Chapter 374: Just an Ordinary Seventh-Rank Elixir

At these words, even Xiao Yan couldn't remain calm—he stared at Zi Yan with wide eyes, silently applauding inside: Good, excellent act—I like it.

What do you mean, "just an ordinary Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan"?!!!

"You're saying… this is the corpse of a Heavenly Demon Phoenix?!" Xiao Yan exclaimed, nearly choking.

If Xiao Yan hadn't sealed the entire private booth with Soul Force beforehand, this news would've leaked out.

It was no wonder Xiao Yan was so agitated—upon hearing "Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan," the old man-like Lion King stumbled back in terror, casting a frightened glance at the massive dried corpse on the Auction Stage.

If the Black Emperor Sect knew they were auctioning a Heavenly Demon Phoenix corpse, Mo Tian Xing would probably have his head explode from fright.

Zi Yan flicked her lips dismissively. "Just an ordinary Heavenly Demon Phoenix—bloodline too weak to even reach Eight Rank. Chewing it's a hassle."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyelids twitched violently—he suddenly recalled that in the legacy left by the Medicinal Sovereign, there was a volume on rare beasts and monsters stating that the Ancient Dragon Clan fed on Heavenly Demon Phoenixes.

After all, the Ancient Dragon Clan were direct descendants of the Ancient Dragons, essentially second-generation; the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan were merely offshoots of the primordial Heavenly Phoenix, third-generation—their innate bloodline power was inferior to the Ancient Dragons', and their overall strength paled in comparison.

Ya Fei glanced at Zi Yan and asked curiously, "Xiao Yan brother, what is Zi Yan little sister's true form?"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment, then openly admitted: "Her true form is the Ancient Dragon."

Upon hearing this, Ya Fei's delicate face filled with astonishment, her red lips slightly parted—she was the only one here unaware of Zi Yan's identity, but Ya Fei had seen too much to be easily shaken, and soon calmed down.

"Xiao Yan brother, you've gathered so many powerful experts around you," Ya Fei couldn't help shaking her head. Whether it's the Qi San Hua Tong, the Eternal Calamity Poison Body, or the evolved Seven-Colored Devouring Sky Serpent—all are legendary constitutions and bloodlines.

Xiao Yan smiled: "Ya Fei sister, your business acumen is unmatched too—this time, it's all up to you."

Ya Fei knew these were just words of comfort from Xiao Yan, so she straightened her posture and fixed her gaze on the Auction Stage—this time, she would secure this beast corpse with style.

Zi Yan patted her chest proudly. "Don't worry—go ahead and bid. I'll take responsibility for the Heavenly Demon Phoenix matter."

After a brief introduction, the old man slowly said: "Esteemed guests, you all know how valuable a beast on the verge of Eight Rank is—gold coins cannot measure its worth. Thus, this auction will not accept gold coins—it will be an exchange offer!"

Hearing this, many remained calm—they had anticipated that by Seven-Grade, many items could no longer be valued in gold coins, and most would trade useful goods instead.

Yet some guests in the VIP seats shook their heads—after all, a beast corpse was just a lump of meat, let alone this dried, rotten lump that had decayed for who-knew-how-long.

Buying a lump of meat to gamble on whether it contained a Magic Core was sheer stupidity—if there was none, you'd bleed out completely.

Seeing the once-bustling hall fall silent, the old man grew anxious inside—after all, if this thing were truly valuable, how could the Black Emperor Sect have dared to put it up for sale?

Mostly because Mo Tian Xing had even summoned a Seventh-Rank Alchemist to inspect it—the Seventh-Rank Alchemist had firmly declared there was no Magic Core inside, which is why he dared to auction it.

They'd also used Secret Techniques to probe—the corpse had been dead for countless years, its essence blood completely dried up. In short, the odds were high this was just a useless lump of meat; its only value lay in the jade-like bone spines, usable for forging weapons or Poison Armor.

As everyone fell silent, no one bidding, Ya Fei sat upright and slowly raised her bid card, speaking calmly: "One Imperial Ultimate Pill."

Upon hearing Ya Fei's bid, all eyes turned to her.

"Imperial Ultimate Pill?!!"

"Kuang, one Imperial Ultimate Pill for this rotten meat?"

"Could there really be a Magic Core inside?"

Everyone knew the Imperial Ultimate Pill—it was a Six-Grade high-level Elixir, capable of directly boosting a Dou Huang by one Star. Normally, one Imperial Ultimate Pill could be exchanged for several Seven-Grade high-level Medicinal Materials, or even Seven-Grade weapons or Magic Cores.

But if it were a Half-step Eight Rank beast's Magic Core, the Imperial Ultimate Pill would be far inferior.

Soon after, others began bidding—mostly Earth-Rank Low-Level Dou Techniques and Magic Cores; few could produce an Imperial Ultimate Pill. But clearly, compared to the Imperial Ultimate Pill, those items were mediocre and unsuitable.

"Is there any bid higher than the Imperial Ultimate Pill?" the old man asked again.

To surpass the Imperial Ultimate Pill, only the Imperial Heaven Pill and the Breakthrough Pill could qualify—both were so rare even Han Feng had struggled to forge them; in the entire Black Horn Region, one pill was nearly impossible to obtain, let alone now—no one would risk it on this beast corpse.

Seeing the hall fall silent, the old man glanced at Mo Tian Xing beside him—this value differed from their original expectations.

At that moment, Mo Tian Xing stood up and addressed Xiao Yan's direction: "Master Xiao Yan, this is a Half-step Eight Rank beast—its Magic Core is priceless. If Master Xiao Yan can offer four Imperial Ultimate Pills, I will trade directly with you."

Hearing this, many cursed Mo Tian Xing for his shamelessness—the auction rules clearly allowed opportunistic bids; since no one else had bid, the transaction should proceed at Ya Fei's offer. Yet the seller himself dared to interfere.

All eyes turned to Xiao Yan, flanked by beautiful women—waiting to see how he'd respond.

But Xiao Yan calmly closed his eyes, legs crossed, lounging like a lord—as if this trivial matter wasn't worth his attention.

Ya Fei, seated upright as Xiao Yan's representative, spoke calmly: "Mo Sect Master, no need to elaborate. This corpse—let alone a Magic Core—even its essence blood is dried up. As a Seventh-Rank Alchemist, our City Lord knows this well."

Upon hearing this, Mo Tian Xing's eyes narrowed slightly—Seventh-Rank Alchemists weren't easy to deceive.

"We're not buying the corpse—we're buying the jade bone. You know the value of that jade bone—it's worth about one Imperial Ultimate Pill."

Ya Fei was brilliant—she leveraged Xiao Yan's status as a Seventh-Rank Alchemist. And truthfully, when the beast corpse was first unveiled, everyone had probed it—there was nothing inside. Had Zi Yan not been present, even Xiao Yan with his Spirit Realm Soul Power wouldn't have sensed it.

Mo Tian Xing's eyes narrowed—he realized it wouldn't be easy to fool these old foxes, and indeed, the most valuable part of the corpse was clearly the jade bone.

After a moment of silence, Mo Tian Xing said firmly: "Three Imperial Ultimate Pills."

Ya Fei leaned close to Xiao Yan, a fragrant breeze brushing past—she whispered a few words into his ear, making his ear tingle; Xiao Yan nodded.

Ya Fei stood up and said: "Our City Lord thanks Mo Sect Master for providing this private booth. We'll add one Dou Wang Pill. One Imperial Ultimate Pill plus one Dou Wang Pill—final offer."

Hearing this, Mo Tian Xing frowned deeply, pondering for a long while.

Ya Fei smiled again: "Mo Sect Master, don't forget—our City Lord's Pills are forged with Mystic Flame Cultivation Technique, personally crafted by him—quality is top-tier. Even Star Eight Dou Wangs and Dou Huangs can still gain one Star of advancement."

Mo Tian Xing's eyes narrowed, he thought for a moment, then nodded: "Fine. For the sake of City Lord Xiao, I accept your terms."

Ya Fei smiled faintly, showing no excessive excitement—after all, the item wasn't yet in hand; she couldn't let anyone sense their true intent.

Exchanging one Dou Wang Pill and one Imperial Ultimate Pill for a Half-step Eight Rank Magic Core and the exquisite jade bone? This was an enormous profit!

Xiao Yan's heart surged with joy—he'd just obtained the Tian Yan Nine-Step Wings, specifically meant for crafting Flying Dou Techniques; the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's wings were perfect material—Half-step Eight Rank, surely enough to forge an Earth Rank Advanced Grade Flying Wing!

Soon, several burly men carried the corpse into the booth. After Xiao Yan handed over the Pills, he stored the dried corpse in his Storage Ring.

With the transaction complete, everyone held their breath—they sensed the white-haired Auctioneer stepping down, replaced by Mo Tian Xing as Auctioneer.

"Here it comes!"

"Yes, this must be the final Auction Item!"

Everyone knew what the Black Emperor Sect had kept in reserve—countless people had waited for this moment.

Even Xiao Yixian, who had sat calmly until now, now wore a grave expression—Xiao Yan's Poison Pill method was missing only one final ingredient: Puti Huati Yan—then she could return to normal.

Xiao Yan stared intently at the Auction Stage, already subtly activating his Dou Qi, mentally prepared: if they won't sell, I'll take it by force!

Mo Tian Xing donned golden gloves, his expression solemn. Several Elders monitored the surroundings as they slowly pushed forward a small box covered in yellow cloth—then, several of them formed a Protective Barrier with their Dou Qi, preventing anyone from rushing forward to seize it.

Seeing such cautious, as-if-facing-an-enemy arrangements, the Pai Mai Chang gradually fell silent; an unusual atmosphere enveloped the hall, making people feel oppressed.

"Everyone surely knows that the highlight of this Black Emperor Sect auction is what, and I am well aware that many of you here have come specifically for this item."

The Bodhi Heart can enable one to break through to Sage Emperor—those two words drove countless people to fight desperately for it.

Of course, many already know that Puti Huati Yan is merely scraps, entirely unrelated to Sage Emperor; the claim that it offers clues to the Bodhi Heart is merely a publicity tactic by the Black Emperor Sect.

It won't even help one break through to Dou Zong.

Yet Puti Huati Yan is still a rare material for body tempering; even if it cannot enable a breakthrough to Sage Emperor, it still drives countless people to crave it.

As the yellow cloth was removed amid countless burning gazes, a transparent crystal box appeared, within which swirled a mysterious faint luminescence; in the spreading glow, a fist-sized, slightly emerald-green viscous substance slowly writhed and drifted, like a soft-bodied creature, its surface rippling in waves of fluid, appearing almost alive.

"Is this Puti Huati Yan?" Xiao Yan murmured softly, his eyes locked tightly on the floating emerald viscous mass.

Xiao Yan had read about Puti Huati Yan in the Scroll of Poison Pill Methods and knew its characteristics matched the liquid before him exactly.

Beside him, Xiao Yixian's beautiful eyes also fixed on the viscous liquid glowing with strange radiance; deep within her pupils flickered a trace of excitement.

"Everyone, please abide by the Black Emperor Sect's rules: if interested, simply bid aloud—no need to leave your seats. Otherwise—" Mo Tian Xing spoke calmly, then cast a deep gaze at several hidden, obscure energy signatures, and with a wave of his hand, coldly ordered.

Mo Tian Xing dared to put this item up for auction precisely because he had some confidence to back it up.

"Due to the extreme value of Puti Huati Yan, the auction method is somewhat unusual: those interested must individually enter the Auction Stage, present to me what you offer in exchange, and I will select the one whose offering holds the highest value to complete this transaction."

Hearing Mo Tian Xing's words, many were stunned, then slightly displeased—but they said nothing, for Puti Huati Yan was indeed precious; as the saying goes, wealth must not be flaunted, and no one wished to reveal they possessed valuable items, lest they attract unwanted attention.

But!

Someone was different.

"No need for trouble—this item, I want it." At that moment, Xiao Yan's voice, calm yet domineering, rang through the entire Pai Mai Chang.

Xiao Yan's voice instantly chilled the air of the Pai Mai Chang; Mo Tian Xing's eyes narrowed, and he said sternly, "Master Xiao Yan, what do you mean by that?"

Xiao Yan smiled, scanning the crowd, and said, "Name your price. I believe no one here can outbid me."

"Whatever they offer, I'll offer more."

Hiss! Hiss!!

Instantly, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath echoed.

A tycoon!!!

Yet no one dared question Xiao Yan—more accurately, no one dared question the wealth of a Seventh-Rank Alchemist.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Mo Tian Xing was stunned; he had never expected Xiao Yan to be so direct—to simply declare the top bid!

Xiao Yixian glanced at Xiao Yan beside her, and warmth surged in her heart. Xiao Yan had done many things for her without ever demanding Hui Shi.

After a moment's thought, Mo Tian Xing said, "Master Xiao Yan, please do not rush. Let me hear all bids from those present, then give you my reply—is that acceptable?"

Xiao Yan let out a cold laugh. After one round of bidding, he had a rough sense of everyone's wealth. Without further words, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out a Brocade Box, handing it to Ya Fei beside him.

Ya Fei understood at once. She took the Brocade Box, rose gracefully, and instantly resumed her role as auctioneer, slowly opening the box. Instantly, a colored Pill Fragrance filled the entire Pai Mai Chang, and Ya Fei displayed before all a pill, round and lustrous.

Xiao Yan said calmly, "This is a Seven-Grade Pill: the Imperial Power Purple Pill. It can temporarily boost the strength of anyone below Sixth-Star Dou Zong by one star."

"Is there anyone who will bid higher than me? If not, then it's settled—don't drag this out."

He opened his mouth with the top price.

Xiao Yan acted as if he were the richest man alive, waving his hand dismissively—why ask one by one? If no one bids higher, then it's done. Don't waste everyone's time. I'm not afraid to show my wealth.

Just an ordinary Seven-Grade Pill.

(End of Chapter)