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Chapter 721: Chapter 727: Shock
"Elder ancestor, in two months, Xuanfa Pavilion is holding a major auction that occurs once every ten years. Should our family attend?" Li Wenli asked, while also handing over the auction item catalog.
"What is the family’s opinion?" Li Zhirui asked as he examined the Jade Slip.
"Many of the spiritual objects on auction are needed by the family, so most people wish to participate."
Although the Li family was cultivating a Fifth-Order Spirit Vein, they had always kept a separate reserve of Spirit Stones, intended for emergencies, which could be used just for this occasion.
"Then let’s go."
Over the past half-year, the Li family had kept watch on the Sanding Sect, but hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, so Li Zhirui gradually relaxed his vigilance and felt his earlier speculations were perhaps overly cautious.
If it had been him half a year ago, he would have definitely not agreed.
"This time, I will lead the team personally."
Li Wenli was startled when he heard this; he knew that Li Zhirui hadn’t left his retreat for several years, yet now, for an auction, he was breaking his own rules.
From this, it was clear that Li Zhirui still had reservations, and considering that auctions were inherently unsafe, his presence would be ideal for protecting the spiritual objects and the safety of their clan members.
"Prepare well for it."
Li Wenli could only agree and withdraw.
"Do you really intend to go out? Such a journey could set back years of your meditative progress, wasting at least half of the effort, if not all. Why don’t I go instead?" Jiang Fengwu said, clearly worried.
"It’s fine, I’ve been secluded for many years and feel somewhat stifled; a trip outside to clear my mind and relax could be beneficial."
Li Zhirui smiled and said, "Who knows, maybe when I return, I will have broken through my bottleneck and be on the cusp of advancing to the Divine Transformation stage?"
"Then remember to take both Da Qing and Xiaoqing with you." Now that he had relaxed, it was Jiang Fengwu who had become more anxious.
"Don’t worry." Even if faced with a Divine Transformation adversary, he could escape unscathed.
Owing to the complexities of explanation, Li Zhirui didn’t voice this last thought aloud.
"In that case, I’ll entrust the protection of our family to you."
——
Within the underground palace of the Sanding Sect.
Song Yalong, looking at the invitation and Jade Slip from Xuanfa Pavilion in his hands, couldn’t help but burst into insane laughter, "Finally, the day has come! I will make you pay the price!"
Anyone who saw him now would be shocked!
The man was so emaciated he resembled a skeleton, with only a thin layer of flesh covering his bones, belying the fact that he was a Nascent Soul True Lord.
The reason behind his ghastly state was that nefarious cultivation technique, which used one’s blood essence to control cultivators and turn them into puppets!
Over the past few years, aside from creating puppets, he had been trying every means to restore his blood essence, consuming precious pills and various spiritual objects, even practicing cultivation techniques of the Demonic Tao related to blood magic; Song Yalong had tried them all.
Thanks to his relentless efforts, as of today, he had amassed over forty thousand puppets! Among them were only two Nascent Soul puppets, a little more than a hundred Golden Core puppets, and the rest were all Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation puppets.
This was an astonishing number; Song Yalong had been creating puppets using his blood essence, pushing himself to the brink of death.
In the last two months, Song Yalong hadn’t made any more puppets, as he needed to recover somewhat, to ensure he could successfully enter Xuanfa State.
At the same time, he also needed to transport the majority of his puppets nearby during this period, so that when the time came to act, he could control them more easily, wreaking maximum havoc on Xuanfa Pavilion.
While other families were busy preparing sufficient funds for the auction, Song Yalong was implementing his devious schemes!
——
Two months had flown by in the blink of an eye.
Soon, it was time for the auction to start, with forces from all over the eastern domain sending their members to Xuanfa State, and the Li family was no exception.
It was unclear how Li Wenli had considered his options, but this time, the participants in the auction from the clan, including Li Zhirui, totaled only five people. Unlike before, they did not bring along any outstanding clan members to gain experience and insights into the world.
Because there were fewer people, they took a faster Spirit Boat, which, flying at full speed, wasn’t slower than an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
In case they really faced danger, the Spirit Boat would make it easier to escape.
"This auction seems to be even more bustling than the last one," Li Zhirui said quietly to himself.
The wide streets were crowded with people, a sea of heads as far as the eye could see. There was no space to stand safely, let alone walk; one could only be pushed along by the tide of people.
"Let’s rest for the night, the first session of the auction starts tomorrow."
A night without words passed. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
The following morning, even more cultivators flocked into Xuanfa State as the auction house opened its doors, awaiting the arrival of numerous cultivators.
Li Zhirui, with the remaining four clan members, walked into a private room at the auction house and said, "If there are any Spiritual Objects that the family needs, don’t hesitate to bid for them."
But what happened next caught all the cultivators off guard.
Thousands of Loose Cultivators brazenly launched an attack on Xuanfa Pavilion!
Because Xuanfa Pavilion failed to respond effectively at first, who would have thought that "Loose Cultivators" would have such audacity?
So at the beginning, the Loose Cultivators charged ahead like a tidal wave, gaining a significant advantage and even stepping into the territory of Xuanfa State.
"Have those Loose Cultivators gone mad? To make a move at this time? There must be a hidden mastermind directing them, perhaps wanting to see Xuanfa Pavilion embarrassed," was the reaction of most cultivators at the auction house upon hearing the news of the Loose Cultivators attacking Xuanfa State.
Because with just the power of these Loose Cultivators, they wouldn’t be able to cause any real damage to Xuanfa Pavilion. To pull this stunt during the auction was nothing but an attempt to disgrace them in front of a public gathering.
"Elder Ancestor..."
Inside the private room, the few clan members huddled closer to Li Zhirui, looking somewhat uneasy.
"It’s fine, don’t worry! With me here, nothing will happen." Though he spoke reassuringly, an undercurrent of unease ran through his heart; he suspected that the situation might not be as simple as everyone thought.
After some thought, he decided to lead his family members out of the auction house.
"Elder Ancestor, the auction is about to start."
"We’re not attending anymore, let’s leave now!"
With those words, Li Zhirui stood up from his seat, but before he could take a step, a thunderous boom shook the massive auction house.
Several Golden Core cultivators had burst into Xuanfa State, not far from the auction house, and detonated themselves!
This event left all the cultivators dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes while a strong sense of foreboding arose in their hearts.
Because the powers behind a Golden Core realm suicide bomber were only a handful in the entire eastern domain!
So to most cultivators, the mastermind behind these Loose Cultivators was one of these few entities!
Caught up in a struggle between two top-tier powers, they, with their limited strength, dared not to get involved.
Li Zhirui felt both grateful and regretful in his heart – grateful because fortunately, he had come, and there were few family members with him, and regretful because if he had not let his guard down, they would not be in danger now!
