42: Chapter 0042 Talisman Treasure

"H-How much?"

"Twelve thousand? Is this crazy?"

"Who is shouting prices blindly! Do they even know what an auction is?!"

Private Room Number One.

Inside was a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

The woman was Li Xuaner, who had been kicked out by Gu Huan. The man was a newly advanced Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Yin Hall, wearing a high-collared black robe. His features were feminine, and his forehead was tinged with a dark hue as he frowned secretly at Private Room Number Thirteen.

"What a novel way of bidding."

"Hmph, he's just putting on an act. I doubt he can even produce fifty Spirit Stones."

Li Xuaner had a look of disgust.

What flashed through her mind, however, was the image of being kicked off the bed by Gu Huan.

"Xuaner knows this person?"

Yang Zhanzhou curled his thin lips and pulled the woman into his arms, his large hand unceremoniously wandering.

Li Xuaner arched her back and shrank back, rolling her eyes with a shy expression.

"That hurts, be more gentle."

"That person is just showing off to disrupt the auction's order. Young Master, hurry and kick him out."

"No rush, let's see what happens next." Yang Zhanzhou didn't listen to Li Xuaner; instead, he used both hands to tease her, making her lean back and forth with laughter.

Gu Huan's bid sparked dissatisfaction among the crowd.

Luo Yao was also stunned for a moment before reacting, immediately calming the crowd.

"The auction is a serious matter. I hope the Fellow Daoist in Private Room Thirteen isn't making trouble. If you bid recklessly and cannot produce the corresponding Spirit Stones, the consequences will be severe."

Luo Yao wasn't threatening him.

He was reminding him.

"Whether I can produce them is my business. Whether they follow is theirs. You only need to be responsible for striking the gavel."

"This Fellow Daoist has such a powerful presence. I, Yang Zhanzhou, admire such people the most. Twelve thousand Spirit Stones is his bid. Are you all going to follow?"

The Ghost Mist Market was backed by the Yin Hall.

Yang Zhanzhou's words carried great weight.

As soon as he spoke, Luo Yao silently picked up his gavel, and the crowd suddenly fell silent.

This bid exceeded the average price of a foundation establishment pill; competing with it would require even more Spirit Stones.

Not only that.

This person had a powerful presence and a firm attitude, clearly coming prepared. There was no need to fight to the death over the first foundation establishment pill; they could wait patiently for the second.

The scene was silent as a grave.

Only Luo Yao shouted excitedly, "Sold! Congratulations to the Fellow Daoist in Private Room Thirteen for obtaining the first foundation establishment pill."

After a short while.

A pretty maid entered the room and delivered a token with the number eleven on the front, representing the eleventh auction item. She instructed Gu Huan to wait until the auction ended and the transaction was successfully completed before he could leave through the teleportation array.

Gu Huan nodded.

He saw the maid out.

The auction continued. The twelfth item was the second foundation establishment pill.

The bidding for the second pill was more lively than the first, with intense competition and voices rising and falling.

"Eight thousand!"

"Eight thousand five hundred!"

"Nine thousand!"

Even as the price rose, the number of bidders did not decrease, their faces turning red from the heated contest.

After all, this was the last foundation establishment pill. If they missed it, they didn't know how long they would have to wait.

Private Room Number Eighteen.

Wang Sanshun and the Scarred Man did not participate in the bidding, looking on like they were watching a good show.

The former was at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, and the latter was at the eleventh. They should have been bidding with all their might for the foundation establishment pill to achieve Foundation Establishment, but they weren't worried at all, as if they were confident they could reach Foundation Establishment at any time.

"A bunch of idiots. Better to just rob them than spend Spirit Stones on an auction," the Scarred Man said contemptuously.

"Idiot, do you think they don't know that? They just lack the opportunity, unlike us who have already locked onto a big fish—a big fish with a foundation establishment pill in its belly, no less."

Wang Sanshun's eyes sparkled.

From time to time, he glanced toward the room where Gu Huan was.

They never expected that Gu Huan would be so wealthy that he could even win a foundation establishment pill.

They had targeted him before as a common fish, only to realize later that he was a very wealthy big fish.

"Brother Shun, I wish you success in your Foundation Establishment."

"No rush. We'll also bid on something to leave safely through the market's teleportation array. Then, we'll catch up to him and kill him secretly. Everything is under control."

The Scarred Man nodded vigorously.

He licked his lips until they bled again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Sold for thirteen thousand Spirit Stones! Congratulations to the Fellow Daoist in Private Room Three for obtaining the second foundation establishment pill."

"Thank you all for yielding."

A middle-aged man's voice rang out excitedly.

He secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead, also not expecting today's competition to be so fierce. Fortunately, his Family's foundation was deep enough to afford such a massive expenditure of Spirit Stones.

"Old Ancestor, I have fortunately fulfilled the mission."

"Cough, cough!"

The old man had white hair and was very elderly.

The aura of cultivation he emitted was actually that of a genuine Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

That single cough intimidated many petty thieves, but there were still cunning and cruel wolves watching greedily.

"Using a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to hold the fort."

"Looks like a Family of Loose Cultivators."

Gu Huan stopped paying attention and turned his gaze back to Luo Yao. With the successful auction of the two foundation establishment pills, the quality of the subsequent items dropped slightly.

The thirteenth item...

The fourteenth item...

When it came to the fifteenth item, Gu Huan felt tempted.

It was the skull of a Cold Ice Snake, which contained the soul of a Late Stage Qi Refining Yao Beast.

Speaking of souls.

He couldn't help but think of the Heavenly Demon Soul Refining Art, which focused on cultivating Divine Sense.

Although he hadn't started cultivating it yet, he remembered clearly its feature of using Yao Beast souls to endlessly temper the Divine Sense.

Unfortunately, he didn't have enough Spirit Stones.

To scrape together the twelve thousand Spirit Stones, Gu Huan had sold his surplus items to Hall Master Su Hongyun before setting out, keeping only the useful resources.

"Sold for one thousand three hundred Spirit Stones! Congratulations to the Fellow Daoist in Private Room Eighteen."

Luo Yao shouted excitedly.

Wang Sanshun and the Scarred Man looked depressed.

The Cold Ice Snake's soul was useless for their cultivation; they only participated in the bidding to take the opportunity to leave the market through the teleportation array.

"Don't be sad, Brother Shun. Although we lost this sum of Spirit Stones, we can make it back from that kid. A foundation establishment pill is worth much more than this piece of rotten bone."

The Scarred Man comforted him.

Wang Sanshun nodded silently and said, "That's all we can do."

Seeing the Cold Ice Snake's soul fall into the hands of Private Room Eighteen, Gu Huan sighed helplessly.

The auction continued.

The sixteenth item...

The nineteenth item...

Finally, they reached the twentieth item, which was the grand finale of this auction.

Most people didn't dare to have any stray thoughts about this item, as it was already considered the prize of the few Foundation Establishment Cultivators present.

"Thank you, Seniors and Fellow Daoists, for your presence. Only one auction item remains today."

"A brand-new Talisman Treasure, the Nine Bends Seal. It was crafted by a Golden Core Cultivator of the Yin Hall and contains one-tenth of the power of a Lifebound Treasure. Once unleashed, it can easily crush Cultivators of the same realm, making it a true cross-realm killing weapon."

"The starting price is ten thousand Spirit Stones, with each bid increase being no less than one thousand."

As the words fell.

Everyone's breath hitched, feeling their blood pumping.

Who wouldn't want such a powerful weapon for themselves?

Those who had failed to win the foundation establishment pill earlier gritted their teeth unwillingly and were the first to bid.

"Eleven thousand!"

"Twelve thousand!"

"Twenty thousand!" Yang Zhanzhou said, "This is no business of yours, so don't get involved."

A full twenty thousand Spirit Stones; no one except the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present could afford it.

"Fellow Daoists, let's not waste time. Place your bids!"

...