Chapter 366 - 361: Country Folk Enter the City

Du Youqian found it simply incredible.

’Weren’t the Human and Alien Races supposed to be able to coexist peacefully in the Endless Desert Sea?’

The guide he had hired for ten Spirit Stones was blunt. Things were indeed like that elsewhere, but in the Eastern Domain, every Oasis had its own rules.

Some Oases welcomed Alien Races, while others were hostile toward them. You just had to abide by the local customs.

Sha You explained to Du Youqian that it all depended on the preferences of the true master behind the faction controlling the Oasis.

Some factions supported people who had a blood feud with the Demon Race. Naturally, one couldn’t expect the Demon Race to be treated kindly in their Oases.

Other factions were backed by people who kept to themselves and stayed out of the Demon Race’s affairs, so they were naturally more lenient.

Unwilling to stir up trouble, Du Youqian had his subordinates, along with Sha You, Sha Jiang, and the sand badger, stay in their guest rooms for two straight days, avoiding going out altogether.

He simply sent some items he needed to sell to the Qingxu Commerce Association for appraisal. Those worthy of the auction were submitted, while the rest were left with the association for consignment.

As for the items they needed to buy that weren’t auction-worthy, he hired locals to procure them. He paid a generous commission, and the job was handled smoothly.

Li Fei was feeling a little down.

She had discovered that nearly every Kun Cultivator she’d seen along the way could rival her in beauty.

Over the years, she had used her Cultivation to refine her figure and skin, becoming many times more beautiful.

But now she realized that in the Cultivation Realm, her beauty was nothing special...

’No wonder Brother Zong doesn’t like me.’

’I can’t even blame Brother Zong. Right now, I can’t even stand the sight of myself.’

No one noticed Li Fei’s melancholy.

Soon, the auction began.

Du Youqian had already received an invitation in advance; every Core Formation Master received one.

As for the mother-daughter pair Sha You and Sha Jiang, the sand badger, and the pre-Core Formation Li Fei and Wei Wei, they could only enter the auction hall as pets and servants.

From the outside, the auction hall was immense. It wasn’t tall—only about four or five stories high—but it covered a vast area, at least the size of ten modern stadiums.

It was situated on the edge of the Oasis, with one half on the Oasis grounds and the other half in the desert.

Du Youqian was initially surprised by its location, but after Sha You’s explanation, he learned that thousands of years ago, the auction hall had been situated right in the center of the Oasis.

In fact, the auction hall’s very existence was what had made this Oasis prosperous.

But over millennia, the relentless wind and sand had eroded the Oasis, causing it to shrink considerably.

That was how the auction hall ended up on the edge of the Oasis.

Such are the vast changes time can bring.

Several Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators stood guard at the entrance, dressed in matching uniforms embroidered with the word "Qingxu" and the image of a Flying Sword. They were accompanied by several imposing Tier Three Humanoid Puppets.

The Puppets also bore the word "Qingxu" and the Flying Sword insignia.

Du Youqian took a closer look. The Flying Sword didn’t resemble the Jinhuan Sword, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

’I was getting paranoid.’

’There are too many people with the same name. It must be a coincidence.’

The entry process was simple.

Following the instructions on their invitations, they had already disguised themselves. Du Youqian had even used the Secret Technique, the Nine Yin Nine Yang Ten Thousand Transformations Hidden Heaven Technique, to alter his height, appearance, and aura.

When it was their turn, a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators politely inspected their invitations. After collecting them, they gave each Core Formation Cultivator a metal number plate.

During the auction, one could use this plate to bid by infusing it with Magical Power, or to communicate simply with the auctioneer.

Then, the mother-daughter pair Sha You and Sha Jiang, the sand badger, and the pre-Core Formation Li Fei and Wei Wei were each given a placard to wear, like a temporary pass.

With that, the group was allowed to enter the auction hall.

They followed a Qi Cultivation Realm Maid from the commerce association toward the private box assigned to them.

As they walked, Du Youqian habitually observed his surroundings, trying to analyze the Arrays in place.

The auction hall had a massive dome. Though it should have only been four or five stories tall, it looked immeasurably high—likely the effect of some Array.

The dome was dotted with countless gems, simulating a moon and stars.

A long river formed from crushed jade mixed with clear, ambrosial liquid flowed across the sky, symbolizing the River of Heaven.

If one looked closely, they could see the ambrosia was actually flowing, carrying the crushed jade along with it in a misty, river-like current.

The visual effect was absolutely stunning.

Having been born in Momenan, Du Youqian was somewhat stunned by the sight.

The Cultivators from the Western Domain behind him were similarly dumbfounded.

But some Cultivators paid it no mind, merely sneering at them like sophisticated city-dwellers watching country folk visit the metropolis.

’Perhaps what seems like an extravagant display to me is just an ordinary sight for them,’ Du Youqian thought.

Du Youqian paid them no mind.

His attention was fixed on the Arrays.

The auction hall was protected by at least seven or eight Tier Three Arrays. Some were already active, while others were on standby.

There were Arrays to record auras, block Divine Sense, reinforce defenses, and even confinement-type Arrays.

Du Youqian extended his Divine Sense to probe the Arrays. Although there was an Array in place to block Divine Sense, it couldn’t completely cut his off. It only made it more difficult for his Divine Sense to penetrate, preventing him from perceiving minute details or extending it very far.

What amazed Du Youqian was that so many Tier Three Arrays were layered together without interfering with one another.

Some of the design principles were things he himself had conceived of but lacked the ability to implement.

He estimated that it would take an Array Master at the Peak of Tier Four, at the very least, to accomplish such a design.

He unconsciously stopped in his tracks, carefully sensing the Arrays.

Something about the Array Formation techniques felt inexplicably familiar to him.

Every Array Grandmaster who reached Tier Three began to develop their own unique style of Array Formation.

’I feel like I’ve seen a similar technique before,’ Du Youqian thought.

’But who could it have been?’

Sha Jiang, whom he was holding, nudged his arm with her small head, urging him to keep moving.

Snapping out of his daze, Du Youqian smiled apologetically.

Kang Yinghe asked, confused, "My lord, is everything alright?"

Because of the Array that blocked Divine Sense and made telepathic communication difficult, as well as the presence of monitoring Arrays, Du Youqian just shook his head. He was unwilling to say more with an outsider present. "It’s nothing."

After they were seated in their private box, Wei Wei took the initiative to stand behind Du Youqian and gently massage his shoulders.

Li Fei shot her a glare, sending a powerful, threatening signal with her eyes and expression, and forcibly took over the other shoulder.

So the two women each took responsibility for one of Du Youqian’s shoulders, while Du Youqian himself finally fulfilled a long-held wish. He placed Sha You and Sha Jiang on his lap, stroking the large and small Sand Foxes in turn and enjoying the different feel of their fur.

Someone glanced into the private box, but no one envied Du Youqian’s fortune with women—this was simply how a Core Formation Master was expected to live.

The two Core Formation Masters from the Zouma Gang traveling with them knew Du Youqian was extraordinary, but they rarely interacted and weren’t close.

Du Youqian, for his part, didn’t think much of them either.

They were both local Cultivators from the Endless Desert Western Domain. They were uncultured, prone to brawling, and their foundations were unstable.

Their success in reaching Core Formation had been a fluke.

Their understanding of Cultivation and the Great Dao was likely inferior even to Li Fei’s.

After all, Li Fei had received many supplementary lessons from him over the years.

And while she spent most of that time swooning over Du Youqian, she had at least absorbed some of the knowledge.

At the very least, her breadth of knowledge had greatly improved.

Thus, Du Youqian had little to say to these two Core Formation Masters.

Everyone closed their eyes and rested, waiting for the auction to begin.

After a while, Du Youqian used his number plate to summon a beautiful Qi Cultivation Realm Maid.

Li Fei lowered her head deeply.

Even this Maid was more beautiful than she was.

The Maid bowed and asked, "How may I help you, Senior?"

Du Youqian said, "There must be some Cultivators here who haven’t concealed their appearance and aura, correct?"

She answered respectfully, "Yes, there are."

"Could your esteemed association send over a fellow Daoist who’s familiar with the experts at Core Formation and above from the various factions? I’d like them to point out the Cultivators who haven’t disguised themselves. I’m from a backwater place and haven’t seen much of the world; I’d like to get to know the various masters. Your association should be able to fulfill such a small request, shouldn’t it? I can pay with Spiritual Jade."

The Qi Cultivation Realm Maid fought to suppress a sneer, then nodded. "Please wait here, Senior. This junior will go and ask."

Soon, a rugged Cultivator arrived. His face was obscured by a thick beard, he looked thoroughly weathered, and his style of dress could only be described as unconventional. "Senior," he said, "are you the one who needs someone to introduce the Cultivators from the various factions? If so, would I be acceptable?"

Du Youqian glanced at him. He could see that although the man had a Foundation Establishment Cultivation, he seemed to have a hidden injury. Despite not being in the Core Formation Realm, his qi, blood, and Divine Sense were constantly, unconsciously contracting, as if Holding the Elixir. Du Youqian said, "You’ve injured your foundation and your Cultivation has dropped, hasn’t it, fellow Daoist? There’s no need for formalities. With an injury like yours, doesn’t your association have an Elixir that can heal it?"

The rugged Cultivator laughed heartily. "A keen eye, fellow Daoist! But it’s not that the association won’t provide treatment. It’s that I have other plans."

He said no more on the matter.

Du Youqian couldn’t press the matter either, as it would be an invasion of privacy.

Still, there was an aura about this rugged Cultivator that felt very familiar to him.

The Cultivation Technique he practiced seemed to have some connection to the Seven Transition Celestial Dance Scripture.

’Could it be...’

Du Youqian wondered, ’Is he trying to re-form his Golden Core?’

’I wonder which of the Seven Transitions this is for him.’

The rugged Cultivator proved to be quite competent. He began by pointing to the various private boxes, identifying the Cultivators he knew for Du Youqian. Among them were even some Nascent Soul Experts.

Whenever a new Cultivator entered who hadn’t concealed their appearance or altered their aura, he would immediately recognize and identify them for Du Youqian.

Du Youqian grew curious about the man’s origins. He was clearly intimately familiar with the experts from every major faction and their histories. Furthermore, the Cultivation Technique he practiced was quite profound. He was definitely no ordinary person.