Archfiend

Chapter 141: The Auction (2)

“The man with the pleasure of being in direct dialog with the honored pill master, the Xingtian Legion’s Commander Xu Yangyi.” Qi Zongkai made an inviting gesture. The present stage’s intimidation was too great. He almost dared not stay here.

In the air, twelve menacing, faintly discernible Core Formation pressures shrouded the entire floor. Below, each person was a hand of China’s cultivation world, the demon clans of Xuanyuan, Nangong, and Ming… Humanity’s Miaoqing Monastery, Wutai Mountain, and each great clan. However, at this moment, everyone’s gaze was trained on the stage, not consenting to relax by a hair.

The Dao of Pills. In legend, the medicinal efficacy was several-fold greater than modern pill elixirs! A cultivator couldn’t use many medicinal pills, but because they were unable to, they required each pill to be marvelous! It could be said that if the medicinal pill was true, the two industries of pill elixirs and medicinal capsules would be immediately confronted with collapse!

Xu Yangyi walked on stage. Today, he was wearing a black suit and a snow-white shirt, appearing exceptionally suave. After prudently cupping his hands, he said brightly: “Junior is Xu Yangyi, the commander of the Xingtian Legion. With everyone’s support, I will be specially auctioning ten medicinal pills…”

“Hehehe…” Xu Yangyi still not finished speaking, dry laughter like that of an owl rang out from a pavilion in the air: “Little child… You sure are bold…”

The venue was dead silent. The lights in each person’s eyes were twinkling.

Xu Yangyi had arrived. He alone was the pill master’s sole liaison. Only he knew who the pill master. Perhaps… he himself was the pill master? It had to be known that all of this would welcome the collapse of the pill elixir and medicinal capsule industries, bringing a tremendous effect to the cultivation world. The most convenient method would be just to be directly capture Xu Yangyi and ask everything. 

“I wonder how many people here want to capture him…” In the Ming Clan section, an old man glanced deeply at Xu Yangyi: “Everyone believed he wouldn’t come. Dared not to. And yet, he still came… I really don’t know if it’s stupidity or he has something to rely on…”

“Indeed, he has courage…” At the old man’s side, a woman sneered: “A pity… A courageous man is not long for this world…” They dared not take action, but the Core Formation ancestors did!

“170 years ago…” The dried voice rang out again: “A Core Formation pill aided me in ascending the treasure throne of Core Formation. This Dao Master still remembers that unique texture… When it enters the mouth, it is prompt in transformation, like burning fire in water… You know, I’ve been looking forward to a second medicinal pill for a century, but I haven’t obtained one despite searching everywhere.”

“In all likelihood, you’ve made an affiliation to stand here…” The voice paused, and a streak of naked spiritual sense swept over the other pavilions. He said insipidly: “A preparation of affiliating yourself under a Core Formation master.”

Mao Ba’er dared not spit out his breath and dodged into a corner, watching every movement on stage.

Everyone else likewise gently eased their breaths. They seemed mild like clouds and soft like wind, but in fact, each spiritual sense seized onto the superficially harmonious mass of twelve spiritual pressures in the air.

Everyone was aware that the auction this time was in no way a mere auction. A pill master was of the highest importance. The approach of Core Formation represented their approach! If Core Formation dared to plunder, then they… didn’t necessarily NOT dare to plunder!

Xu Yangyi didn’t utter a word. His heart was palpitating violently. He had long since understood that this auction would absolutely not be simple. However, while the billows on the bright surface of the event’s beginning were unstirred, the level of the underwater current’s surging turbulence was outside of his anticipations. It was much more fierce than what he had forecasted!!

He’s probing the attitudes of the other Dao Masters… He inwardly gritted his teeth: If none of them react, this ancestor is going to make an immediate move to capture me! 

Strength! In this instant, in the core of his being, his resolution towards strength rose upwards by another level. If he presently ranked as Core Formation, wouldn’t he be in all kinds of misgivings and qualms towards these ten produced Qi Condensation medicinal pills?

Pill elixirs? Destroyed. Capsules? Destroyed!

No one spoke. The twelve pavilions were calm and peaceful. The dried voice paused for three seconds and laughed grimly: “If so, I will take a look first whether these medicinal pills are real or fake.”

The atmosphere was mild and gentle, but in an instant, without the slightest omen, a giant hand formed from bones omnipresently appeared on the stage! It simply lacked a Qi Condensation cultivator’s demanded qi cycling or Dao-seal. It appeared all of this had been omitted!* [1]

A wave of a hand prompted a divine ability! To achieve the Core Formation realm was to overturn seas and rivers in a single thought. A simple clap of the hands could compare to a Foundation Establishment senior’s great divine ability!

“Huff…” The people below gasped coldly, daring not even move. All that was visible in the sky was endless black qi wafting from within the cracks of the bones. There were even a few middle-stage Foundation Establishment that were clutching their chests at this moment, their breathing impeded!

Boom! At the instant the giant hand was on the verge touching Xu Yangyi, it transformed into a scattered ash. A fist-sized, azure origin crystal was clenched in his hand. He looked unwaveringly at the sky.

The squall mingled with a flavor of deathly silence, like swords slashing down on his cheeks. His determined and unyielding face revealed several bloody traces in a flash. Xu Yangyi’s expression didn’t budge by a hair. He only tightly gripped the origin crystal, similar to holding high a torch in the black night. He gazed at the pitch-black pavilion without saying a word.

The rabbit rises and the hawk descends, a nimble movement of action. If said the scene just now was deathly still, the venue now turned straight into a cemetary.

“T-this is…” An old man of the Ming Clan tightly gripped his armrest, his eyes somewhat reddened: “Jadewave’s origin crystal…”

Xu Yangyi didn’t speak. Instead, one hand held onto the origin crystal and the other hand slowly pulled open his suit.

“Junior…”

“You sure are fearless!”

“Young friend, there’s no need to be like this!”

In a twinkling moment, the Foundation Establishment cultivators below who were just like corpses stood up simultaneously, almost like an ocean tide!

The inside of Xu Yangyi’s suit was stuck full of Explosive Talismans! He still hadn’t voiced a word, but his intention was already very clear. Better shattered jade than intact tile! Rather death than dishonor!

Dare to touch me? Then let’s give it a try! Even if the explosion won’t kill you twelve ancestors, the present Foundation Establishment cultivators won’t be able to flee! And while you twelve ancestors won’t die, all of you will still be seriously wounded!

“Heh…” The dried voice seemed to be stunned, but it transformed into grim laughter in the next second: “I have never met a cultivator who did not cherish life… yet today, I have looked upon one…” Not waiting for the people below to sigh in relief, there followingly wasn’t a person that nearly cried out in alarm!

“But on the contrary, I don’t believe there’s a single cultivator among the myriad masses that doesn’t cherish life!”

“Kunlun Jade Shatters…” In the wake of his flat and wizened voice, a black vortex no less than ten odd meters in perimeter revolved with lightning speed before the black pavilion in midair! Just as it was practically formed, it immediately congealed and took shape!

Oily green ghostfires were faintly discernible in the surroundings, and the cries of countless shades echoed within the vortex. It was as if there was a whirling asura hell in the air!

“Go.” The wizened voice seemed to be handling the most ordinary affair. In the blink of an eye, followed by a clanging sound, a bone-formed ruler slammed down towards Xu Yangyi. It came down with the momentum of a thunderbolt evading earcover!

Woosh woosh woosh! On the stage, evil winds wreaked wanton devastation! It was unknown as to the number of people whose eyes had saucered. A Core Formation cultivator making a move was merely confined to record. An opportunity to study a Core Formation master setting to task on site was very rare! However, today, an unrecorded Core Formation had brazenly moved against a Qi Condensation holding a Core Formation demon core!

No one spoke. No one dared to say anything. All transformations of the scene were too fast. Simply no one had time to reflect upon it!

BOOM! Directly confronted by a Core Formation master’s intimidation, Xu Yangyi was situated at the eye of a storm! His clothing from head to toe whistled, and a thread of blood spilled out from the corner of his mouth, however, his gaze was not murky at all. It was shining like stars. This wasn’t the complete might of Core Formation!

In this flashing moment, his fortune had arrived and his heart was spirited and lively. He was holding the Core Formation demon core. The other truly wanted to kill him. This lightning-like blow was certainly to give him no time to use the Explosive Talismans. This strike was sufficient to turn him into flying ash, but its distance apart from racing thunder and flickering lightning fell short of no more than half a bit!

Xu Yangyi’s gaze suddenly looked towards another pavilion. You… what’re you still waiting for?! I’m unconvinced that you can watch me die here!

Swoosh At the same time, a Foundation Establishment cultivator looked on in shock at his foot, unable to restrain his startled cry: “My… shadow?”

Swoosh swoosh swoosh...In this moment, many people discovered that countless shadows, as if they were being towed, were presently darting towards Xu Yangyi’s direction like a tide! Their speeds were like electricity! They didn’t fail to compare to the bone ruler in the sky by the slightest fraction! In this mere blink of an eye, all the people in the venue lacked a shadow beneath their feet!

“This is…” A seemingly middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator said shakily: “Flowing Light Imprisoning Shadow… This is Flowing Light Imprisoning Shadow!”

“Daomaster Ancient pine has moved into action!”

“Amazing… Two Core Formation ancestors are meeting with force!”

“Could it be possible that Daomaster Ancientpine desires to defend young friend Xu?”

“T-t-this is something you can only practically read in books!”

“Yeah… Young friend Xu is also the Featherwood Guard’s intermediary! This isn’t a Core Formation ancestor who has put forward his name; Daomaster Ancientpine wasn’t given face!”

“Eight Reaches Shadows Move.” In the sky, another indifferent voice came from an orange pavilion. The voice was obviously a hundred meters apart from the ground, yet it clearly rang out in each person’s ears.

BOOM! The bone ruler was on the verge of crisis, slamming down in front of Xu Yangyi, however, at the same time, an immeasurable number of shadows converged into a giant black sphere. In a flicker, the originally formless shadows turned solid, perfectly protecting Xu Yangyi within!

The bone ruler transformed into qi and scattered. The black globe likewise transformed into spiritual force and dispersed. In less than a single move, both sides were equal. The venue was silent as before. All that remained was the uncontrollable frantic pounding of everyone’s hearts; it seemed to reverberate at ear side.

Xu Yangyi took a long and deep breath. The might of that word was now beginning to appear! That word… The person who granted it was not another. It was Ancientpine! Directly faced with Core Formation, only another Core Formation was capable of protecting him! This meat pie was too big. He was a single Qi Condensation cultivator, simply incapable of eating it up!

“Fellow Daoist.” Inside the orange pavilion, a voice rang out, light as a feather: “In the presence of This Dao Master, you set hand on my junior subordinate. Fellow Daoist, isn’t this looking down on me too much?”

“Hehe…” A wizened voice laughed hollowly: “I only wanted to take a look whether the medicinal pills are real or fake, nothing more.”

An elaborate deception to mask ill intentions. If he had just captured Xu Yangyi, perhaps right now wouldn’t be a mere question of examining for veracity.

“That’s fine.” Daomaster Ancientpine’s voice chuckled: “I too don’t wish for any intense situations to occur out of hand. And while I may be old, my treasure blade is not.”

[1] “Dao-seal” This is something I had trouble understanding for a long time, and I will go back accordingly and do the changes. In Chinese it literally means “pinching secret”. In Daoism, there are nine secret hand gestures in Daoism. An equivalent is the Buddhist mudra or if you’re familiar with Naruto, the hand seals there.