Chapter 367 - 362: The Ghost Belly Cat’s Ability

A while later, a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the commerce association came over to verify his assets and request a security deposit.

Du Youqian, flaunting his wealth, handed over two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade as a deposit, causing the two attendant Core Formation Masters’ breathing to grow heavy.

The Endless Desert Western Domain was truly impoverished.

Even as Core Formation Masters, they had never seen such a large fortune all at once.

But for Du Youqian, this sum was merely a drop in the bucket... ’Alright, I’ll stop bragging. This is actually half of the liquid assets I can currently access.’

He couldn’t very well sell his Tier Four Treasure, the Jinhuan Sword, could he?

It was a rather miserable situation. Back in Momenan, his entire net worth had been over two million Spiritual Jade.

But after forcing his way through the channel, his wealth had shrunk considerably.

Although he had used the Zouma Gang as a platform to plunder resources over the years, the surrounding area was just too poor. He wished he could squeeze oil from a stone, but this was all he had managed to scrape together.

「Roughly half an hour later」

The scheduled start time for the auction arrived. Core Formation Masters and even Nascent Soul Masters who had traveled from all over began to enter their respective private boxes.

In the vast auction hall, the private boxes were almost full.

It wasn’t that there were too many people.

Rather, the number of private boxes was quite limited.

For an auction hall covering an area at least the size of four stadiums, there were fewer than three hundred private boxes.

Of course, the interior of each box was vast, large enough to accommodate over a hundred people.

For instance, even with so many people, Du Youqian’s box still felt spacious.

Naturally, there was a reason for this design. They couldn’t have the esteemed Core Formation and Nascent Soul Masters feeling constrained, could they?

A Kun Cultivator with a perfect figure, her face veiled to reveal only a pair of bright, jewel-like eyes, glided gracefully onto the auction stage.

Du Youqian couldn’t see through her Cultivation, nor did she exude any particularly powerful aura.

But Du Youqian felt she had to be a Nascent Soul Expert.

He had no proof. It was pure intuition.

The bearded Cultivator didn’t introduce her, either. He just smiled at Du Youqian, a smile that seemed to hold some strange meaning that Du Youqian couldn’t comprehend.

Her bright eyes swept across the entire hall, and everyone felt as if she had given them a careful look.

Then she retracted her gaze, her voice like a clear spring flowing over pebbles. "Fellow Daoists, welcome to the Endless Desert Sea branch of the Qingxu Commerce Association auction house. I am Tao Yao, and I offer my greetings to you all. I will be hosting the following auction, and I hope for your cooperation. Please do not make things difficult for a weak woman like myself."

A clear and pleasant voice, one that could easily win favor, rang out, "Fairy Tao Yao, you speak too gravely. We are all getting impatient. Please begin the auction at once!"

"Yes, I will begin right away..."

This Fairy Tao Yao looked gentle and frail, but her personality was decisive. She was also quite witty and skilled at hyping up the atmosphere.

Under her guidance, one item after another was sold, some for prices far exceeding Du Youqian’s estimates.

Du Youqian had come to this auction with a few items he wanted to buy:

A Cultivation Technique with a Cosmic Attribute—for either space or time—because in his next life, he planned to traverse the Life and Death Channel again to guide the souls of Little Wukong, Jie Yu, the Daoist Nun, as well as Fang Hua, Lin Sha, and Luo Jinyu.

A Cultivation Technique with a Cosmic Attribute would undoubtedly give him a better chance of success.

And in this life, he had accomplished so much, even saving the world, that he would likely be able to adjust his Spirit Root Attribute again. When the time came, he would change his Spirit Root to a Cosmic Spirit Root.

Secret Techniques related to time or Space, for the same reasons as above.

The complete version of the *Supreme Cave Truth Nine Revolutions and Nine Transformations Celestial Dance Scripture*.

He also wanted to purchase a Cultivation Technique for Ghost Cultivators. This would be for Meng Xiao and Xi Mengran.

If there were any Pill Formulas or Spiritual Objects that could assist with Nascent Soul Formation, he naturally wanted those as well, but they were not something he could afford with the Spiritual Jade he had on him. At most, he could only feast his eyes.

As time went on, the items Du Youqian had consigned to the Qingxu Commerce Association for auction also sold for good prices, making his Storage Treasure Pouch a bit fuller.

However, the things he wanted to buy either hadn’t appeared yet, or their prices were so high he didn’t even have the courage to call out a bid.

Du Youqian was also paying close attention to the prices of various items. The prices in Momenan could only serve as a reference; they couldn’t be applied rigidly here.

For example, in Momenan, Tier Four and Tier Five minerals and medicinal herbs weren’t very expensive because no one could process them.

But here, Tier Four resources were more than ten times the price of Tier Three ones, and Tier Five resources fetched astronomical prices.

Take Treasures, for instance. In Momenan, an ordinary offensive Treasure cost around ten thousand Spiritual Jade, while Defense Type or special-function ones could go for twenty thousand.

A Treasure Level Demon Artifact, however, would cost at least three to five times as much as a regular Treasure.

But here, Treasures were about twenty percent cheaper than in Momenan.

As for Treasure Level Demon Artifacts, their price was only half that of a regular Treasure. They weren’t worth much at all.

Based on what he had seen and heard over the years, Du Youqian surmised that the Demon Sect Camp in the Human World was likely far less scrupulous, frequently engaging in wanton slaughter to refine Demon Artifacts, with the Demon Race often fanning the flames.

Unlike in Momenan, where one had to secretly instigate wars in the Mortal World to refine Demon Artifacts, and even then the scale of the war couldn’t be too large, or it would invite serious reprimands from the Taihe Sect and the Holy Blood Sect.

Even when Pang Master abused his position for personal gain back then, he still had to control the intensity of the wars, keeping everything within the rules.

Here in the Human World, however, the Demon Sect Camp was rather brazen and unrestrained.

’This is not a good thing,’ Du Youqian thought.

But it wasn’t his place to comment.

"Fellow Daoist Zong! Fellow Daoist Zong! You have to buy this item!" Sha You, who had been enjoying being petted, suddenly raised its head and excitedly conveyed to Du Youqian via Divine Sense.

Du Youqian looked toward the auction stage.

The item Fairy Tao Yao was currently auctioning was a set of forty-two keys.

Of course, they weren’t real keys.

They were forty-two keys that granted entry into a certain Nascent Soul Master’s grotto-heaven.

Du Youqian hadn’t been listening intently before, but with his level of Cultivation, he had a perfect memory. A moment’s recollection brought back everything he had just heard.

The Nascent Soul Master’s title was Su Miao Master, and she had fallen two thousand years ago.

She was not a native of the Endless Desert Sea, but she had moved to the Northern Domain of the Endless Desert Sea in her later years.

The reasons for her move were varied and debated. Some said she was avoiding a calamity; others claimed she had grown weary of the conflicts of the outside world.

In any case, she settled in the Northern Domain of the Endless Desert Sea for over a hundred years. Due to certain events, her fame and reputation came to eclipse that of all other Nascent Soul Masters in the Northern Domain at the time.

Her Magical Combat abilities were said to be not very strong, but she was skilled in a number of Cultivation Techniques.

According to Fairy Tao Yao’s earlier introduction, this Su Miao Master’s Cultivation Technique was quite unique. She also possessed a Secret Technique that could help young Cultivators below the Core Formation Realm undergo a complete transformation, improving their Spirit Root aptitude.

Therefore, the current bidding was somewhat intense, but not overly so.

After all, there were many Secret Techniques with similar effects in the Human World, and Su Miao Master’s Inheritances for Cultivation Techniques were not considered particularly outstanding.

She hadn’t been a wealthy person either, so her grotto-heaven probably didn’t contain any exceptionally valuable treasures.

Of course, she was a Nascent Soul Master, after all. So there were still some Core Formation Masters willing to pay a certain price to explore her grotto-heaven. A few Nascent Soul Masters even joined the bidding, perhaps to secure an opportunity for their juniors.

So Du Youqian asked Sha You, "Why do you want me to buy this key?"

Sha You quickly transmitted its thoughts: "This Su Miao Master was skilled in Puppetry Art, the Daoist Soldier Technique, and the Beast Taming Art. Within her Beast Taming Art, there is an Inheritance that can cause the bloodline of our Split-Ear Sand Fox clan to evolve! It would be of great use to my people. Please, Fellow Daoist, you must buy it no matter what. I will reward you handsomely!"

’This Demon Race creature is really honest,’ Du Youqian thought. ’It just exposed its true needs so casually.’

’If I were a bit more ruthless, I’d probably strip the fox pelt right off you!’

However, Du Youqian naturally wouldn’t do something as short-sighted as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. He wasn’t a man completely devoid of principles.

Of course, he wasn’t about to be a good samaritan and help a fox out of the kindness of his heart, either.

So he just said coolly, "Reward me handsomely? How handsomely? I think we should settle on a price first. Even good friends must keep clear accounts."

Sha You nodded. "That’s only right. The terms I can offer are the assistance of the Ghost Belly Cat clan of the Core Formation Realm."

Du Youqian had heard of the Ghost Belly Cat clan. They were said to be a bit mystical and enjoyed dealing with souls and Ghost Cultivators. He couldn’t help but smile. "What would I need them for?"

Sha You transmitted its thoughts solemnly, "You Human Race can be reincarnated, but the vast majority of people fall into the Mystery of the Womb and are trapped in the cycle of Reincarnation. The Ghost Belly Cat clan can find your reincarnated self after you die, Fellow Daoist Zong, and attempt to communicate with you to awaken your reincarnated body. This would allow you to awaken the wisdom of your past lives and enter the Dao once more. This condition is generous enough, isn’t it!"

Du Youqian was first shocked, then overjoyed.

’Although I don’t need it myself, I can ask the Ghost Belly Cats to find the reincarnations of Fang Hua, Lin Sha, and Luo Jinyu!’

His eyes darted around. "The condition is good, but it’s not enough. One time won’t do. I want five."

Sha You was a little disgruntled. "Fellow Daoist, finding a reincarnated body is no easy task. It’s incredibly costly. And awakening a reincarnated body is even more difficult. You ask for five times right off the bat? That’s really impossible!"

Du Youqian haggled, "Then you don’t need to awaken the reincarnated body. Just finding it will be enough."

"Just find it?" Sha You was full of suspicion. "What’s the use in that?"

"Never you mind what use I have for it. So, deal or no deal?"

Sha You was still hesitant. "But five times is still too many. Besides, if you reincarnate that many times, the Core Formation Realm Ghost Belly Cat I can ask will probably have long since reached the end of its lifespan. Its successor might not honor the agreement I made with it."

Du Youqian updated his terms again, "Three times! And we can put a time limit on it—within 500 years!"

Sha You thought for a moment, then held out a small paw. "Deal!"

A smile spread across Du Youqian’s face as he shook its paw. "Deal!"

Then he began to bid.

The bearded Cultivator to the side looked at him strangely. "Fellow Daoist, you want to buy this key?"

Du Youqian nodded. "Yes."

"Then you don’t have to bid. Just give me 30,000 Spiritual Jade, and I’ll get you a key."