Asking Around
"What? Spirit Transformation stage..." The younger generation exclaimed in surprise, probably hearing such a secret for the first time.
Yue Qianchou was utterly speechless. The cool old man in the painting was indeed Bi Changchun, who was hiding in that place that was neither demon nor ghost and ruling as king. He was really ruthless. He had been away from home for more than two thousand years and didn't even know to go home to visit. Was this what they called severing worldly ties?
Wu Sihai nodded and said, "According to the old sayings, if one's cultivation truly breaks through to the late Spirit Transformation stage, living for two thousand years should not be a problem. Yue Qianchou, can you tell me now where this Bi Changchun you know is?"
This time, Bi Zicong and the other three also looked at Yue Qianchou with burning eyes. The consequences of having an additional Spirit Transformation stage cultivator in the Four Great Families were unimaginable. The latter touched his nose and smiled wryly, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I have my own difficulties. I'll decide whether to tell you after I've thought it through. Besides, I've only heard it from someone else, and I can't be sure that he is the ancestor of the Bi family."
"Oh! Then can you tell me who told you?" Wu Sihai asked.
"I can't tell you that either." After Yue Qianchou finished speaking, seeing that everyone had frowned, he put on a painstakingly earnest expression and said, "Grandpa, don't be upset. That person is really not someone that your Four Great Families can afford to offend. Even Fu Xian Island and Myriad Demon Palace don't dare to provoke him, and they have already suffered a great loss at his hands."
"There are such powerful figures?" Wu Sihai asked in surprise.
"Old man, if I may say something that displeases you, this world is vast, and what you've seen is merely the tip of the iceberg. There are many figures as powerful as that person, but no one knows it. Didn't you see the reactions of Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan today? I was merely borrowing that person's prestige today, and you saw the result," Yue Qianchou smile.
Hearing this, everyone was taken aback. So that's how it is; Chou Wuyuan addressed Yue Qianchou as a senior. Wu Sihai hesitated, "So many powerful figures? Why have I never heard of them before?"
"It's alright if you haven't heard of it. Knowing it might not be a good thing for your Four Great Families anyway, since they won't easily interfere in the affairs of the Cultivation World," Yue Qianchou laughed. He himself didn't even know if what he said was true or false, so why did he need to know so much? What if he really managed to get that Old Demon out of the world? Would his Four Great Families still be of use to him then?
Wu Sihai hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yue Qianchou, tell me honestly, are these people related to the forces behind you?"
Yue Qianchou waved his hand at him, unwilling to continue the topic, and changed the subject, asking, "By the way, old man, why did you bring me here?"
Seeing that he was still unwilling to speak, Wu Sihai paused, took out a Storage Bag and threw it over, saying, "Today's auction made you suffer a loss. This is ten million high-grade Spirit Stones that my Wu family is returning to you as a small compensation."
Yue Qianchou smiled as he held the bag and said, "That's great, I'm short of money right now."
Several people felt a chill; were you short of money? Wu Sihai shook his head and smiled bitterly. He had brought Yue Qianchou here intending to show his sincerity, say some nice things, and strengthen the relationship between Wu Licheng and the other three. This was, of course, because he valued the vague power behind Yue Qianchou. However, the previous incident had made some things clear, such as his background. Now, saying nice things might make the other party think that he was befriending him because of his power, which would be undesirable. Since that was the case, it was better to let things take their natural course.
Yue Qianchou happy for them to think he had a powerful force behind him. After all, he was far from powerful, so he could only resort to borrowing the coattails of others. For example, he was now causing trouble outside by using the name of the number one sect in the world Fu Xian Island, without any fear of being backed up. Otherwise, he would have been hunted down long ago, and he wouldn't be able to stay here leisurely.
"Grandpa, how come there are five magical Law Treasure crafted by Divine Craftsman at today's auction? Although they are not top-tier treasures, they are all High Antiquity artifacts! Don't you find it strange?" Yue Qianchou suddenly asked.
"These five items are already yours, why are you so concerned?" Wu Sihai said irritably, clearly still angry that he refused to reveal Bi Changchun's whereabouts.
Yue Qianchou pretended not to hear and continued to ask, "Grandpa, are all of these sold by the same person?"
Wu Sihai gave a noncommittal "hmm," which was taken as an admission. Yue Qianchou's eyes lit up, and he pressed on, "Who is it?"
The former coughed and said, "This concerns the reputation of my Wu family Auction House. Don't ask about this. I won't tell you unless... unless you tell me the whereabouts of Bi Changchun that you know. Then I might consider telling you about the seller."
"What a load of rubbish, you old fox! I wouldn't have asked if you hadn't told me. Who the seller is is none of my business." Yue Qianchou scratched his head, looking as if the weather outside was fine, and said, "Grandpa, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
The topic Yue Qianchou had just raised had already caused quite a stir among the other participants in today's auction. Five treasures crafted by the Divine Craftsman had appeared at once; if other spiritual treasures or similar items were to appear, the problem would be enormous, enough to affect the entire Cultivation World. And then there were the two thousand supreme-grade Spirit Stones that appeared—did this mean a supreme-grade Spirit Stones mine might have been discovered? If any sect managed to acquire it, their overall strength would undoubtedly leap forward.
In places like Hundred Flower Valley and Hat Island, almost every sect has a shop. Sometimes, the concern isn't how much money they can make, but rather ensuring the smooth flow of information. Therefore, almost every shop has a communication array. Setting up such an array is quite costly, so some sects that are too weak simply can't afford it. News kept flowing back to the sects from those people, and each sect also sent out a large number of people to investigate everywhere. For a time, the once quiet Cultivation World became completely lively.
That night, Yue Qianchou couldn't concentrate on his cultivation in his bedroom at "Serene Guest Hall," completely distracted by the events of the day. He had witnessed the wealth of those major sects at the auction earlier that day. If he hadn't coincidentally discovered the mine containing supreme-grade Spirit Stones in the Demon Ghost Domain, he wouldn't even be worthy of carrying their shoes. They were indeed deeply rooted sects in the Cultivation World! He believed the wealth they displayed was only a fraction of their true power. Moreover, each sect possessed its own Spirit Stone mine, allowing them to continuously accumulate wealth. Meanwhile, his own money was dwindling with every penny spent—it was non-renewable.
And that mysterious seller, who knows if he has any other even more powerful magical Law Treasure crafted by other Divine Craftsman.
What shocked him most were Wu Sihai's words: Bi Changchun had actually cultivated from a Rogue Cultivator to the Spirit Transformation stage, and at the age of two hundred, his cultivation had already reached the late Tribulation Transcendence stage. This was simply unbelievable, especially considering he was a Rogue Cultivator without the support of a sect. And at the age of three hundred, he could even single-handedly challenge the top experts from the major righteous and demonic sects, and none of them could withstand three moves from him!
Yue Qianchou sat cross-legged on the couch, eyes closed, muttering to himself, "The Great Dao, the Heavenly Dao, the Dao of Dao, sudden enlightenment, cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds, creating his own profound technique, damn it! I wonder what kind of Method Formula his self-created profound technique is, it's just too awesome! If I had known that I had memorized the 'Tao Te Ching' in my previous life, maybe I could have created some kind of profound technique myself, sigh! I can't take it! It's too exciting..."
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