. This was clearly not an ordinary high-grade item; it was already close to the level of a Self-Renewing Treasure Branch, differing only in its lack of regenerative properties. Ultimately, the item was sold for a high price of four million spirit stones. No one knew which private box had made the winning bid.

After enthusiastically auctioning ten items, the two Ghost Market masters disappeared again, leaving their ghost servants to continue presiding. The two peak third-tier ghost servants were both stunning beauties with impossibly perfect figures and exquisite faces; their presence alone was a stunning sight. However, their figures were a bit too exaggerated, like modified mannequins, creating a sense of disharmony.

Core Formation spiritual items were just the beginning. Next, various rare and exotic treasures emerged one after another: Magical Treasure: Skyflame Blade, Hungry Ghost King's Origin Mark, rare spiritual herb: Ganoderma Horse, pure-blood Flood Dragon Inner Core, ancient incomplete inheritances... The sheer volume and diversity made one feel the trip was truly worthwhile.

It wasn't until another item appeared that Wang Yu's interest was piqued.

“The next item up for bid is an inheritance from the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect, a soul-searching secret art called the Soul-Excavating Evil Boat Curse, with a starting price of two hundred thousand spirit stones.”

Soul-searching secret arts were widely known in Scarlet Kite, with even common versions available. However, their execution came with prerequisites: the practitioner must possess third-tier divine sense. If the target’s divine sense power was too strong during soul-searching, the practitioner would suffer a backlash, resulting in spiritual damage that was exceptionally difficult to recover from. For powerful demonic cultivators, soul-searching secret arts were essential techniques, so acquiring another from an auction held little meaning. Furthermore, those below the Core Formation stage lacked the foundational ability to cast them. For most, it was of limited value. Therefore, the value of the Soul-Excavating Evil Boat Curse lay more in its status as an ancient inheritance. Since few knew it, it naturally possessed unique effects and was more difficult to decipher. That it could fetch two hundred thousand spirit stones naturally had its reasons.

Wang Yu unhesitatingly instructed the ghost maiden at his side to bid. Just two hundred and ten thousand — it was one of the few secret arts he could afford and coincidentally needed. With it, future intelligence gathering would be much simpler. After a relatively mild bidding war, Wang Yu acquired it for two hundred and eighty thousand spirit stones. The ghost maiden immediately retrieved the item and completed the transaction with Wang Yu.

As for the subsequent items, he merely observed. He then immersed himself in the newly acquired Soul-Excavating Evil Boat Curse. This secret art condensed divine sense power into black paper boats, capable of penetrating physical barriers and directly entering a person’s Niwan Palace. Forcible soul-searching! Moreover, it could condense countless evil paper boats within one’s own Niwan Palace to resist invading divine sense power, making it versatile for both offense and defense. Many other soul-searching secret arts could also achieve these functions. Its true value lay in its perfected state: the black paper boats would be able to penetrate divine sense restrictions and forcibly probe memories.

“Perfection…” he mused.

Techniques involving divine sense always prioritized innate talent, making them more challenging to perfect than regular techniques. For an ordinary person, achieving mastery might take most of their lifetime. For Wang Yu, however, it was perfectly suitable; he enjoyed high-difficulty challenges.

Placement Slot 6: Soul-Excavating Evil Boat CurseSoul-Excavating Evil Boat Curse (0/100): Ninety-six practices per day, forty years to achieve perfection.

“That’s manageable,” he thought.

After a brief trial, when the placement slot became active and Wang Yu received the first feedback, the divine sense power in his Niwan Palace automatically began to circulate. They began to condense into the form of black paper boats, but unfortunately, the process failed when it was one-fifth complete. The divine sense power dispersed, returning to its original calm state. While waiting for the next feedback from the placement slot, he simultaneously gained many thoughts and insights from his contemplation and understanding of the Soul-Excavating Evil Boat Curse. The placement slot truly was extraordinary.

Inside the hall, the quality of the items continued to rise, and soon they were beyond Wang Yu’s reach. When the first fourth-tier spiritual item appeared, the bidding frequency and price jumps significantly accelerated.

“A top-grade Fourth-Tier Magical Treasure, the Blood Skull Demonic Sword, for fifty supreme-grade spirit stones!”

As soon as this bid appeared, everyone fell silent. Supreme-grade spirit stones could not be forged by hand; they were the most refined spiritual energy condensations in existence, possessing powerful regenerative abilities. Even if all their energy was fully absorbed, placing them in a spiritual vein for a century would restore them to their complete state. With special methods or the aid of formations, this recovery time could be greatly accelerated. Supreme-grade spirit stones were fundamental for Nascent Soul cultivators to advance their cultivation, and also constituted one of the foundational assets of hegemonic powers, almost never put up for sale. Fifty pieces was no small sum, but exchanging them for a Nascent Soul-tier, top-grade magical treasure was not a bad deal.

The Blood Skull Demonic Sword brought about a climax in the bidding. The following main attraction was even more remarkable: a top-grade Nascent Condensing Pill, capable of increasing a peak Core Formation cultivator's chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage by fifty percent! Also from the Taihu Spirit Domain, it was the asset of some unfortunate soul. It sold for three million high-grade spirit stones, plus ten supreme-grade spirit stones.

The very last item, the grand finale, was equally astonishing. From the era of the ancient Immortal Dynasty, a fragmented Divine Transformation stage inheritance of the Poison Dao. It contained a complete cultivation method, but lacked all associated magical treasures, divine abilities, secret arts, and poison formulas. While other types of inheritances might still be useful, a Poison Dao inheritance without its auxiliary methods was useless with just the cultivation technique. Therefore, it was sold only as a Nascent Soul-tier treasure. It also sold for a sky-high price: two hundred supreme-grade spirit stones!