Chapter 459
The five women also reached the Thousand Tribulation Immortal Lord level, but the road ahead will not be so easy.
It takes an extremely long time to accumulate sufficient foundation.
Before ascending to immortality, the Ziwei Great World also contained many secret realms that could distort space and time to a certain extent.
However, such a secret realm could not possibly have any effect on immortals. In fact, once an immortal stepped into it, the secret realm would collapse instantly because it could not withstand the immortal's Immortal Dao Law.
Therefore, although she couldn't use this Myriad Ancient Years Divine Stone, it was very useful to Ye Ruoshui and the other four women.
Immediately, Xiao Minghuang quoted a price. "Three thousand one hundred immortal crystals!"
"Three thousand two hundred immortal crystals!"
"Four thousand immortal crystals!"
"Four thousand three hundred fairy crystals!"
After Xiao Minghuang made her bid, more immortals raised their bids, causing the price to soar rapidly and quickly break through the four thousand mark.
Five thousand immortal crystals!
Finally, a Celestial King called out an astonishing price.
"Fellow Daoist Ziwei, although this Myriad Ancient Years Divine Stone is precious, it is not worth five thousand Immortal Crystals at all. If you want such a treasure, I have one with a similar effect that I can sell to you at a fair price."
The Lifeng Immortal King advised.
"Fellow Daoist is right... We'll discuss this matter again after the auction."
Xiao Minghuang nodded.
Finally, the Myriad Ancient Years Divine Stone was auctioned off to a Celestial King for the high price of five thousand Celestial Crystals.
Soon, the auction entered its most intense phase, with most of the items already sold. According to the auction schedule, only three items remained.
"The remaining three items can be considered the grand finale of this auction, so everyone can look forward to them."
Elder Zhao said with a smile.
"Stop keeping us in suspense! Everyone knows that the latest achievement of the Dao Research Department, the Star Attraction Technique, is at this auction. That's what everyone's here for, so let's go!"
One of the less composed immortal kings shouted loudly.
"What you say is true, but this Star Attraction Technique was commissioned by the Dao Research Department to be auctioned by the Star River Merchant Alliance, and they requested that it be the last item to be auctioned. So please be patient."
"Alright, the third to last item."
The words had barely left his mouth.
A strange rune suddenly appeared on the light screen. The strokes were not complicated, but they were mysterious and strange, as if they contained infinite truths, which were fascinating and made people linger.
Elder Zhao explained, "This is an Origin Ancient Script. According to the appraisal of the Immortal King Guest Elder of the Merchant Alliance, it should represent the ancestor of all 'bow'-shaped objects in the world."
"In other words, this is the ancient form of the character 'bow'."
"In addition to the ancient character for 'bow,' the auctioneer also included a set of 'Character Control Technique' as a bonus."
"Starting bid: 10,000 Immortal Crystals!"
Upon hearing this, all the immortals present were in an uproar.
"Origin Ancient Script and accompanied by the Character Control Technique?!"
"This is absolutely rare!"
"To be honest, I feel like getting 10,000 immortal crystals is a steal!"
"Heh, if you're not going to buy, then don't offer your opinion. Show me ten thousand immortal crystals!"
"I estimate the price of the Ancient Script of 'Bow' should be between 30,000 and 40,000 Immortal Crystals..."
"Seriously, what's the origin of this Ancient Script of 'Bow''? Why are you all so shocked?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, where did this country bumpkin come from? He doesn't even know this..."
"Don't you have any manners? What's wrong with me asking a question?"
"You're already getting impatient because you're so stressed?"
"Don't be so arrogant. Once we get out of here, I'll show you what regret really means!"
"Fellow Daoists, please stop arguing. It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. I know a thing or two about the origins of these Origin Ancient Script, so let me explain them to you!"
"Hehe, look at them, and then look at yourself!"
"Country bumpkin..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Listen to me!"
"Fellow Daoist, you said, just ignore him."
"Hmm... Legend has it that in the primordial chaos, before the universe was fully formed, in what is commonly known as the Taiji era, beings were unaware of heaven and earth, the Great Dao, or even each other. Even though the Great Dao created all things, it seemed to have created isolated islands. Thus, the Great Dao evolved a second time, endowing everything in the world with knowability."
"One day, a book appeared in the universe, containing 129,600 characters. Each character was connected to all things in the world and endowed with the true meaning of the Great Dao. Thus, all beings could understand heaven and earth and all things, and thereby understand the Cosmic Great Dao. From then on, the path of immortality flourished."
"But as the path of immortality continued to develop, the ancient characters that were imbued with meaning also weakened. Their true meanings intertwined, and they were even gradually stripped of their original connotations by ignorant beings, thus losing their own power. Or perhaps the thing they represented was permanently destroyed, or perhaps no one could recognize their existence... In short, for various reasons, the era of the Origin Ancient Script has passed by countless epochs."
"As you said, these Origin Ancient Script are nothing special, so why are they so expensive?"
"That applies to some ancient characters that are no longer considered mystical, but this Ancient Script of 'Bow', because the thing it represents has always been active, retains its true meaning and is therefore powerful."
"I see, thank you for clearing up my confusion, fellow Daoist!"
"... But I wonder, what exactly is this so-called 'Character Control Technique'?"
"The Character Control Technique is quite simple. It involves using a specific supernatural power for a particular ancient character to maximize its power and gather the power of the things it represents to unleash even greater strength."
"Just think of it as the 'Character Control Technique' increasing the power of ancient characters."
"Thank you very much, fellow Daoist! You are truly a man of profound knowledge!"
"Hehe..."
"Unlike some people, who bite like dogs!"
"--Say that again!"
"So what if I curse you!"
"You're asking for it..."
"Eighteen thousand immortal crystals!"
"Nineteen thousand!"
"Twenty-two thousand!"
The Ancient Script of 'Bow' indeed attracted countless immortals vying for it, including some veteran immortal kings who were powerful, wealthy, and determined to obtain it.
"Thirty thousand immortal crystals!"
Just then, a clear, cold female voice rang out throughout the venue, immediately silencing the crowd, and many people looked toward the source of the sound.
The voice came from a private room, and ordinary immortals would not know who was shouting.
However, the Celestial Kings present could tell that the woman who was bidding was also a genuine Celestial King!
It's her...
Among the Celestial Kings, some recognized the person who had shouted.
"The Ziwei Immortal King is that powerful figure who once slew an Immortal King!"
"Fine, I won't argue with you..."
Many of the Celestial Kings who participated in the competition recognized Xiao Minghuang's identity and knew of her infamous reputation, so they stopped competing.
It's not worth offending a powerful figure capable of killing a Celestial King for a treasure that isn't particularly important.
Moreover, the most important thing about this auction is the Star Attraction Technique, which is crucial for securing a favorable position in the subsequent expansion of the frontier. As for the Ancient Script of 'Bow', whether it exists or not is actually unimportant.
In the end, the Ancient Script of 'Bow' fell into Xiao Minghuang's hands for a price of three thousand two thousand immortal crystals.
557. The Time Wheel Divine Tower
Elder Zhao sighed inwardly. In his mind, the Ancient Script of 'Bow' should have fetched a high price of 40,000 immortal crystals, but due to the intervention of the Ziwei Immortal King, everyone gave up the competition.
"Good!"
"The second to last item is a map."
As Elder Zhao introduced the scroll, a golden light shone on the auction stage, illuminating a huge scroll.
The scroll stood suspended in mid-air, radiating a hazy glow, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.
Everyone wore solemn expressions.
"This is a map of the outer reaches of the Cosmic Great Dao, that is, the Outer Deep Space. After preliminary authentication by the Merchant Alliance, the map is undoubtedly authentic. Based on factors such as the approximate age, the richness of the Great Dao Laws, and the level of the Great Dao Laws, it should be from about five thousand epochs ago. A Celestial King once ventured into the Outer Deep Space and recorded the locations of at least several hundred Dead Star and the routes to them. He recorded his exploration results, but for some unknown reason, they were lost and eventually ended up in the hands of the Merchant Alliance."
Elder Zhao smiled slightly, "To be honest, this map has been in the hands of the Merchant Alliance for over five hundred epochs. Back then, it probably wouldn't even be worth a single immortal crystal..."
"But times change, and no one can truly predict what will happen..."
"Without further ado, the starting bid is 20,000 Immortal Crystals!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
This immediately caused a huge uproar!
"Twenty thousand immortal crystals! Why don't you just rob it!"
"This price is outrageous!"
"It's just a map, and a map from outside our territory at that. What use is it?!"
"It was indeed useless before, but now that the Great Expansion Era has arrived, if we can obtain this map, we can gain a significant advantage in the expansion movement and greatly expand the boundaries of the Immortal Kingdom and Starfield... It may be useless to us, but it is very important to the Immortal King."
"No... I still don't quite understand. What's the connection between the map and expanding the borders of the Immortal Kingdom? Could it possibly bring the Dead Star back to life and pull it back into the Immortal Kingdom?"
"You're right!"
"???"
"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but the Star Attraction Technique recently developed by the Dao Research Department can revive Dead Star from beyond the realm, pull them back into the Immortal Kingdom, and even reconstruct the Heavenly Dao order. After that, whether it's direct immigration or the creation of living beings, it's all up to you..."
"This is amazing!"
"That's right. The strength of a Celestial King is directly related to the overall strength of the Celestial Kingdom. Once you reach the Celestial King level, there's almost nothing in this world that can help you improve your cultivation. So instead of focusing on yourself, you should try to improve the overall strength of the Celestial Kingdom."
"I see, I've learned something new, thank you, fellow Daoist!"
"You're too kind... Fairy, shall we exchange some talismans?"
"... Okay!"
Inside the private room.
"Fellow Daoist Ziwei, if we can acquire this map, we will surely gain an advantage in the land reclamation movement!"
The Lifeng Immortal King said with a slightly excited expression.
Xiao Minghuang shook her head and did not respond.
The Star Dao of the Universe she governs requires no map; every star in the universe, whether it is under the Cosmic Great Dao's coverage or Dead Star in the Outer Deep Space, will respond to her call.
Therefore, she doesn't need a map.
"Well..."
Lifeng Immortal King sighed softly, but did not try to persuade him further.
Ultimately, the map was purchased by a Celestial King.
"Alright, everyone. The moment everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived. The last item to be auctioned, and the one everyone is most interested in— the Star Attraction Technique!"
Elder Zhao had barely finished speaking.
A Jade Slip suddenly appeared on the light screen.
This Jade Slip the size of a baby's palm, and is silvery-white in color. Its surface is engraved with complex and obscure mysterious runes, which shimmer with tiny lights, like stars, beautiful, dazzling and radiant.
"Did you all see that? The Star Attraction Technique is contained within this silvery-white Jade Slip."
Elder Zhao spoke with great excitement, his eyes burning as he surveyed the crowd below the stage.