Chapter 365 - 360: Auction

"That is not my intention," Kang Yinghe hurriedly stated. "As for making our move, it will be whenever you say, my Lord. This subordinate would never dare to urge you."

’Seeing a Core Formation Master being so cautious and obsequious before me, I have to admit, is pretty gratifying...’

Du Youqian smiled. "It will be soon. I will make the arrangements. Once the time is right, we will strike immediately."

Kang Yinghe nodded. "Everything is as you command, my Lord. I came this time to report something to you. You previously instructed me to keep an eye out for any large-scale auctions in the vicinity."

"That’s right. Don’t tell me there’s an auction coming up?" Du Youqian nodded, a hint of pleasure in his voice.

It wasn’t that he wanted to go just for the thrill of it, or to broaden his horizons.

’It’s just an auction. What’s so special about that?’

’I’ve even hosted my own high-end auctions back in Momenan.’

’The main issue is that in this godforsaken place, resources are already scarce, and the things I manage to scrounge up aren’t necessarily things I can use.’

’I have Spirit Stones, but nowhere to spend them.’

’Those small Marketplaces scattered across the oases are the epitome of "low stock, high prices, come get fleeced."’

That’s why Du Youqian was so eager to find a large-scale auction, a place to trade the useless resources he had for things he actually needed.

Kang Yinghe explained, "This Endless Desert Sea is too barren. The Eastern Domain at least has some local specialties, but the Western Domain has nothing. Most commerce associations don’t bother coming here. Even when they hold auctions, they don’t bother coming here, because there’s not much in the Endless Desert Sea besides poor people. However, there is one commerce association that does visit periodically. They acquire unique local trinkets, deliver necessities to the various Alien Races, and hold an auction or two that any race can attend."

Du Youqian then asked, "Is this commerce association connected to the Alien Races? Why else would they deliver necessities to them?"

"That, this subordinate does not know. In any case, that commerce association seems to have a powerful backer. Sometimes, even a Nascent Soul Elder Monster accompanies their caravan. No one in the Endless Desert Sea dares to offend them."

Du Youqian asked, "What’s the name of this commerce association?"

"The Qingxu Commerce Association."

"What?" Du Youqian asked softly.

In truth, a tempest was already raging in his heart.

It was only because he had lived for so long that he had developed some measure of composure.

Otherwise, he would have found it truly difficult to maintain his poker face.

"This commerce association is very famous in this realm, but it hasn’t been established for long. It’s said to have only appeared eight or nine thousand years ago."

’Eight or nine thousand years ago is considered recent...’

’The entire history of civilization on Earth isn’t that long.’

’There are plenty of people in the world with the same name. It’s not that strange for a commerce association to be called ’Qingxu’.’ With that, he put the matter aside.

"When does the auction start? Where is it being held? Have any of the auction items been revealed? And tell me about the rules of this auction."

Kang Yinghe then began to explain in detail.

The auction would be held in fifteen days. The venue was deep within the Endless Desert Sea, at the junction of the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Domains. Cultivators from all Four Domains were expected to attend.

After hearing the details, Du Youqian made a quick calculation. With his Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivation, he would have more than enough time to pilot his Flying Boat there. He dismissed Kang Yinghe and prepared to summon Li Fei to ask if the young woman wanted to come along for the experience.

Just then, Xiao Sha Jiang, who had recently reached Tier Two, suddenly sent a Divine Sense message: "Lord Zong, I want to go to that auction too. Can you take me?"

Du Youqian patted its little head and smiled. "Of course you can."

Xiao Sha Jiang blinked its big, sparkling eyes. "Then, can you bring my mother, too? She’s said many times that she wants to buy things at an auction."

Du Youqian felt as if he’d been struck by some sort of mind-control Secret Technique, rendering him completely unable to refuse. He nodded firmly. "No problem. I’ll send someone to notify her."

「Two days later.」

Du Youqian was in his courtyard, petting the fox.

Sha Jiang suddenly lifted its head and yipped excitedly, "Mama’s here!"

Then it leaped down, tangling with the large Sand Fox that had just appeared at the gate. They nuzzled, sniffed, and licked each other.

Du Youqian watched with a smile. ’I wonder how this big cutie feels to pet,’ he thought. ’What excuse can I make to get a good feel of that fur?’

Sha You transmitted a thought via her Divine Sense: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zong, for raising this child so well. Her coat is glossy, her Cultivation has grown considerably, and her bloodline has awakened much further."

Du Youqian replied nonchalantly, "You’re welcome. You’ve also helped me a great deal, Fellow Daoist Sha You. This is merely a matter of mutual benefit. I notified you because the Qingxu Commerce Association’s auction is about to begin. Since you’ve come, I presume you intend to participate."

"Precisely," Sha You replied. "My clan needs certain necessities that are now very hard to find here in the Western Domain. We must either buy them at the auction or venture into the dangerous Eastern Domain to find them. The Eastern Domain isn’t peaceful at the moment, and I don’t wish for my clansmen to take such risks."

"Of course," Du Youqian said. "You can travel with me, Fellow Daoist Sha You. By the way, what is the current situation in the Eastern Domain?"

"It is a long story. Why don’t I explain it to you on the way to the auction, Fellow Daoist?"

"Excellent."

In the end, a total of six people boarded the Flying Boat to head to the auction.

Du Youqian, Kang Yinghe, Li Fei, the two Core Formation Masters from the Zouma Gang—Niu Yuanyuan and Bi Xin—and the shameless Wei Wei, who had insisted on coming along.

In addition, there were two Sand Foxes, one large and one small, and a Tier Three sand badger.

On the Flying Boat, Sha You explained the current situation in the Eastern Domain to Du Youqian in detail.

Of course, she didn’t know everything, and Du Youqian had already heard some of what she said from other channels. Still, it was a good opportunity to cross-reference the information.

Of the Four Domains of the Endless Desert, the Northern and Western Domains were both godforsaken places with no resources.

In earlier years, the legend of the fallen Ancient Celestial Court had attracted some prospectors, who came searching for its Relics and treasures.

After tens of millions of years, anything that could be found had been carted away, leaving the Western and Northern Domains as little more than trash heaps.

The Eastern and Southern Domains, however, were different. These two regions possessed mineral resources that, while not especially abundant, were still worth developing. They had Spirit Stone Veins, various special ores, and unique Gang Domain Evil Pools where Cultivators could temper their bodies and practice their Magic and Divine Abilities.

This was especially true for the Eastern Domain, which boasted several famous local products. As a result, many major outside powers had cultivated their own proxies there.

In the Western and Northern Domains, the strongest Cultivators were only at the Golden Core Perfection stage; a native Nascent Soul Great Cultivator hadn’t appeared in over a thousand years.

In the Eastern Domain, however, the minimum requirement for a first-rate power was to have a Nascent Soul Master at its head. There were even rumors of Divinity Transformation True Monarchs hiding behind some of the major factions.

The Southern Domain was a step down from the Eastern Domain, but it could still completely crush the Western Domain.

The only reason they hadn’t tried to annex the Western and Northern Domains was that the two places were simply too poor—so poor that no one could be bothered to conquer them.

"And at this auction, Cultivators from all four domains will be present. So we need to keep a low profile and avoid provoking the factions from the Eastern and Southern Domains, which might be backed by Nascent Soul Masters, right?" Du Youqian asked.

"That is precisely the case. If we run into conflict with factions from the Eastern or Southern Domains, I urge you to endure it for the time being, Fellow Daoist Zong. After all, a single Nascent Soul Great Cultivator is powerful enough to level the entire Western Domain. We cannot afford to make enemies of them."

As she said this, Sha You was so astute that she hardly seemed to be of an Alien Race.

No, rather, she was as cunning as an old fox.

Sand Foxes are, in fact, quite different from the common Fox Race.

In the countless times Du Youqian had petted the fox, he had long since uncovered the secrets of its body.

The Flying Boat flew steadily, arriving at its destination two days before the auction began.

This was a large Oasis located at the junction of the Four Domains, with a permanent population of over eight hundred thousand. A number of Alien Races also lived on its periphery.

According to Sha You, this Oasis had no resources and was originally quite barren. It had only become prosperous because the Qingxu Commerce Association held its auction here every few decades or centuries.

With the auction fast approaching, accommodations had become scarce.

However, Core Formation Masters were important figures wherever they went. The moment Du Youqian revealed himself, someone eagerly rushed over to receive them, leading them to a rental cave residence.

Du Youqian inquired about the local rules and customs and learned that on this Oasis, the Demon Race was forbidden from going out alone.

All members of the Demon Race could only appear in public as human pets.

Otherwise, any human Cultivator had the right to kill or hunt a lone member of the Demon Race.

This was a rule established by the ruler of the Oasis. The Qingxu Commerce Association was displeased but could not openly defy it.

It was said that the local ruler was already giving the Qingxu Commerce Association face with this rule. Otherwise, the official policy toward the Demon Race would be to kill on sight, no questions asked.