Pursuit of the Truth

”I’m definitely getting that Sky Forest Branch! 4,000,000 crystals!”

”Everyone knows that the Sky Forest Branch can allow all of my juniors and my disciples to mould their spirits and gather their souls, even avoid running into all stone walls possible in their path of cultivation. I’ll offer 4,500,000!”

”5,000,000,” a woman’s voice said airily from the room in which Dao Kong stayed.

At the instant the woman’s voice rang out in the air, a soft-spoken voice immediately echoed in the auction from another room. ”7,000,000.”

Once that price was offered, all those who had been competing against each other fell silent. The price offered to buy that Sky Forest Branch was a little too high. Even the people in Dao Kong’s room had fallen silent.

Su Ming frowned.

”It’s someone from True Sacred Yin World,” Yu Rou said softly.

Su Ming did not speak. He slowly stopped frowning, and his expression became calm once again. He knew that he could not afford to be hasty about this. Unless Dao Kong did not manage to buy any item from the auction hall, then he would definitely fall into the plan laid out just for him.

Dressed in his Sacred Constellation Robe, Dao Kong sat on a long chair within his room. At that moment, his emotions could not be told from his face. There was a wine cup in his hand, and he was swirling the wine inside it. His gaze fell on the auction hall beyond the illusory screen of light in front of him.

The nine old men with their eyes shut were sitting cross-legged behind his chair. Waves of power spread out faintly from their bodies and filled the entire room.

As for the woman with the pointy ears, she was kneeling beside Dao Kong’s body with her head bent to reveal the tender skin on her neck.

”This is just the first day, and those people from True Sacred Yin World already can’t wait to compete against me, hmm?” Dao Kong smiled, unconcerned, and finished the contents in his cup in one gulp. When he lifted his hand, a black ring could be seen on his right index finger.

This ring was not a physical item. It looked like a pattern of a thin thread had been branded onto Dao Kong’s finger. This was a Relocation Rune, and with just one thought, he could immediately have all three thousand of his fearless warriors sent over.

”It’s a pity, a pity…” Dao Kong’s smile was a touch sinister. He put down the wine cup and closed his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, dusk arrived for the first day of Black Ink Auction. Ever since Dao Kong placed a bid, a woman’s voice could be heard placing a bid once every few items.

The bids she placed were not high nor low most of the time. They were bids that were considered to be incredibly worthwhile if she won the item, that is, if no one else placed a bid higher than hers, but if someone else placed another bid, the item they bought would only be somewhat worthwhile.

In fact, if anyone continued placing bids, Dao Kong would fall silent and not place another bid on that item

As Su Ming watched the dusk-colored sky outside, his face remained calm. Black Ink Auction was not just held during the day, but also continued into the night, and this would last for an entire month.

To a mortal, their energy would not be enough for them to last through all of it. In fact, they might already be incredibly tired after lasting for two or three days. However, to a cultivator, going an entire month without sleep was something incredibly normal, which was why when evening passed and night fell, powerful rays of light immediately appeared in the auction hall. These rays of light intersected with each other in the sky, and in an instant, the world looked as if it was day, though from the distance, the starry sky could still be seen.

This perfection of being able to see the stars while one’s surroundings were bright as if it were day created a picture of unparalleled beauty. All those who saw it could not help but sigh in admiration.

As day and night continued changing places with each other, three days passed. During this times, Su Ming paid close attention to every single action within the auction hall, but Dao Kong had yet to walk into his plans. During the three days, Dao Kong had behaved the same as he did during the first day. He continued placing bids once every few items, but it was clear that he did not want to buy them.

The people in the auction hall gradually realized what Dao Kong was doing, and slowly, no one paid any attention to him. After all, every single item brought out within Black Ink Auction had its own value, and usually, it would be incredibly difficult for them to obtain these items from other places, which was why every single item in the auction resulted in plenty of people competing over them.

’Is he waiting..?’ Su Ming closed his eyes. If Dao Kong did not buy anything, then it would leave him unable to continue with his plan. In silence, Su Ming sat with a calm heart.

Time trickled by without anyone’s knowledge as the voices from the area beyond became increasingly stronger. The further Black Ink Auction progressed, the more precious the items brought out were, and the attention placed upon them as well as the desire to absolutely obtain them also became greater.

”This item came from Divine Essence Star Ocean. It is a drop of Divine Liquid that gathered up the essence from an area of ten thousand lis. This liquid can transform into all sorts of forms and has endless amounts of uses. Fellow Daoists, the starting bid for this Divine Essence Star Liquid is 30,000,000 crystals. I can tell all of you that there are only five drops of this Divine Liquid during this Black Ink Auction, and this is the first drop!”

Seven days later, when Black Ink Auction was boiling with extreme excitement, the auction host brought out the first precious treasure that caused all the hearts of the people in the area to tremble.

This was the first important item brought out within the auction!

Almost at the instant the auction host finished speaking, excited, gloomy, and loud voices immediately rang in the air.

”33,000,000 crystals.”

”37,000,000!”

”40,000,000!”

The powerful voices rose and fell, and some of the people in the rooms also started placing bids. The appearance of precious treasures such as this Divine Liquid caused all the people here to go mad for it, and in the blink of an eye, the price had already shot up to around sixty million.

Su Ming listened to the clamor within the auction with a calm expression. There was originally not just five drops of that Divine Liquid… but ten. However, five drops had been taken by him, and they were now in his storage bag.

Divine Essence Star Liquid could be drunk or inhaled. If one inhaled it, then they could inhale one drop for one hundred times. Every single time a person took a whiff of that liquid, their cultivation base would return to its peak. It was an item every cultivator dreamed of possessing.

Divine Liquid was not the only item that possessed such an effect, but the others were incredibly difficult to obtain. On top of that, if a person had a high level of cultivation, the effects would be reduced. However, this Divine Liquid could fully restore all those who were below Solar Kalpa Realm. In fact, if a monster from Solar Kalpa Realm drank one complete drop, they would also be able to achieve the same results.

During a crucial moment, this Divine Liquid would become a chance that would allow a person to survive.

If there was someone who was skilled in making medicinal cores, then with this liquid as the main ingredient, Star Ocean Core could be made, and the effects to the monsters in Solar Kalpa Realm would be even greater.

Because of that, it was not surprising that the price for the item shot up to such an extent.

’I’d like to see whether you’ll be tempted by this item.’ Su Ming cast his gaze on the room where Dao Kong was and waited silently.

In Dao Kong’s room, Dao Kong stared at the Divine Liquid on the screen of light on the platform with bright eyes. The noise formed by people placing their bids reached his ears, and a hint of hesitation appeared briefly on his face.

When the Divine Liquid was bought by someone at the price of 75,000,000 crystals, Dao Kong sighed, giving up on the other four drops of Divine Liquid that were subsequently put on auction.

’This item is good, but even if I buy it and offer it as a gift to those of the older generation in the family, I wouldn’t be able to obtain much benefit. As for personal use… There’s a medicinal core that has a similar effect in Morning Dao Sect. After all, I’m only at the middle stage of World Plane Realm, so those medicinal cores can restore my cultivation base once I finish them. There is no need for me to pay an exorbitant price to buy this item.’

Dao Kong remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

The remaining four drops of Divine Liquid were sold off, but Dao Kong never once placed a bid. This caused Su Ming to frown.

It had been seven days. A small part of the auction was over, but Dao Kong hadn’t bought a single item. This caused him to frown, and a pensive look appeared on his face.

After a long time, Su Ming closed his eyes and continued waiting.

The eighth day, the ninth day, the tenth day…

When fifteen days went by, half of the auction was over, but most of the time, Dao Kong was only placing bids in an insincere manner. He had never shown any true interest in wanting to buy anything. When the twentieth day arrived and the auction brought out another precious treasure that caused an uproar among the people, Su Ming still did not manage to hear Dao Kong fighting for it.

Dao Kong could only watch in resignation as various items were bought by others. It was not that he did not want to buy them… but all of the crystals he had in hand could not be used here. He had a secret deal with the Hua Family. Once the auction ended, he would get that thing in exchange for his crystals and some slots to the True Morning Dao World.

This was the mission given to him when he came to the Barren Lands of Divine Essence. As for the auction, to him, it was really just an interlude.

”It’s a pity… a real pity…” Dao Kong sighed, picked up his wine cup, and took a sip from it.

Time passed once again. When the twenty-third day arrived, Su Ming slowly opened his eyes. There was still seven days before Black Ink Auction would end. There were going to be plenty of treasures that would be brought out to be placed on auction during the last seven days, but Su Ming could already tell that Dao Kong… had no intention of competing for anything.

Thus, there was no need for him to wait seven more days.

A freezing glare appeared in Su Ming’s eyes.

’Since you don’t want to participate in this auction, then I will force you… to participate in it!’ Su Ming smiled coldly, and he lifted his right hand to strike his body. Light left his body, a brilliant long arc flew out from him and charged towards Yu Rou.

”Take that and add it to the list of items that will be up for bidding next! The starting bid for that thing is 10,000,000 crystals,” Su Ming said coldly. Yu Rou was stunned for a moment as she cast a glance at the brilliant object in her hands. Then, she lowered her head and walked out of the room.

After a moment, when Yu Rou returned and the next item was sold in the auction hall, the auction host’s slightly excited voice rang in the air.

”This time, the item that will be put on auction is not a foreign treasure from Divine Essence Star Ocean and neither is it a strange item from Sinful Barren Lands. It… came from the four Great True Worlds!

”Among the four Great True Worlds, this treasure is the one that gains the most amount of attention from True Morning Dao World. It is incredibly difficult for others to obtain this treasure. In fact, it could be said that if anyone else obtained it, they would incite True Morning Dao World’s Morning Dao Sect, and they would be hunted down till they died!

”This is because this treasure symbolizes a bloody battle, and means… that a direct descendant of Morning Dao Sect had died!”

As the host’s voice echoed in the air, the auction instantly fell into dead silence. Dao Kong had his eyes closed in his room, but once he heard those words, they flew open, and he looked over at the platform.