Chapter 823: Coincidence?

"The Far North?"

Nu Shan the Medicine Saint nodded and said: "You know, because of the Domain Beyond's invasion fifty thousand years ago, the Great Thousand World fell into chaos, and even now, half of its territory remains under the Domain Beyond's rule."

"Five thousand nine hundred years ago, the Immortal Emperor sacrificed his life to defeat the Heavenly Evil God and reclaimed the center of the Great Thousand World, but the lands from the Far North to the Far South's outer regions still belong to the Domain Beyond. However, a thousand years ago, the Green Robed Sword Saint emerged suddenly, established the Sword Domain in the Far West, reclaimed vast lands and Lower Planes, carved a bloody path, and secured one frontier—so now, the only truly chaotic battlefields are the Far North and Far South."

"Alas, if two more peerless masters like the Green Robed Sword Saint could appear to guard the Far North and Far South, perhaps the Great Thousand World could launch a counteroffensive against the Domain Beyond."

As a half-step Heavenly Supreme and a Grandmaster Alchemist, and also a registered Execution Demon Master of the Great Thousand Palace, Nu Shan the Medicine Saint naturally knew many things. He well understood that although the Great Thousand World had seemingly won against the Heavenly Evil God tens of thousands of years ago, its territory had merely shifted from "mostly occupied" to the current "half-and-half" state.

Nu Shan the Medicine Saint also glanced at Xiao Yan; after spending some time with him, he realized this man from the Lower Plane possessed extraordinary potential, and even he could not fully fathom the man—as if his entire being was shrouded in mystery.

"Don't look at me—I have no interest in going to the battlefield to establish a faction to resist the Domain Beyond. Isn't that just asking for death?" Xiao Yan shot Nu Shan the Medicine Saint a look. Go establish a faction in the Far North or Far South to resist the Domain Beyond? What, did he owe the Great Thousand World?

"Continue the auction. As for the Great Thousand Palace's Execution Demon Hall, we'll deal with it later." Xiao Yan waved his hand. If the Saint Pupil wouldn't be discovered, then visiting the Execution Demon Hall might indeed be worthwhile—after all, once reaching the Heavenly Supreme, nearly all needed resources were concentrated in the hands of the Great Thousand Palace.

Moreover, as an Alchemist, one received preferential treatment and special subsidies within the Great Thousand Palace.

According to the Great Thousand Alliance agreement established by the Immortal Emperor, the Great Thousand World's major divine races were not only required to dispatch Heavenly Supremes to resist the Domain Beyond, but also to contribute resources—top-tier techniques, weapons, and more—to the Great Thousand World.

That's precisely why these divine races could occupy the finest continents and domains of the Great Thousand World and stand at its pinnacle—rights came with obligations.

During the rest of the auction, Xiao Yan made a few purchases: several medicinal materials reaching Earth Supreme grade and an ancient Divine Pill pill formula. Beyond that, he made no further bids.

Neither the Divine Techniques nor the Elixirs were needed by Xiao Yan and the others; they were not lone cultivators but had ascended only after dominating the Dou Qi Continent, already controlling a powerful Lower Plane, and could enhance their strength through Xiao Yan's pills.

The entire auction lasted several days, and even after days had passed, the Pai Mai Chang remained bustling, and the dazzling array of Auction Items greatly broadened Xiao Yan and the others' horizons.

Many Auction Items were unheard-of and unseen—even entire continents were put up for auction.

One bidder even put up a shattered Remnant Continent for auction, selling it for a staggering thirteen billion Supreme Spirit Liquids, because this Remnant Continent contained the Ruins of an Earth Supreme; if one could obtain a complete Earth Supreme inheritance, the profit would be immense—but if the Ruins were empty, one would lose everything, like opening a blind box.

Xiao Yan also acquired the Quasi-Superior Beast blood that Cai Lin needed, though this Quasi-Superior Beast blood was only one drop, and it was not from the Snake Race, but from a Quasi-Superior Beast: the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

For ordinary Spiritual Beasts, blood from a different species could not be used to break through bottlenecks—but Xiao Yan was different; as an Alchemist, he could purify the blood, retain its vast life energy, and remove the Golden-Winged Great Peng's racial power.

"Though not from the Snake Race, this is still one drop of Quasi-Superior Beast blood—it should be enough for you, Cai Lin, to break through to the Divine Beast realm." Xiao Yan looked at the blood sealed in the Blood Bottle and patted Cai Lin's Jade Hand.

Seeing the blood secured, the relatively warlike Cai Lin could not help but smile a beautiful smile and said: "I'll catch up to you as soon as possible."

On the final day, the auction items gradually became astonishing—nearly all were Upper Earth Supreme grade, and even a spear-type Quasi-Absolute Saint Treasure appeared.

But none of Xiao Yan's group trained with spears, and Xiao Yan himself already possessed the Star Heavy Ruler, an Absolute Weapon, so he made no bid.

"Your Majesty, only the final auction item and the last two hidden treasures remain." Qiao Shihong said with utmost respect.

"What are the last two items?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

To Xiao Yan's surprise, his intended target had been acquired without incident—the Mo He Yi of the Mo He Clan had not come to trouble him!

Was he going to have luck today?

"I don't know," Qiao Shihong shook his head. "The auction didn't reveal specifics about the last two items, only that one was obtained from a Lower Plane Battlefield in the Far North of the Great Thousand World, and the other was said to have been acquired from the Domain Beyond."

"Acquired from the Domain Beyond!" Xiao Yixian exclaimed in surprise. The "Domain Beyond" referred to here was not the Domain Beyond's occupied continents, but the world where Source Qi existed.

After the Domain Beyond invaded the Great Thousand World, over these tens of thousands of years, the Great Thousand World's Execution Demon Masters, besides defending the Great Thousand World and eliminating the Domain Beyond, also included some powerful figures who ventured into the Domain Beyond.

The Domain Beyond's origin lies beyond—meaning another vast world exists outside the Great Thousand World. Though entering the Domain Beyond, like the Domain Beyond's own people, would subject one to suppression by that world's World's Will, making Spiritual Energy incompatible.

But the Domain Beyond and the Great Thousand World do not have borderlines like nations; instead, there is a vast cosmic wilderness realm belonging to neither, like the Dou Qi Continent, which lies at such a boundary—thus, the Universe Space surrounding the Dou Qi Continent contains both Source Qi and Spiritual Energy, making it uniquely chaotic.

After the original Saint Race of the Domain Beyond was defeated and expelled, they left their own Heavenly Origin Great World and survived in the barren cosmic regions where Source Qi was scarce, eventually discovering the distant Great Thousand World.

The "barren cosmic regions" are simply places beyond the jurisdiction of both the Great Thousand World's and the Heavenly Origin Great World's World's Will. Some powerful beings venture into such cosmic wildernesses seeking breakthrough opportunities, and such worlds are collectively called the Domain Beyond.

Xiao Yan frowned; he had not forgotten that his Third Face of the Asura Soul-Cutting Technique required vast Source Qi to cultivate the Saint Pupil on his forehead.

While Xiao Yan was pondering, the second-to-last item—the main auction item—was brought forward. The auctioneer smiled and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, here is the main auction item. This piece was obtained by a Heavenly Supreme Execution Demon Master of the Great Thousand Palace from a Lower Plane Battlefield."

At that moment, on an antique-style tray lay a black stone the size of a human head. The black stone was strange—seen from afar, it looked no different from ordinary roadside rocks, but upon closer inspection, it had formed over tens of thousands of years, steeped in primordial time.

This peculiar stone seemed to carry the power of a dimension, radiating faint traces of dimensional force—though far weaker than a Dimensional Embryo, it was undoubtedly a Treasure imbued with dimensional power!

"Could this be a Dimensional Embryo Companion!?" a Grandmaster Earth Supreme in the front row asked in a low voice.

Though the stone emitted no invincible aura, merely lying still on the tray, it already felt like a planet.

The female auctioneer spoke slowly: "Ladies and gentlemen, according to the Heavenly Supreme Execution Demon Master's account, this was obtained from the core of a Lower Plane under Domain Beyond control—likely a Dimensional Embryo Companion."

"What? A Dimensional Embryo Companion!?" Hearing this, several in the front row immediately glowed with intense light, fixing their gazes on the stone.

"Without a doubt," the female auctioneer smiled faintly. "All of you here know how precious a Dimensional Embryo is—a dimension may take endless eons to birth one. Where a Dimensional Embryo forms, companion objects often arise. Though far less valuable than the Dimensional Embryo itself, these companions absorb some dimensional power. Thus, the value of this ancient stone needs no further explanation."

Not everyone has the right to obtain a Dimensional Embryo—not only are dimensions capable of birthing one exceedingly rare, but countless beings in the Great Thousand World and the Domain Beyond vie for them.

Grandmaster Earth Supremes are hard to encounter in ordinary times, but across the entire Great Thousand World, their number is absurdly large—possibly over ten thousand. Thus, ordinary Grandmaster Earth Supremes do not use Dimensional Embryos to break through to the Heavenly Supreme; instead, they rely on Dimensional Embryo Companions, Elixirs, Secret Realms, and other aids.

Upon hearing the auctioneer's words, every Grandmaster Earth Supreme present, and even some Upper Earth Supremes, exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with heat as they stared at the Dimensional Embryo Companion—undoubtedly, treasures imbued with dimensional power held boundless allure for them.

"We must secure this." As the auctioneer spoke, Xiao Yan's expression turned grave, and he spoke firmly.

Hearing Xiao Yan's serious tone, those around him turned to look—he had never seemed so different before. Xun Er, Xiao Yixian, and Cai Lin, who had known him for years and even shared beds and soul-bonded with him, sensed it immediately.

Xiao Yan being this serious meant this object was no ordinary thing.

Especially Xiao Yixian—she knew the Dou Qi Continent had a Dimensional Embryo, meaning Xiao Yan had no need for this to break through to the Heavenly Supreme. Cai Lin and the others still had a long way to go before reaching the Heavenly Supreme; they had no urgency.

"Though your combat power rivals a Grandmaster Earth Supreme, you're still an Upper Earth Supreme. Why rush to gather dimensional power?" Nu Shan the Medicine Saint asked, puzzled, then continued: "Besides, you're a Grandmaster Alchemist. Once your Pill Alchemy reaches Grandmaster Grand Completion, you can brew the Heavenly Sovereign Dawn Pill, which increases your chance of breaking through to the Heavenly Supreme by twenty percent—you don't need a Dimensional Embryo Companion."

To enter the Dao through Pills was nearly every Alchemist's goal. For Nu Shan the Medicine Saint, he was called a half-step Grandmaster Alchemist precisely because his success rate in brewing the Heavenly Sovereign Dawn Pill was high.

The Heavenly Sovereign Dawn Pill, as the name suggests, aids in breaking through to the Heavenly Supreme—it's a Quasi-Holy Pill, the hope of countless Grandmaster Earth Supremes seeking to ascend. Its value is incalculable; one Heavenly Sovereign Dawn Pill equals the favor of a Heavenly Supreme.

Think about it—if a Grandmaster Earth Supreme uses your brewed Heavenly Sovereign Dawn Pill to break through to the Heavenly Supreme, doesn't that mean you've gained a Heavenly Supreme's favor, capable of calling in one favor? What's that worth?

Thus, to get an Alchemist to brew a Heavenly Sovereign Dawn Pill for you, you must provide three sets of medicinal materials—and you indirectly gain a Heavenly Supreme's favor.

Moreover, the Heavenly Sovereign Dawn Pill's pill formula is a publicly known ancient formula; any Alchemist can obtain it from the Great Thousand Palace.

Xiao Yan heard Nu Shan the Medicine Saint's words, but he gave no reply—he knew the black stone was not a Dimensional Embryo Companion at all, but the Heavenly Evil God's Saint Pupil!

"Absolutely correct—this is the Heavenly Evil God's second Saint Pupil! The Heavenly Evil God is truly awakening; his Saint Pupils are beginning to reappear!" Xiao Yan's heart sank. Only he knew the true value of this Saint Pupil.

This Saint Pupil could not only enhance Xiao Yan's Soul Force and strengthen his Asura Soul-Cutting Technique, but most importantly, it contained the Heavenly Evil God's power and inheritance.

Leaving aside all other factors, the Heavenly Evil God was currently the strongest being in the Great Thousand World.

Xiao Yan had never expected that a Saint Pupil of the Heavenly Evil God would appear!

"This stone contains dimensional power—it is priceless and virtually unavailable, and may even be the only Dimensional Embryo Companion to appear recently. Those who understand need no further explanation from me. However, the registrant of this Auction Item is a Heaven Supreme, so his requirements are somewhat unusual: he does not accept Supreme Spirit Liquid, only Exchange Offers, and only resources he can use." The auctioneer smiled.

"Heaven Supreme resources." Upon hearing this demand, many important figures in the first three rows furrowed their brows.

Supreme Spirit Liquid is condensed from Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi by Supreme cultivators; Spiritual Spirit Liquid is the resource used by Earth Supremes. But once one reaches the Heaven Supreme realm, there are no fixed cultivation resources—only special Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Heaven Supreme inheritance items, and the like.

The pace has slowed considerably lately, and I didn't make it by four. I estimate I'll finish the second chapter before six.