A folding screen blocked one side of the auction stage. The people on the first floor could not see what was behind it, but from the second floor, the view was perfectly clear.
Several people stood beside the water tank, pointing at the juvenile whale as though discussing something. One of them took a handful of pills from a storage pouch and tossed them into the tank.
Xia Yunzhao recognized them at a glance. They were Spirit-Gathering Pills.
The juvenile whale, which had been listless a moment ago, suddenly flipped over, opened its huge mouth, caught the Spirit-Gathering Pills, and swallowed them. Then it rolled belly-up again and went limp.
Xia Yunzhao: …
Judging by how nimble that movement had been, it was not injured at all. It was just lazy, wasn’t it?
Xia Yunzhao relaxed. The people looking after the auction lots relaxed too.
The auction out front was still going. The Azure-Sky Tide-Sound Fan and Flowing-Light Water-Weave Robe were being sold together, with an opening bid of one hundred fifty thousand spirit pearls. The bidding had already passed three hundred thousand and was charging straight toward four hundred thousand.
“Four hundred fifty thousand!”
“Five hundred thousand!”
“Six hundred thousand!”
The auctioneer’s eyes shone with delight. The higher the sale price, the larger his commission. “Good! This fellow Daoist bids six hundred thousand! Will anyone raise the bid? Six hundred thousand once! Six hundred thousand twice! Six hundred thousand…”
A hoarse voice rang out. “One million.”
The hall erupted. Who was this person? Everyone had been bidding perfectly normally, so why had he suddenly jumped the price straight to one million?!
Xia Yunzhao’s ears twitched as he looked toward the private rooms opposite them. There were eight private rooms on the second floor. The nearest one had been silent all this time, and Xia had thought no one was inside. So they had merely been waiting for their chance?
Nothing else aside, this style of bidding was actually quite clever. If they had continued raising the price bit by bit as before, the final sale price might not have been lower than one million anyway. By leaping straight there, the bidder could intimidate some people badly enough that they would not dare bid again.
Sure enough, the two magical treasures sold for one million spirit pearls.
The Level-Four treasure auction would come next, with a break in between.
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment, then tugged Shang Shuangze’s sleeve. “Come on. Let’s go collect our spirit pearls.”
Shang Shuangze obediently stood up and asked, “Something is going to happen later?”
Xia Yunzhao said, “Depends… maybe, maybe not.”
He did want to save the juvenile whale this time. If nothing else, when traveling on Wangjin Sea, it was still useful to stay on good terms with a big shot among the Cloud-Swallowing Whales.
Exactly how to save it still required some thought. They would watch the situation first.
Xia Yunzhao’s lots had sold for roughly 1.7 million spirit pearls in total. Under the agreement they had made earlier, after the auction house’s share was deducted, he would receive about 1.35 million.
The Drifting-Boat Market was fairly reliable in this respect. Its commission was a little high, but it paid promptly. Apparently, these people only swindled customers; they did not rob them. The cultivator in charge even smiled as he tried to get friendly with the pair, hoping they would come back more often.
Xia Yunzhao brushed him off with a few casual pleasantries.
With the spirit pearls safely in hand, the two were in no hurry to return to their private room. Instead, they went down to the first floor.
Formations covered this treasure ship. The obvious ones were defensive formations, but who knew what was hidden out of sight? After all, this was a Level-Five magical artifact.
Without needing to discuss it, the two split up and inspected the place, thoroughly checking the formations and routes throughout both the first and second floors. Their movements were extremely practiced.
Only when the auction resumed did they return to the private room.
Zhong Yundu, Du Yan, and the others all looked over. Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze nodded to them.
The group immediately went back to chatting and laughing, their expressions entirely normal. Only Su Ying and Su Meng nervously shrank backward. They could not shake the feeling that something was about to happen.
The auctioneer returned to the stage in high spirits and began introducing the Level-Four lots. “…treasures our establishment went through untold hardships and spent immeasurable manpower and resources to acquire… Possessing even one will put ascension within reach!” His sales patter came out in polished streams.
Holding his teacup, Xia Yunzhao shook his head speechlessly. He really dared say anything. Ascension within reach? Go ask the sect masters of Wentian Sect and Qianyuan Sect whether even they would dare claim ascension was within reach.
Come to think of it, could this be some kind of screening method? Anyone who believed talk like that had to be easy to fool, right? No one ever said bad people could not also be stupid.
The auctioneer continued pulling out every trick he had to whip up the atmosphere. Then he clapped his hands and shouted, “Fellow Daoists, please look! These are the two Level-Four treasures in tonight’s auction!”
Xia Yunzhao immediately leaned forward. Two? What was the other one?
Sure enough, another treasure sat behind the water tank holding the juvenile whale. Compared with the tank, however, it was absurdly small: a palm-sized black wooden box. It had not been opened, so no one knew what was inside.
“That wooden box…” Someone spoke behind him. Xia Yunzhao turned and found that it was Xiang Moyue. Curious, he asked, “Fellow Daoist Xiang, do you recognize that box?”
Xiang Moyue looked thoughtful. “I don’t recognize the box itself, but the wood looks somewhat familiar.”
Familiar… If Xiang Moyue called the material familiar, then it certainly could not be ordinary. Xia Yunzhao looked again and examined it carefully. There were many varieties of black wood, but this one was so intensely black that if Xia’s eyesight had not been good, he might not even have realized it was wood and instead thought there was a hole in that spot…
Realization dawned on him. “I remember now. That’s Spirit-Sealing Wood!”
Xiang Moyue curved his lips into a smile. “City Lord Xia is indeed clever.”
Xia Yunzhao held back for a moment, but finally could not resist. “Can you use a different word to praise me next time?”
Xiang Moyue choked slightly. “City Lord Xia is… very knowledgeable.”
Du Yan walked over too. “So this auction actually has genuine goods? Spirit-Sealing Wood is usually used to store high-tier magical treasures, especially ones that cannot be controlled. Could there be a Level-Four magical treasure inside?”
Before they could finish guessing, the auctioneer gave them the answer. He raised the Spirit-Sealing Wood box and announced excitedly, “Fellow Daoists, please look! Inside this Spirit-Sealing Wood box is the second-to-last lot of tonight’s auction, an Ancient Jade Key!”
He opened the box. Sure enough, a jade key lay inside, and the moment the lid opened, a strange fluctuation spread outward.
The auctioneer declared, “This jade key was obtained from the depths of Wangjin Sea by a mighty expert. It can open an ancient secret realm and is an exceptionally rare Level-Four magical treasure!”
An ancient secret realm!
Every single word struck straight at the hearts of those outlaws. Secret realms meant resources. An ancient secret realm… what level of resources might it hold?!
Someone immediately shouted, “Enough talk! Start the bidding!”
The auctioneer soothed the crowd. “No rush. Tonight’s auction is different from the usual. Fellow Daoists, hear me out first. Let me introduce the final lot as well. I’m sure some of our more knowledgeable guests have already recognized it. This is a juvenile Cloud-Swallowing Whale!”
The instant he said that, another uproar swept through the hall.
A Cloud-Swallowing Whale? Who made a living on Wangjin Sea without knowing them? There was once a rumor that several thousand years ago, the lord of Wangjin Sea’s deep waters had been a Cloud-Swallowing Whale at the True Immortal stage. Later, when the immortal sects and demonic cultivators fought a great war on Wangjin Sea, that Cloud-Swallowing Whale supported the immortal sects and fell at the hands of the Demon Venerable.
Whether that story was true or false was another matter, but Cloud-Swallowing Whales truly were growth-type spirit beasts. If this juvenile whale had good aptitude, it really might advance all the way to the True Immortal stage!
The auctioneer opened his mouth and immediately started lying. “The Drifting-Boat Market has already had this juvenile appraised. It carries the bloodline of that ancient lord of the deep sea! Raise it well and it is certain to become a great power in time! Whichever fellow Daoist takes it home need only form a contract with it, and the True Immortal stage will be yours for the taking!”
Everyone in the private room was stunned. “Isn’t that exaggerating way too much? People actually believe this?”
“Obviously, quite a few people do.”
“There aren’t enough swindlers to go around…”
Su Meng tugged Xia Yunzhao’s robe. “City Lord, didn’t this juvenile whale already form a contract with the son of the Sea-Crossing Gang’s leader? Can one spirit beast form two contracts?”
The corner of Xia Yunzhao’s mouth twitched. “Of course not. He’s already claiming it carries the bloodline of the ancient lord of the deep sea. Do you think anything else he says can be trusted?”
Zhong Yundu poked the back of Su Meng’s head. “Too young.”
Xia Yunzhao noticed that Shang Shuangze had not spoken this whole time, so he leaned closer and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Shang Shuangze gestured toward the Ancient Jade Key. “Its aura is strange. Does it remind you of anything?”
Xia Yunzhao followed his gaze. “Mm… it does feel a little familiar.”
Shang Shuangze gave him a helpless look and changed the aura around his body. Xia Yunzhao suddenly realized it. “Ah! Sevenfold Raging Waves!”
The fluctuations coming from the jade key rose layer after layer. They really did resemble Sevenfold Raging Waves somewhat.
“Could this help you comprehend sword intent? Should we bid on it?” Xia Yunzhao leaned forward to listen. “What’s the opening bid?”
Zhong Yundu happened to walk over and was shocked. “You’re actually going to participate in an auction this crooked? There’s a limit to how much you should indulge your Dao companion!”
Shang Shuangze glanced at him.
Xia Yunzhao said, “We’re bidding on the whale calf anyway. One lot or two, what difference does it make?”
Zhong Yundu said, “No! I object! That’s the money we worked so hard digging up seaweed to earn. Why don’t we try robbing them instead?”
Xia Yunzhao said, “I was planning to rob them in the first place, but I haven’t found a chance…”
Just then, Shang Shuangze frowned. “Something’s wrong!” With a sweep of his sleeve, he was already standing in front of Xia Yunzhao. A burst of spiritual power suddenly erupted from the first floor, slammed into the second, and smashed apart the entire wall of their private room!
Explosions rang out everywhere. Chaos had already broken out downstairs as countless defensive formations lit up. The entire treasure ship suddenly shuddered, and a razor-sharp killing intent rapidly spread down from the third floor. This treasure ship actually contained a killing formation!
Amid the chaos, they heard the auctioneer shout, “Enemy attack! No one is allowed to leave! Otherwise the killing formation will attack… Ah!”
A black figure suddenly lunged onto the stage and cut off the hand holding the jade key. The treasure box fell, and another figure immediately flew over to seize it!
The doors and windows of the private room opposite them suddenly flew open. The people inside leaped down as well, and every one of them went straight for the jade key!
Xia Yunzhao grew anxious. With a wave of his hand, a Jade-Shell Puppet appeared beside him, and he was about to jump down and join the fight. “What secret does that jade key have? Don’t tell me all these people know Sevenfold Raging Waves too!”
Someone caught his hand before he could go. Shang Shuangze said helplessly, “I was trying to tell you just now. The jade key’s aura only resembles Sevenfold Raging Waves. They aren’t actually the same.”
Xia Yunzhao looked disappointed. “All right, then we won’t join that mess. Come on. Let’s go steal the whale calf!”
There was nothing else to be done. They had originally intended to pay for it properly. Who told them to run into this situation?
The killing formation from the third floor had already descended to the first. The auction stage, perfectly fine only moments ago, was now drenched in blood. Under the killing formation, innocent bystander or troublemaker made no difference. Anyone who moved would be sliced to pieces.
Many people could only sit frozen in their seats, not daring to move at all.
Dozens of Drifting-Boat Market cultivators rushed out from backstage and began fighting the black-clad attackers. Those black-clad cultivators were no weaklings. Even under the pressure of the killing formation, they could still fight the market cultivators evenly.
Plenty of others tried to fish for profit in troubled waters. Suddenly, a whale cry rang out from the auction stage, carrying a hint of pain. Someone could not move the whole juvenile whale, so he had actually tried to cut off a piece of its flesh and take that instead!
The juvenile whale flipped over and smacked its tail hard across his face. “Ying-ying!”
The cultivator nearly went tumbling from the blow and roared in fury, “You little beast! I’ll slaughter you!”
Cold light gathered over his fist as he prepared to attack. Then his vision blurred, and two figures suddenly appeared, one to either side of him. When he focused, he saw that neither figure had facial features. They were two Jade-Shell Puppets!
“What the hell…” Before he could react, one Jade-Shell Puppet suddenly flourished an imaginary sword, then sprang forward to attack. Fierce sword intent surged skyward and punched countless holes through him in an instant!
The auction stage had become a complete free-for-all. Some people fought over the jade key, others over the juvenile whale, and anyone could end up fighting anyone else. Chaotic spiritual power exploded everywhere. The water tank suddenly shattered, transparent fragments spraying outward!
The juvenile whale could tell that someone was helping it. Once the tank shattered, the formation restraining it failed as well. It flicked its tail and sprang up, then looked from side to side before floating behind the Jade-Shell Puppets.
A sphere of spiritual power dropped from above, wrapped around it, and carried it away at once!
Several figures were clinging to the outer wall of the private room. None of them made a sound, and each had an invisibility talisman stuck to them. Amazingly, no one had noticed them at all.
The sphere of spiritual power carrying the juvenile whale floated over. One of the figures, Xia Yunzhao, cried out in delight, “Got it! Jump!”
Everyone immediately let go without the slightest hesitation and leaped down toward the sea.
A white speck suddenly appeared on the water below and expanded in an instant. Cloudwater Ferry emerged and caught them steadily.
Xia Yunzhao formed a hand seal, nimbly dodged the ships to either side, and sent Cloudwater Ferry charging away at full speed. And off they went, fleeing for their lives!