Chapter 170: Broken Sword Soars to be Won; Fang Longye Pockets the Map of Mountains and Rivers [Two Chapters Combined] [6k]

"It's here! I was wondering why there wasn't an official auction; so it was all waiting here!"

Hearing the sound, Fang Longye muttered to himself.

After the sound of the Dao, a change immediately occurred outside the palace.

Originally, outside the palace was merely the boundary of space.

But at this moment, this layer of the boundary vanished.

A vast expanse of heaven and earth appeared before Fang Longye, Ao Ying, and Qingli.

Extending his primordial spirit out of the palace, he discovered that the palace was currently situated atop a thousand-foot-tall peak.

Yet, when his primordial spirit's detection reached a radius of a hundred miles, it could advance no further; all perception was completely restricted within those hundred miles.

Fang Longye opened his Dharma eyes and channeled his divine abilities to look; beyond a hundred miles, there were many other peaks and palaces similar to the one beneath his feet.

Within his sight, there was nothing but a dense cluster of many peaks and palaces.

However, he could only probe up to this point. To know which sacred beings were inside those palaces was, naturally, not permitted by the rules.

High above in the sky was a curtain of night.

Hanging upon it were stars of various sizes, emitting bright starlight.

For a moment, one could not tell how many there were.

His primordial spirit sensed that inside were all manner of treasures.

Pills, spiritual objects, secret techniques, Spiritual Roots, Spirit Treasures, weapons... they were too numerous to count.

Information surged from the Blue Stone Token in his hand and entered his heart; Fang Longye understood immediately.

Wanbao Tower appears for one sixty-year cycle every Yuanhui; its most fundamental purpose is to provide a place completely isolated from karma and Heavenly Secrets for the immortals and gods who gather from the Four Seas and the eight wildernesses.

This allows them to buy and sell from one another without any scruples.

To exchange what one has for what one lacks.

And in this process, the participants do not need to pay any cost at all.

The routine Fang Longye had guessed about extracting handling fees did not exist.

But—how could anyone do charity for no reason? Did he really think the forces behind the Wanbao Tower Secret Realm were running a charitable hall? They weren't here to serve the masses; in essence, they were still here to earn money.

In his view, the forces behind Wanbao Tower intended to screen for high-quality clients through the transaction records left behind by buyers and sellers as they came and went.

Once a certain quota was reached, the true treasure-bidding Dharma assembly would be opened.

As Fang Longye savored this mechanism, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

After reflecting for a moment, he realized: wasn't this the same operation as those casinos in Macau from his past life?

Retail players in the outer field, big spenders in the inner field.

You have to earn the retail players' money, but you also have to give them a little sweetness; the real bulk of the profit falls on the big spenders in the inner field.

Of course, this analogy might not be entirely appropriate.

After all, as Fang Longye looked, those dazzling, rare treasures hanging in the sky were not fake.

This was more like a disguised verification of assets; if you didn't reach a certain threshold, you were just a retail player in the outer field and couldn't get involved in the true Wanbao Tower transactions at all.

While Fang Longye pondered this in his heart, he probed the information of the various treasures hanging high in the sky.

In truth, being greedy for wealth and beauty by nature, his perspective was still a bit shallow; he only stared at that bit of money and completely ignored the feedback of luck brought by the hearts of the people in this mythical world.

The saying "When the hearts of the people are united, Mount Tai can be moved" is not an exaggerated figure of speech in a mythical world, but a tangible power.

If Fang Longye could possess the perspective of the Taiyi Realm, he would discover that surrounding this so-called Wanbao Tower Secret Realm, there was a heavy, boundless sea of luck deposited.

A palace city, neither large nor small, sat within this sea of luck, rising and falling.

Receiving the endless, ceaseless washing of the spiritual energy of luck, it had already turned seven-colored.

As the gathered spiritual energy became even denser, those seven colors even slowly blended together, faintly revealing a hint of Chaos.

This was the true top-tier treasure.

It was also the true intention of the figures behind Wanbao Tower in opening this Secret Realm.

Even the high-end treasure-bidding Dharma assembly that Fang Longye had entered was merely a secondary purpose.

Fang Longye naturally didn't think that much; he only probed the relevant information revealed by each of the "stars" above his head, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Every one of these treasures transformed into stars was a rare treasure that people outside would scramble for.

Fang Longye even saw a Supreme Spiritual Treasure hanging right there.

Map of Mountains and Rivers: forty-two layers of Post-Heaven Divine Prohibition, modeled after the Innate Supreme Treasure in the hands of Nuwa—the "Map of Mountains and Rivers and State"—it was the proud work of the Great Immortal Yunzhongzi of Zhongnan Mountain.

"Can't afford it!"

Fang Longye felt a surge of heat, then moved his gaze away and sighed.

Just this one treasure alone—even if he were taken apart piece by piece, he couldn't trade for it.

Moreover, as he looked them over, the star transformed by this Supreme Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasure was almost the brightest one in this "starry sky" above his head.

He estimated that even if this Map of Mountains and Rivers wasn't the best treasure released during this appearance of Wanbao City, it was at least in the top five.

There was no auctioneer; one only needed to look at a star transformed from a treasure, and the specific information of that treasure—its name, efficacy, starting price, and so on—would emerge in the depths of Fang Longye's heart.

The constantly soaring bid for that Map of Mountains and Rivers was, in Fang Longye's eyes, an astronomical figure.

It was daunting to behold.

Placing some of his unnecessary treasures onto a Dao platform, the platform immediately displayed the value of the treasures, measured in units of merit money.

As long as the treasure bid was successful, the treasures on the Dao platform would have a portion deducted and taken away according to the bid amount.

An operation as simple as a fool-proof tool~

Fang Longye thought to himself.

Without hesitation, he immediately activated the token in his hand and placed a bid on a treasure star he had taken a liking to.

Two million Merit Gold Coins! It was neither too much nor too little, but it still suppressed the second-place bidder by more than three hundred thousand.

Originally, there were over a hundred cultivators participating in the bidding, but after sensing this scene—

In just a few breaths, more than half of the cultivators withdrew their bids for this treasure.

They knew that someone with deep pockets was determined to obtain this treasure. Thus, they cut their losses in time, unwilling to waste more time competing with Fang Longye.

After all, Wanbao Tower only appears in the world for sixty years every Yuanhui. Their time was not so abundant that they could afford to get entangled over this one treasure.

Besides, as for the treasure stars above their heads, as long as someone successfully bids on one, a new star will be generated to fill the vacancy.

It is quite easy to obtain a treasure that one is satisfied with and that suits oneself.

As for maliciously driving up the price, as long as one is not a person of extremely vile character, one basically would not operate in such a way.

After all, those who have the capital to enter this Treasure Bidding Dharma Assembly are not simple characters.

Who doesn't have a few ancestors in their family? Even if the ancestors aren't enough, at their level, the ancestors can surely recognize a few powerful figures with connections.

If one truly wants to investigate the Heavenly Secrets clearly, the figures behind Wanbao Tower cannot cover it up.

Why provoke enemies for no reason?

They are not fools.

Seeing that there were still several cultivators who continued to follow up with bids for this treasure,

Fang Longye immediately added another three hundred thousand Merit Gold Coins, making his intention to obtain it clear.

After a few breaths, these last few cultivators also withdrew from the bidding.

As Fang Longye's bid succeeded, the Dao platform displaying the various bid treasures immediately shone brightly, deducting the corresponding price in treasures.

The star high above in the sky disappeared, and a bead emitting spiritual light appeared in his hand.

With a gentle squeeze, the spiritual light bead dissipated, and a broken sword over a foot long, emitting five-colored radiance, appeared in Fang Longye's hand.

Although it was only a broken sword, with most of the blade missing, it was still as clear as crystal, emitting Five-Colored Divine Light.

It was charming to the extreme, looking just like a work of art.

The cross-section of the broken sword was uneven, adding a sense of regret.

However, Fang Longye did not care about this at all, and in an instant, he brushed away the regret that had sprouted in his heart.

If it were not a broken sword, it probably would not have fallen into his hands.

This is only because this broken sword is the legendary Tengkong Sword! Tengkong and Huaying are the swords worn by Zhuanxu Gaoyang, the two wonders of the world's weapons.

The Tengkong Sword is one of them.

The "Records of Forgotten Tales" says: Zhuanxu Gaoyang possessed this sword; if there were troops in the four directions, this sword would fly to them, and pointing in their direction would lead to victory. In its case, it often sounded like a dragon's roar or a tiger's howl.

In the secrets Fang Longye had learned, this divine sword was personally crafted by the Yellow Emperor for his grandson Zhuanxu, by collecting Shoushan Yang Copper and using various rare treasures of heaven and earth, imitating his own Xuanyuan Sword.

It can be said that its background is immense.

If not for this, facing this unexpected Treasure Bidding Dharma Assembly, Fang Longye had no intention of spending even a single cent more.

In his view, although the treasures high above were all immortal rarities, he was not in urgent need of them; rather than spending money, it was better to accumulate more Merit and Luck and try his luck at Heavenly Fate—looking at the 'Tengkong' broken sword, its crystalline, colorful, dream-like crystal luster was truly too charming.

Fang Longye could not help but gently wipe the blade of the broken sword, only then observing it carefully and penetrating its subtleties.

Inside the broken sword, the textures were distinct.

The treasure light flowed, gathering into a long river.

The river water did not know where it came from or where it was going; it was boundless, quiet, secluded, and cold.

The waves were pale and cold, brimming with chill.

Fang Longye understood that this river of treasure light was a complete embodiment of the broken sword's treasure Qi and the combination of Dharma and principles.

He saw that in this illusory, concrete river, phantoms of all shapes and sizes jumped from the waves from time to time—neither fish nor bird, in all sorts of postures—before diving back in, splashing ripples.

As his mind immersed within it, the long river suddenly stirred with waves, expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Amidst the waves, Dragon Qi was dense.

Everything within the broken sword gathered into a five-colored divine dragon, suffused with powerful Dharma, as if it were substantial.

Incomparably sacred.

Carrying layers of halos, it revealed boundless killing intent, pointing directly at the intruder.

Fang Longye's mind withdrew from the broken sword, and he pondered secretly, a smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

He did not know why the legendary Tengkong Sword had broken, but it was indeed an extraordinary treasure.

Especially for him, who possessed a Tiger Soul Fragment, it was truly the most suitable.

One righteous and one evil, one sword and one blade.

One dragon and one tiger, one yang and one yin.

It was too perfect to be paired with the Tiger Soul Blade fragment in his hand and smelted into his divine weapon—the Panlong Spear.

Originally, the best match for the Tiger Soul Blade fragment would naturally be its old rival—the fragments of the Xuanyuan Sword.

But the key point is, thinking about it, it is impossible.

If one day the Xuanyuan Sword were to break and fragments appeared,

There would only be one possibility: the Honghuang Return Ruins.

Although the Tengkong Sword cannot compare to the Xuanyuan Sword, it still counts as a high-quality imitation.

And the Tiger Soul Blade fragment in Fang Longye's hand is not very large either; compared to the Tengkong Sword, which seems to have only the hilt left, it is even smaller! The big brother doesn't mock the second brother; a broken pot has its own broken lid—they are a perfect match!

It can be said that although these two divine objects look more tattered than the other, if they were completely smelted into his Panlong Spear, the Panlong Spear could definitely become a divine weapon no less than a Supreme Spiritual Treasure. He also understood why such a holy object was taken by him for only two million Merit Gold Coins.

Because even if broken, this 'Tengkong' broken sword cannot be controlled by anyone other than a Human King.

If ordinary cultivators took it, it would have no use at all and could only be used as a fire poker.

The reason these cultivators still bid on it was either to keep it as a collectible or to return it to Emperor Zhuanxu to build a favorable connection.

Fang Longye is different; he doesn't care about Zhuanxu or any collection value.

The only reason he came was for the Dao Rhyme and precious materials contained within this broken sword.

Putting away the broken sword that was little more than a hilt, Fang Longye watched the stars cycle one by one with a calm, composed expression.

Unless an Innate Spiritual Object appeared, he had no intention of throwing his money away.

He would just treat it as broadening his horizons.

……

Over half a year passed in a flash; the treasure-bidding Dharma assembly had been going on until now, with people coming and going.

The stars transformed from various treasures had dissipated countless times, and the newly appearing treasures had been replaced in several batches; only a sparse few of the original treasures remained hanging high.

It was not that no one was interested; on the contrary, the competition was too intense, and people were constantly fighting and bidding.

Fang Longye yawned, feeling bored and listless.

His whole person felt lethargic.

These past few days, he had indeed broadened his horizons, but he had realized his own poverty even more.

Damn it!

There might not be many rich people, but the rich were truly too rich!

Suddenly, the star transformed from that Supreme Spiritual Treasure, the "Mountain and River Map," shone brilliantly.

Before his eyes was an unprecedented brightness; as far as his gaze could reach, it felt as if it had suddenly become broad daylight.

This sudden change lasted for a moment before fading.

Looking again, he saw that the star representing this Supreme Spiritual Treasure had already disappeared.

"Good heavens!"

Who is this? A filthy rich bastard! Fang Longye instantly lost interest.

He reached out and patted the two women leaning beside him, saying listlessly: "Let's go! We've bought what we should buy, and we've seen plenty of what we can't afford."

"It's time to go back!"

"Master, shouldn't we wait a bit longer? The Wanbao Tower appears once every sixty years. We arrived a bit late, but there are still forty or fifty years left before the Wanbao Tower closes!"

Qingli asked curiously.

"No need to wait! The three of us have already cleared out the treasures on our persons that were useless to us. We've exchanged them for quite a few good things, and it's time to digest them."

Fang Longye waved his hand.

He had figured it out: even if there were Innate Spiritual Objects, they would be at an astronomical price.

Since he couldn't afford most of what he had his eye on, why stay here? To watch people show off their wealth? In any case, most of the things he needed to sell had been cleared out during this period.

After all, the palace had not changed. The function of buying and selling through the Spirit Light Treasure Mirror had not failed after entering this treasure-bidding Dharma assembly.

Let's go!

Fang Longye stood up, looking with envy at the stars transformed from immortal treasures and rare objects, sensing the constantly soaring bids.

Taking the two women with him, he swung his arms and left the Wanbao Tower Secret Realm without looking back.

……

In the Wanbao Tower Secret Realm, inside a palace similar to the one Fang Longye was in.

Long Xuan sat upright on a treasure lotus, a faint smile on her jade face; compared to before, there was three parts more joy between her brows.

She caressed a Treasure Map in her hand, her heart filled with joy.

Coming to this East Sea was the right choice!

It was not that the Dongting Dragon Palace lacked Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasures of this grade; there were quite a few.

But limited by her cultivation, her father and mother were afraid she would indulge in the power of spiritual treasures and neglect her own cultivation, so they had never let her possess them.

Sneaking out this time was the right decision! Only Penglai, backed by the Hunyuan Saint orthodoxy, had such a foundation that they could even take out Supreme Spiritual Treasures and scatter them outside~ She immediately took the Treasure Map into her body, circulated her secret technique to refine it, and within a short time, she had sacrificed and refined over a dozen Post-Heaven Divine Prohibitions before stopping.

She opened her beautiful eyes and thanked Ao Chun, who was standing to the side, with a smile: "I must thank the Eighth Prince for lending me some funds, so that Long Xuan could take this Mountain and River Map into her possession."

Her tone was flat.

The smile was so faint it was almost invisible.

Yet, just this was enough to make Ao Chun overjoyed.

He waved his hands excitedly and said: "This is all the Princess's destiny. I have merely contributed a meager effort."

"If it were not for destiny, how could the Princess have happened to come to the East Sea at this time and encountered the Wanbao Tower that opens once every Yuanhui?"

"It is evident that this treasure is destined for the Princess!"

"Regardless, I must still thank the Eighth Prince for your support. When I return to Dongting, I will definitely send someone to return the funds I owe to the Eighth Prince at the first opportunity."

"What is the Princess saying, what owing or not owing. Let these be a welcome gift from me to the Princess."

Ao Chun declined repeatedly.

Long Xuan's eyes were cold and clear as she insisted: "It must be returned. Whether the Eighth Prince accepts it or not, Long Xuan must return it to the Eighth Prince."

Everything has a cause and an effect.

It was true that she wanted to utilize this foolish Eighth Prince of the East Sea before her.

But such behavior, like a flashy, cheap woman swindling money, should be avoided~ Besides, she was unwilling to have any entanglements with the East Sea Dragon Palace.

If not for the fact that she had snuck out and hadn't brought much wealth.

Would she have needed him to support her with funds? Seeing Long Xuan insist, and even seeing coldness gradually rise in her eyes under his refusal, Ao Chun dared not say more.

For a moment, there was cold silence.

To ease the slightly awkward atmosphere, Ao Chun thought for a moment and said: "Princess, what exactly is the mystery of this Mountain and River Map? Why not release it and let us take a look?"

Hearing his suggestion, Long Xuan originally wanted to decline; she had always adhered to keeping her treasures hidden and was unwilling to expose her foundation.

After all, this spiritual treasure had already become one of her trump cards.

However, thinking that he had indeed paid half the funds for her, allowing her to obtain this "Mountain and River Map," she really couldn't refuse and had to nod in agreement.

"Appear!"

Long Xuan pointed her jade hand upward, and clear light poured forth; auspicious clouds gathered, and from within them, a Treasure Map emerged, slowly unfurling to a size of half an acre.

An ancient and majestic Aura radiated in all directions.

The eyes of the two people immediately lit up.

They saw a magnificent scroll appearing before their eyes—or rather, it could not be described as a scroll, but as a real world.

Towering mountains reaching into the clouds, winding rivers, vast and level plains, mountain forests with branches full of frost-covered leaves, birds, beasts, fish, and insects moving back and forth, and so on and so forth...

What met their eyes was a vast and boundless world. Sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, earth, flowers, birds, fish, insects, the mundane world... and so on and so forth, everything was there.

Although Long Xuan had not yet activated the Spirit Treasure.

This scroll still emitted an aura that seemed to suppress the void and fill the heavens and earth.

It was so oppressive that it made people unable to catch their breath.

After a long while.

Long Xuan put away the Spirit Treasure.

Ao Chun let out a breath and said in a hoarse voice, "It is worthy of being a work from the hands of the Great Immortal Yunzhongzi. I fear this already possesses three-tenths of the charm of the Map of Mountains and Rivers!"

Even as the Crown Prince of Longgong, who was well-informed and widely traveled, he still felt extremely shocked at a single glance when facing this Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasure, the Mountain and River Map.

It was clearly only half an acre in size.

Standing to the side, bathed in the radiance of the Treasure Map, it still made one feel incredibly insignificant.

As the Treasure Map returned to the auspicious clouds, Long Xuan did not respond, but felt joyful and lighthearted in her heart, secretly thinking, "I only came to see this famous Secret Realm in Penglai at the invitation of that fool Ao Chun. I never expected to encounter such a treasure."

"Originally, I regretted that I had no experience when I first ran away from home, and I didn't know how to steal some powerful treasures from the house. Now, facing that hateful guy, I feel a bit lacking in confidence."

"This is great! With a Supreme Spiritual Treasure in hand, that dog thief surnamed Fang! Let's see how you escape my handling!"

"Achoo!"

Fang Longye, carrying Qingli and Ao Ying, shook his arm and departed from the Secret Realm of Wanbao Tower. He was leisurely observing the scenery around him when he suddenly sneezed.

"Young Master, it seems someone is thinking of you!"

Seeing this, Qingli smiled and said.

Fang Longye waved his hand and said, "There are plenty of people thinking of me. What is there to mention~"

"Then, Young Master, do you think it is someone close to you thinking of you, or an opponent?" Qingli's eyes turned, and she asked slyly.

"An opponent? Among my opponents, Young Master, are there any still alive?"

"That's not necessarily true." Qingli smiled and gestured for him to look at Ao Ying to the side, saying, "She still has a good younger brother who hates you to the bone!"

"Fine! Sister Qingli, I thought you were going to say something! It turns out you were just making fun of me."

Ao Ying had been calm and steady, watching Qingli and her master teasing each other, but suddenly the joke was turned on her.

She was immediately ashamed and angry.

Fang Longye looked at the two women bickering and shook his head, continuing to admire the scenery around him on his own.

He saw not far away, rugged stone colors reflected on the gnarled pine branches, interspersed with three or five tea bushes, their leaves swaying.

Above them, a shallow color of rain had accumulated.

"I was too busy rushing to enter Wanbao Tower before, so I never noticed that the scenery in this area is truly quite good."

Fang Longye, returning along the same path, looked at the beautiful scenery along the way and felt moved in his heart.

It is, after all, Penglai Xiandao!

Even an ordinary place is filled with spiritual energy.

He saw spiritual mist gathering into rain along the way, falling on the branches and leaves of the trees, swaying precariously.

The daylight shone between the branches and leaves, reflecting the white stones in the water not far away, with floating mist rising and falling, and halos gathering and dispersing.

It could be said that on Penglai Island, there is no desolate or barren place.

Even the empty land that no one visits can be considered quiet and elegant.

And look—

A very ordinary stream ahead was also full of life, with shallow frog calls blending with the rustling wind, lingering and fading.

There were even three or five immortal cranes, as if no one were around, calmly preening their feathers and occasionally letting out light calls.

Accompanied by the bickering of Qingli and Ao Ying, Fang Longye was savoring the ordinary scenery of Penglai Xiandao with great interest.

The sound of the Dao coming from behind him, however, made him stumble: "Fellow Daoist, please stay your steps!"

(End of chapter)