Chapter 821

Xiao Yan nodded; since the other party had come with goodwill—even intending to protect Zhu Kun—it was only right and reasonable to speak with them.

Xiao Yan merely hoped no rigid rules about Dragon Clan True Dragon bloodline not being allowed to remain outside and needing to be reclaimed would arise.

Because when they were on Ning Tian Continent, Xiao Yan and the others had inquired: spiritual beast clans, especially some supreme great clans, were obsessively protective of bloodlines—if you possessed the bloodline of a Supreme Divine Beast, had any connection to it, or even obtained Spirit Dragon or Spirit Phoenix essence, they would pursue and reclaim it, severing all bloodline ties.

Just like the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan.

Everywhere, beastkind placed great importance on bloodline.

"Brother Xiao Yan, let's enter the Pai Mai Chang first," Xun Er said, her voice tinged with the excitement of long separation, gently taking Xiao Yan's arm.

"Mm, let's see if there's anything worth buying," Xiao Yan agreed, turning to look at Nu Shan Yao Sheng beside him. "Since you've come to Shang Zhi Da Lu, you must have something to say, right?"

Upon hearing this, Nu Shan Yao Sheng's expression turned serious and solemn; he nodded heavily, as if making a final decision.

"If so, you come with us too."

With Nu Shan Yao Sheng present, Xiao Yan and the others found it far easier to enter the auction, but due to past tensions with Mo He Shen Zu, even the auction house manager dared not speak up much, allowing Xiao Yan and the others to enter freely.

The largest Pai Mai Chang in Shang Cheng was truly enormous—the largest Xiao Yan had ever seen. When entering this colossal hall, anyone standing inside felt like an ant.

This immense Pai Mai Chang could accommodate a million attendees, but only cultivators were permitted entry; those below the Supreme rank might not even be heard when bidding.

The entire auction hall was shaped like a ship, with the Auction Stage at its center, surrounded by seats for attendees—the closer to the Auction Stage, the more prestigious the position.

When Xiao Yan and the others entered, the hall was already packed; countless cultivation experts sat in their seats, waiting for the auction to begin.

"His Majesty!" As Xiao Yan and the others stepped in, they heard a familiar voice.

"Long time no see, Qiao Shihong," Xiao Yan smiled warmly—it was naturally Qiao Shihong, their "guide" in the Great Thousand World.

Qiao Shihong, with his low cultivation, had been waiting in Shang Cheng all along, keeping track of auction developments.

Hearing Xiao Yan's "long time no see," Qiao Shihong felt tears welling up, as if finally acknowledged. After all, Xiao Yan truly was His Majesty—he secretly ruled Ning Tian Continent and even controlled part of Tian Sheng Continent.

Seeing Xiao Yan didn't put on airs, even addressing him by name, Qiao Shihong felt a sense of recognition.

"His Majesty's blessings are boundless; our private suite is this way," Qiao Shihong said, eyes red.

Besides general seating, the auction naturally had VIP seats; the front few rows were VIP, and Earth Supreme-level factions could each have a private suite.

Earlier, when Zhu Kun and the others came to apply for entry, they had clashed with members of Mo He Shen Zu.

"There are many Earth Supreme cultivators here, and quite a few Supreme-tier super-factions," Qiao Shihong explained to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan's suite was relatively modest, located in the third row—this was the suite for lower Earth Supreme cultivators; the second row was for upper Earth Supreme; the first row was for Earth Supreme Great Perfection.

Although proximity to the Auction Stage indicated prestige, the most prestigious positions were not these seats at all—they were the floating ones in the sky.

There were several floating Sky Towers there, each private and attended by merchant maids, offering comfort as if in one's own room. These floating towers were reserved for super-factions of the Great Thousand World, such as Mo He Shen Zu.

Of course, Nu Shan Yao Sheng's status entitled him to sit in those upper towers—but he chose not to, instead staying with Xiao Yan.

"So many big figures!" In the auction hall, many raised their heads, exclaiming in awe.

For many cultivators, these big figures were merely names they'd heard; in countless hearts, they were legendary beings. To see them in person—so many at once—was an extraordinary event.

If one had the fortune to gain their favor, a single word could turn a sparrow into a phoenix.

"Is that Nu Shan Yao Sheng!? He's sitting in the third row? With his status, he could easily be in the top Sky Tower!" asked a cultivator who had arrived early, puzzled.

"Who's in that pavilion over there?" someone asked, noticing a tower with a sign indicating occupancy, but its doors tightly shut, hiding its occupant.

"Don't know. Whoever sits there belongs to a Great Thousand World super-faction."

"Could it be a Supreme? Is a Supreme attending this auction?!"

A hum sounded as another entered the Sky Tower—it was Mo He Yi and others.

"Look at the Sky Tower—those are Mo He Shen Zu people," someone whispered, looking up at the tower's silhouette.

Many turned to gaze at the Mo He Shen Zu tower, where Mo He Yi sat, coldly gazing down at Xiao Yan's suite, as if viewing ants, his eyes filled with venom.

"My heavens, even Mo He Shen Zu has sent someone!"

"I heard it's Mo He Yi—one of their Holy Sons."

"You missed it earlier—they say someone fought Mo He Shen Zu, and only Nu Shan Yao Sheng intervened to stop it."

Soon, the auction hall grew lively, voices rising in heated discussion about Xiao Yan's clash with Mo He Shen Zu.

Sensing Mo He Yi's gaze, Nu Shan Yao Sheng sighed and said, "You must be careful with Mo He Yi—he's not the most talented Holy Son of Mo He Shen Zu, but his father, Mo He Ao, is an Elder, a genuine Supreme."

"In most great clans, Core Disciples value their reputation greatly; it's rare for one like Mo He Yi to lust after another's wife. These Divine Clan Holy Sons guard their honor fiercely and usually marry into other Divine Clans."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged glances and smiled. They understood well the politics of great clan alliances—back then, the Gu Clan had refused to let Xun Er marry out, until Xiao Yan's fists forced their hand.

Nu Shan Yao Sheng frowned deeply and said, "But Mo He Yi is a tragic oddity. In Mo He Clan, no matter how talented or high-ranking you are, you're doomed to tragedy—everyone is crushed by Mo He Tian. No one can surpass that mountain, so many Mo He Holy Sons have abandoned competing for the next Clan Leader position, becoming arrogant and reckless."

"Oh? Does Mo He Clan have a prodigy like Hun Tian Di?" Xiao Yan chuckled. Funny—Mo He Tian also has "Tian" in his name.

"Hun Tian Di?" Nu Shan Yao Sheng had never heard the name. He continued: "Mo He Tian is called by Mo He Clan the once-in-ten-thousand-years genius, even dubbed the Second Immortal Emperor."

Nu Shan Yao Sheng looked at Xiao Yan, paused, then said: "Mo He Tian reached Supreme at forty—he was virtually guaranteed to become the next Clan Leader. Ambitious, he relentlessly absorbed super-factions, aiming to make Mo He Shen Zu the strongest family in the Great Thousand World. If he learns of this, trouble will be immense."

Hearing this, even Cai Lin's eyes flickered with surprise—forty years old and already Supreme! The speed was astonishing, no wonder Mo He Clan believed he could become the Second Immortal Emperor!

"In the Great Thousand World, anyone below Supreme is an ant," Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened. He had planned to break through Earth Supreme Great Perfection before returning to Dou Qi Continent to seek its dimensional embryo—but now, he might need to return sooner.

Dong! Dong! Dong! After a while, the Auction Stage rang with the sound of bronze gongs. A graceful female auctioneer slowly stepped onto the stage; every smile and frown of hers was captivating. Her sultry demeanor made young men's hearts race with uncontrollable desire.

Seeing this beautiful auctioneer in a tight qipao, Xiao Yan thought of Ya Fei—his first encounter with Ya Fei had been at an auction in Wutan City.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you're thinking of Sister Ya Fei?" Xun Er teased, sitting beside him.

Hearing Xun Er's words, Xiao Yan recalled Ya Fei's every smile and glance, her magnetic voice—especially how she'd call him "Little Brother" in that honeyed, bone-melting tone, leaving him tingling inside.

"Yes, so after the auction, once Xun Er and Cai Lin break through to Earth Supreme, let's return to Dou Qi Continent," Xiao Yan said, shrugging.

Hearing Xiao Yan planned to return to Dou Qi Continent, Xun Er and Cai Lin's expressions softened, thinking of their children there.

Cai Lin said: "One of today's Auction Items is the essence of a near-Supreme Divine Beast. Though we don't yet know which one, it should be enough for me to break through to Divine Beast."

"Don't worry—I've prepared plenty of Supreme Spirit Liquid."

Not long after, Zhu Kun entered the suite.

As Xiao Yan and the others had guessed, the Northern Dragon Emperor had come not only to resolve the conflict with Mo He Shen Zu and protect Zhu Kun, but also to persuade Zhu Kun to join the Dragon Clan.

"The Northern Sky Dragon Emperor hoped I would join the True Dragon Clan, and promised me that if I joined the Dragon Clan, I would be granted the title of Dragon King and become a Dragon Clan Elder, with access to resources and territory," said Zhu Kun.

Xiao Yan and the others did not understand, but Nu Shan, the Medicine Saint, widened his eyes in shock and said, "Dragon Clan Elder?!"

"What's wrong?"

Nu Shan, the Medicine Saint, stared in disbelief, then examined Zhu Kun and said, "The Dragon Clan is the foremost of all Spiritual Beasts. Its ranks are filled with countless powerful beings—especially the True Dragon Clan, the strongest lineage within the Dragon Clan. To become a Dragon Clan Elder, one must at least reach the peak of Earth Supreme, or be a Supreme Divine Beast."

"To be offered such terms by the Dragon Clan, your Dragon Bloodline must be extremely high, exceedingly noble."

Just like the Five Great God Tribes, their Elders are all peak Earth Supremes, and some powerful Elders are even Heaven Supremes.

Xiao Yan frowned, thinking of his Xiao Clan's Ancestor, Xiao Potian, and asked, "Is this connected to the progenitor of the Grand Void Ancient Dragon Clan?"

The progenitor of the Grand Void Ancient Dragon Clan is the legendary Ancestor Zu Long. It too ascended into the Great Thousand World; today's Grand Void Ancient Dragon Clan is merely one of its bloodline branches, possessing only its power over Space.

Originally, Xiao Yan believed Zu Long and the Ancient Phoenix had left the Dou Qi Continent upon reaching Divine Beast status, but as he gradually learned more, he realized the progenitors of ancient beasts like Zu Long and the Phoenix likely fled the Dou Qi Continent after losing the struggle for the Realm's Embryo, seeking opportunity to break through to Heaven Supreme in the Great Thousand World.

If this were true, then Zu Long, the Ancient Phoenix, and other ancient Supreme Divine Beasts probably departed with the combat power of Nine-Star Dou Di, that is, peak Earth Supreme—power sufficient to command respect even on the ancient Shen Shou Continent.

Zhu Kun did not conceal it, nodding and saying, "The Northern Sky Dragon Emperor said our Grand Void Ancient Dragon Clan's progenitor was the ancient peak Supreme Divine Beast, Zhu Long."

"It's Zhu Long's bloodline," Nu Shan, the Medicine Saint, said, surprised but then nodding in understanding. He knew Xiao Yan and the others came from the Lower Plane and were unfamiliar with matters of the Great Thousand World, so he added, "During its peak, the Dragon Clan was even stronger than now, possessing three Dragon Emperors: the Heavenly Dragon Emperor, the True Dragon Emperor, and the Zhu Long Emperor—these three bloodlines were the most powerful."

"But fifty thousand years ago, when the Domain Beyond's demonic forces invaded, the Shen Shou Continent bore the brunt of the assault, even drawing the personal descent of Tian Xie Shen. At that time, it was precisely because the Zhu Long Emperor's lineage was so powerful and ferocious that the Domain Beyond's forces could not break through—until Tian Xie Shen himself arrived. In the end, the Zhu Long Emperor perished, and the entire Zhu Long lineage was slaughtered by the Domain Beyond's demons."

"Now, only the True Dragon and Heavenly Dragon lineages remain in the Dragon Clan, and even the Heavenly Dragon lineage has gradually declined—only the True Dragon lineage has produced a new Emperor, the current True Dragon Emperor."

In ancient times, the Shen Shou Continent was as mighty as the Great Thousand Palace; the Dragon Clan possessed three Dragon Emperors, while the Phoenix Clan held the Phoenix King, the Feng King, and the Immortal Bird—all peak Supreme Divine Beasts who reached Sage Emperor status.

But now, even the Phoenix Clan's Immortal Bird has declined; no true Immortal Bird has appeared, only inferior Spiritual Beasts like the Nine Underworld Sparrow clinging to survival.

I'll post one more chapter first; the second chapter might not be ready by four.

(End of Chapter)