The Modern Martial Immortal

Chapter 279: Selling

"650,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills?!" Seeing that number, Yaoguang showed a hint of surprise. "That many? From what I remember, even a Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivator only earns a dozen or so Pure Yang Grand Pills a year. Unless they’ve established a faction and dominate a region, or joined a top-tier immortal sect, gathering 650,000 Pure Yang pills would take forty thousand years without eating, drinking, or cultivating."

"The bounty for an Azure Golden Core cultivator is usually above two hundred thousand," Li Hanqiu said. "Because they already qualify to attempt a breakthrough into the Void-Piercing Realm. No one knows when they might reach that realm, so the organizations placing bounties are willing to spend heavily to eliminate them before they advance. Otherwise, once they succeed, the organizations will be the ones who suffer. Look at these Blazing White Golden Core and Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivators..."

He pointed further down the list. "A Blazing White Golden Core cultivator is worth just over ten thousand, while a Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivator drops to around a thousand..."

At this point, he could not help but sigh. "A thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills is enough to buy the life of a Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivator. And likewise, enough to make one fight to the death."

Cheap. Far too cheap.

"When I was checking records, I saw that forty years ago, at the East Sea Immortal Market, a Dao Artifact was auctioned. If I remember correctly, it sold for 180,000,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills?" Yaoguang transmitted through spiritual consciousness.

"You're wrong." Li Hanqiu glanced at him. "That wasn’t a true Dao Artifact, but a quasi-Dao Artifact. It only possessed Dao resonance, not the real power of a Dao Artifact. A true Dao Artifact is worth up to one billion."

He added via spiritual consciousness, "Just like the World-Stabilizing Ring and Void Disk you gave me."

"How much?! One billion?!" Even Yaoguang felt his mind tremble at that figure.

He knew how important Dao Artifacts were, especially for those in the Void-Refining Realm. Without one, breaking into the next realm was almost impossible. It was like a mortal without a house, unable to marry and continue their lineage.

But the price far exceeded his expectations.

"Yes, one billion," Li Hanqiu said with a sigh. "More than enough to buy the life of a Void-Piercing Realm expert."

He added, "And I'm not talking about a Void-Piercing Realm battle immortal. I mean a genuine Void-Piercing Realm cultivator."

Yaoguang felt tempted to take a risk and sell a Dao Artifact, all to quickly earn a billion Pure Yang Grand Pills.

With that amount, his cultivation could soar to the Void-Piercing Realm in no time at all. He wouldn't simply advance to that realm; he might even approach the peak of the realm.

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

A Dao Artifact was something even Void-Refining Realm experts would fight to the death over, let alone Void-Piercing Realm cultivators.

If things went wrong, even supreme elders from the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects at the Void-Shattering Realm might personally take action.

There were three thousand Great Dao! Although the North Sea Star only had forty-nine complete Great Dao inheritances, other Great Dao still circulated through divine abilities and great divine abilities, including some that directly involved karma. Without strength comparable to the Void-Refining Realm, attempting to sell a Dao Artifact would be digging his own grave.

Even selling a supreme divine ability already carried enormous risks. Without Li Hanqiu—a Void-Piercing Realm figure—shielding him, Yaoguang might not have dared to take this gamble at all.

After some thought, Yaoguang calmed himself. "Let’s focus on successfully selling this supreme divine ability first."

Li Hanqiu nodded. "I’ve already obtained invitations to the auction at the immortal market. Let’s head there now. The auction lasts ten days. The items in the first few days aren’t very valuable, but some might still be useful to you."

"Alright." Yaoguang nodded.

The two wasted no time and headed straight toward a towering structure in the center of the immortal market.

The building was a massive tower, thousands of meters tall. Array lights flickered across its surface. At night, it would look like a dazzling landmark.

At the very top was a lotus platform about three hundred meters in diameter, its eight petals fully spread. Cultivators could enter the central array from any petal.

When Yaoguang and Li Hanqiu arrived, they immediately sensed a faint distortion of space covering the lotus platform.

This was the sign of a Void-Piercing Realm expert presiding over the place. The deliberate display of their strength was itself a warning.

Furthermore, this expert most likely belonged to the Great Shang Immortal Dynasty, holding home advantage and enough authority to deter any other Void-Piercing Realm cultivator from acting recklessly.

As soon as Li Hanqiu arrived, the expert seemed to notice and sent a transmission. "Daoist, may I know which sect you come from? I am Wang Que, the East Sea State's guardian envoy."

"Guardian Envoy Wang," Li Hanqiu replied via spiritual consciousness. "I am just a nameless wanderer, bringing a junior here to broaden his horizons."

Seeing that Li Hanqiu responded through spiritual consciousness and wore a mask, clearly unwilling to reveal his identity, Wang Que did not press further. "Very well. This decennial auction at the East Sea Immortal Market may not offer much for us, but occasionally there are still worthwhile items, especially for Golden Core cultivators."

He added politely, "I won’t disturb you anymore. If you need anything, feel free to contact me."

"Much appreciated," Li Hanqiu replied.

After their brief exchange, Wang Que notified the attendants.

Soon, a Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivator hurried over, bowing respectfully. "Honored guests, your presence graces the East Sea Immortal Market. Please allow me to escort you into the auction."

Li Hanqiu gave a slight nod.

Following the attendant, they entered the array.

The moment they stepped inside, the surroundings shifted dramatically.

When the transformation settled, Yaoguang found himself standing atop a towering mountain peak.

The peak rose for hundreds of kilometers, surrounded by an endless sea of clouds.

Ahead of them was a massive lotus platform spanning several kilometers, already filled with cultivators.

At the center, a cultivator held a bottle of pills and was describing them. As he spoke, countless projections and images appeared in the air, allowing everyone to see clearly.

Around the lotus platform, besides the cultivators seated on the petals, more than a dozen mountain peaks stood amid swirling mist, their details obscured.

The peak where Yaoguang and Li Hanqiu stood was among the tallest.

As soon as they arrived, two graceful female cultivators approached, their robes flowing, their presence radiant as if they were immortals. They bowed elegantly. "We are Zhi Yun and Zhi Xue. We welcome the honored immortals. If you have any needs, please let us know. We will do our utmost to fulfill them."

"Bring me a list of the auction items," Li Hanqiu said.

The woman named Zhi Xue quickly produced a jade talisman.

Compared to the lists circulating outside, this one was far more detailed.

Not only did it include the regular auction items, but even the final highlight items for each day were also clearly listed.

Li Hanqiu glanced at it before handing it to Yaoguang, but he marked the final items of the fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth days.

Yaoguang took a look. Each of those five items was priced at more than one hundred thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills.

Any one of them would justify him taking out his supreme divine ability, one attuned to the Great Dao of psyche—the Seven Fiend-Severing Emotions.

The key was that none of those Pure Yang Grand Pills could be wasted.

After scanning through them, however, Yaoguang set his sights on three of the items at once.

"These three are all excellent. The Dragon-Subduing Pillar is a key material used to strengthen sect-protective arrays. With it, once the Nine Heavens Sect produces five Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivators, the array alone will be enough to withstand any attack below the Void-Piercing Realm. As for the Flowing Void Crystal, it can serve as a material for forging a Dao Artifact. The Flaming Fiend Heart, on the other hand, can be refined into a single-use item, the Divine Crimson Refinement Fire Lightning. Its destructive power is so great that even an Azure Golden Core might not be able to withstand it."

Li Hanqiu glanced at the Dragon-Subduing Pillar, whose starting price was 150,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills, and shook his head with some reluctance. "I won’t be leaving the sect much in the future. Let’s save those pills. Besides, setting up arrays is complicated and time-consuming. Without help, upgrading the sect-protecting array would take at least three years, but it could take even ten if we're unlucky. It would just waste your time. Let’s skip this one."

He then looked at the Void Flowing Crystal and the Flaming Fiend Heart. "Since the Flowing Void Crystal is a material for forging a Dao Artifact, we must acquire it. And if the Flaming Fiend Heart can truly be refined into something capable of killing an Azure Golden Core cultivator, then we absolutely have to obtain it as well. With such a treasure on you, I’ll be more at ease when you go out to train."

Yaoguang thought for a moment and nodded.

At present, for the Nine Heavens Sect, the Pure Yang Grand Pills that could rapidly raise everyone’s cultivation were indeed more important than upgrading the sect-protecting array.

"Then we’ll take these two items... Though the auction requires immediate payment upon winning a bid..."

Li Hanqiu chuckled. "Even though the two of us together could count our Pure Yang Grand Pills on one hand, with my status as a Void-Piercing Realm cultivator, paying afterward shouldn’t be a problem. Guardian Envoy Wang will give me that much face."

Hearing this and thinking of the weight carried by the Void-Piercing Realm, Yaoguang nodded.

The auction then proceeded in an orderly fashion.

On the sixth day, the Flaming Fiend Heart was secured by Li Hanqiu for 140,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills.

Just as he had said, when he did not pay immediately after winning the bid, the auction house did not even question him and showed complete trust.

After all, no one would believe that a Void-Piercing Realm cultivator could not produce over a hundred thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills.

On the ninth day, when the Flowing Void Crystal was auctioned, its price soared directly to 180,000.

Sensing the price was about right, Li Hanqiu and Yaoguang exchanged a glance. He then contacted Wang Que. "Guardian Envoy Wang."

"How may I assist you, fellow Daoist?"

"I very much want this Flowing Void Crystal. However, I’ve recently invested nearly all my wealth into cultivating a Dao technique. Therefore, I intend to sell a supreme divine ability through your immortal market, in exchange for enough Pure Yang Grand Pills to bid on it. What do you think?"

"A supreme divine ability?!" Wang Que was slightly startled, though he remained cautious. "May I ask which sect this divine ability comes from?"

"It is the supreme divine ability of the Fiendish Refinement Sect, which was destroyed thirty thousand years ago. It is called the Seven Devil-Severing Emotions," Li Hanqiu said with a smile.

Hearing this, Wang Que immediately relaxed. "So it’s that supreme divine ability... Does it come with its corresponding Dao technique?"

"I have not found it. If one wishes to cultivate the Dao technique, they would have to seek out forces that inherited the Fiendish Refinement Sect’s inheritance."

"Without the Dao technique, the price will drop significantly. And with only two days left in the auction, there’s no time to promote it properly. I’m afraid it won’t fetch a good price. Would you like to wait?" There was a trace of regret in Wang Que’s tone.

"It should be more than enough to cover the two items I’ve already won, correct? As for commission, just follow your usual rules."

"You’re too polite, fellow Daoist"

After a brief pause, Wang Que continued, "How about this. If you trust us, we can offer six hundred thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills to purchase the supreme divine ability outright. We’ll auction it in the next event. If it sells for more than six hundred thousand, we’ll make up the difference. If it sells for less, then consider it bought by us for that price. What do you think?"

"Six hundred thousand..." Li Hanqiu muttered.

For a supreme divine ability, that price was somewhat low. But considering it lacked a corresponding Dao technique, it was still reasonable.

Yaoguang glanced at Li Hanqiu but did not interfere.

After a moment of thought, Li Hanqiu spoke decisively, "Six hundred thousand is not enough. Eight hundred thousand. If not, we’ll give up on the Flowing Void Crystal. It may be rare, but it’s not impossible to find elsewhere."

"Eight hundred thousand..." Wang Que did not respond for more than ten breaths.

Not only Yaoguang, but even Li Hanqiu felt a hint of tension.

Fortunately, after a short while, Wang Que’s voice transmitted again, carrying a light chuckle. "Very well. As you wish. Eight hundred thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills."