Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

The auction had many good items. However, not many caught Xiao Chen’s eye. Occasionally, there were treasures releasing bright spiritual lights, but he could not use them. Winning them would only result in them going to waste in his hands.

Xiao Chen could not help feeling bored again. He asked, “Ao Jiao, the Dragon Mark Fruits in the Immortal Spirit Ring should already have reached seven hundred years in age, right?”

Yes, they attained that some time ago. When we finish using the final ten-odd Rank 3 Spirit Veins, they should reach an age of eight hundred without any problem.

Xiao Chen thought for a while and said, “Never mind. Take them out now. Keep the remaining Spirit Vein’s origins. I have some other use for them.”

Although Ao Jiao did not understand Xiao Chen’s thinking, she followed his instructions. She flicked her finger, and five Dragon Mark Fruits filled with spirituality drifted out.

Xiao Chen laid these fruits out close to hand. Now, a casual strike of his could achieve one thousand one hundred fifty tons of force. When he burst forth with all his might, he could produce one thousand four hundred tons of force. He was still a distance away from the threshold of one thousand five hundred tons of force.

If he consumed all five eight-hundred-year-old Dragon Mark Fruits, they should allow his full-power attack to get infinitely close to one thousand five hundred tons of force.

“Next up, we are auctioning a King Grade Secret Treasure. This Secret Treasure was originally a warship from the Immortal Epoch called the Blessed Light Ship. Afterwards, the Azure Emperor modified it and turned it into the Dragon’s Gate’s standard King Grade warship.

“After the Dragon’s Gate fell, most of the Blessed Light Ships were destroyed. This warship here is one of the few fortunate survivors. I believe I don’t have to explain much about its significance. The Dragon’s Gate’s warship starts at two million Astral Coins!”

The words of Old Hong, the auctioneer, immediately stopped Xiao Chen, who was preparing to consume the Dragon Mark Fruits. He shifted his gaze over to the exquisite and simple yet tyrannical warship.

“Two million one hundred thousand!”

“Two million two hundred thousand!”

“Two million three hundred thousand!”

…

The moment Old Hong announced the starting price, fervent bidders from all around started shouting bids, raising the price by one hundred thousand Astral Coins each time. The crowd clearly went wild.

The Dragon’s Gate’s fleet, consisting of many Blessed Light Ships, often followed the Azure Emperor in sweeping everywhere. They were unrivaled in the starry heavens and gained countless honors in the battles against the Demons.

The Blessed Light Ship was the only warship that could almost rival Emperor Grade warships but was a mass-producible King Grade warship. Its combat prowess far surpassed that of other King Grade warships.

Aside from Emperor Grade warships, no other warship could compare to it. Regardless of speed, firepower, grade of the carved formations, they were all incomparable.

Unfortunately, in that final battle in the Sky Dome Realm, the unrivaled fleet was eliminated, and the Azure Emperor died, never to see the Kunlun Realm again.

The Dragon’s Gate collapsed instantly while it was at its peak, its headquarters smashed and shattered.

If not for some very powerful and major characters with close ties with the Azure Emperor, the bloodline of the Xiao Clan might not have survived.

The blueprint for the Blessed Light Ship had disappeared long ago. Finding one Blessed Light Ship was already very difficult.

Thus, the major characters of the big sects all called out bids. They hoped to be able to reverse-engineer it. If they could do that, their sect’s strength would soar qualitatively.

Only King Grade warships and above could move freely in the starry heavens. This Dragon’s Gate’s warship was like having a grandmaster-level Martial Sage.

The price soared rapidly. Soon, it reached five million Astral Coins. However, a lot of people continued bidding. The liveliness of the crowd did not diminish.

Xiao Chen revealed a somewhat fervent gaze. No matter what, he had to buy this Blessed Light Ship.

He clenched his right hand tightly. However, he was thinking rationally, not rushing to place a bid.

“Ten million Astral Coins!”

An unknown person in VIP booth 7 directly raised the bid to ten million. This sudden increase immediately scared several Martial Sages blindly going with the crowd.

Now, only the four to six people who could truly compete for the Blessed Light Ship remained. Xiao Chen was still in no hurry to make a move; he continued to watch leisurely.

When the bid increased to fifteen million, only two people remained in the bidding war. Fifteen million Astral Coins already far surpassed the value of this King Grade Secret Treasure.

If not for the glorious past of the Azure Emperor and the Dragon’s Gate, as well as the many merits of the Dragon’s Gate’s warship, ten million Astral Coins would be an extremely high price already.

Finally, when the price reached sixteen million Astral Coins, one of the two remaining people found it hard to continue pushing the bid. He had no other choice but to withdraw from the bidding war with regrets.

Old Hong revealed a satisfied expression. Sixteen million Astral Coins was about the price he had expected. He could now bang the mallet to close the auction.

“Twenty million Astral Coins!”

Just as Old Hong was about to say something, Xiao Chen, who was in one of the VIP booths, calmly called out his bid.

The entire place turned quiet. Three old men in booth 10 were stunned. One of them, who was dressed in white, showed rage. He had finally managed to raise sixteen million Astral Coins to make the bid, only for someone to outbid him at the crucial moment.

The two old men beside this white-clad old man said, “Old Bai, don’t be anxious. We still have some Astral Coins between the two of us. We can help you get this warship.”

The white-clad old man thought very quickly, and a ruthless expression appeared on his face. He said, “There’s no need. It would not be worth paying any more Astral Coins. I have my ways.”

“Twenty million Astral Coins, going thrice! Good! The Dragon’s Gate’s warship—the Blessed Light Ship—goes to the customer in VIP booth 28.” Old Hong was stunned for a moment, but he soon smashed down the mallet with a happy smile.

Xiao Chen smiled faintly within his booth. Then, he picked up a Dragon Mark Fruit, placed it in his mouth, and chewed.

As he waited quietly for the maidservant to bring up the Dragon’s Gate’s warship, he refined the Medicinal Energy of the Dragon Mark Fruit to nourish his Vital Qi.

When he finished refining the five Dragon Mark Fruits, he felt warm energy rushing forth to circulate in his body. His Vital Qi was now like a vast, raging river; he felt an inexhaustible strength within.

The jade-white glove on his right hand flickered with light. The Absolute Heaven Gloves were half-finger gloves, so the distal half of his fingers were bare. Then, he clenched his fist tightly.

“Ka ca! Ka ca!” Crackling sounds similar to thunder resounded continuously in the booth. Strong winds bearing bright lights surged around wildly in the room.

However, under Xiao Chen’s control, these winds did not break anything. The exquisite paintings and calligraphy on the walls remained undamaged.

Not only had Xiao Chen’s Vital Qi increased considerably, but his control of his strength had also improved further. His level of fine control was now extraordinary.

“Creak!” The door to the booth opened. It was a pretty maidservant carrying a jade plate with the Blessed Light Ship on it.

When the strong winds in the room found an opening, they rushed out immediately. They moved like berserk sabers, sharp and quick.

The pretty maidservant took fright involuntarily, her countenance draining of color.

Under the hood, Xiao Chen’s expression did not change. He quickly relaxed his clenched right fist, and the strong winds dispersed on the spot. They only managed to send the girl’s clothes and long hair fluttering.

“Dear guest, the Dragon’s Gate’s warship—the Blessed Light Ship—is here. Please check it.” The maidservant recovered her composure and walked forward carefully.

Xiao Chen extended his hand, and the one-meter-long Blessed Light Ship flew over to him.

He carefully examined it and saw eighteen sails somewhat cramped together, taking up most of the warship’s space.

Using his Spiritual Sense, he discovered that each of the sails contained densely packed talisman scripts. When his Spiritual Sense swept over them, they gave off a faint radiance.

Several Azure Dragons hiding in clouds seemed to have been carved on both sides of the warship. They were portrayed to perfection, looking very lifelike. Their eyes glared ferociously, projecting a strong might.

The dragon’s mouths were slightly open. Xiao Chen touched one and closed his eyes to feel. He saw a very complex formation in the innermost part of the warship.

There were eighteen indents in the formation for Astral Cores or Peak Grade Spirit Stones. At this moment, these indents were empty, so the great formation could not be activated.

Xiao Chen opened his eyes and set the warship down in front of him. Amid the boundless light, he seemed to hear a supreme blessed sound ringing. The Azure Dragons carved on the two sides seemed to come to life as dragon roars resounded in his mind.

“Good. It is indeed the Dragon’s Gate’s warship. Furthermore, it is a perfect and undamaged warship.”

After Xiao Chen finished his inspection, he paid up happily.

The maidservant smiled and took out eighteen Inferior Grade Astral Cores and said respectfully, “These eighteen Inferior Grade Astral Cores are complimentary from our pavilion. There is also this gold VIP card. In the future, as long as you make any purchase from the Flourishing Heaven Pavilion, you will be able to enjoy VIP treatment.”

Xiao Chen put away the VIP card and the Astral Cores. After thinking for a while, he said, “The Flourishing Heaven Pavilion should have Superior Grade Astral Cores for sale, right?”

The maidservant nodded and replied, “Naturally. Each Superior Grade Astral Core costs one hundred thousand Astral Coins. However, Superior Grade Astral Cores are rare goods that are not discounted. A guest may buy a maximum of twenty at a time. I hope this honored guest will understand this limitation.”

Superior Grade Astral Cores were obtained by hunting high-ranked Astral Beasts. Even so, there was only a chance of getting them. Not only was hunting risky, but the efficiency was also low. They were extremely rare goods even in the starry heavens, not to mention the Profound Domain.

Xiao Chen understood the difficulties behind their supply. He waved dismissively and said, “That is fine. Bring me twenty Superior Grade Astral Cores and one hundred Medial Grade Astral Cores.”

Just as the maidservant was about to leave, he suddenly stopped her to say, “Please credit this deal to the Heavenly Honorable Ying Qiong. I came to the Flourishing Heaven Pavilion because of her.”

He suspected that there was a lot of competition between the Heavenly Honorables. By doing this, he should be able to help Ying Qiong out somewhat.

The maidservant’s expression changed slightly as she said in astonishment, “So, honored guest was invited by a Heavenly Honorable. I have been lacking in my manners. I will do as you said.”

Twenty Superior Grade Astral Cores and one hundred Medial Grade Astral Cores would cost Xiao Chen close to four million Astral Coins. Now, he would have less than ten million Astral Coins.

Even so, he pushed through with the exchange. After the maidservant left, he started to brand his Spiritual Mark on the Dragon’s Gate’s warship.

When he finished placing his mental imprint, the one-meter-long warship lit up and entered his body, merging with his flesh.

When the King Grade Secret Treasure merged with his flesh, his aura immediately gave off a heavy and aged feeling.

Xiao Chen felt excited. He had not expected the Dragon’s Gate’s warship to have such an effect. In the past, when he subdued the Reincarnation Lamp, he had not undergone a significant change like this.

Remaining silent, he closed his eyes. As he sat cross-legged in the booth, he started to slowly refine the Dragon’s Gate’s warship, fine-tuning the synchronization of the various formations in it with his body.

However, he did not expect to—nor was he trying to—completely refine it in one day to bring the synchronization rate to a hundred percent.