The private room was warmly lit, and the aroma of the spirit wine still lingered in the air. Returning Light Heavenly City was becoming more and more prosperous, with crowds of people on the streets. In the distance, pavilions and spirit boats floated in the sky and shuttled back and forth, as if the entire giant city was immersed in some kind of lively atmosphere that would never be extinguished.
Ye Wuhen, holding his wine glass, gazed out the window, seemingly remembering something. He then turned to Qin Yu and said, "Brother Qin, there's something else I forgot to mention. Actually, the core structure of this Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain, the First Multidimensional Universe — the Skeleton Star Sea— lies in the four main cities, which are themselves the domain cities of the Lineage."
He paused slightly, his tone becoming clearer. "East City, Returning Light Heavenly City, is the territory ruled by the Hua Lineage; West City, Godfall Imperial City, is controlled by the Shangguan Lineage; South City, String Melody Sacred City, belongs to the Ju Lineage; as for North City, Stele Forest Imperial City, it has always been controlled by the Chi Lineage."
These four cities are not merely ordinary cities; they are the most important resource hubs, trade centers, and gathering places for cultivators throughout the entire Skeleton Star Sea. Countless cultivators from different dimensional universes converge here, thus each main city represents the power and foundation of a Lineage in the entire upper universe.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze involuntarily swept towards the brightly lit metropolis outside the window.
Returning Light Heavenly City, the territory ruled by the Hua Lineage.
At this moment, he truly realized a very real problem—the place he was in was actually the core city of the Hua Lineage.
In other words, he practically stepped directly into the other party's territory.
Qin Yu's gaze sharpened slightly. Although his expression remained calm, Ye Wuhen noticed that subtle change. Ye Wuhen sighed softly, placed the wine cup back on the table, and then waved his hand with a smile, saying, "Ah, Brother Qin, you don't need to look like that. Although Returning Light Heavenly City is indeed the Hua Lineage's territory, you don't need to worry about anything. Don't be fooled by the Hua Lineage's immense power in the city; they would never dare to act recklessly."
Qin Yu slightly raised his eyes to look at him.
Ye Wuhen slowly said, "The reason is simple: the four main cities of this Skeleton Star Sea are not just the territories of the Lineage; they are also one of the most important sources of resources and trade in the entire Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain."
Every year, a full 60% of the revenue generated by these four cities must be handed over to the Lineage of the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain. In other words, these places are actually one of the 'money bags' of those major Lineage in the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain.
He picked up his wine glass and swirled it gently, a meaningful look in his eyes as he continued, "That's why the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain has extremely strict oversight of this place. The four main cities are each managed by Lineage, but if any city causes unrest due to mismanagement..."
For example, large-scale killings, panic among cultivators, a sharp decline in trade, or even chaos among forces within the city—all these losses will ultimately be attributed to the Lineage responsible for management. At that point, whether it's the Hua Lineage, the Shangguan Lineage, or the Ju Lineage and the Chi Lineage, none of them will be able to withstand the accountability from the major Lineage of the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain."
Ye Wuhen smiled lightly, "So even if the Hua Lineage really wants to kill someone, they would never dare to make a big show of it in Returning Light Heavenly City. Once panic breaks out in the city, cultivators will leave one after another, and the profits from transactions will plummet. The losses would be something the Hua Lineage cannot afford."
Because of this constraint, these four main cities have become one of the safest places in the entire Skeleton Star Sea.
Upon hearing this, the seriousness in Qin Yu's eyes slowly dissipated, and he nodded slightly.
Just as he was about to ask more questions, a very loud shout suddenly came from the street below. The sound was amplified by some kind of sound amplification array and echoed throughout the entire street.
"Echo Cliff - The Deathbed Auction House - A priceless treasure will be auctioned today!"
"Echo Cliff - The Deathbed Auction House - A priceless treasure will be auctioned today!"
"Highest bidder wins! Highest bidder wins!"
As soon as the voice fell, a commotion broke out in the main hall of the Myriad Worlds Remains Hall, and many cultivators who had been drinking and chatting stood up.
"Damn it, I almost forgot about that!" A cultivator clad in silver armor slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed urgently, "I heard that item— the Emberless Mirror —will be auctioned at the Echo Cliff's Deathbed Auction House today!"
Upon hearing this, another cultivator's expression changed drastically, his voice trembling with excitement. "The Emberless Mirror? Really? That's a supreme treasure that can allow a cultivator at the initial stage of the Supreme Mystic Void Realm Initial Stage to touch the threshold of the Ultimate Realm!"
"Of course it's true! I heard there are also top-tier artifacts, sacred medicines, and some ancient treasures up for auction!"
"What are you still sitting there for? Hurry up and leave! If you wait any longer, you won't even be able to get a seat!"
In an instant, the entire hall of the restaurant became noisy. A large number of cultivators got up and left their seats. With flashes of spiritual light, their figures quickly rushed down to the street, as if afraid of missing this rare auction event.
Hearing the commotion downstairs, Ye Wuhen was slightly taken aback at first, then a rather interested smile appeared on his face. He stood up, patted his robes, and said to Qin Yu, "Brother Qin, since we've run into each other, let's go take a look."
Echo Cliff's Deathbed Auction House is an extremely famous place in Returning Light Heavenly City. I'll take you there to see it and familiarize you with Returning Light Heavenly City, ruled by the Hua Lineage.
Qin Yu didn't say much, but simply picked up the half-finished cup of spirit wine in front of him and downed it in one gulp.
As the liquor entered his throat, its strong flavor ignited slightly. He then slowly stood up, his gaze calm yet subtly intrigued, and uttered a single word.
"Walk."
As night fell Returning Light Heavenly City appeared even more magnificent and grand. The streets were filled with flowing spiritual light and a sea of people. Countless cultivators from different universes and planes were converging in the same direction. From a distance, it looked as if rivers of light and shadow were intertwining and flowing through the city.
Qin Yu and Ye Wuhen followed the flow of people through several floating streets and soon arrived at the Returning Light Heavenly City.
The cliff known as "Returning Light Cliff" soared into the clouds. The entire cliff was not ordinary rock, but a huge crystal structure with layers of crystals extending into the depths of the sky. Inside, countless slowly flowing light patterns could be vaguely seen, as if the entire cliff itself was a river of light frozen in time.
Right in the very center of this crystal cliff, an extremely strange structure extends outward—it is not a palace or pavilion in the traditional sense, but a single, unimaginably huge crystal structure, growing slowly from the crystal wall like the tongue of some kind of creature, extending outward for thousands of feet, emitting a deep blue glow in the night.
That is Echo Cliff - The Deathbed Auction House.
Rather than a building, it is more like a living, enormous artifact. The entire auction house is made of crystal walls, and its surface is covered with intricate and complex time-tracing patterns. Each pattern has a faint fluctuation of time flowing within it, as if a gentle touch would reveal a long-forgotten history.
At the very front of the enormous crystal tongue in the center of the auction hall, a curved crystal wall with a diameter of several hundred feet floated. The crystal wall was like a transparent cosmic mirror, in which fragmented images constantly flickered. Some looked like collapsing galaxies, some like fallen civilizations, and others like the afterimages left behind by a huge universe at the end of its life.
Ye Wuhen stood on the edge of the cliff, looking up at this extremely strange auction house, his tone tinged with admiration. "Brother Qin, this place is no ordinary auction house. The Echo Cliff - Deathbed Auction House is famous throughout the entire Skeleton Star Sea because what is auctioned here is never ordinary magic treasures, pills, or divine artifacts, but rather—relics from a dead universe."
Qin Yu's gaze sharpened slightly.
Ye Wuhen continued, "Those universes have long since collapsed in the river of time, but some things will always remain, such as the ruins of civilizations, the remains of creations, frozen fragments of rules, and even the remains left by some ancient gods who have become extinct."
However, these items cannot be judged by their appearance alone, therefore the Echo Cliff Auction House possesses a very special ability. "Returning Light Retrospection."
He pointed to the enormous crystal wall that was suspended in the center of the auction hall as he spoke.
"Before the formal bidding, each item is sent into the Reflection Crystal Wall. The crystal wall briefly reverses time, recreating the last moments before the destruction of its universe. Buyers can judge the authenticity and value of an item by viewing its 'final images.'"
Qin Yu followed his gaze and saw a breathtaking scene flashing through the crystal wall: an endless universe was collapsing, billions of stars turned to dust in the same instant, and in that collapsing sea of light, a huge bone finger, as white as jade, was slowly floating, surrounded by indescribable ancient laws.
Ye Wuhen said softly, "It is said that among the final items auctioned here in the past, there was a half-finger bone left behind by a creator, and someone also auctioned a complete slice of a frozen river of time. Once those items appear on the auction stage, even Lineage from the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain will personally bid for them."
As the two were talking, more and more cultivators poured into the auction house. The entire interior of the Crystal Tongue had already been divided into different viewing areas, the space as vast as a giant star field.
The auction area is divided into four levels from the inside out.
The area closest to the central reflective crystal wall is known as the deluxe seating area. These are not ordinary seats, but rather individual, suspended crystal boxes, each enveloped by a crystal array that allows for a clear view of the auction while completely preventing outside prying eyes. Those who can sit there are none other than figures from the highest echelons of the Skeleton Star Sea.
The next circle outwards is the VIP seating area, where the seats are still suspended in mid-air. Each seat is supported by an independent spirit array, which can directly project all the details of the auction crystal wall. Most sect elders or representatives of large forces choose this area.
The third level is the medium-sized seating area. This level is extremely spacious, with rows of crystal pedestals neatly arranged. Although the view is not as good as the first two levels, the central crystal wall can still be clearly seen. Most of the Rogue Cultivators, young prodigies, and some medium-sized forces from various regions gather here.
The outermost area was the lower-class seating area, where the crowds were most concentrated, almost like a noisy ocean, with countless cultivators crammed together to watch the auction process through projection arrays.
The auction house was already packed with people. Auras from different universes intertwined in the air. Some people wore star armor, some had ancient markings on their foreheads, and others were surrounded by strange Fate Soul halos. All kinds of auras came together to form an extremely powerful pressure field.
Ye Wuhen led Qin Yu through the crowd and quickly arrived at a section of the medium-sized seating area. The two found a seat with a decent view and sat down.
Qin Yu surveyed the entire auction hall and suddenly noticed a very familiar aura emanating from a crystal box in the innermost luxury section—a Fate Soul aura with patterned radiance, like ten thousand flowers blooming at once.
Ye Wuhen followed his gaze and said in a low voice, "The Hua Lineage family has arrived."
Inside the luxurious private room, several cultivators dressed in magnificent robes sat quietly. Among them, a young man had his back to the others, his figure as straight as a sword, and his body was faintly filled with an extremely profound aura of Fate Soul.
Meanwhile, the number of people in the auction house continued to increase, with cultivators from the four main cities and even other multidimensional universes filling almost all the seats.
The entire Echo Cliff Deathbed Auction House was now like a massive stage for destiny about to unfold.