Chapter 373: Just an Ordinary Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan

The auction hosted by the Black Emperor Sect took place in an open-air square, which surprisingly resembled a circular arena reminiscent of ancient Rome's colosseum.

When Xiao Yan and the other two arrived at the auction venue, it was already packed with crowds, every seat filled.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian, who preferred quiet, both furrowed their brows—there were simply too many people.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan's group had a private booth, sparing them some unnecessary trouble.

Around the auction hall, numerous Black Emperor Sect guards stood watch, their sharp weapons glinting with cold light, guarding the entire square; in the sky, several Black Emperor Sect Dou Huang Elders lounged casually, their overwhelming Dou Qi radiating outward, causing those nearby to feel a suffocating pressure.

"Whoa, look over there—that woman in the qipao, wow, absolutely stunning."

"Are you out of your mind? Don't drag me down with you. That's Ya Fei from the Miter Guild of Xiao City."

"Xiao City?!"

"Did you see the young man beside Miss Ya Fei? That's Great Master Xiao Yan—the Alchemist who, over a year ago, crafted a Seven-Grade Pill that summoned Pill Lightning at the Sect Grand Meeting!"

"Gah! Seven-Grade?!"

"Hmph, otherwise how do you think Xiao City attracted so many Alchemists? Rumor has it half the Alchemists in Xiao City once received guidance from Xiao Yan."

Every time someone entered the VIP section, low gasps rippled through the surrounding crowds—those who could enter from here were almost all powerful figures or factions with great reputations in the Black Horn Region; these big names were rare sights indeed for ordinary people in the Black Horn Region.

And Xiao Yan was naturally one of the most prominent figures in the Black Horn Region.

After Xiao Yan's group entered the VIP section, the Black Emperor Sect elder assigned to guide them couldn't help swallowing hard.

"Truly worthy of the title Grandmaster—Seven-Grade, wow, so young and already Seven-Grade; the Young Sect Master pales in comparison, and he's far superior to the former Pill Emperor Han Feng."

"The people beside Master Xiao Yan aren't ordinary either—I can't gauge their strength at all; they give me the same feeling as facing the Sect Master."

After Xiao Yan's group entered the booth, the external noise was instantly cut off by a spiritual array.

The entire booth was extremely luxurious, featuring a long sofa, a table before them piled high with all kinds of fruit and a bidding number card, used to raise bids.

Looking down, their view was excellent, encompassing every corner of the auction center.

Additionally, the booth was staffed with a female attendant, attractive in appearance and dressed provocatively; she hurried forward, deliberately bending over to show off her figure to Xiao Yan.

"Master, this way, please. Any service you need, just let me know."

This implication! Xiao Yan was stunned—then, a cold cough came from behind him, snapping him out of this scene of temptation.

"Cough, no thanks—I'm not used to being served by strangers." Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, then pulled a Three-Grade Pill he had once crafted as practice and had extra of, handing it to the attendant as a tip.

Seeing the "tip" Xiao Yan gave, the attendant smiled but also looked slightly disappointed, then slowly withdrew under Xiao Yixian's icy gaze.

Xiao Yan calmly sat in the center of the long sofa, while Ya Fei sat to his right—after all, no one understood auctions better than her; if there was a bargain, she would bid on it, and raising the bid was certainly not something the "Grandmaster" himself would do.

It wouldn't suit the Grandmaster's status!

Xiao Yan patted the empty seat to his left and looked at Xiao Yixian. "Won't you join me?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yixian's face flushed slightly; she gave Xiao Yan a look full of charm, gently adjusted her skirt, and sat elegantly with a small distance between them.

Zi Yan didn't care about any of that—she had already started eating; though these fruits had no spiritual energy, they were sweet! Zi Yan loved sweets above all.

The Lion King and the smaller Lion King stood like two guards on either side.

The appearance of Xiao Yan's group drew many glances, especially toward Xiao Yixian's unique aura and Ya Fei's naturally alluring beauty—naturally drawing attention, though most stares were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred directed at Xiao Yan.

Hatred!

Xiao Yan ignored these glances, slowly closing his eyes and waiting for the auction to begin; this time, no matter who it was, he was determined to obtain the Puti Huati Yan—even if it meant spending his own Soul Points.

About half an hour later, Mo Tian Xing appeared on the Auction Stage, dressed in golden robes.

Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes and sent a sweep of Soul Force over Mo Tian Xing.

"Strong power—he's reached Seven-Star Dou Zong," Xiao Yan murmured.

"Hmm, probably comparable to Xie Biyan of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate," Xiao Yixian said calmly; Xie Biyan was dead, and to Xiao Yixian now, Mo Tian Xing wasn't particularly threatening.

After Mo Tian Xing delivered a long opening speech, a white-haired auctioneer stepped forward, holding a completely snow-white scroll to begin the auction.

"Heavenly Feather Finger, Heavenly Grade Mid-Level; finger techniques are notoriously rare. Though difficult to master, they offer unexpected advantages in combat—everyone here is no ordinary person, surely you all know how hard it is to counter a finger technique."

The auctioneer picked up the scroll and smiled lightly. "Starting bid: one hundred thousand Gold Coins, with a cap of eight hundred thousand. Whoever reaches this amount first—no matter how high others bid afterward—will claim the Heavenly Feather Finger. Don't miss this opportunity, everyone."

Xiao Yan yawned—he had no interest in a technique of this level, but Ya Fei still raised her bid; as a merchant, she wouldn't let any chance to profit slip away—if she could acquire it at a reasonable price, she could sell it through the Miter Guild.

Ya Fei was effectively restocking!

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Feather Finger exceeded Ya Fei's budget, so she didn't win it.

Next came several Heavenly Grade Mid- and High-Level cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, along with Five-Grade weapons and armor; although Ya Fei bid on some, she didn't find any bargains, so Xiao Yan still hadn't won anything yet.

"The next technique is somewhat interesting—it's a very rare ruler technique, called the Six Harmonies Wandering Body Ruler, a Earth-Class Mid-Level Dou Technique!" At this, the auctioneer pulled a red scroll from a tray.

"This technique was created by a certain Master Six Harmonies; this ruler method was his signature, extremely powerful. The only flaw is that it's highly unconventional—only those who have trained in it for years can truly master it."

"Huh?!" Hearing it was a ruler technique, Xiao Yan sat up straight—he not only excelled in using Strange Fire, but the Black Heavy Ruler was his trademark.

Xiao Yan had trained with the Black Heavy Ruler since childhood and had no intention of switching weapons; heavy rulers and heavy swords were essentially the same—both blunt and heavy.

"So? Interested?" Xiao Yixian smiled, watching Xiao Yan suddenly sit upright; she naturally knew his favorite weapon was the massive black ruler, so it was only natural that the Six Harmonies Wandering Body Ruler caught his attention.

Ya Fei looked at Xiao Yan and asked gently, "Shall we bid for it?"

But at this moment, Xiao Yan's expression turned peculiar—he suddenly understood, just a little, how Hun Xu Zi must have felt.

A bit too beneath him.

"But… Earth-Class Mid-Level is too low-grade."

Earth-Class Mid-Level! Too low-grade!!

Upon hearing this, even Zi Yan rolled her eyes at Xiao Yan—you're showing off too much! This is an Earth-Class Mid-Level technique created by a Dou Zun! What more do you want, you're only a Dou Huang!

Normally, a high-level Dou Huang who masters one Earth-Class Mid-Level technique gains a huge advantage among peers—yet you look down on it!

"Sigh, fine, let's buy it anyway—this unconventional technique probably won't be too expensive." Xiao Yan nodded. Buy it first, take it back, study it—maybe he could combine the Six Harmonies Wandering Body Ruler to develop his own unique technique.

Ya Fei covered her mouth and chuckled, nodding.

"Hehe, the starting bid for this ruler technique is one million eight hundred thousand, with each initial raise no less than ten thousand." The white-haired elder smiled as murmurs spread through the auction hall. "So… gentlemen, who will begin?"

Hearing this price, Xiao Yan's eyelid twitched—so you're taking advantage of the ruler technique being obscure, are you?

Originally, even that Three Thousand Thundering Moves was black-market goods and still sold for nearly ten million gold coins. But this Six Directions Floating Body Ruler is at least Earth-Class Mid-Level—why is it priced so low? Is this reasonable!

However, what Xiao Yan couldn't have anticipated was that after the starting bid was announced, no one placed a bid.

Seeing Xiao Yan's confusion, Ya Fei explained: "Ruler-based Dou Techniques are rare—even rulers as weapons are uncommon. Those who cultivate them are even rarer. Heavy rulers, like heavy swords, are extremely difficult to master; without over a decade of foundational training, you simply cannot succeed."

Xiao Yan agreed with Ya Fei's words—he had trained with the Xuan Heavy Ruler for ten years already, and had barely achieved full mastery of the Flame-Splitting Wave-Swallowing Ruler. It truly was difficult.

Still, being an Earth-Class Mid-Level Dou Technique, some factions began bidding, hoping to snatch it up for their young disciples to begin cultivating from scratch.

Eventually, Ya Fei seized the right moment and bid three million gold coins, successfully winning the auction.

After this Earth-Class Mid-Level Six Directions Floating Body Ruler, increasingly valuable items began appearing.

For example, many precious Medicinal Materials and even strange, unusual Pill Formulas naturally emerged—and all the precious Medicinal Materials were immediately swept up by Xiao Yan using Elixirs.

You should know that Xiao Yan is not only famous, but more importantly, he also possesses a Heavenly Flame, so the pills he refines are inherently of great value.

【69】 Know this: Xiao Yan wasn't just famous—he possessed an Exceptional Flame, and the Elixirs he refined inherently held high value.

Just as the auction neared its end, Zi Yan suddenly stood up, her eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a flash of ferocity, her body faintly shimmering with Purple Light.

This sudden reaction startled everyone; no one understood why Zi Yan reacted so strongly.

"What's wrong, Zi Yan?" Xiao Yan frowned and asked. He knew Zi Yan was from the Ancient Dragon Clan—a clan extremely mysterious and powerful—and he didn't know if she had sensed something.

"I think I know what this is." At that moment, Zi Yan pointed at the Auction Stage. As soon as she spoke, a pit opened in the center of the Auction Stage, and a mass of rotting flesh rose up with a creaking, creaking, creaking sound.

Even before the Auction Item appeared, Zi Yan had already sensed it!

The Corpse was not small—it was enormous, over thirty feet wide. The moment it appeared, many frowned, as a foul stench emanated from it.

This beast had been dead for a long time; its flesh and bones were all desiccated. What drew the most attention were its massive wings, now reduced to bone, strangely resembling jade, emitting a faint glow. Those with sharp eyes could tell: within these wings lay some peculiar energy.

Yet, even after so long since death, it still retained some energy—this beast must have been of very high Rank in life.

Xiao Yan scanned it with his Soul Force, but even though his Soul Force had reached Spirit Realm level, he detected nothing special about the beast.

"Heh, this beast's Corpse was discovered by our Black Emperor Sect by chance in a mountain ravine. After our Sect Master personally examined it, we determined this beast was one on the verge of breaking through Seven Rank to become an Eight-Grade World-Class Fierce Beast!" said the white-haired elder solemnly.

Upon hearing this, even Xiao Yixian was startled—Half-step Eight Rank?!

At this moment, Xiao Yan looked at Zi Yan. After a moment of thought, she nodded and said: "He's not wrong. It was trying to evolve its Bloodline and break through the Eight Rank barrier—but failed, and died."

Though beasts have long lifespans and strong bodies, breaking through Bloodline Restrictions is extremely difficult—just look at Cai Lin. Especially at Eight Rank, whether for human cultivators or Spirit Refiners, it is an insurmountable abyss.

"Heh, everyone, this demonic beast corpse has been perfectly preserved ever since our Black Emperor Sect obtained it, without the slightest damage. Moreover, I can assure you all that our Black Emperor Sect has absolutely not tampered with it. In other words, we have no idea what might be inside the beast's body, and likewise, we don't know whether it contains a super magical core on the verge of breaking through to the eighth rank." The white-haired elder said with a smile.

【83】 "Heh, gentlemen, since our Black Emperor Sect acquired this beast's dried Corpse, we have preserved it perfectly, without a single scratch. I can assure everyone: our Black Emperor Sect has never touched it. That means, we do not know what lies inside the beast's body. Likewise, we do not know whether it contains a super Magic Core on the verge of breaking into Eight Rank."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted into heated discussion—but for Xiao Yan and other strong cultivators, it was pure nonsense. There were countless ways to probe—no need for dissection.

Xiao Yan had already scanned it with Spirit Realm Soul Force and found nothing—so nine times out of ten, this dried Corpse contained no Magic Core.

"Buy it. Inside it isn't just a Magic Core—it has Essence Blood too. And it's Half-step Eight Rank." Zi Yan's eyes sharpened, dropping a bombshell!

"Sss!" Beside her, Ya Fei's lips parted slightly—Eight Rank! A Magic Core from a Seven Rank beast was already a treasure only exchangeable by barter—and now there was Essence Blood too! Its value was incalculable!

This was a massive bargain!

Xiao Yan smiled and patted Zi Yan's small head. "All my hard work refining Elixirs for you to break into Seven Rank hasn't been wasted."

Zi Yan snorted, shaking her head. "Of course not. If I hadn't advanced to Seven Rank and gained some insights from my Bloodline, I wouldn't have been sure what kind of beast this was."

Nearby, the Lion King curiously asked: "Sister Zi Yan, what kind of beast is this?"

Zi Yan shrugged and said coolly: "Nothing special—just an ordinary Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan."

(End of Chapter)