NOVPUB
Chapter 726: Chapter 732: Trust
"Still trying to escape? Stay where you are!"
The Divine Transformation Cultivators who arrived first vented all the pent-up rage in their hearts upon the Demon Cultivators.
The once haughty and invincible Demon Cultivators now lacked any power to resist and could only watch helplessly as their bodies were torn asunder.
Still, a few Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators used the lives of others to temporarily withstand the assault, barely clinging to life but suffering grave injuries.
Often, the higher the cultivation, the better, but in certain special circumstances, the opposite is true!
For example, the Divine Transformation Elders who arrived subsequently targeted the Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators first, inadvertently providing an opportunity for the Golden Core and numerous lower-ranking Demon Cultivators to escape.
In an instant, countless Demon Cultivators scattered like birds, fleeing desperately toward the south.
No one could guarantee their survival, but if they ran faster than others, their chances of living increased exponentially.
Meanwhile, Li Zhirui, hiding in an underground burrow, became even more cautious upon seeing numerous fleeing Spirit Lights in the sky, preparing to enter the spatial realm at any moment.
The strength of the Divine Transformation was far beyond his imagination!
He no longer harbored any illusions of obtaining Divine Transformation Enlightenment from Xuanfa Pavilion; his only wish was to safely retreat and return to Wanxian Island.
As the Demon Cultivators scattered in every direction, the Divine Transformation Elders did not pursue them to the bitter end, and to Li Zhirui’s eyes, it even seemed like they were allowing them to escape.
’Why is that?’ he wondered hazily, suspecting it had something to do with Karmic Force, but he dared not be certain given his limited understanding of these profound concepts.
In a mere quarter of an hour under the relentless onslaught of the Divine Transformation Elders, nearly all of the fifty-odd Nascent Soul Demon Cultivators perished.
Only a very few, fortunate and skilled at escaping, managed to break free from death.
However, even those who survived bore severe injuries, and if they didn’t stabilize soon, they might die from the outbreak of their wounds!
After such an incident, Xuanfa Pavilion’s once-a-decade grand auction could no longer continue.
Xuanfa Pavilion had neither the face to carry on nor the manpower to do so.
Although the number of Xuanfa Pavilion Cultivators who died wasn’t large, the vast majority of the corpses scattered across the southern lands were those of Loose Cultivators and Cultivators from other forces.
But the fall of those Nascent Soul Cultivators was enough to significantly weaken Xuanfa Pavilion’s strength, forcing them to close their doors and lick their wounds.
This would have been a devastating blow to any other family or Sect, possibly leading to their downfall if even a few Nascent Souls perished.
To lose dozens of Nascent Souls? They simply didn’t have that many to begin with!
Furthermore, the various forces attending the auction probably had no desire to stay any longer, especially since many of their own had perished in the Demon Cultivators’ siege.
Most importantly, this incident had caused them to lose trust in Xuanfa Pavilion!
The foundation of a commerce association, besides abundant Spiritual Objects and fair prices, is the safety of its clients!
But this auction by Xuanfa Pavilion had resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Cultivators! This number was comparable to an established, large Nascent Soul Sect! In the entire east region, such forces were second only to the three Great Sects of Wanxiang Sect!
With such a terrifying death toll, how could anyone feel reassured?
If Xuanfa Pavilion doesn’t handle this matter properly and resolve its negative impact quickly, the commerce associations in the eastern region may no longer be dominated by just one in the future.
For years, organizations like the Southern Edge Commerce Association have been eager to further expand their commercial scale in the eastern region.
And great powers such as the Wanxiang Sect and the Heaven Deviation Sect have always had their own commerce associations; it’s just that their scale and strength have been far inferior to that of Xuanfa Pavilion, and they have been suppressed, occupying only a small corner.
But now that Xuanfa Pavilion has suffered a great blow and experienced heavy losses, if these groups don’t seize such a good opportunity for development, then they really deserve to have been suppressed for so many years.
Some elders have even started thinking about what to do next to take their families’ commerce associations a step further.
"This time, it was my Xuanfa Pavilion that failed to receive everyone properly. Please forgive us. To compensate for everyone’s losses, Xuanfa Pavilion will bear all the costs. Additionally, we will offer a gold card, which allows for a 20% discount on any purchase!" A Divine Transformation elder stepped forward and earnestly said.
"Elder, you’re taking this too seriously! No one wants to encounter such a man-made disaster; it shouldn’t be blamed on your esteemed association—it’s all because of those damned demon cultivators!"
While some wanted to support their own sects, others sought to give timely assistance, taking the opportunity to forge good relationships with Xuanfa Pavilion.
When it comes down to it, there were more people who chose the latter, as not every power has the capability to promote their commerce associations.
"Thank you, young friend, for your understanding, but the compensation must not be lacking!"
As he conversed with the crowd, the few surviving Nascent Soul cultivators had already prepared everything. Hearing this, they quickly came forward, distributing compensation and gold cards to everyone, while continuously apologizing.
"Rest assured, everyone! Xuanfa Pavilion guarantees that such an incident will absolutely not happen again! A month from now, Xuanfa Pavilion will convene cultivators to retaliate against demon cultivators within fifty thousand li and avenge the deceased cultivators!"
Clearly, the actions of the demon cultivators this time truly angered Xuanfa Pavilion, which planned to purge nearby demon cultivators.
And this action, more than being a retaliation against demon cultivators, was to demonstrate Xuanfa Pavilion’s strength to various powers, signalling to them that it remained formidable and they had better put aside their ulterior motives.
Cultivators from the Wanxiang Sect and others present, upon hearing this, flashed a hint of ridicule in their eyes; even at this point, Xuanfa Pavilion did not forget to threaten everyone.
"I’m sure you’re all eager to return home, and we shall not keep you. Everyone is allowed to fly within Xuanfa State."
Normally, flying within Xuanfa State was prohibited, but naturally, exceptions were made for exceptional circumstances now.
Upon hearing this, everyone said their goodbyes and immediately brought out their Spirit Boats, flying towards their respective sect entrances. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Li Zhirui, who had been closely watching this development, immediately withdrew his gaze and simultaneously entered the space.
With many cultivators around before, it was alright for him to be a bit presumptuous, but now that they had all left, to act like before would be tantamount to seeking death!
Fortunately, the space was rather unique and did not require the use of mana to be contacted, otherwise Li Zhirui might have been discovered by those Divine Transformation cultivators!
"Perhaps, I can try being a ’green forest’ outlaw once." A spark of Spirit Light flashed, and Li Zhirui suddenly had an idea.
The group of cultivators included those from the Wanxiang Sect, the Heaven Deviation Sect, and the Sword Sect!
They were all cultivators of the Nascent Soul Realm, and it was uncertain if they possessed the enlightenment for Divine Transformation, as such things were undoubtedly safeguarded by the sects from being leaked.
But considering they came for the auction, they would have definitely brought with them a lot of Spirit Stones and Spiritual Objects.
These were his targets!
