Chapter 141: The Pursuit from Man Huzi

As the day for the Zhaixing Assembly to begin drew ever closer.

The entire Heavenly Star City was filled with endless auctions and trade fairs.

Especially the various auctions held among Golden Core Stage Cultivators; Zhou Yuan and the Golden Core Stage Cultivators of the Miaoyin Sect went to various auctions and trade fairs on behalf of Yan Taibai almost every day, purchasing all kinds of metal-attribute materials and poisons.

They spared almost no expense, though of course, they would not purchase items that far exceeded their own value, as this was Yan Taibai's requirement.

However, compared to the auctions and trade fairs among Golden Core Stage Cultivators, the treasures at the auctions and trade fairs among Nascent Soul cultivators were even more numerous and precious.

And Yan Taibai's status was extraordinary; having made moves multiple times in the Outer Star Sea, his strength was already not much weaker than a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Therefore, Yan Taibai received an invitation to an auction assembly jointly held by the Four Great Merchant Guilds, which was primarily for Nascent Soul cultivators. Why was it primarily for Nascent Soul cultivators? Because Yan Taibai was the only Golden Core Stage Cultivator to receive an invitation.

"They really think highly of me,"

After taking the invitation sent by Zhou Yuan, Yan Taibai chuckled and said.

"Does that mean Brother Yan, you are preparing to set off and go?"

Zhou Yuan asked with some concern.

After all, Nascent Soul cultivators would also kill to seize treasures, especially a Golden Core Stage Cultivator like Yan Taibai who possessed assets worth more than ten million Spirit Stones.

Driven by such levels of profit, let alone the mysterious, unknown Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage behind Yan Taibai, even existences like Liudao Jisheng, Wan Sangu, or even the Heavenly Star Sages would see Nascent Soul cultivators willing to take the risk.

Of course, that was only a possibility; whether it would actually happen depended on who it was.

But this time, the Nascent Soul level auction assembly held by the Four Great Merchant Guilds had invited at least a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators.

Under such circumstances, no one could guarantee whether any Nascent Soul cultivator would make a move against Yan Taibai.

So it was natural for Zhou Yuan to be worried.

"Hehe, Madam, there is no need to worry. It is just an auction, nothing to speak of. Moreover, there is something I need in this auction. Something I must obtain."

Yan Taibai chuckled, appearing unconcerned.

"What is it? Perhaps this concubine can help you find it; there is no need to take such a risk?"

Zhou Yuan had not looked at the list of materials for some of the auction items in the invitation and hurriedly asked.

"Geng Essence; this thing seems to have been prepared just for me."

Yan Taibai smiled slightly and said.

"Geng Essence, the legendary treasure of sharp metal; has this item not been unseen for hundreds of years?"

Zhou Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

"It is naturally prepared for me; if I do not go, would I not be failing to live up to their good intentions?" Yan Taibai's smile remained, yet it revealed a hint of coldness.

"Brother Yan, you don't mean to say that this auction was prepared specifically for you! Are these Four Great Merchant Guilds still holding a grudge over what happened back then?"

Zhou Yuan's expression turned ugly and she said with alarm.

One must know that in recent years, the Four Great Merchant Guilds had gained many benefits from their business dealings with the Miaoyin Sect.

Business people value harmony to generate wealth; logically, it was impossible for them to be this petty.

"That is not it, it is just that this Geng Essence is eight or nine times out of ten prepared for me. In short, as long as I want the Geng Essence, I must go."

Yan Taibai continued to explain.

"Then... why not just not go? There is no need to take such a risk for a piece of Geng Essence."

"If I don't go, it would be bad to fail to live up to this good intention. Besides, whether it is a blessing or a curse is not yet certain. What if it is some fellow Daoist who intentionally wants to be on good terms with me?"

Yan Taibai laughed heartily.

"This... it would be better if they just sent it over. If that really won't work, a trade would also do; it's not like we can't bring out the Spirit Stones or Demon Cores. Looking at it like this, they are clearly harboring evil intentions."

Zhou Yuan shook her head slightly, directly rejecting Yan Taibai's speculation.

"Haha, Madam, rest assured. I naturally have my own ideas about this matter; nothing will happen."

Yan Taibai laughed heartily and comforted her.

But the atmosphere between the two became a bit strange as he kept calling her 'Madam', though neither of them paid it any mind.

"Then Brother Yan, please take extra care."

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan found it difficult to say anything more.

"Mm! Nothing will happen. How could I not take a good thing delivered to my doorstep?"

Yan Taibai nodded with a smile.

"Brother Yan is absolutely right; indeed, we cannot refuse. After all, this Geng Essence has not appeared for hundreds of years; if we miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will be,"

Zhou Yuan could only echo and agree.

At the same time, in Six Extremes Castle in Heavenly Star City.

As the name suggests, this was a branch of Shengmo Island in Heavenly Star City. As for the current person at the helm, it was not a Nascent Soul cultivator sent by Shengmo Island, but Wen Tianren, who had become the Young Master of Shengmo Island.

"Young Master, the invitation from the Four Great Merchant Alliances has already been sent over. However, will that Daoist Yan from the Miaoyin Sect really take the bait?"

A Nascent Soul cultivator in the main hall of Six Extremes Castle frowned and said with some heartache.

After all, that was Geng Essence! Even he had never seen it before.

"Rest assured, he will. Even if he knows it is a trap, he will still go in. Now it is just a matter of seeing which of us two is more skilled and can bring more means and helpers."

Wen Tianren chuckled, appearing incomparably confident.

"But if that happens, won't we offend the Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage behind him?"

The Shengmo Island Nascent Soul cultivator frowned even more deeply, feeling dissatisfied with his Young Master's plan.

But hindered by status, he could not blame him for anything and could only offer well-intentioned advice.

"No matter. A Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage? Master is also a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage. With Master here, there is simply no need to fear anything."

"Moreover, for so many years, it is still unknown whether the Nascent Soul cultivator behind him is truly a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage. The strange phenomena back then could have been achieved by a Nascent Soul Mid Stage cultivator using some means and formations."

"And for these years, the Holy Island has been sending people to search, yet there has been no trace, which really makes one doubt whether such a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage even exists. Perhaps it was just an accident, or perhaps such a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage does not exist at all."

"In any case, even if this person really is a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage, with Master presiding over Shengmo Island, there is no need to be overly apprehensive."

A sneer hung on Wen Tianren's face.

Clearly, he was filled with hatred for Yan Taibai, who had almost completely stolen his limelight, possessed a status not inferior to his own, and had even humiliated him.

Now that an opportunity had arisen, he naturally could not let it pass.

"Has Senior Man agreed?"

Wen Tianren asked about another important matter.

"Fellow Daoist Man says that unless the Young Master is willing to give him a piece of Geng Gold as a reward, he will not agree. After all, offending a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage is far too dangerous. The face of the Holy Master is not yet worth him taking such a great risk."

The Nascent Soul cultivator of Six Extremes Castle replied.

"A piece of Geng Gold—he really is opening his mouth like a lion. However, if this person can truly be wiped out and the Nascent Soul cultivator behind him drawn out, it would be worth it."

"Since he has chosen to cooperate with Star Palace, it will inevitably have a huge impact on the plans of our Righteous and Demonic paths, so he must be eliminated in advance. This is a joint decision by Master and Senior Wan; as long as he appears, Master and Senior Wan will join other seniors to strike and kill him, to prevent future trouble."

A ferocious smile appeared on Wen Tianren's handsome face.

"So the Holy Master and Wan Immortal Venerable have already made a decision; it was this subordinate who spoke out of turn."

After hearing Wen Tianren's words, the Six Extremes Castle Nascent Soul cultivator hurriedly spoke.

Although both were Nascent Soul cultivators, the gap between a Nascent Soul Early Stage and a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage was even greater than the gap between a Golden Core Late Stage and a Nascent Soul Early Stage.

The various inconceivable divine abilities that a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage could unleash made killing a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator far too easy.

Therefore, even though he was already a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator, he still dared not show any negligence, let alone be disrespectful.

He dared not show the slightest negligence even toward Wen Tianren, this disciple of Liudao Jisheng.

Given the other party's talent, in at most one or two hundred years, he would be able to condense a Nascent Soul and advance to the Nascent Soul Stage, and in time, he might even advance to a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage like Liudao Jisheng; at the very least, Nascent Soul Mid Stage was absolutely no problem.

This kind of person was simply not someone he could afford to provoke or offend.

On the contrary, he had to serve him as best he could; perhaps he would be heavily relied upon in the future and be able to leave Heavenly Star City.

One had to know that the relationship between Shengmo Island and Star Palace was extremely hostile, and he happened to be stationed in Heavenly Star City; once a conflict broke out, if he reacted even a little slowly, or was abandoned, he would surely die.

He would absolutely be the first to be killed by Star Palace as a sacrifice to the flag.

As for betraying Shengmo Island, that was seeking death of the highest order.

Liudao Jisheng would even personally take action to extract his soul and refine his spirit, and his entire family behind him would also have their souls extracted and spirits refined, with the whole clan wiped out.

Such a consequence was naturally not something he was willing to bear, or capable of bearing.

"Shi Elder is joking; this matter still requires Shi Elder's best assistance."

Wen Tianren chuckled.

"Yes, this subordinate obeys."

Upon hearing this, Shi Elder nodded and said.

The place where the auction held by the Four Great Merchant Guilds was taking place was not in Heavenly Star City, but on an island outside Heavenly Star City that should have originally been a barren island.

Yet now, after the arrangements of the Four Great Merchant Guilds, it was an island with green hills, clear waters, picturesque scenery, and a bustling crowd.

Of course, the most important thing was the grand hall where the auction was held; its area alone occupied one-third of the entire island. Besides the Nascent Soul cultivator-level auction that Yan Taibai was attending, there were also Golden Core Stage cultivator-level auctions, as well as Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator-level auctions and trading fairs; it could be said that it directly intercepted one-tenth of the human traffic of Heavenly Star City.

Yan Taibai naturally stepped onto this island using his real identity, and then sent a message to Red Moon Fairy.

After all, since the invitation was personally delivered by her to Miaoyin Sect, she was naturally responsible for receiving him personally.

However, the moment Yan Taibai stepped onto the island, he felt no fewer than a hundred divine senses sweep over him. The owners of these divine senses were mostly feeling surprised, and a portion had a "surveillance" flavor to them.

But Yan Taibai did not care about these, instead continuing to wait for the arrival of Red Moon Fairy.

The latter did not make him wait long either.

And the first sentence upon seeing Yan Taibai was:

"You shouldn't have come."

"Haha, since I'm already here, I can't just leave! Fairy, rest assured, nothing will happen."

"When does the auction start?"

Yan Taibai chuckled and brought up the purpose of his arrival.

"Two days later. However, during this period, there are still many smaller auctions and trading fairs being held. Of course, there are also trading fairs held by other Nascent Soul cultivators who have called upon their friends. If you want to attend these kinds of trading fairs, you can tell me first, and I can help you get an invitation. If the Nascent Soul senior does not agree, then there is no way."

Seeing Yan Taibai's indifferent appearance, Red Moon Fairy could only sigh and say.

But she also understood that what Yan Taibai was relying on now was not just the Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage behind him, but also Star Palace.

Her master at Hongyun Chamber of Commerce told her that Star Palace and Yan Taibai had already reached a tacit cooperation; as for what kind of cooperation was reached, no one knew, but it was certain that it had been reached.

As for the Four Great Merchant Guilds, they helped no one; at least until the situation became clear, they would not lean toward any side.

This was also the bottom line for the Four Great Merchant Guilds to settle down and establish themselves, even though there were elders from both the Righteous and Demonic paths and Star Palace within the merchant guilds.

After all, once a wrong choice was made, it would be a disaster.

At the same time, they could also take the opportunity to trade with both sides.

War wealth is always suitable for any world.

"No matter, then you take me around for a bit first; after all, in two days' time, I believe I should be able to obtain quite a few good things."

Yan Taibai nodded and said.

"That's no problem." Red Moon Fairy sighed softly and agreed.

After all, this was indeed her task.

"However, we still need to go see my master; she is on good terms with an elder of Star Palace."

"Good."

Yan Taibai only answered with one word this time.

At the same time, inside one of the rooms in the island's VIP pavilion.

"That brat Wen Tianren actually agreed; he really is willing to pay the price. Isn't he afraid that after he returns, that fellow Liudao Jisheng will beat him to death?"

"Hahaha!"

Man Huzi looked at the Sound Transmission Talisman in his hand and laughed heartily, his expression full of satisfaction.

"Master is saying that Wen, the Young Master of Shengmo Island, has agreed to gift you a piece of Geng Metal?" the beautiful woman in Man Huzi's arms asked, also pleasantly surprised.

"Correct, a piece of Geng Metal. Tsk tsk, he really is willing."

Man Huzi nodded with a face full of smiles.

"Congratulations to Master for obtaining another precious treasure."

Hearing the definitive answer, the beautiful woman immediately offered her congratulations in a sweet voice.

Although the two were master and disciple on the surface, in reality, she was Man Huzi's concubine.

"Hahaha, that's nothing. It's just that, because of this, I have to take the risk to kill that Golden Core Stage Cultivator from the Miaoyin Sect. Afterwards, I still have to join forces with that fellow Liudao Jisheng to deal with the Nascent Soul cultivator behind him. I don't know if he is a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage. It's been so many years, yet we haven't even seen a shadow. The groups from Shengmo Island, Wanfa Sect, and Qingyang Sect have practically turned the entire Chaotic Star Sea upside down; logically speaking, even a fly shouldn't be able to hide."

Man Huzi laughed loudly, then fell into doubt again.

"Could it be that there is no such Nascent Soul cultivator at all, and it was all directed and acted out by that fellow Daoist Yan from the Miaoyin Sect?"

The beautiful woman frowned and voiced her speculation.

"Impossible. That kind of phenomenon is simply not something a Golden Core Stage Cultivator could achieve, not even with the help of a formation. Unless one were to set up formations over a radius of a thousand miles, but that is obviously impossible."

Man Huzi shook his head in denial.

(End of this chapter)