Translator: AnubisTL

After delivering the Immortal Spirit Green Gold and the Dragon Transformation Pill, Li Qing soon received the Thunder Sound Bamboo he had been longing for.

The bamboo's surface shimmered with a faint golden hue, and intermittent thunderous roars echoed from within.

This section of Thunder Sound Bamboo was remarkably complete, retaining its entire length from root to leaf tip, as if it could still be replanted.

"Excellent," Li Qing murmured. "The thunderous Secret Power contained within this bamboo makes it the perfect material for refining the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings."

"When refined, the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings won't just be for escape; they'll possess considerable offensive capabilities as well."

His eyes burned with anticipation as he carefully stored the Thunder Sound Bamboo.

Having secured this supreme treasure, Li Qing had achieved his primary goal for coming here. All that remained was to return to the Lingyun Sect and refine the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

Once refined, his lifespan would undergo a massive increase, providing the foundation for cultivating the Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra.

"If all goes smoothly, I'll break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage and master a heaven-piercing spirit treasure!"

Even Li Qing, with his usually calm demeanor, couldn't suppress a flicker of excitement at this prospect.

Having achieved his primary objective, Li Qing could now focus on the auction with a clear conscience, free from the earlier psychological pressure.

Gradually, the crowd's attention shifted as well.

They stopped focusing on Li Qing's earlier auction item and seemed to forget about the mysterious late-stage Nascent Soul expert present. Instead, their attention was completely drawn to the successive auction lots.

Among the items was a pill formula for a medicine that could enhance cultivation and refine mana for core formation realm cultivators.

It was unclear who had brought such a precious item to auction. Generally, such formulas were considered absolute secrets, even within the most prosperous immortal sects.

Unless a sect was destroyed, they would never tolerate the disclosure of such a formula.

Unsurprisingly, the pill formula sparked fierce competition, with core formation realm cultivators in the audience practically seeing red.

Cultivation was arduous!

Obtaining such a formula and successfully refining the mana-enhancing medicine would illuminate their future dao paths.

Unfortunately, the formula was ultimately claimed by an ancestor from the Western Heaven Pavilion of the Cloud Marsh Domain, clearly intended to further enrich their sect's foundation.

The Western Heaven Pavilion might even flourish further because of this.

Gradually, the auction was drawing to a close, and the items being presented were becoming increasingly significant!

"Next, we have the grand finale item!"

"Esteemed guests, behold this treasure!"

True Monarch Wan He revealed a bone staff in his hand. The jade-white staff was adorned with mysterious runes that shimmered faintly.

The moment the staff appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to freeze, and everyone tensed as if facing a formidable enemy, their expressions turning solemn.

Every cultivator present, including Li Qing, sensed a faint yet palpable pressure emanating from the bone staff.

"Hiss! What is this thing? Why does it make my chest feel tight and my heart race?"

"What level of demon beast's True Bone is this? The oppressive aura is terrifyingly profound!"

"Incredible! Could it be a magic treasure refined from the True Bone of a fifth-tier great demon lord?"

Li Qing's expression grew serious. He was certain this demonic bone originated from a fifth-tier great demon.

He himself possessed the True Bone of a fifth-tier demonic bird, which he planned to use for refining the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

The bone staff in True Monarch Wan He's hand radiated an aura even more intense than his own fifth-tier demonic bird True Bone.

"Indeed," True Monarch Wan He confirmed, "after authentication by the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild, this bone originates from an unknown Divine Transformation stage demon cultivator."

"Furthermore, the staff has been partially refined into a heaven-piercing spirit treasure. Unfortunately, due to an accident during the refining process, it ultimately failed to bear the great dao principles, resulting in significant damage to its spirituality."

"Nevertheless, it remains a heaven-piercing spirit treasure, even in its incomplete state."

Hearing True Monarch Wan He's explanation, the crowd's breathing grew heavy. Even the old daoist with the goatee below began scrutinizing the bone staff on the display platform with renewed interest.

"Wan Shengtian is really pulling out all the stops this time," the old daoist muttered, clicking his tongue. "To think he'd even part with a spirit treasure, even if it's not even yellow grade. Still, it's a heaven-piercing spirit treasure, after all."

Despite his interest, the old daoist had no intention of competing for the damaged spirit treasure.

Seeing the crowd's excitement reach a fever pitch, True Monarch Wan He smiled with satisfaction. He continued his explanation:

"This treasure is called the Profound Wind Bone Staff. When activated, it summons a demonic gale and manipulates the wind elemental force of heaven and earth, allowing you to control celestial phenomena with ease."

"What do you say, everyone? By mastering this staff, you can experience a taste of the divine transformation stage cultivator's ability to command wind and rain and manipulate the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth."

At these words, everyone's breath hitched. The prospect of gaining even a fraction of the power wielded by divine transformation stage cultivators was undeniably irresistible.

"There is no reserve price for this item. Bid freely!"

With that, True Monarch Wan He levitated the Profound Wind Bone Staff in mid-air, displaying it grandly for all to see.

As scorching gazes converged upon it, the auction for this final, showstopping treasure finally began!

"This old one offers a mysterious scripture, suspected to be from the upper realm, its text utterly profound and unfathomable—"

Before the speaker could finish, someone interrupted him: "Get lost, Man Gu! You dare offer that worthless scripture no one can understand? Who knows if you didn't just scribble nonsense and call it a scripture yourself!"

This remark drew amused smiles from many in the crowd.

Clearly, the Nascent Soul cultivator known by the daoist name Man Gu had quite a reputation.

He was notorious for flaunting an incomprehensible scripture, using it to swindle countless victims. Yet here he was, still trying to bid at the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild.

Exposed and enraged, Old Gu, Man Gu retorted, "Hmph! This scripture might well be an immortal text! I've heard that immortals use such scripts. You simply lack the discernment to recognize its true value—you're destined to remain ignorant of immortal scriptures!"

The Nascent Soul cultivator who had clearly been duped erupted in fury:

"Immortal scripture? What utter nonsense! Anyone interested can buy it from me for a single spirit stone—read the 'immortal scripture' to your heart's content!"

True Monarch Man Gu flew into a rage: "Xu Kaiyuan, you've gone too far!"

Before the farce could escalate further, True Monarch Wan He cleared his throat softly, interrupting the quarrel.

The auction for the spirit treasure resumed its proper course. Next to bid was Old Lord Tianxing, the renowned Grand Array Master!

"I offer a damaged fifth-tier formation art in exchange for this incomplete spirit treasure."

Even a damaged fifth-tier formation art held immense value.

True Monarch Wan He chuckled softly. "Fellow Daoist Tianxing, do you dare ask if you can personally construct that incomplete fifth-tier formation art?"

Old Lord Tianxing remained silent for a moment before replying, "I have less than a ten percent chance of success."

Hearing this, True Monarch Wan He shook his head. "Allow me to hear the bids from the other fellow daoists before making my decision."

"As you wish," Old Lord Tianxing replied calmly.

The Profound Wind Bone Staff was the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild's grand finale item, so he and the treasure appraisal team behind him had the final say on what it would be exchanged for.

"A Dragon Origin Grass over two thousand years old," the Black Flood Dragon King announced. "This spiritual herb grows alongside dragon nests deep beneath the sea. Even among my race, it is exceedingly rare."

True Monarch Wan He's expression flickered with interest, but he maintained his composure, intending to hear all the bids before deciding.

"Three Demon Heart Fruits," the Golden Bear King declared. "Consuming these fruits will purify one's bloodline, and there's even a chance to awaken the bloodline of a celestial demon."

The Golden Bear King had remained silent since Li Qing swindled him earlier, wary of making any further missteps. But now that something he truly desired had appeared, he finally made his bid.

"I possess a Mustard Seed Contains Mount Sumeru treasure. Though not a true Cave Heaven Treasure, it can still house living beings within its vast interior, with enough space to contain the waters of an entire great lake."

"An Arctic Divine Light! I guarded the extreme northern lands for over thirty years just to obtain a single strand of it!"

"..."

The bidding prices left Li Qing dizzy. In that moment, he truly understood what a heaven-piercing spirit treasure meant to a cultivator.

Even a fragmented heaven-piercing spirit treasure had ignited such fierce competition. As the grand finale of this magnificent auction, it was clear just how invaluable these treasures were in this realm.

Li Qing suddenly began to doubt whether he could truly refine the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

"Ah, do your best and leave the rest to fate!" he sighed softly, then silently observed the final bidding war.

As someone about to personally refine a heaven-piercing spirit treasure, Li Qing chose to remain silent and abstain from the bidding.

After a frenzy of escalating bids, the auction hall finally fell silent.

True Monarch Wan He paused, seemingly communicating telepathically with the treasure appraisal team behind him.

After a long moment, he slowly announced:

"Fellow Daoist Tianxing, if the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild provides the spirit materials to set up the formation, and you make multiple attempts to deploy that fifth-tier incomplete formation, would you have sufficient confidence?"

Old Lord Tianxing, who had initially held little hope, was astonished by this generous offer from the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild.

He had always been deeply passionate about formation arts, but his progress had been hampered by the scarcity of spirit materials, forcing him to rely primarily on theoretical deductions.

"With an ample supply of spirit materials and multiple attempts, I would estimate a fifty percent success rate," he replied cautiously. He dared not make any absolute claims, given that this was a fifth-tier Grand Formation capable of trapping and killing cultivators in the Divine Transformation stage.

Moreover, the formation was incomplete, significantly increasing the difficulty of deployment. Even he couldn't guarantee absolute success.

True Monarch Wan He pressed further, "If the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild were to invite a fourth-rank formation master to collaborate with you on refining the formation, could we make it more complete?"

"Perhaps it's worth a try," Old Lord Tianxing hesitated. "After all, I am but one person, and my resources are limited. With another fellow daoist, we might achieve it." Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Could it be that your esteemed merchant guild can persuade Jialuo to join us?"

True Monarch Jialuo and Old Lord Tianxing were the only two formation masters in the realm publicly known to be capable of deploying Fourth-Tier Grand Formations.

The art of formations was profoundly mystical, its complexities growing exponentially with each higher tier, making its depths virtually inexhaustible.

Instead of directly answering Old Lord Tianxing's question, True Monarch Wan He said, "The Profound Wind Bone Staff belongs to Fellow Daoist Tianxing now. However, I'm afraid we'll need to trouble you with considerable effort and resources in the days ahead."

The Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild's final choice of Old Lord Tianxing came as a surprise to many present.

After all, the guild was one of the realm's most powerful immortal dao factions, with a living ancestor in the Divine Transformation stage. Why would they need such a formidable formation?

Moreover, the guild valued harmony and absolute neutrality, having no enemies. Why the sudden urgency to deploy such a powerful formation?

True Monarch Wan He finally offered a quiet explanation: "Fellow Daoists, as the realm's most esteemed figures, you deserve a clear explanation."

"Recently, our ancestor detected signs of instability in several spatial rifts connecting this realm to the demon realm."

"While we haven't confirmed this as an imminent demonic invasion, we must prepare for the worst."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Demon Realm Invasion!

These four words carried an unbearable weight. In the Ancient Era, the Cultivation World had flourished, producing countless Great Powers, with even ascensions to the upper realm occurring regularly.

Yet, a single Demon Realm invasion had nearly shattered the entire Cultivation World!

Countless spiritual veins across heaven and earth were destroyed, and spiritual energy plummeted to near-extinction levels.

Even after countless years, the cultivation environment in this era had yet to recover to its former glory.

After all, even Divine Transformation stage cultivators were rare sights, a far cry from the abundance of Great Powers in the ancient era.

And now, this weakened world might face another Demon Realm invasion. How could they possibly withstand it this time?

Sensing the oppressive atmosphere, True Monarch Wan He shook his head. "There's no need for such alarm, everyone. The spatial nodes are merely fluctuating. This isn't necessarily a sign of a Demon Realm invasion."

"I'm only informing you all to prepare yourselves."

But since even the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild had begun preparations early, they couldn't afford to overthink it.

Amidst the silence, True Monarch Wan He spoke, "Alright, regardless of the situation, I urge all fellow daoists to seize every opportunity to strengthen yourselves. After all, improving one's cultivation can never be wrong."

"A large-scale trade fair will follow. You may use this opportunity to trade for items you need, including those previously announced for auction."

This was a customary practice at the Ten Thousand Treasures Grand Gathering. After each auction, cultivators would remain to continue trading.

During the auction, many rare and seldom-seen treasures had surfaced. Those who failed to win bids often stayed to see if they could acquire needed items through direct trades.

Throughout the trade fair, the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild's treasure appraisal team would remain, offering free appraisal services to all participants.

With the guild as witness, everyone could trade with confidence.

(End of the Chapter)

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