50: Auction Storm and the Battle for Spiritual Jade

The next morning, the auction hall on the third floor of Wanbao Pavilion was bustling with people.

Cultivators from all over the Central Region gathered here, including Disciples from various Sects, powerful Loose Cultivators, and even representatives from some Hidden Families. Everyone's gaze was focused on the auction stage, anticipating the final 'unusual treasure'.

Liu Shan and Liu Zhi sat in Sky-Rank Private Room Number Three. Mo Chu's spiritual body had recovered somewhat and was currently perched on Liu Shan's shoulder, using Spirit Vision to observe the surrounding Cultivators—there were at least five Golden Core Stage Cultivators in the hall, all with extremely powerful auras.

"Father, so manyExpert," Liu Zhi whispered, a little nervous.

"Just stay calm," Liu Shan comforted him. "Our only goal is the Spirit Marrow Jade. Everything else is irrelevant to us."

The auction soon began.

The first item was a thousand-year-old Spiritual Plant, 'Purple Heart Orchid,' with a starting bid of five thousand Spirit Stones. It was quickly bought by an Alchemist for ten thousand Spirit Stones.

The subsequent items were diverse, including Yao Beast inner cores, ancient Incomplete Manuals, and high-grade Magic Treasures. Each item sparked fierce competition, and prices soared.

Liu Shan and Liu Zhi merely watched quietly, not participating in any bidding—their Spirit Stones were limited, and they had to save them for the Spirit Marrow Jade.

"The next item is a 'Void-Breaking Talisman,' capable of instantly teleporting a thousand li, allowing one to escape pursuit from Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage!" The auctioneer's voice was filled with excitement. "Starting bid: fifty thousand Spirit Stones!"

"Fifty thousand!"

"Sixty thousand!"

"Eighty thousand!"

The Void-Breaking Talisman ignited even more intense bidding and was ultimately purchased by a black-robed Cultivator for one hundred twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

Liu Shan's eyes flickered slightly—the aura of this black-robed Cultivator was somewhat similar to that of the Netherworld Sect.

"Father, it's someone from the Netherworld Sect," Liu Zhi also recognized him and whispered.

"Mm." Liu Shan nodded, becoming even more vigilant in his heart—the Netherworld Sect had also arrived, indicating that the competition for the Spirit Marrow Jade would be even more intense than imagined.

As time passed, the auction gradually reached its climax.

"The next item is one of our main attractions tonight—the 'Spirit Marrow Jade'!"

The auctioneer's voice rang out, and a jade plate was brought up. On the plate lay a fist-sized, milky-white jade stone, emitting a soft glow. Strands of Spiritual Qi, as if solid, nourished the surrounding air.

"Spirit Marrow Jade!"

The hall instantly erupted!

"Legend has it that Spirit Marrow Jade can cleanse meridians, purify the body, and nourish the spiritual body. It's a supreme treasure for Cultivation!"

"I must have it!"

Liu Shan's gaze also became fervent—the aura emitted by the Spirit Marrow Jade caused Mo Chu's spiritual body on his shoulder to excitedly sway, clearly indicating its immense benefit for the spiritual body's recovery!

"Spirit Marrow Jade, starting bid: five hundred thousand Spirit Stones!" the auctioneer shouted.

"Five hundred thousand!" Someone immediately bid.

"Six hundred thousand!"

"Eight hundred thousand!"

The price soared like a rocket, quickly breaking through one million Spirit Stones!

Liu Shan did not rush to bid; he was waiting for the right moment—the true competitors had not yet made their move.

Sure enough, when the price reached one million five hundred thousand, a cold voice rang out: "Two million!"

The speaker was the Cultivator in Sky-Rank Private Room Number One, the same black-robed Cultivator who had previously bought the Void-Breaking Talisman, clearly a member of the Netherworld Sect.

Two million Spirit Stones caused many Cultivators to gasp, and they all gave up on competing.

"Two million one hundred thousand!" An aged voice came from Sky-Rank Private Room Number Two, belonging to someone from Danwang Valley.

"Two million five hundred thousand!" The black-robed Cultivator unhesitatingly raised the price.

"Two million six hundred thousand!" The person from Danwang Valley pressed on relentlessly.

The competition between the two major forces made the atmosphere tense.

The price quickly surpassed three million Spirit Stones!

The Danwang Valley Cultivator in Sky-Rank Private Room Number Two fell silent—three million Spirit Stones had already exceeded their budget.

The black-robed Cultivator chuckled triumphantly: "Is anyone else bidding? If not, this Spirit Marrow Jade is mine!"

The hall was silent. No one had expected a piece of Spirit Marrow Jade to fetch such a high price of three million.

"Four million!"

Just as the auctioneer was about to strike the gavel, a calm voice came from Private Room Number Three.

The entire audience was in an uproar!

Four million Spirit Stones! This was already an exorbitant price!

Everyone's gaze focused on Sky-Rank Private Room Number Three, curious as to who was inside to be so wealthy.

The black-robed Cultivator's face instantly darkened: "Friend in Private Room Number Four, do you dare to snatch something from my Netherworld Sect?"

"The highest bidder wins. Does it matter who I'm snatching from?" Liu Shan responded indifferently.

"Good! Very good!" The black-robed Cultivator laughed in anger. "Five million!"

He directly added one million, clearly intending to crush Liu Shan with money!

Liu Zhi nervously looked at Liu Shan—their entire savings, plus what they had confiscated from Blood Wushang, only amounted to four million five hundred thousand Spirit Stones, which was not enough!

Liu Shan, however, was unusually calm. He took out a blood-colored jade pendant he had obtained from Blood Wushang and said to the auctioneer, "This is the 'Blood Fiend Token' from the Blood Fiend Sect. It can mobilize a Blood Fiend Sect mine in the Central Region for three months, worth at least five million Spirit Stones. Adding the previous four million, that's a total of nine million. Is that enough?"

Blood Fiend Token!

The entire audience was again in an uproar!

The Blood Fiend Sect's mine! Three months of mining rights! Its value far exceeded five million Spirit Stones!

The black-robed Cultivator's face became extremely ugly—although he was from the Netherworld Sect, coming up with nine million Spirit Stones at once would almost empty his coffers!

"You..." The black-robed Cultivator was too angry to speak.

The auctioneer's face was flushed with excitement: "Nine million! The Senior in Private Room Number Three has bid nine million! Is anyone else bidding?"

The hall was silent; no one dared to raise the price again.

"Nine million, first call!"

"Nine million, second call!"

"Nine million, third call! Sold!"

The auction gavel fell, and the Spirit Marrow Jade belonged to Liu Shan!

Liu Shan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Liu Zhi: "It's done."

Liu Zhi only then reacted, excitedly saying, "Father, you're amazing! You even used the Blood Fiend Token!"

"I had no choice," Liu Shan said with a wry smile—this was a last resort; for Mo Chu, he could only reluctantly part with it.

Soon, the Spirit Marrow Jade was delivered to the private room.

Liu Shan eagerly took out the Spirit Marrow Jade and injected Spiritual Qi into it.

The milky-white jade stone instantly erupted with a soft glow, and strands of Spiritual Qi, like sweet dew, surged into Mo Chu's spiritual body!

Mo Chu's spiritual body let out a comfortable cry, and its body solidified at a visible speed. Its translucent body gradually gained a solid texture, and the golden horn on its forehead became even more brilliant!

"It's working! It's really working!" Liu Shan said excitedly.

Liu Zhi also smiled: "That's great! Mo Chu will recover very soon!"

Just then, the private room door was pushed open, and Tang Yuan walked in, smiling as he said, "Fellow Daoist Liu truly has courage. Bidding nine million for the Spirit Marrow Jade is truly a grand gesture."

"Lord Tang, you flatter me. It was a last resort," Liu Shan said with a smile.

"Spirit Marrow Jade and a spiritual body complement each other well." Tang Yuan looked at Mo Chu's spiritual body, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then said, "You still remember what we discussed before, right?"

Liu Shan knew he was referring to the cloud cauldron order and nodded: "Of course I remember. Lord Tang, please observe."

He took out the cloud cauldron order and handed it to Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan took the cloud cauldron order and carefully examined it, a complex light flashing in his eyes—surprise, nostalgia, and a hint of imperceptible excitement.

After an incense stick's worth of time, he returned the cloud cauldron order to Liu Shan, sighing, "It truly is a Legacy item of the Yun Ding Sect, living up to its reputation."

He took out a black Talisman and handed it to Liu Shan: "This is a Concealment Talisman. Fellow Daoist, keep it safe. As for the Blood Fiend Sect, this old man will help you fend them off for a while, but only for a while. Ultimately, you will have to rely on yourself."

"Thank you, Lord Tang." Liu Shan took the Concealment Talisman and carefully put it away.

Tang Yuan spoke a few more interesting anecdotes about the Central Region, then stood up to take his leave.

Watching Tang Yuan's departing back, Liu Shan's brows furrowed—the excitement in Tang Yuan's eyes when he observed the cloud cauldron order earlier was definitely not fake. There was likely an unknown connection between him and the Yun Ding Sect.

"Father, what's wrong?" Liu Zhi asked.

"Nothing." Liu Shan shook his head. "We need to leave Wanbao Pavilion as soon as possible. The people from the Blood Fiend Sect and the Netherworld Sect probably won't let this go."

He put away the Spirit Marrow Jade. Mo Chu's spiritual body had already recovered seventy percent. Although it still couldn't leave the scales for a long time, it could already clearly transmit its thoughts.

"Let's go."

Liu Shan and Liu Zhi changed into ordinary clothes and, under the cover of Wanbao Pavilion's guards, left Wanbao Pavilion through the back door, heading towards Danwang Valley.

They had to quickly obtain the third soul gathering lamp fragment and then figure out how to deal with the Blood Fiend Sect's retaliation.

Outside Wanbao Pavilion, in a dark corner, the black-robed Cultivator looked in the direction Liu Shan had left, a hint of venom flashing in his eyes. He took out a communication Talisman and whispered, "Sect Master, I've found Liu Shan. He's heading towards Danwang Valley..."

A new chase quietly unfolded on the lands of the Central Region.

Liu Shan did not know that his whereabouts had been exposed.

He only knew that he had to help Mo Chu recover as quickly as possible and become stronger as quickly as possible.

Because the challenges in the Central Region were far more perilous than he had imagined.

He clutched the black scale on his chest. There, Mo Chu's spiritual body was quietly absorbing the power of the Spirit Marrow Jade, awaiting the day of its complete awakening.