Chapter 197: Auction

Time passed.

After Liu Fei selected enough personnel to join the City Lord's Mansion and fully took over the miscellaneous affairs within Dongxuan City,

nearly twenty days had elapsed.

At this moment, only three days remained until the Dongxuan City auction.

As the auction date approached, more and more cultivators entered Dongxuan City.

Moreover, many Nascent Soul experts had already appeared within Dongxuan City.

These Nascent Soul experts were mostly from major powers; very few were independent cultivators.

Furthermore, within Ye Qingxuan's array sense,

several faint Soul Transformation auras lingered outside Dongxuan City, with no immediate intention to enter.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Ye Qingxuan stood atop the peak of Wanling Mountain, hands clasped behind his back.

Overlooking the Dongxuan Market below Wanling Mountain, he said softly:

"The Dongxuan Auction is about to begin. Daoists of Purple Mansion realm and above, please enter the Dongxuan Blessed Land."

With the array's amplification, Ye Qingxuan's voice instantly spread throughout Dongxuan City, inside and out.

As he spoke, Ye Qingxuan shifted his mind, and a massive gateway suddenly appeared at the foot of Wanling Mountain in the center of the Dongxuan Market.

Upon the gateway, the four large characters "Dongxuan Blessed Land" shimmered with spiritual energy.

Inside the gateway, thick spiritual energy churned; various ornamental spirit plants were scattered everywhere, and spirit butterflies fluttered, resembling a fairyland.

The current Dongxuan Blessed Land was far from the desolation it had been when first opened.

The fluttering spirit butterflies were Wan Hua Spirit Butterflies, spirit beasts released by Ye Qingxuan into the Dongxuan Blessed Land.

Within ten years, Ye Qingxuan had transplanted numerous fifth-grade ornamental spirit plants from the Qingxuan Cave Heaven Blessed Land into the Dongxuan Blessed Land.

Ornamental spirit plants were not without utility.

It was merely that their practical effects were inferior, and better spirit plants could replace them, so they gradually became ornamental.

The combined effect of the Wan Hua Spirit Butterflies and various fifth-grade spirit plants created the current scenery of the Dongxuan Blessed Land.

As Ye Qingxuan's words ended, the gateway to the Dongxuan Blessed Land opened wide.

Cultivators attracted by the Dongxuan Blessed Land successively passed through the appearing gateway and entered the Dongxuan Blessed Land.

"Dongxuan Blessed Land? Hmph, quite a grand name."

Cheng Yuan, the Sect Master of the Huangji Sect, stood before the gateway to the Dongxuan Blessed Land with the Third Elder of the Huangji Sect, his face showing displeasure.

He slightly released his own Soul Transformation aura, instantly startling the cultivators around him.

"This aura? Could it be a Soul Transformation Venerable?"

"Indeed, this is a Soul Transformation Venerable."

"I never expected the Dongxuan Auction to attract a Soul Transformation expert!"

Among them, a few Nascent Soul experts recognized Cheng Yuan's identity:

"This is the Sect Master of the Huangji Sect. He must have come to Dongxuan City to cause trouble!"

Upon hearing this, the cultivators who had not yet entered the Dongxuan Blessed Land immediately hesitated.

They wondered whether to abandon the Dongxuan Auction and leave Dongxuan City directly. However, before they could react,

the moment after Cheng Yuan released his Soul Transformation aura, the sky above Dongxuan City churned with aura as well.

A powerful force directly locked onto Cheng Yuan.

Cheng Yuan raised his head slightly, Dao patterns swirling in his eyes, and a hint of wariness appeared on his face.

After weighing the situation for a moment, Cheng Yuan slowly retracted his aura and, expressionless, led the Third Elder behind him into the Dongxuan Blessed Land.

Watching Cheng Yuan enter the Dongxuan Blessed Land, the Duanhun Venerable, who had just entered the venue, wore an amused expression.

Then he stepped forward and entered the Dongxuan Blessed Land as well.

Seeing Cheng Yuan voluntarily retract his aura and enter the Dongxuan Blessed Land, the others exchanged glances for a moment.

However, after realizing the situation and recalling the churning aura above Dongxuan City, they seemed to guess something.

Thus, they all put aside their concerns and entered the Dongxuan Blessed Land. After all cultivators of Purple Mansion realm and above had entered the Dongxuan Blessed Land, a figure wearing a purple-gold mask and dressed in a green robe walked calmly to the gateway of the Dongxuan Blessed Land in the Dongxuan Market.

"Dongxuan Blessed Land? Hehe, interesting!"

Having spoken, his figure likewise entered the Dongxuan Blessed Land.

Only after he entered did the gateway to the Dongxuan Blessed Land slowly close.

On Wanling Mountain, Ye Qingxuan frowned: "Three Soul Transformation Venerables have come. It seems the suppression item for the auction needs to be changed."

Ye Qingxuan originally did not wish to attract the attention of Soul Transformation experts in the early stages.

But since Soul Transformation experts had come, Ye Qingxuan would not disappoint them.

Perhaps this auction could even be used to intimidate these Soul Transformation experts.

Today was of great importance, and too many experts had arrived; Ye Qingxuan needed to fully control the city protection array of Dongxuan City to be prepared.

Therefore, this projection of his did not enter the Dongxuan Blessed Land but remained atop Wanling Mountain.

The host of this Dongxuan Auction was a sixth-grade mid-tier combat puppet.

Ye Qingxuan had left his spiritual sense on the puppet, allowing him to host the Dongxuan Auction remotely.

Inside the Dongxuan Blessed Land,

the cultivators who had entered to attend the auction were now taking their seats one by one.

The Dongxuan Blessed Land had restrictions set by Ye Qingxuan.

Jin Dan cultivators could only remain on the flat ground of the Dongxuan Blessed Land.

Nascent Soul cultivators could access the interconnected chambers opened on the second-level stone wall.

Soul Transformation realm cultivators may access the private rooms carved into the third-tier stone wall.

Before every seat, various spiritual fruits and delicacies were arranged.

Although Foundation Establishment realm cultivators can only remain on the flat ground of the Dongxuan Blessed Land,

seated among fifth-tier rare flowers and spiritual plants, with spiritual butterflies fluttering between the seats, they felt as though attending a gathering of immortal friends.

Thus, they held no complaints.

Over three hundred cultivators entered the Dongxuan Blessed Land to attend the Dongxuan Auction.

Excluding Jin Dan realm cultivators,

thirty-eight Nascent Soul realm cultivators entered the second-tier open hall, while only three Soul Transformation realm cultivators entered the third-tier private rooms.

Upon the central high platform of the Dongxuan Blessed Land, a figure stood before a small stone pedestal.

This figure was one of Ye Qingxuan's three sixth-tier combat puppets.

The three Soul Transformation realm cultivators in the arena, upon entering the Dongxuan Blessed Land, had kept their gazes fixed on the sixth-tier puppet atop the high platform.

"Soul Transformation realm? Yet the aura seems somewhat peculiar."

Cheng Yuan looked at the figure on the high platform, deeply puzzled in his heart.

The sixth-tier combat puppet possessed the appearance of a normal human and was inscribed with various small sixth-tier formations.

When the combat puppet was not in battle mode, ordinary Soul Transformation realm cultivators could not see through its true form at all.

Therefore, Cheng Yuan could not discern the true nature of that sixth-tier puppet at this moment.

After everyone had taken their seats,

the spiritual sense of Ye Qingxuan, attached to the puppet, controlled it to speak:

"The Dongxuan Auction officially begins."

In the next instant, light flickered atop the small stone pedestal before him, and a wooden box was instantly transmitted over.

Looking at the wooden box before him, Ye Qingxuan introduced:

"The first item is a set of four-tier supreme Spirit Root Elixirs. One Spirit Root Elixir can increase a Jin Dan realm cultivator's spirit root conversion efficiency by 80%, with effects lasting for the burning of three incense sticks."

"The set comprises ten bottles, totaling one hundred elixirs. The starting bid is ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Please place your bids!"

This Spirit Root Elixir was, in fact, the Spirit Enhancement Elixir exclusive to the Xuantian Sect where Ye Qingxuan resided.

However, out of caution, Ye Qingxuan had merely changed the name and color of the Spirit Enhancement Elixir.

(End of this chapter)