Real Estate Auction

Three days later, Langya Pavilion invited numerous factions to hold an auction, and the auction items were the Heavenly Underworld Sect territories that Langya Pavilion had given up.

Most of the factions participating in the auction were the small and medium-sized sects that had come to deliver gifts a few days earlier.

As for many first-rate sects, Ye Jianxin directly bundled together all the Heavenly Underworld Sect cities near their spheres of influence and gave them away for free.

For one thing, those places were not particularly important, and they did not border Langya Pavilion's own territory. If something happened there, it would be easy for them to be beyond reach, so Langya Pavilion was unwilling to take them over.

For another, although the current Langya Pavilion had a Dou Sheng expert, and had destroyed the Heavenly Underworld Sect in a single battle, becoming unmatched in prestige for a time in the Central Plains, all of this did not quite align with Langya Pavilion's principle of developing quietly and making a fortune in silence.

If Langya Pavilion really swallowed up all the territories belonging to the Heavenly Underworld Sect in one go, it would look far too ugly. It was better to do others a favor and take the initiative to give away these tasteless, chicken-rib-like places.

It just so happened that this could also help maintain their relationships with the other top factions in the Central Plains.

As for Langya Pavilion itself, it only needed to occupy the places that originally bordered its own territory, and that was already enough.

Of course, the deeper reason was that Ye Jianxin, Xiao Han, and Yi Huang were all a bunch of lazy people, completely unwilling to waste their thoughts on those so-called territories.

With the effort it would take to seize territory and rack their brains managing it, wouldn't it be better to cultivate a while longer and increase their strength?

However, wanting them to simply hand over those places for nothing was naturally impossible as well, and so this distinctive auction came into being.

People had seen pills, weapons, cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, Medicinal Herbs, and even information being auctioned, but this was the first time these people of the Central Plains had heard of territory being auctioned.

In the past, faction annexations were usually like this: the two sides fought, and the winner took over everything left by the loser's faction. If there were things they did not want, they could just throw them away.

Of course, some factions would also choose to trade them to other people or factions at a suitable price, but in the end, those were all private dealings.

This auction, however, placed the matter completely out in the open.

It enriched the real estate trade of the Dou Qi Continent beyond the single channel of private transactions.

This was far more exciting than auctioning houses or businesses. What was being auctioned directly was the jurisdiction over cities!

This left many factions both loving and hating it. What they loved was that they also had the chance to expand their territory, but at the same time, the price they had to pay to obtain territory had become much heavier.

Some factions were pondering whether they should also imitate Langya Pavilion and auction off their own real estate that was tasteless to keep but a pity to abandon.

However, Langya Pavilion could not control what others thought. Right now, they were busy carrying out a new round of money collection.

All kinds of resources, treasures, and even cash flowed continuously into Langya Pavilion's treasury amid the envy of countless people and the gold-glinting eyes of everyone in Langya Pavilion.

If at this moment some great thief dared sneak into Langya Pavilion's storehouse and successfully come out alive, then perhaps he would no longer need to worry about resources for the rest of his life.

However, that was only if. Langya Pavilion also knew full well that after several waves of explosive wealth growth, their home had already become a treasure trove. Even a trip through the Ancient Ruins would not yield as much as raiding their own stores.

Quite a few Langya Pavilion disciples and elders who had already grown somewhat immune to money felt that they were about to fail to withstand the temptation and wanted to steal from the very place they were guarding.

Some stubborn-minded people even felt rather guilty about this and took the initiative to report themselves, hoping they could be locked in the Small Black Room for a period of time to purify their no-longer-innocent hearts.

Therefore, to prevent some people from giving rise to thoughts they should not have, and also for the sake of safety, Grand Elder Ye Jianxin, the third strongest expert of Langya Pavilion and also the sworn brother of the two Pavilion Masters, naturally stepped forward and personally led twenty Langya Guards to stand guard.

At the same time, they spent a huge price laying down layer upon layer of Grand Arrays around the treasury.

With this, if someone could forcibly rob or steal the sect's storehouse under the protection of more than twenty Dou Zun experts and the Grand Arrays, then Langya Pavilion would probably accept it.

This level of defense was enough to hold out until reinforcements arrived even if a Half-Saint expert came.

Anyone who could accomplish that was either stronger than a Half-Saint or even an ordinary Dou Sheng, or truly possessed some special ability.

If that were the case, Langya Pavilion might not even choose to hunt them down, but recruit them instead. After all, what was needed most on the Dou Qi Continent? Talent!

However, this scene would only last a few days. After all, this was a Grand Elder and twenty Dou Zun experts.

Wasn't it a waste to put them here as door gods? Recently, Langya Pavilion's territory had expanded, and people were needed everywhere to stand guard. This was a waste of human resources!

While the Central Plains had been bustling fiercely during this period, and Langya Pavilion, led by Xiao Han, had caused a huge commotion, in Wutan City of the Jia Ma Empire, at the Xiao Clan.

"Sigh."

Looking up at the night sky over the Xiao Clan, after a long while, for some unknown reason, Xiao Zhan suddenly let out a sigh.

A year had already passed since the Xiao Clan moved into Wutan City.

During this year, cultivation and training had gone on, and the Xiao Clan had been developing and growing according to the original plan all along.

With sufficient resources supplied, the strength of the Xiao Clan's people could be said to be advancing a thousand li in a day.

Sensing his current power—a five-star Dou Zong.

With the help of that senior's Exotic Fire and pills, his strength had grown from that weak and fragile little Dou Shi of more than a year ago into an extremely rare Dou Zong expert in the Jia Ma Empire.

If the Jia Ma Empire truly ranked its so-called ten great experts again, he would definitely be on the list, wouldn't he?

But that was only if. Not only was it impossible for him to display his strength before outsiders, but he also disdained that hollow title now.

After a year of tempering, seeing his clansmen gradually grow from being complacent over merely becoming a Dou Ling to being able to calmly face the Dou Wang and Dou Emperor realms, at most becoming only slightly excited, Xiao Zhan deeply understood in his heart the importance of strength.

When strength was sufficient, reputation no longer mattered, and wealth and status were also within easy reach.

His horizons had also unknowingly risen quite a bit.

To the people of the Xiao Clan, their goal was no longer this tiny Jia Ma Empire, or even the barren Northwest Continent.

It was the resource-rich center of the continent where experts gathered in droves—the Central Plains.

"Clan Head." Just as Xiao Zhan was deep in thought, a black-clad figure wearing a ghost-head mask appeared before him and bowed respectfully.

"What is it?" Xiao Zhan asked expressionlessly, an almost imperceptible aura spreading from him with a faint pressure.

This was not Dou Qi, but a kind of presence. After growing through this period of time, he now had the beginnings of the bearing befitting the head of a great clan.

"The clan members who went out for training have all returned." Feeling that pressure, the admiration in this Xiao Clan member's eyes deepened even further.

"Mm. Inform them that experts at the Dou Wang level and above are not to leave the Xiao Clan for the near future. They are to be ready to assemble at any time."

"Yes."