Chapter 853

Many of the elder figures were well aware of it.

"It is said that the Ren Yuan Fruit is extremely hard to find; apart from Source Heaven Masters, almost no one can detect it. This fruit is a false Dragon Pearl born of the earth."

"This is a precious treasure for extending life—if refined into an elixir, it can at least add fifty years to one's lifespan!"

"They actually cut out something like this—haven't heard of such a thing in many years."

Everyone present was stunned, whispering among themselves; the Shengcheng these past few days had been extraordinarily lively—first someone cut out a divine herb, then someone auctioned off a Ren Yuan Fruit. But when the divine herb was cut, the commotion was immense, whereas this Ren Yuan Fruit emerged without a single sound—no one knew which holy site's stone workshop it had been cut from.

The Ren Yuan Fruit, though inferior to ancient divine herbs, still ranks as a rare treasure; especially when mature, it can evolve into a Di Ming Fruit, also called a false Dragon Pearl, its effects nearly matching those of a divine herb.

Everyone looked over and saw a fruit sealed within a transparent jade vessel, displayed on the raised platform, its faint, refreshing fragrance soothing the spirit.

"Starting bid: two hundred thousand jin of source."

The white-haired elder directly announced the starting bid.

The entire auction hall was stunned once more.

Two hundred thousand jin of source was merely the starting bid—no one knew how much source it would ultimately fetch.

"Two hundred and ten thousand."

"Two hundred and twenty thousand."

"Two hundred and fifty thousand."

Representatives from every holy site bid, and the price rose swiftly.

"Three hundred thousand."

Yao Guang Holy Site bid—its Holy Master had been wounded by the Red Dragon Daoist and urgently needed celestial wonders.

"Three hundred and ten thousand."

A monk from the Western Desert also bid, showing no fear of Yao Guang Holy Site.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand."

The Yao Guang bidder remained cold and continued raising the price.

"Three hundred and sixty thousand."

The monk from the Western Desert raised the bid again.

"Four hundred thousand."

Yao Guang Holy Site raised the price once more.

Everyone watched as Yao Guang Holy Site and the Western Desert monk competed, feeling intense excitement; many faces glowed with eagerness, as if desperate to see who would ultimately claim the Ren Yuan Fruit.

"Aren't these monks from the Western Desert supposed to believe all is empty? How can they be so rich? Thirty-some thousand jin of source—just blurted out without blinking!"

"They're no weaker than the major holy sites of the Eastern Wilderness. I've heard great emperors once emerged from the Western Desert, terrifying the world—of course they're rich. But this time, Yao Guang Holy Site is truly going all out, spending a fortune."

"Their Holy Master was ambushed by Kong Quewang and the Red Dragon Daoist, sustaining serious injuries. This assault on Zishan worsened his condition—they absolutely need the Ren Yuan Fruit to save his life. No wonder they're bidding so fiercely."

"Yet the Central Plains' imperial court didn't bid at all—what a pity, it was a little less lively."

"Probably reached some secret deal in an instant—after all, this is the Eastern Wilderness; even if the Central Plains' experts are wealthy beyond measure, they still owe some respect."

Some people were chatting, while Ye Fan felt delighted, simply watching Yao Guang Holy Site and the Western Desert experts bid against each other.

"Ye Fan, this Ren Yuan Fruit seems to have come from your cut."

Fang Yu smiled and asked.

"Not hiding anything from Brother Fang—I did cut it out myself. I found this Ren Yuan Fruit in the stone workshop of Tianxuan Holy Site."

Ye Fan explained.

These past few days, he had been cutting stones all over Shengcheng, discovering the city was everywhere precious and magnificent—but one place was utterly desolate, nearly deserted.

After inquiring, he learned it was the stone workshop of Tianxuan Holy Site.

Thousands of years ago, Tianxuan Holy Site was filled with mighty experts, renowned across the entire Eastern Wilderness, no less formidable than Zifu, Dao Yi, Tai Chu, or Wanyan Holy Sites. But they launched an assault on the Ancient Sacred Site to achieve immortality—and overnight, nearly the entire sect was wiped out, with only a handful barely surviving.

Tianxuan Holy Site naturally had a stone workshop in Shengcheng; after this disaster, most of its stones were seized by other holy sites. Originally, all the holy sites planned to completely divide up the entire Tianxuan workshop—but every night, terrifying wailing echoed from within.

Out of respect, the holy sites left this workshop intact, leaving it desolate and abandoned to this day.

Ye Fan found the Ren Yuan Fruit by cutting stones in this abandoned Tianxuan workshop—and naturally, it happened silently, without alerting anyone.

"Excellent. Your Source Heaven Book cultivation is growing stronger. After this auction of the Ren Yuan Fruit, you should be able to break through to the Fifth Layer of Dao Palace. When this auction ends, let's leave Shengcheng and head to Zishan."

Fang Yu listened to Ye Fan's words and laughed.

"Brother Fang is going to Zishan? Good."

A flicker of excitement appeared on Ye Fan's face.

Zishan, Zishan—when Brother Fang decides to go to Zishan, it means he has some certainty.

The auction in the hall was wildly lively; soon, the price of the Ren Yuan Fruit soared to six hundred thousand jin of source, and ultimately, Yao Guang Holy Site won it for six hundred thousand jin of source.

This auction came to an end.

The four great figures of the Gu Hua Imperial Court, wearing Long Guan, majestic and commanding, strode out first.

Seeing them leave, everyone parted ways, deeply wary—these great experts from the Central Plains' Gu Hua Imperial Court were unquestionably top-tier warriors advancing on Zishan.

Soon after, the old monk from the Western Desert also departed from Tianyao Bque; behind him floated several divine halos, leaving everyone awestruck.

Everyone knew the third assault on Zishan was about to begin.

But to fully mobilize their hidden strengths, people estimated at least a month of preparation was needed—this involved negotiations among the holy sites and countless logistical matters.

Undoubtedly, within a month—or shortly after—a colossal storm would sweep the world; Zishan would shake the heavens. The legacy of Wu Shi Emperor would stir every heart, possibly revealing truths about the Emperor's death, his final years, and what he did before his end.

Many had already left Tianyao Bque; only Fang Yu and his group remained.

They were waiting for Tianyao Bque to deliver the source.

Soon after, the young master of Tianyao Palace, Yao Yuekong, arrived personally to deliver the source from this auction.

Tianyao Bque's rule was one-tenth taken—meaning Fang Yu's two million jin of source from the auction would yield twenty thousand jin of source for Tianyao Bque.

It was a vast fortune.

The Heaven Demon Treasure Pavilion made a fortune.

Ye Fan's Human Fruit sold for sixty thousand jin of Source this auction, and ten percent was taken—sixty thousand jin of Source went to the Heaven Demon Treasure Pavilion.

Yao Yuekong, the young master of the Heaven Demon Palace, was extremely enthusiastic, nearly wanting to swear brotherhood with Fang Yu and Ye Fan, and immediately delivered the Source they were owed.

Fang Yu: one million eight hundred thousand jin of Source.

Ye Fan: fifty-four thousand jin of Source.

"Brother Fang, Brother Ye, Brother Pang, Brother Tu, I've prepared a feast today—how about we drink until we're utterly drunk?"

Yao Yuekong spoke warmly.

"I have matters today. Let's talk another time."

Fang Yu naturally refused.

"Very well. As long as Brother Fang is willing, I will always prepare a feast and await your honored arrival."

Yao Yuekong's eyes flickered, smiling as he spoke.

"Good."

The group left the Heaven Demon Treasure Pavilion and soon vanished, departing from Shengcheng.

The Three Thousand Great Dao, the Great Teleportation Art, made travel extremely swift; soon, the several of them arrived near Zishan.

The Northern Region was boundless, ten thousand li frozen, a million li blanketed in snow; Fang Yu's single Great Teleportation carried him millions of li, arriving at the Zhang family's Shi Zhai, the place he had visited before.

Zhang Kuang of the Zhang family and the villagers rejoiced upon seeing Fang Yu, Ye Fan, and the others.

"Master Fang has returned! And Brother Ye, Brother Pang!"

"It's truly Master Fang! We've all missed you."

"Master, we haven't seen you in days—you've finally come back to visit us!"

Zhang Kuang was overjoyed. In the past, bandits roamed everywhere around their settlement, harassing the village every ten or fifteen days, committing countless atrocities—but after Master Fang arrived, he obliterated all darkness with Thunder's might, and since then, they had enjoyed a few peaceful days.

But now, this place was no longer entirely peaceful.

"Master! You've returned!"

In the Zhang village, Wang Shu and Er Er Lengzi were also overjoyed, feeling deep familiarity upon seeing Fang Yu.

Zhang Kuang ordered the villagers to slaughter pigs and sheep for a grand celebration, then invited Fang Yu and the others inside to sit and talk at leisure.

Outside the Northern Region, it was far too cold—not at all warm and springlike like Shengcheng. As the group sat inside, they spoke of their recent experiences.

Fang Yu recounted several tales from his travels in the Shrouding Heaven Realm, while Ye Fan shared stories from his past, leaving the others constantly amazed.

"When will Brother Ye take us to Shengcheng to see it for ourselves?"

Wang Shu and Er Er Lengzi listened with great envy.

Especially when they heard how a few thousand jin of Source had been turned into hundreds of thousands, their envy was overwhelming.

"Actually, this Shi Cun holds many fine things."