Chapter 717 - 564: Yin Demon Attack
Zixia Daoist Master laughed heartily, "I can imagine the expression of the friend who bid fifteen hundred pieces now, haha, malicious bidding got its comeuppance, right!"
She easily noticed that the person in room thirty-six was being jointly targeted. This counted as malicious bidding, but it was hard to define.
Just like the current situation, as long as the cultivator in room twenty-seven is willing to offer enough spirit stones to buy the pills, the auction house would not deem it malicious bidding.
The stifled frustration from purchasing the high-quality Golden Core Pill was swept away, as someone else was more unfortunate than her, and her mood calmed down.
Feiyun Zhenren smiled slightly; she knew who the guest in room thirty-six was and understood the person’s plight was due to ignorance of some unwritten rules.
She felt a tinge of guilt, thinking that she should have informed the person of these details to deepen their connection.
The auction continued, with several pills refined from demon beast inner cores being auctioned off one after another.
Ji An would quote a relatively high price each time, hoping someone would outbid him, but no one did.
Following this, various rare Tier Three spiritual objects were auctioned, but Ji An did not bid. He had no use for them since most of the things he needed were produced in his little world.
Half an hour later, a strange fluctuation of magical power came from outside the room.
The maid approached and whispered:
"Senior, it’s the cultivator from the auction house here to deliver the pills you won. Shall I open the room now?"
Seeing Ji An nod, the maid performed a spell, and the Dharma prohibition of the doorway opened.
A beautiful female cultivator with a Suiyun Bun hairstyle entered, followed by a maid with a Double Horn Bun hairstyle.
The female cultivator cupped her hands and spoke in a gentle and soft voice:
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Xuanqing. These are the pills you won: two bottles of Spirit Rhinoceros Quenching Essence Pill, one bottle of pills refined from the Kuimu Ape’s inner core, one bottle from the Howling Moon Wolf’s inner core, and one bottle from the Earth Dragon Beast’s inner core.
A total of forty-eight pills for five thousand six hundred top-grade spirit stones."
She inadvertently exuded a trace of spiritual pressure, revealing herself to be a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.
The fact that she knew Ji An’s dao title was because it was noted on the invitation.
Ji An stood up, cupped his hands in return, and then extended his arm:
"Thank you, Daoist, for delivering these. Please, have a seat while I verify them."
In any transaction, the goods must be verified on the spot; otherwise, if a dispute arises, it will be difficult to resolve, especially with cultivation-related pills where no mistakes can be tolerated.
"It’s a rightful thing to do; please verify them as you wish."
The female cultivator readily agreed and sat down. Even if Ji An hadn’t requested verification, she would have insisted on doing so anyway.
Ji An picked up the jade bottles, carefully examining each pill. For those pills he encountered for the first time, he would scrape off a little powder to taste.
Losing some spirit stones wouldn’t mean much if the pill’s effects weren’t great, but hindering his cultivation was intolerable.
Spending a high price is fine, but he cannot accept paying a high price for inferior products.
He placed the last pill back into the jade bottle, saying:
"The quantity and quality are quite good."
He used to not think much of it, but now he knew the power of the Cyan Lotus Heart-Burning Fire. With a pill formula, he believed he could refine pills of higher quality than most cultivators.
If his cultivation were higher, he might proactively partner with the auction house to bypass middlemen profiting from the deals.
He retrieved six neatly stacked piles of top-grade spirit stones from the Grotto Void Stone, then pushed some aside:
"Please, Daoist, count them."
The female cultivator waved her hand gently, and the maid behind her immediately counted them quickly:
"Daoist Master, there are a total of five thousand six hundred top-grade spirit stones."
"Store them away."
The two then engaged in conversation, during which Ji An learned that the female cultivator’s dao title was Ling Wei.
A moment later, the female cultivator got up to leave:
"I won’t delay your bidding any longer. Farewell."
Ji An escorted her to the door and then continued watching the auction, as opportunities to observe a large number of Tier Three spiritual objects were rare.
...
In a certain place on Wulan Mountain, Wan Jinrong activated his magical treasure and killed a Yin Demon at the Golden Core Stage, quickly gathering the corpses of his squad members before leaving.
He fled at maximum speed out of the fog-covered area, returning to the base to meet with the great cultivator on duty today—Pingtian True Monarch.
Outside the great hall, a cultivator stopped him:
"Master Jinrong, the True Monarch is currently cultivating; please do not disturb unless it’s urgent."
Wan Jinrong, having reached the Golden Core Stage, took his name as his dao title.
"It’s urgent; my squad encountered a powerful Yin Demon, and I was the sole survivor.
Had it not been for my quick reaction, I would have suffered serious injuries."
Previously, in encounters with various demon lords by scouting squads, the highest were comparable only to the Fifth Transformation of the Chao Origin Stage.
The emergence of a Golden Core Level demon lord now implies that other squads are also at risk.
The blocking cultivator understood the urgency and immediately activated emergency communication.
The light curtain of the great hall’s entrance flickered, then slowly dissipated before the door opened automatically.
"Please enter, Daoist Master."
Wan Jinrong nodded slightly and stepped inside.
Hanging on the wall at the back of the great hall is a Taiji Diagram, beneath which there is an ebony desk with a red three-legged incense burner on it, tendrils of smoke curling up.
A cultivator wearing a Refined Lotus Crown sits cross-legged on a pudun, his gaze clear and bright.
The room is filled with sandalwood scent, and Wan Jinrong feels invigorated by the fragrance, a refreshing coolness spreading in his sea of consciousness.
The incense in the burner is a mixture of Golden Leaf Padauk wood powder and Soul Nourishing Wood leaves, and for a Golden Core Cultivator like him, this incense is quite high-end.
He straightens his posture, cupping his hands solemnly as he says:
"Disciple pays respects to Daoist Monarch."
"No need for formalities."
Pingtian True Monarch replies warmly, inquiring with concern:
"What happened?"
Searching the unknown areas of the Demon Cave is a very detailed task. To minimize time wasted on the road, each team will stay in the mist for three days during their search.
With sufficient supplies of Purifying Talismans, the cultivators can withstand the stay for three days.
The team entered the Wulan Mountain area for the search yesterday and returned today, even sending an emergency signal, causing him unease.
"Reporting to Daoist Monarch, today, this disciple led five subordinates to search a valley and encountered a Yin Demon at the Golden Core level...
The others unfortunately met with mishap. I triggered a Spirit Stabilizing Talisman, resisted the Yin Demon’s Spirit Soul attack, and was lucky enough to kill the demon and escape."
Wan Jinrong recounts with lingering fears, having two Magical Treasures on him was his saving grace against the Yin Demon’s ambush.
The distributed Spirit Stabilizing Talisman was of great help, otherwise, he might have met his end in Wulan Mountain.
Pingtian True Monarch says warmly:
"Bringing back intelligence at the first moment, you’ve done well. The families of the team members will receive generous compensation.
Rest for now, and refrain from spreading the news of the Yin Demon at the Golden Core level."
"Disciple takes his leave," Wan Jinrong retreats and departs.
Pingtian True Monarch’s expression darkens. The appearance of a Yin Demon at the Golden Core level suggests that Fufeng True Monarch’s speculation is over ninety percent likely to be true.
This is not good news as the destructive power of a large Demon Cave is astonishing. Measures must be taken soon.
He retrieves two jade slips and briefly explains the current situation, summoning two trusted disciples and says in a deep voice:
"You two take these jade slips and go to Taihua Sect and Void Sect, respectively, to meet with Fufeng True Monarch and Chong Xu Daoist Monarch."
...
After the auction, Ji An returned to the Black Stone Grotto Mansion and entered the Little World.
After calming his spirit and mind, he consumed a pill refined from a Kuimu Ape’s Inner Core and began circulating the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture.
He was well aware of the effects of the Spirit Rhinoceros Quenching Essence Pill, thus prioritizing the testing of pills made from demon beast inner cores.
As the cultivation technique ran, the medicinal power rapidly dissolved, with surging spiritual qi wreaking havoc in the immortal veins; at the same time, he felt a trace of a violent emotion.
This was due to the demon beast’s bloodline power which could not be removed, as it assured the quality of the pill.
Relying on his formidable Spirit Soul Power, Ji An effortlessly suppressed the violent emotion and continued driving the cultivation technique to refine the pill.
The Five Elements Divine Mansion shimmered with brilliance, each Dao Seed shining brightly, with spiritual qi continuously refined and compressed, magic power crystals merging into the middle and lower dantian.
Three double hours later, the pill was completely refined, and Ji An felt the increase in magical power, estimating the efficacy to be less than seventy percent of the Spirit Rhinoceros Quenching Essence Pill.
He shook his head in dissatisfaction. The events at the auction left him displeased, and after meeting with Master Feiyun, he learned the cause and effect of the situation.
If he’d known the outcome beforehand, he would have gone all out to bid for the Spirit Rhinoceros Quenching Essence Pill.
As long as the price was high enough, other bidders would naturally not dare continue bidding.
This approach might seem foolish and easily offend other cultivators, but he was not particularly interested in cultivating personal connections.
As long as he could quickly improve his cultivation, everything would be worthwhile.
Using pills refined from demon beast inner cores required more time to purify the Blood Evil Power.
If the Blood Evil Power was not purified in time and accumulated within, a cultivator’s temperament would gradually change.
...
More than half a month later, Ji finally completely purified the remaining Blood Evil Power from the pill, then consumed a pill made primarily from an Earth Dragon Beast Inner Core.
The result showed this pill was even less effective, barely achieving sixty percent of the Spirit Rhinoceros Quenching Essence Pill’s effect.
He was somewhat disappointed with this type of pill and decided to purchase them less in the future.
He cast spells on the Spirit Field in the Little World, then exited it, leaving the Grotto Mansion to cast spells on the Azure Dragon Wood.
At this time, the cold moon hung like a hook, the Moon of Taiyin suspended like a jade disc over the woods, while two Cyan Dragons roared, their vast voices spreading far and wide.
Spirit Rain nourished the land, mist rising from the ground like a refreshing morning after rain, invigorating the senses.
A golden light shot rapidly from afar, halting outside the Magic Array, emitting unique spiritual power fluctuations—it was a Communication Golden Sword.
Ji An formed a Spell to open the Dharma Prohibition, catching the flying golden light and learning from the Magic Seal’s fluctuation that it was from Master Qingfeng.
He extended his Divine Sense to read the message inside, which stated that there was a meeting of Golden Core Cultivators to trade and inquired if he was interested in participating.
If attending, to meet in the Immortal City at 5:00 PM three days later.
Ji An pondered momentarily, then decided to agree.
This was a good opportunity to integrate into a new circle, perhaps even obtaining seeds of high-tier spirit plants.
He recorded his response on the Communication Golden Sword, then activated it and watched as the golden light disappeared into the distance.