Treasures were sold one after another. The final auction item was actually a Top-grade Magical Artifact, and it even sparked fierce bidding among the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
"The Top-grade Magical Artifact, the Divine Fire Saber! Bidding starts at nine hundred spirit stones, with each increase no lower than thirty spirit stones!"
"One thousand spirit stones!"
"One thousand one hundred spirit stones!"
In the hall, the many Qi Refining cultivators fell silent, watching in awe as the Foundation Establishment cultivators on the second floor called out their bids.
No Qi Refining cultivator dared to bid against a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Even if they won, they probably would not live long enough to use it.
Quietly watching this unfold, Liu Yu keenly felt the gulf created by the difference in cultivation realms.
"One thousand two hundred spirit stones!"
The Divine Fire Saber was finally sold for one thousand two hundred spirit stones.
With that, the auction drew to a close.
"Thank you again, fellow Daoists, for coming to support us. This concludes today's auction. Until next time!"
"Now, please leave in an orderly fashion."
Ji Guanglin cupped his hands toward everyone around him and spoke with a beaming smile.
His somewhat plump face was wreathed in smiles.
The prices fetched at this auction must have satisfied him greatly, yielding a considerable profit.
Rumble.
As his words fell, the closed doors around the hall slowly opened.
The attending cultivators began to disperse. Two black-robed cultivators still stood on either side of each doorway to maintain order.
Without lingering, Liu Yu slowly rose.
He went through the door he had entered by, followed the dimly lit passage, and left the underground auction.
With the Yellow Dragon Pills in hand, I've accomplished what I came for. There's no need to stay here.
The urgent task now is to return to the sect and achieve Breaking Through a Bottleneck.
After leaving the general store, Liu Yu considered matters briefly and made his decision.
After all, breaking through a minor realm took quite some time, and the Market Ward was clearly unsuitable.
A long night bred too many dreams!
Under cover of darkness, he walked nonchalantly toward the Market Ward's exit, with no intention of returning to the inn.
"Hm?"
Upon reaching the Market Ward's exit, Liu Yu spotted a female cultivator in a pink dress walking ahead of him in the distance.
It seemed that obtaining a treasure she liked had made her very happy.
Once outside the Market Ward, she quickly took out a lotus-leaf-shaped magical artifact and flew toward the Primordial Yang Sect.
Judging by her clothes and figure, she seems to be the female cultivator who sat beside me earlier.
She seems to be heading toward the sect. Could she also be a Primordial Yang Sect cultivator?!
Liu Yu speculated inwardly.
Immediately afterward, he noticed several furtive cultivators leaving at a distance behind the woman in red.
Their intentions needed no explanation.
Following the principle that one less trouble was better than one more, Liu Yu had no intention of joining the commotion.
Nor did he dwell on what would happen to the woman in red. She would have to pray for her own good fortune.
He carefully surveyed his surroundings for any cultivators following him.
Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did he leave the Market Ward.
True to his usual cautious habits, Liu Yu immediately used the Wind-Riding Technique to travel as soon as he left the Market Ward's bounds.
His figure soon merged into the darkness.
After running a little over ten li, Liu Yu suddenly noticed two streaks of Escape Light behind him.
They were flying toward him with almost no attempt at concealment.
His expression changed, and he immediately altered course, but the Escape Light turned with him.
They're after me!
Liu Yu's face darkened.
His thoughts raced. He immediately slapped his Storage Bag, took out the Giant Wood Sword, poured magical power into it, and spurred it into swift flight.
While controlling the Giant Wood Sword to fly at full speed, he turned to look behind him and saw two streaks of Escape Light, one azure and one red.
Liu Yu had an inkling of who his pursuers were.
They were most likely the couple from the auction-the cultivator in a scholar's robe and his wife-and their target might be the Yellow Dragon Pills.
He simply had not expected the two of them to be so bold and utterly brazen!
Do you really think you have me in the bag?
Anger surged within him. Liu Yu's eyes turned cold, and a trace of icy killing intent flashed through them!
Seventh layer of Qi Refining.
Sixth layer of Qi Refining.
He then formed hand seals and deftly cast the Heavenly Eye Art. A faint azure glow flickered in his eyes as he examined his enemies' cultivation.
The three streaks of Escape Light, one ahead and two behind, covered dozens of li in the blink of an eye as the pursuit continued.
Meanwhile, Liu Yu had already consumed nearly half his magical power.
This can't go on.
Although we're all riding middle-grade magical artifacts and our flight speeds are evenly matched, my cultivation is still one layer lower.
If this continues, my magical power will definitely run out first!
At this critical moment, Liu Yu thought calmly.
As he considered his options, he took out two spirit stones and absorbed their spiritual energy to replenish his reserves.
Once his magical power ran out, he would face the worst possible situation and be left like meat on someone else's chopping block.
I have to stop and exchange a few blows with them first-show them a little color!
Ideally, I'll make them recognize the difficulty and retreat.
With that thought, Liu Yu scanned his surroundings, trying to find a favorable battlefield.
Before long, his eyes lit up as he noticed a dense stretch of woods below.
This place is perfect for a battlefield.
As the thought flashed through his mind, Liu Yu unhesitatingly guided the Giant Wood Sword down toward the woods.
At the same time, he activated the Spirit-Concealing Art, suppressing his cultivation aura and the fluctuations of his magical power.
Tap. Tap, tap.
Faint footsteps sounded. The instant he landed, he swiftly hid behind a large tree.
Only a few breaths later, two streaks of Escape Light, one azure and one red, stopped above the woods and revealed two figures.
One was the scholar-robed cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, riding an azure flying saber magical artifact.
The other was the alluring female cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, controlling a red silk magical artifact.
It really is the person who competed with me for the Yellow Dragon Pills!
The enemy stood in the light while he remained in the shadows. Hidden in the darkness, Liu Yu silently observed the situation.
Seeing that Liu Yu's Escape Light had vanished here, the scholar-robed cultivator scanned the woods but found no sign of him.
However, the surrounding terrain was open, and only these woods offered cover. He was certain his target was hiding within.
A cold smile appeared on the scholar-robed cultivator's face as he called out:
"Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand!"
"The Yellow Dragon Pills are extremely important to my wife. I pursued you in such haste solely for those pills. I truly mean you no harm."
"As long as you hand over the Yellow Dragon Pills, my wife and I are willing to pay spirit stones for them!"
"Afterward, we can pretend nothing happened. I will certainly turn around and leave."
"Please show yourself so we may speak!"
The scholar-robed cultivator slowly lowered his azure flying saber and swept the area with his divine sense, calling out loudly as he tried to trick Liu Yu into coming out.
The alluring female cultivator immediately echoed him while keeping the red silk circling around them both, on guard against any incoming attack.
The man's and woman's voices carried through the woods, reaching every corner.
Yet after a while, the woods remained silent.
Moonlight spilled down. Apart from the chirping of insects, there was no sound or movement.
Beyond the reach of their divine sense, Liu Yu pressed close behind a tree, his expression showing neither sorrow nor joy.
By now, his anger and unease had vanished, leaving only calm in his heart.
He did not believe a word they said, nor did he intend to entrust his life to anyone else.
With the Golden Dragon Sword in one hand and the Giant Wood Sword in the other, he poured in magical power, holding them ready without releasing it.
Behind the tree, Liu Yu watched the pair without a sound.
The moment either exposed an opening, he was ready to activate his magical artifacts and unleash a thunderous strike!
Seeing that the scholar-robed cultivator and his wife had taken out only two middle-grade magical artifacts, Liu Yu felt a measure of relief.
He judged that they were probably members of a small lineage overseen by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and not members of its direct branch.
If so, as long as he killed them today, there should be no trouble later.
Even if there were repercussions, with the Primordial Yang Sect behind him, Liu Yu had no fear whatsoever of retaliation from their lineage.
Moreover, their magical artifacts were markedly inferior to the Pockmarked Cultivator's. They probably had no particularly formidable tricks.
They were merely relying on their higher cultivation and numerical advantage to act without fear.
Thinking this, Liu Yu relaxed slightly, and his gaze gradually sharpened.
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