Chapter 1373
Fierce Competition for Divine Marks and Purple Gold
This treasure is so extraordinary that it's practically heaven-defying; it's suitable for use by one's own core disciples.
Whether you keep it for yourself as a backup plan to break through the bottleneck, it's an excellent choice.
The treasure beneath the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo is the Azure Abyss Lotus Seed. Although its grade is slightly inferior to the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo, it is still a genuine top-grade immortal treasure, and its core function is to forge the Azure Abyss Dao Body.
This Dao Body excels at comprehending the laws of water, possesses astonishing defensive capabilities, and can accelerate the absorption of spiritual energy. Once forged, it can help cultivators increase their probability of breaking through to the Thunder Tribulation Dao Realm.
Given the generally low cultivation level of the disciples in the Flying Heaven Sect, the Azure Abyss Lotus Seeds are undoubtedly a timely help.
Even if they cannot acquire the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo or the Azure Abyss Lotus Seed, they can still cultivate a Thunder Tribulation Dao Realm expert for the sect, thus solidifying the sect's foundation.
Ye Yang had already made up his mind.
We will prioritize bidding for the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo, at any cost.
If they fail to obtain it, they can use the Azure Abyss Lotus Seed as an alternative; they cannot return empty-handed.
After all, the Azure Abyss Lotus Seed is enough to help an outstanding disciple break through the Thunder Tribulation Dao Realm; it's just that in terms of potential and future achievements, it is slightly inferior to the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, are there any treasures among these that you fancy?"
Qu Nishang's voice interrupted Ye Yang's thoughts. Seeing him staring at the list for a long time, she asked softly, her voice filled with concern. She knew that one of Ye Yang's purposes for this trip was to purchase treasures for the Flying Heaven Sect and strengthen the sect's power.
Ye Yang raised his head, his gaze falling on Qu Nishang's beautiful face, his eyes filled with a deep contemplation.
"The Azure Dragon Divine Embryo and the Azure Abyss Lotus Seed are indeed rare treasures."
He didn't hide his intentions; after all, financial resources were the key to this auction.
Upon hearing this, Qu Nishang's eyes flashed with understanding, yet also with a hint of complexity.
She was well aware of the value of these two treasures and understood Ye Yang's ambitions.
However, the starting price for the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo is as high as tens of thousands of immortal stones, which is an extraordinary price.
"The starting price for the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo is extremely high, and there are many competitors. Fellow Daoist Ye must prepare in advance."
Qu Nishang kindly reminded her, her tone tinged with worry.
Ye Yang nodded slightly, already anticipating the intensity of this auction.
Although he had previously killed several powerful cultivators at the Thunder Tribulation Dao Realm and seized many treasures and storage bags, accumulating a considerable fortune.
However, most of this wealth consists of various rare and precious materials, magical treasures and elixirs, rather than the immortal stones needed for the exchange fair.
"Fellow Daoist Qu, is there a place to exchange immortal stones at this barter event?"
Qu Nishang pointed to one side of the Glazed Palace.
"Fellow Daoist Ye can exchange the treasures in his hands for immortal stones, and the Glazed Palace will evaluate them according to their value."
Without hesitation, Ye Yang took out all his treasures from the past years, as well as the treasures and storage bags he obtained from killing those cultivators above the Thunder Tribulation level.
The spoils of war were piled up like mountains, including ancient talismans, fragments of broken immortal artifacts, rare spiritual herbs, and ores containing pure energy, each item of considerable value.
However, there is a hurdle ahead right now.
fairy stone.
Ye Yang had been staying in the guest room for over a year and was already very familiar with the rules of the conference.
Ordinary spirit stones are simply not considered valuable at this Great Ocean Barter Conference; the only currency in circulation is immortal stones.
One immortal stone is roughly equivalent to ten thousand high-grade spirit stones condensed together. It contains rich and pure immortal energy and can be traded or used for cultivation. Ordinary cultivators in the Void Refinement Realm may not be able to accumulate more than a few in their entire lives.
Ye Yang pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the exchange booths on one side of the palace.
This time, he didn't bring any immortal stones with him, but rather the treasures he had accumulated over the years, as well as the storage bags he had seized from killing several Thunder Tribulation Realm experts along the way.
Although those powerful figures may not all be rolling in money, cultivators at the Thunder Tribulation Dao Realm can always conjure things that are several levels better than ordinary goods.
"Fellow Daoist Qu, I have some things to take care of first, and we'll meet up again later."
Ye Yang bowed slightly to Qu Nishang beside him, his tone calm.
Upon hearing this, Qu Nishang naturally understood his meaning. She parted her lips slightly and nodded with a smile.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, please make yourself at home. I will wait here."
Ye Yang turned around and walked towards the exchange point on the west side of the palace.
There were two disciples from the Glazed Palace guarding the area, both at the Refinement Void Realm. Their eyes held a professional indifference, yet they recognized the aura of the newcomer. As Ye Yang approached, one of the disciples bowed slightly: "Fellow Daoist, are you here to exchange for immortal stones?"
"Exactly." Ye Yang nodded, took out several treasures from his storage bag, and laid them out one by one.
The disciple's gaze lingered on the treasure, and his brow twitched slightly.
The first item alone is a natal Dao artifact belonging to a cultivator at the Void Refining Realm. It is of a high grade and of excellent quality, and is by no means an ordinary item.
The last few items included raw materials for Dao artifacts used by cultivators at the Thunder Tribulation Dao Realm, several pieces of high-quality immortal stone blanks, and several extremely rare exotic spirit pearls.
"Fellow Daoist, these treasures..." the disciple hesitated for a moment, "...we'll have to wait a while, please allow me to consult the Palace Master."
"It's alright." Ye Yang remained expressionless, standing in place with his hands behind his back, waiting.
A moment later, the disciple returned, followed by an elder with a profound aura. The elder glanced at Ye Yang, then looked down and carefully examined the treasures. Finally, he nodded and gave a number.
"A total of 45,000 immortal stones can be exchanged."
Ye Yang frowned slightly.
He had originally estimated it to be around 48,000, but the number was less than expected, which was within his expectations.
In the process of conversion, Liuli Palace always has to make a profit; that's the rule, and Ye Yang has no intention of arguing about it.
He took out two more treasures from his storage bag. They were the inner cores of two giant star beasts he had killed on the way. Although they were not of high grade, they were pure and had no impurities.
The elder took it, recalculated, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "Add another five thousand, for a total of fifty thousand immortal stones. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"
"can."
Ye Yang took the storage jade token containing 50,000 immortal stones. It felt slightly cool to the touch. He weighed it in his hand and put it into his sleeve.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, are these immortal stones enough?"
Seeing Ye Yang's somber expression, Qu Nishang asked softly.
She knew that the Immortal Stones were extremely valuable, and being able to exchange 50,000 of them at once was quite astonishing.
Ye Yang shook his head, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, but then his determination returned.
"It's alright, just do your best. Even if it's not perfect, you should still gain something."
"Fellow Daoist Ye, there's no need to worry. At the barter conference, besides bidding, there's also bartering. Perhaps you can find a suitable opportunity there," Qu Nishang comforted Ye Yang, seeing his low spirits.
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Ye Yang's eyes.
Time passed slowly, and after about an hour, more and more cultivators filled the Glazed Palace, making it almost full. Various auras intertwined, rising and falling like waves.
Just then, a dazzling golden light shone from the high platform of the Glazed Palace, and within the golden light, a figure dressed in magnificent robes slowly emerged.
It was a woman dressed in a magnificent gown woven with gold thread, its wide sleeves billowing in the wind, its skirt like a cloud, her black hair piled high, adorned with a crimson jade hairpin with a phoenix head. Her face was cold and beautiful, her features exquisite; merely standing on the high platform, she was like a blazing sun hanging in the sky, making one dare not look directly at her.
Her aura was extremely well concealed, but within a radius of 360 meters, any cultivator with a discerning eye could feel the heavy pressure emanating from her.
This is a true expert at the Tribulation Realm, and certainly not someone who has just entered this realm.
"Is that Hime?" Ye Yang narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice.
Qu Ni Chang nodded slightly, her voice so soft as if afraid of disturbing something: "That's right. Fellow Daoist Ri Ji is the host of this exchange conference. She was personally invited by Ancestor Cang Hai. She is highly respected and has profound cultivation. She is quite famous in this starry sky."
Ye Yang silently memorized the words, then turned his gaze back to the stage.
Hime stood in the center of the high platform, her phoenix eyes slowly sweeping across the crowd below. That one glance seemed to see right through everyone, yet it was as if she wasn't looking at anyone at all—it was the kind of gaze that only someone who had truly weathered great storms could have, calm yet undeniably intimidating.
The clamor from the audience actually quieted down after that one glance.
More than three thousand cultivators held their breath and waited in unison.
Princess Hijiri slightly raised her hand, her crimson lips parted slightly, and her voice, clear and cool, clearly reached the ears of everyone present:
"Fellow Daoists have come from afar, so we will not waste any more words."
"The Great Bargaining Conference officially begins today."
As soon as she finished speaking, a beam of spiritual light shot out from her hand. The great restriction that had been subtly suppressing the aura of everyone around the palace seemed to have been released from its shackles, and a dense, almost tangible, immortal aura instantly surged out from around the high platform.
Everyone's spirits lifted.
The next moment, a light screen slowly lit up in the center of the platform, and a treasure slowly emerged from it.
It was a piece of ore, about the size of a fist, dark purple in color, with extremely intricate and delicate patterns flowing across its surface. Each pattern contained an ancient and mysterious aura, as if it had come from the primordial world and undergone hundreds of millions of years of sedimentation before it was condensed into this form.
The light from the light curtain shone on the surface of the ore, and the divine patterns flowed accordingly, as if they had come to life.
"Divine Mark Purple Gold!"
Among the crowd, someone could no longer contain themselves and blurted out in surprise.
The words "like a stone thrown into a still pond" caused a huge uproar throughout the venue, drawing countless cultivators forward, their eyes blazing with a mixture of surprise and greed.
Ye Yang's heart stirred.
He had seen the name "Divine Mark Purple Gold" on a fragment of an ancient book. It was known as one of the two great treasures of weapon crafting, along with Dragon Pattern Black Gold. Both were extremely rare raw materials for Dao artifacts. Dao artifacts forged from them were at least top-grade Dao treasures. If the weapon craftsman's skills were sufficient, they could even be forged into immortal artifacts.
Such things are extremely rare, numbering only a handful in the entire cultivation world, and the appearance of any one of them is enough to cause a bloodbath.
The fact that Canghai Laozu was able to use it as the opening item for the barter conference shows his considerable talent.
"Starting bid: eighty fairy stones." Hime's voice rang out calmly, without a trace of emotion.
Before he could finish speaking...
An aged yet powerful voice rang out from the crowd.
"One hundred immortal stones."
Ye Yang turned his gaze and saw it was none other than the Taoist of the Setting Sun.
The old man remained calm, but his eyes held a startling eagerness—a confident eagerness, as if he had already calculated everything and was just waiting to take the thing for himself.
The surrounding cultivators looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.
The reputation of the Slanting Sun Daoist speaks for itself; even his natal Dao treasure is of the highest quality. If he truly came to refine the Three Treasures of Creation, the Divine Mark Purple Gold would be something he was determined to obtain. To snatch it from such a person would be tantamount to taking food from a tiger's mouth.
Ye Yang knew that while the Divine Mark Purple Gold was somewhat tempting, it was not the goal of this trip, and there was no need to waste his immortal stones here.
His fingers tucked into his sleeves slightly, suppressing the urge to try something new.
One hundred immortal stones! This is an astronomical price for ordinary cultivators, and even many patriarchs at the Thunder Tribulation Dao Realm would have to think twice about it.
But the Taoist of the Setting Sun did not hesitate at all, which shows his determination to obtain the Divine Mark Purple Gold.
Upon seeing this, everyone understood that Daoist Xieyang had come to refine the Heaven-Bearing Treasure, one of the Three Treasures of Creation.
After all, his natal Dao treasure, the Slanting Sun Heavenly Wheel, is already a top-grade Dao artifact, a treasure that can be called a world-suppressing treasure.
If, on this basis, one can use the Divine Mark Purple Gold as a catalyst to refine an even stronger Heavenly Treasure, its combat power will surely reach a new level, and it will only be one step away from the Great Ascension Realm.
For a time, many cultivators who were initially tempted by the Divine Mark Purple Gold but knew they lacked the financial means showed their apprehension and chose to give up.
The imposing presence of the Taoist priest, along with the wealth he displayed, deterred many from approaching him.
Ye Yang understood and secretly memorized the person.
"It's the Taoist of the Setting Sun!"
"As expected, it is him, the leader of the Sunset Blessed Land. His strength is incomparably powerful, and his natal Dao treasure, the Sunset Heavenly Wheel, is already a top-grade immortal treasure, a treasure that can be called a world-suppressing treasure, with boundless power!"
"The Taoist of the Setting Sun actually personally bid for the Divine Mark Purple Gold; it seems he has a very important use for it!"
A murmur arose from the crowd, filled with awe, and many cultivators who had originally intended to bid immediately suppressed their thoughts.
The strength of the Slanting Sun Daoist is among the top in the entire Starry Sea.
Moreover, the Blessed Land of Remnant Sun has a profound foundation and abundant wealth, making it no match for ordinary cultivators.
Instead of wasting effort, it's better to save your magic stones and wait for the next item to be auctioned.
"One hundred immortal stones, is there any fellow cultivator willing to bid higher?"
Hime's voice rang out again, her gaze sweeping across the entire room as she awaited everyone's response.
The entire hall was silent; not a single cultivator dared to raise the price.
The Taoist priest of the setting sun slowly swept his gaze across the entire scene, his eyes filled with a hint of disdain and arrogance, as if the divine purple gold was already his for the taking.
Ye Yang remained seated, his expression calm, and did not raise the price.
He knew in his heart that although the Divine Mark Purple Gold was precious, it was not his core objective for this trip. He needed to save all his immortal stones for bidding on the Azure Dragon Divine Embryo and the Azure Abyss Lotus Seed. If he were to spend a large number of immortal stones for the Divine Mark Purple Gold, it would affect the subsequent bidding and be a loss.
Moreover, he understood that even if he raised the price, he might not be able to outbid the Taoist priest of the setting sun. Rather than making a fool of himself, he would rather wait and see.
"Since no one is bidding higher, this Divine Mark Purple Gold Coin shall belong to Daoist Xiyang." (End of Chapter)