430: Eight Star Auction

The Xuanhuang Merchant Guild's gate was a thousand zhang tall, with ancient runes of the characters 'Xuan' and 'Huang' carved on it, emitting a faint golden light.

In front of the gate, two colossal stone statues stood: one a coiling True Dragon, the other a Phoenix with spread wings, both lifelike, as if they could awaken at any moment.

These two stone statues were no ordinary statues; they were imbued with Puppet techniques, capable of unleashing the combat power of a Half-Step Dao Lord.

At this moment, within a magnificent palace at the center of the Merchant Guild, a group of high-ranking Elders were holding a meeting.

The palace was resplendent, its walls inlaid with countless precious gems, each emitting a soft glow that illuminated the entire palace as if it were daytime.

Around a massive round table in the center of the palace sat twenty-eight powerful Cultivators, each exuding an aura of a Dao Lord Peak or higher.

The person at the head of the table was none other than Xu Song; his cultivation was restrained, yet the aura he unconsciously emitted was enough that even a Dao Lord Perfection Cultivator would not dare to ignore him.

There were three individuals whose aura reached Half-Step Dao Lord, these were the three Division Masters: Xu Changyun, Lan Yuangang, and Qi Wude.

Xu Changyun was transferred by Xu Song from the Internal Affairs Hall and was now the Master of the Commerce Division; Lan Yuangang was the Master of the Supervision Division; and Qi Wude was the Master of the Law Enforcement Division.

The Master of the Law Enforcement Hall was responsible for dealing with enemies, and he did not usually need to be stationed at the Merchant Guild, so Qi Wude was given a nominal position.

Over a hundred years, the three had already become Half-Step Dao Lords; after all, this group of people were among the first ten who followed Xu Qing, and their loyalty was beyond doubt.

The remaining twenty-four Cultivators were composed of the Xu Family's Earth-Seat Elders; to become Heaven-Seat Elders, they needed to achieve great merits, and the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild was the place to earn such merits.

Among these Elders, six were Dao Lord Perfection; eighteen were Dao Lord Peak, of which four were Xuanhuang Division Elders; five were Commerce Division Elders; six were Supervision Division Elders; and nine were Law Enforcement Division Elders.

"Everyone, a hundred years have passed. Although our Xuanhuang Merchant Guild has established a foothold in the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory, there is still a long way to go before we completely control this Dao Domain."

Xu Song spoke slowly, his voice deep and powerful, as if every word carried significant weight.

He wore a dark robe, his brows conveying authority, and his gaze, sharp as a torch, swept over every high-ranking Elder present.

"Hall Master! If it's just about setting up branch guilds, I estimate it will only take three years to complete the establishment of the remaining eight hundred-plus third-Rank branch guilds!"

Xu Changyun quickly stood up, his tone filled with urgency and confidence.

"I'm not worried about setting up third-Rank branch guilds! My concern lies with the six first-Rank branch guilds!"

Xu Song, however, shook his head, his gaze solemn: "Currently, we have only established six first-Rank branch guilds in the six adjacent Dao Domains, but the development of these branch guilds has not been smooth."

His voice was low, tinged with helplessness and worry, as his fingers gently tapped the table, making a soft sound.

"Hall Master, this matter is indeed tricky."

The Elder in charge of the Internal Affairs Pavilion frowned, saying, "The surrounding six Dao Domains are also among the top 150 Dao Domains in the Human Territory, and all possess Immortal Overlords."

"In such Dao Domains, there are many powerful individuals and numerous merchant guilds. As outsiders, although we have some reputation in the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory, everyone knows the situation of the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory, and those powers will naturally not recognize us!"

Xu Song nodded, his gaze profound, and slowly said, "You are right. Ultimately, the reputation of our Xuanhuang Merchant Guild is only useful within the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory. Therefore, next, we need to make a name for our Xuanhuang Merchant Guild!"

His tone carried a hint of determination.

"Hall Master, do you have an idea?"

Seeing this, Xu Changyun couldn't help but ask, a glimmer of expectation flashing in his eyes.

Xu Song smiled slightly, a glint of brilliance in his eyes: "I intend to organize an Eight-Star Auction!"

"Eight-Star Auction?"

Xu Changyun and the others were startled, their eyes wide, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

The Xuanhuang Merchant Guild's auction levels are divided into nine stars. Auctions above seven stars can only be organized by the headquarters and first-Rank branch guilds.

A Seven-Star Auction is held once every epoch, featuring three hundred items, with the lowest being Half-Step Immortal objects, and among the ten finale items, one must be an Immortal object.

An Eight-Star Auction is held once every ten epochs, with three hundred items prepared each time. The lowest item is a Half-Step Immortal object, and all ten finale items are Immortal objects, with the highest possibly being a Medium Grade Immortal object.

A Nine-Star Auction is held once every hundred epochs, with one hundred items prepared each time. Although the quantity of items is fewer, all items are Immortal objects, with the lowest finale item being a Medium Grade Immortal object, and one of them must be a High Grade Immortal object.

Now that Xu Song wanted to host an Eight-Star Auction, he would need to prepare ten Immortal objects. Such a feat is simply beyond ordinary powers.

After all, this Eight-Star Auction is held once every ten epochs, and a hundred epochs is only 1.296 million years.

Within such a short period, to gather ten Immortal objects, perhaps those giant-level Supreme Powers could do it, but over a longer period, even overlord-level Supreme Powers would find it difficult to sustain.

However, the benefits were also clear: if the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild hosted an Eight-Star Auction, on one hand, it could attract powerful Cultivators and establish the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild's reputation; on the other hand, it could also display the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild's foundation, making ordinary Supreme Powers wary.

Xu Changyun immediately agreed, a flicker of excitement in his eyes: "Hall Master, this is feasible! If we put ten Immortal objects up for auction, not to mention the six Dao Domains, even powers from more distant Dao Domains will rush here!"

Lan Yuangang and the others also nodded in agreement.

"It's just that Half-Step Immortal objects are easy to find, but these Immortal objects..."

Qi Wude hesitated, his brows tightly furrowed, clearly worried about the matter.

"I have my own way for this!" Xu Song waved his hand and laughed, his tone confident and composed, "These are the ten Immortal objects I had planned earlier!"

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and several lists appeared before Xu Changyun and the others. Each list emitted a faint glow, as if containing some Dao charm.

"This is... heavenly star dragon marrow!"

Xu Changyun exclaimed, his voice trembling slightly, clearly shocked by the treasure on the list.

"What?"

Everyone was surprised and gathered closer to examine the list carefully, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.

heavenly star dragon marrow, according to legend, is formed when a True Dragon of the Dao Lord Realm perishes, and its bone marrow absorbs the essence of stars, evolving over millions of years. It resembles amber, contains starlight, and emits a majestic Dragon might.

It can cleanse marrow and refine bones, improve Cultivation Aptitude, and further strengthen the Physical Body, making it a supreme treasure for Body Refining Cultivators.

Influenced by the Human Emperor Shi, many members of the Human Race Cultivate in Body Refining, but Body Refining materials are scarce, especially Immortal objects.

This heavenly star dragon marrow comes in million-year, ten-million-year, and hundred-million-year varieties. The one Xu Song produced was the million-year variety, which, although a Low Grade Immortal object, was considered Peerless Grade among Low Grade items.

After all, True Dragons are inherently rare, and True Dragons of the Dao Lord Realm are even higher-ranking members of the Dragon Clan. Few dare to hunt Dragon Clan members of such a Realm, and for such a True Dragon to form heavenly star dragon marrow after perishing is one in ten thousand.

Just this one auction item alone could attract many Dao Lords specializing in Body Refining.

What's more, this list also included three Medium Grade Immortal objects, one Medium Grade Chaotic Spirit Treasure, and two Medium Grade Immortal Dao techniques, which would be enough to attract Immortal Cultivators of the Dao Lord Middle Stage, or even Dao Lord Late Stage.