73: Chapter 73 The Auction Begins

The underground auction began very quickly.

Rare Spiritual Plants and Tier-2 Magical Artifacts, which were rarely seen in the outside world, were brought onto the display stand one after another, driving the Cultivators off the stage into a frenzy of bidding.

Qi Yang leaned against the back of his chair, motionless like a clay sculpture.

Although these items were not bad, with the black gourd in his hand, he didn't look down on those ordinary Spirit Medicines at all.

His gaze casually swept across the surroundings, and his powerful perception silently figured out the situation of the entire venue completely.

In addition to a large number of Loose Cultivators dressed in various ways, Qi Yang also noticed that some Sect Cultivators with formidable auras were sitting in several VIP private rooms on the second floor.

Inside one of the private rooms sat several Cultivators wearing cyan feather robes, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations on their bodies carried a nimble and sharp wind-type trait.

"People from the Qingyu Sect?"

The gaze under Qi Yang's bamboo hat flickered slightly.

The Qingyu Sect was a Righteous Path Sect on par with the Xuantian Sect.

Although the two Sects appeared to be branches of the same family on the surface and affectionately called each other Fellow Daoist at every turn, secretly they didn't hold back in stabbing each other in the back and playing dirty to vie for spiritual mines and resources.

When Disciples of the Xuantian Sect gained experience outside, what they guarded against the most wasn't demonic Cultivators, but often this bunch of Righteous Path fellow practitioners wearing cyan feather robes.

Several hours passed, and the auction finally entered its final stages.

"Fellow Daoists, next is one of the finale auction items of our current auction!"

On the auction stage, a pot-bellied old man at the Qi Condensation 12th Layer smilingly lifted the red cloth on a tray.

Placed on the tray was an ancient Jade Slip, along with three sections of lifeless black withered wood that were as shriveled as firewood sticks.

"The Puppet Arts residual chapter, scapegoat paper doll! And the top-grade Materials needed to refine the paper doll, spirit-guiding yin wood!"

The old man's voice echoed within the venue.

"I presume this old man doesn't need to elaborate much on the efficacy of the scapegoat paper doll. As long as the refinement is successful, it can fend off a fatal attack for the master! Everyone should understand the value of an extra life!"

However, the Cultivators off the stage had a lukewarm reaction, and even waves of jeers broke out.

"Old man, stop trying to hoodwink people! Who doesn't know that a residual chapter is simply impossible to practice? Missing the core array patterns, buying it back will just be a decoration!"

"That is! And those few sections of spirit-guiding yin wood, their Spiritual Qi has completely dissipated, and they are as shriveled as dry firewood. Even if an Artifact Refining Great Master came, they wouldn't be able to refine a damn thing out of it!"

Even when exposed, the old man wasn't embarrassed at all, and still said smilingly, "Residual chapters naturally have their own Opportunity, and although this spirit-guiding yin wood has lost its vitality, the Materials are still there. The starting price is three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Each bid increase must not be less than one hundred!"

The venue was dead silent; absolutely no one was willing to spend three thousand Spirit Stones to buy a bunch of waste.

But Qi Yang, sitting in the corner, felt his heart beat wildly out of control!

Others disdained the residual chapter for being difficult to practice and disliked the yin wood for lacking vitality, but what was there for him, Qi Yang, to fear? He had the mysterious black gourd!

As long as a shred of the Material remained, the green liquid of the black gourd could bring the withered wood back to life and accelerate the growth of top-grade spirit-guiding yin wood of sufficient age!

As for the residual chapter, he had plenty of time to slowly deduce and make trial-and-error corrections in his secret room!

"Three thousand one hundred Spirit Stones."

Qi Yang lowered his voice and raised the black wooden plaque in his hand.

The hoarse voice appeared exceptionally abrupt in the quiet venue.

The crowd turned their heads one after another to look at the gray-robed figure in the corner, their eyes carrying the mockery of looking at a sucker.

In the Qingyu Sect's private room on the second floor, a Deacon with a gloomy and stern expression, whose cultivation had reached the Peak of the Qi Condensation 11th Layer, was boredly sipping spiritual tea.

Hearing someone place a bid, his brows raised slightly.

"A Loose Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer actually dares to spend over three thousand Spirit Stones to buy a pile of junk?"

A trace of greed and suspicion flashed through the eyes of the Qingyu Sect Deacon.

"Could there really be some profound mystery in that residual chapter? Or is this old fellow a hidden, wealthy fat sheep?"

"Four thousand Spirit Stones!"

The Qingyu Sect Deacon sneered and directly shouted out a high price from inside the private room.

He wanted to see just how much this Loose Cultivator wanted this thing.

Qi Yang furrowed his brows and inwardly cursed a meddlesome busybody.

But he didn't hesitate at all and raised his plaque once more.

"Five thousand Spirit Stones."

"Six thousand!"

The Qingyu Sect Deacon pursued closely.

"Eight thousand Spirit Stones!"

Qi Yang's voice didn't fluctuate in the slightest, as if what was being thrown out weren't Spirit Stones, but a pile of rocks.

Eight thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

This was almost the entire net worth of an ordinary Qi Condensation 9th Layer Cultivator!

Gasps of astonishment instantly rang out within the venue.

The Qingyu Sect Deacon's expression sank. Although he was at the Qi Condensation 11th Layer, eight thousand Spirit Stones was not a small amount either; buying a pile of residual chapters of uncertain value was truly not cost-effective.

"Hmph, I'll let you old thing keep it for this seat first. Once we leave the market town, even your Storage Pouch will be mine!"

Murderous intent burst forth in the Qingyu Sect Deacon's eyes, and he sneeringly stopped bidding.

In the end, Qi Yang successfully secured the scapegoat paper doll residual chapter and those sections of spirit-guiding yin wood at the high price of eight thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

After completing the transaction for the Spirit Stones, Qi Yang put the items into his Storage Pouch and turned to leave the underground auction house without any hesitation.

As soon as he walked out of the market town's gates, Qi Yang's perception detected that a cold perception like a venomous snake was locked tightly onto his back.

"Qi Condensation 11th Layer? It seems to be that Righteous Path high Disciple of the Qingyu Sect from the private room just now."

Qi Yang grinned under his bamboo hat, his smile revealing a hint of grimness.

"Robbing things right onto this lord's head? Truly thinking this lord is a fat sheep to be slaughtered at will?"

Qi Yang didn't choose to immediately use the divine mobility talisman to escape back in the direction of the Xuantian Sect; instead, he deliberately changed direction, followed a secluded path, and plunged headfirst into an uninhabited miasma swamp a hundred miles away from the market town.

Inside the miasma swamp, the grayish-green poisonous mist rolled like substance.

The air was permeated with a nauseating smell of decay, and beneath his feet was a bottomless black mire; a moment of carelessness would result in being swallowed without a trace of bones left.

When ordinary Cultivators arrived here, they had to constantly prop up their Protective Aura to resist the erosion of the poisonous miasma, consuming a massive amount of spiritual power.

But for Qi Yang, this was simply his most perfect hunting ground.

The Five Poisons Nourishing Spirit Art within his body automatically circulated, continuously converting the surrounding poisonous miasma into pure Poison Wood Spiritual Power.

Qi Yang stopped his footsteps in a relatively solid clearing.

He turned around, looking at the rolling poisonous mist behind him, his voice hoarse and calm.

"You've followed all the way here, still not going to show yourself? A Righteous Path high Disciple of the Qingyu Sect, engaging in such acts of murder and goods plundering, aren't you afraid of dirtying that cyan skin of yours?"

"Jie jie jie... Old fellow, your perception is quite acute indeed."

Accompanied by a burst of chilling, strange laughter, the poisonous mist ahead was forcibly torn apart by a fierce gale.

That Deacon at the Qi Condensation 11th Layer from the Qingyu Sect swaggered out.

He had already torn off that sanctimonious disguise from the market town, his face full of unmasked greed and ferocity.

"Since you've seen through my identity, then obediently hand over your Storage Pouch. Seeing that you rendered meritorious service in delivering treasures, I can show great mercy and leave your corpse intact."

The Qingyu Sect Deacon looked down at Qi Yang from on high, just like looking at an ant that could be crushed to death at will.

A Loose Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer, before a master like him at the Peak of the Qi Condensation 11th Layer, didn't even have the qualification to escape.

Qi Yang raised his head. There was no fear whatsoever on the old face beneath his bamboo hat, but instead a mocking sneer appeared.

"Hypocrites of a Righteous Path Sect, you really have a whole set of grand words when bragging. Want my Storage Pouch? Come and take it yourself if you have the ability."

"Courting death!"

The Qingyu Sect Deacon was furious.

He stopped talking nonsense and abruptly pinched out a sword formula with his right hand.

Clang!

A Tier-1 superior-grade Magical Artifact Qingfeng Sword flashing with cyan spiritual light roared out from his sleeve!

The thick spiritual power of the Qi Condensation 11th Layer was infused into it, and the sword body suddenly swelled to a zhang in length, carrying a piercing whistle that tore through the air as it fiercely slashed down toward Qi Yang's head!

This sword strike possessed immense power, and the surrounding miasma was forced back by dozens of zhang by the terrifying sword pressure!