Chapter 464: Chapter 449: Bizarre Waves!
As a righteous cultivator, Zhouyang couldn’t abide the act of rearing and using "Dual Cultivation Cauldrons".
But despite his disdain, he clearly knew that since such behavior had been tacitly accepted for so long, it was something he couldn’t change.
The most he could do was refrain from such actions himself and restrain Zhou Family cultivators from doing the same.
To rescue those cultivators treated as "Dual Cultivation Cauldrons" was something he couldn’t accomplish.
For instance, now, as he looked at the Ice Beauty within the ice coffin, although he felt great sympathy for her plight, he truly couldn’t bring himself to rescue her.
It wasn’t just about being unwilling to spend a large amount of spirit stones to save this Ice Beauty; it also concerned her origins.
From the earlier introduction by "Mr. Jia", it was clear that this Ice Beauty wasn’t a professional "Dual Cultivation Cauldron" cultivated by some slave organization but rather a true disciple of the Great Brightness Immortal Palace.
Though he didn’t know who had the skill to capture alive a true disciple of the Great Brightness Immortal Palace and bring her to the Anti-Light Alliance territory for auction as a "Dual Cultivation Cauldron."
Zhouyang knew that whoever bought this Ice Beauty in the ice coffin would certainly suffer the fiercest retaliation from the Great Brightness Immortal Palace once the incident was exposed.
If he simply wanted to do like those cultivators practicing absorption skills and buy this Ice Beauty for absorption, perhaps he could silence witnesses afterward.
But if he wished to save her, the matter was bound to leak, and by then, neither the Anti-Light Alliance nor the Great Brightness Immortal Palace would spare his life.
"I offer three hundred thousand!"
"Three hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Three hundred and seventy thousand!"
...
While Zhouyang was pondering how the Ice Beauty in the ice coffin ended up being captured and put on auction here, the bidding for her had already started, and the atmosphere was quite heated.
A Purple Mansion Stage "Dual Cultivation Cauldron" is an exceedingly rare item, especially when the beauty within the ice coffin is so alluring.
Additionally, her identity as a true disciple of the Great Brightness Immortal Palace, for some Anti-Light Alliance cultivators harboring deep hatred toward the Great Brightness Immortal Palace, the chance to absorb and torture this Ice Beauty would undoubtedly bring them great pleasure and clarity in their Dao Hearts.
Underground auction house items may depreciate, but "Dual Cultivation Cauldrons" never do, as they are "special items" only found at these auction houses.
Zhouyang watched as the price soared rapidly, soon surpassing five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones!
Five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones could buy a batch of Tier Five Spirit Pills.
However, looking at the still-rising price, it was evidently far from the final transaction price.
At this, Zhouyang could only marvel at how many wealthy people there were.
After intense bidding, the final price settled at seven hundred and seventy thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Seven hundred and seventy thousand low-grade spirit stones could buy a mid-grade Tier Five Spiritual Artifact at a formal auction, yet now it’s merely for purchasing a Purple Mansion Stage first-tier woman, and a "one-time-use" item at that.
Zhouyang couldn’t fathom what these people were thinking; even as someone with family wealth, he found it hardly worthwhile.
The auction continued, but Zhouyang had yet to encounter a treasure worth bidding on.
Just as he was thinking he might leave empty-handed this time, a treasure that piqued his interest appeared.
"Tier Five Spirit Fruit [Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit], one piece, when consumed by an early stage Golden Core Fire Element cultivator, can increase cultivation by thirty years. If a Purple Mansion Stage cultivator can withstand the potency, there’s a high chance to directly elevate one tier in cultivation!"
On the stone platform, "Mr. Jia" waved his hand, and a crimson jade box appeared in his grasp. He then lifted the lid, revealing the fist-sized purplish-red spirit fruit inside.
The spirit fruit emitted a rich spiritual qi, visibly forming a purplish-red halo around it, exceedingly dazzling and eye-catching.
Before this, Zhouyang hadn’t heard of the "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit", but he could fully sense the pure and intense fire spiritual power within the spirit fruit.
This spirit fruit, even if it wasn’t as exaggerated as "Mr. Jia" claimed, certainly wouldn’t be much less effective.
"Mr. Jia, it’s not that I distrust you, but throughout the Land of the Far West, there is only one tree of Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit growing in a forbidden area of the Haoyang Sect. Before the fruits ripen, their potential consumers are almost all pre-determined, so outsiders rarely get to see them. You claim this spirit fruit is the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit; do you have any evidence?"
Just as Zhouyang was deliberating on whether to make a bold move to bid for the so-called "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit," a voice filled with doubt emerged from the mouth of a cultivator wrapped in a white cloak below the stage.
Upon hearing this, his eyes flinched, and then he looked at "Mr. Jia" on stage with slight concern, eager to see how he would explain this matter.
"Evidence? Sorry, I don’t need to provide you with evidence!"
"I say this is the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit; it is the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit. Whether you believe it, and whether you want to bid, it’s all purely voluntary, no one is forcing you!"
"Mr. Jia" coldly glanced at the person questioning him, showing no sign of providing an explanation, instead adopting a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, firmly rebuffing the skeptic’s question.
This auction attitude was something Zhouyang was seeing for the first time.
He could be certain this wasn’t the typical way of an underground auction.
Because even in underground auctions, they ought to abide by basic business ethics; even if they couldn’t address customer queries, they certainly wouldn’t respond like that.
Something’s fishy!
With a shiver in his heart, Zhouyang secretly heightened his vigilance.
When something deviates from the norm, there must be a reason.
He had already realized that this underground auction was probably more dangerous than he had imagined.
"Since Mr. Jia said so, I have nothing more to say, but such an attitude doesn’t seem like that of a businessman!"
Obviously, it wasn’t just Zhouyang who realized this; the person asking the question also realized it, thus the doubt in his words was even heavier.
However, "Mr. Jia" did not respond to his words, merely said coldly, "One piece of [Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit], starting bid fifteen thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, bidding starts now."
He directly ignored the man’s words.
As a result, there was a long pause where no one bid.
It wasn’t until Zhouyang thought about bidding tentatively, to see if he could snap up a bargain, that a somewhat hesitant voice called out, "I’ll bid sixteen thousand."
People are like that; when no one is interested, everyone thinks it’s a fake and not worth buying.
But when someone bids, others are afraid to miss the chance to buy genuine goods at a low price, and can’t help but raise their bids.
Thus, the price of the treasure suspected to be the "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit" slowly rose.
"I’ll bid thirty-six thousand!"
Zhouyang waited for a long time, until only one or two cultivators were bidding, before finally making his bid, and he added three thousand at once.
As expected, his attitude made those two cultivators a bit unsure, and they looked at him with doubtful eyes.
If it were the real "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit," it would definitely be worth more than this.
But due to the earlier doubts from that person, many in attendance had already preconceived that it wasn’t the "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit."
So the price of this treasure slowly climbed within this low-price range.
Those now bidding all felt that even if the spirit fruit wasn’t the "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit," it was certainly a Tier Five Spirit Fruit. Buying it for twenty to thirty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones wouldn’t be too much of a loss, even if they bought the wrong one.
But if the price went too high, then buying the wrong one could really be a big loss.
"I’ll bid thirty-seven thousand!"
A cultivator stared at Zhouyang for a while, then gritted his teeth and added another thousand.
"Thirty-eight thousand."
Zhouyang called out the new high price without batting an eye.
Seeing this, a flash of struggle appeared in the man’s eyes, but in the end, he shook his head and said mockingly to Zhouyang, "Fellow Daoist, you’re really bold. Just hope you aren’t seeing wrong; regretting after spending so many spirit stones on a fake could be disastrous!"
"I’ve never regretted any of my actions in life, no need for you to worry,"
Zhouyang replied coldly without even looking at the man, maintaining his initial arrogant persona.
Clearly, this valley wasn’t a good place for verbal sparring. The cultivator competing with Zhouyang, though feeling annoyed by his retort, only glared at him harshly in the end and said nothing more.
After spending so many spirit stones, Zhouyang didn’t dare to spend recklessly anymore and could only be an observer, quietly waiting for the auction to end.
After the auction finally ended, he went up to pay the spirit stones and received the spirit fruit that was suspected to be the "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit."
Since the deal was done, it was too late to regret now. Zhouyang didn’t rush to check the spirit fruit on the spot but instead stored it in his storage ring, awaiting the auctioneer’s arrangement to leave.
He originally thought he would leave via the "Earth-Drilling Mountain-Piercing Beast" again, but after handing over all the treasures, "Mr. Jia" directly took out a bunch of jade scrolls and tossed one to each of them, saying, "This is a map of the nearby area. Now, all fellow Daoists who’ve purchased items can leave the array according to the price they paid, while the rest wait for half an hour before departing."
Zhouyang had spent thirty-eight thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones to buy the "Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit," so according to the arrangement, he should be among the first twenty to leave.
The first to leave was the cultivator who won the Ice Beauty, who directly tied the Ice Coffin to his back and flew out of the valley using sword control.
But just as Zhouyang was watching those ahead of him leaving and was about to follow, an unexpected event occurred.
Rumble!
A thunderous explosion suddenly sounded from outside the valley, causing the entire valley to shake violently as if in an earthquake.
At the same time, the cries of those who had first exited the valley could be heard inside.
"Oh no, it’s the dogs of the Great Brightness Immortal Palace!"
"How could the dogs of the Great Brightness Immortal Palace appear here now? We must have a traitor among us!"
"Kill, fight these dogs to the death!"
...
Upon hearing the cries, Zhouyang reflexively looked towards the three of "Mr. Jia."
However, at this moment, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heart nearly stopped.
There was nothing!
The "Mr. Jia," who had just handed him the jade scroll and the other two, had all vanished from the valley, disappearing silently without anyone noticing!