Becoming an Immortal and Ancestor, Starting from the Clan-protecting Divine Beast

77: Chapter 77 Before the Auction, Boiling the Frog in Slow WaterBefore long, Chen Fufeng arrived at the location of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

This tallest building in Liyuan Commandery City remained unchanged; it was still magnificent and resplendent, filled with an air of opulence inside and out, though far fewer Cultivators were coming and going.

Chen Fufeng took out his invitation. A maidservant took it with both hands, examined it carefully, and after confirming there were no issues, respectfully invited him inside.

After many twists and turns, the maidservant led Chen Fufeng through the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, as if crossing through layers of space, finally arriving before an elegant and exquisite courtyard, about thirty zhang in length and width, with the words ”Elegant Pavilion” inscribed upon it.

”Family Head Chen, the Foundation Establishment auction will be held in seven days. Please excuse the trouble of staying here during this time,” the maidservant said with an apologetic face and a soft, sweet voice. ”Liyuan Commandery City has not been peaceful lately, and our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is doing this for the safety of all the Cultivators attending the auction.”

”Since this place is within the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, even if a Great True Person with Five Dharma Manifestations were to make a move, they would not be able to stir up any trouble. Family Head Chen, you can rest assured.”

”Oh, right. The courtyards here are all equipped with Formations. Family Head Chen, you will need to use your invitation to activate it before you can move in.”

Chen Fufeng nodded slightly. ”Many thanks.”

The maidservant smiled and nodded in response, then swayed her waist and departed gracefully.

Chen Fufeng looked left and right. Near this ”Elegant Pavilion” courtyard, there were many other courtyards situated; some were already occupied, while others were still empty.

”This Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in Liyuan Commandery is truly miraculous, containing its own space. Is it really just a Spirit Treasure?”

Third-Grade Spiritual Artifacts are Magical Artifacts used by Purple Mansion True Persons; they can unleash their greatest power in the hands of a Purple Mansion True Person with compatible attributes.

However, a Third-Grade Spiritual Artifact cannot be equated with a Purple Mansion True Person. If a Foundation Establishment Peak Great Cultivator holding a Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact were to face a Purple Mansion True Person with one Divine Ability, the final result would be the victory of the Purple Mansion True Person with one Divine Ability.

Spiritual Artifacts have spirits, but they are not invincible. They cannot independently unleash true Divine Abilities; only when held by a Purple Mansion True Person can they display world-destroying power.

Above Spiritual Artifacts and Spirit Treasures are Magic Treasures, which only Golden Core True Monarchs can create and use. Each piece possesses unparalleled power, sufficient to sink mountains and rivers.

Spiritual Artifacts are imbued with spirituality by Purple Mansion True Persons through the point of a Divine Ability, which is why they can possess such power.

As for Magic Treasures, they require the hands of a Golden Core True Monarch to connect with a dao position and refine a trace of Golden Nature within them; only then can a Spirit Treasure advance into a Magic Treasure.

Chen Fufeng stopped overthinking and had no intention of visiting neighbors. He took out his invitation, activated the Formation of the ”Elegant Pavilion” courtyard, and the gate opened by itself. He walked inside.

”Such rich Spiritual Qi.”

The courtyard did not look large, but it was fully equipped with all kinds of facilities, suitable for drinking tea, reading books, or entering seclusion to Cultivate.

In the main bedroom, there was a transparent projection glowing with a faint light. Cultivators living here could choose the items they needed to purchase, and after paying, they would be delivered the next moment.

Chen Fufeng browsed through it. The items on it were ordinary, with very few good things, though the prices were reasonable.

”Hong’er needs Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the Li Fire attribute. The Spiritual Qi needed for Yuan’er and that Liu Luojun to Cultivate is a bit troublesome; few people walk those paths, so very little High Grade Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is born.”

After some filtering, he set his sights on two types of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that could be considered quite good within the Medium Grade.

One was the Frost-attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, Heavenly Mountain Cold Pool Origin Qi, collected from the cold pool at the top of the Heavenly Mountain in the Far North Ice Plains; it was extremely suitable for Cultivators of the Frost path.

The other was the ji earth-attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, Spring-Stored Moist Earth Spiritual Qi, extracted from the moist soil beneath a thousand-year-old tree; it was suitable for Cultivators of the ji earth path.

Chen Fufeng had already made his plans: if he could not auction for High Grade Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, he would settle for purchasing these two Medium Grade Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

As for the Li Fire-attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that Chen Zhuhong needed, he was also keeping an eye on it.

In the list provided by the transparent projection, he had his eye on several quite good Medium Grade Li Fire-attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to use as backups.

Besides these, Chen Fufeng also checked the Cultivation Techniques to see if there were any cheaper Fifth-Grade Cultivation Techniques for sale.

After browsing through, he did not see any Fifth-Grade Cultivation Techniques for sale, which made him feel slightly regretful.

Perhaps they were only available at Foundation Establishment or even Purple Mansion level auctions, or perhaps the regular channels of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion at the commandery city level would not sell Cultivation Techniques of this grade; only the higher-level state city Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion would sell them.

The ”Heaven-Striking Thunder Domain Scripture” that Chen Zhuxiao Cultivated was purely an accident; it was only because the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had set up a scheme behind the scenes that Chen Fufeng had been able to obtain it back then.

After browsing through the required items, Chen Fufeng turned off the projection, sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, and began to Cultivate with a calm heart.

There was still a week until the auction began, and the Spiritual Qi here was very rich; it would be a waste not to do some Cultivating.

Just like that, Chen Fufeng activated the courtyard Formation, isolating himself from the prying eyes and disturbances of others, and entered a state of Cultivation.

He had only broken through to Foundation Establishment not long ago, so it was a perfect Opportunity to use the rich Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here to consolidate his Realm.

Just as Chen Fufeng was in seclusion, an old man with white hair and beard sat by a pond, holding a White Jade Fishing Rod. A transparent thread was attached to it, submerged in the pond, as if he were fishing.

Splash!

A spray of water splashed up, and the figure of a large fish appeared. The old man’s hand gripping the White Jade Fishing Rod exerted sudden force, and the thousand-zhang-sized pond shook violently, as if he had hooked some massive creature.

A hundred-zhang-sized silver-scaled white fish rushed out of the pond, its massive fins thrashing wildly, its pair of fish eyes wide open.

Plop!

The silver-scaled white fish fell from the air back into the water, splashing countless sprays, like a tsunami reaching the sky, with surging waves; this courtyard shook violently.

The old man did not take the white fish’s life but instead released it back into the pond.

”Ah, it’s little Li’er. What brings you to see this old man?”

The old man suddenly spoke, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

A young girl wearing a plain white dress, with a stunningly beautiful face, a pair of amber glass-like eyes, and a cold temperament, appeared beside the old man. She stood gracefully, like a Fairy descended from the Nine Heavens, ethereal and boundless, yet eye-catching.

”Grandfather, how exactly was the Zhao Family destroyed? And Wanjun, did she really die in the Zhao Family? If not, where is she now?”

With a voice clear as silver bells, the young girl asked three questions in a row; judging by her tone, it sounded more like an interrogation.

The old man slowly rose, his hunched back straightening. The White Jade Fishing Rod transformed into a white jade swimming fish and fell into the pond, swimming happily.

”It was the means of the Shamanic Path. The Xuan Yuan Sect spent a favor to invite a Shamanic Path Great True Person with Five Dharma Manifestations to cast a curse from afar, cursing Zhao Huaiyi to death.”

”And this curse was not a simple one; it was linked to Bloodline and would trace back from the source. Anyone carrying Zhao Huaiyi’s Bloodline would be implicated and meet an untimely death.”

”As for Zhao Wanjun, she had some Opportunity and was protected by a High Grade Spiritual Artifact, so she survived that great shaman’s curse. You need not worry.”

Mo Li’s willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she stared directly at her grandfather without fear. ”Grandfather, as a Great True Person with Five Dharma Manifestations at Perfection, why did you not step in to stop it and let the Xuan Yuan Sect run wild?!”

”And the Qian Family—they broke the rules at the Tianyu Cave Mansion and should have been destroyed. Now, instead of being destroyed, that Qian Family Old Ancestor has even broken through to the level of three Divine Abilities.”

”Especially that fellow Qian Yaozu, who relies on having a grandfather at the Purple Mansion Middle Stage to run rampant in this Liyuan Commandery City, harming who knows how many Cultivators.”

Mo Youming shook his head and sighed lightly. ”Look at you, getting impatient again.”

He stood with his hands behind his back, his pair of white cloth shoes spotless. He had the air of an immortal, looking like an old immortal living in the world, carrying an indescribable, mysterious Immortal Qi.

”Whether it is the Qian Family or the Xuan Yuan Sect, under the overturning of the great trend, they are like mantises trying to stop a chariot; their destruction is inevitable.”

”But after all, it is a Sect founded by a Great Honored Immortal and still has some foundation; one must plan slowly and cannot be too hasty.”

”Boiling the frog in warm water—take it slow, step by step, let them reveal their trump cards, gradually lose their ability to resist, and finally settle the outcome and boil them to death!”

Hearing this, Mo Li’s stunningly beautiful face revealed a look of helplessness. She wanted to help her friend, but with her own strength alone, she could not do it.

Even though she was valued by a True Monarch and had a grandfather at the Great True Person level, in the face of major issues of right and wrong, these elders would all choose to stand on the side of the great trend.

It is said that those who accomplish great things do not fuss over small matters. If a Purple Mansion Family is destroyed, so be it; as long as it can cause an impact on the Xuan Yuan Sect, it is completely worthwhile.

”Grandfather, are you not afraid of overplaying your hand?”

Mo Li seemed to have a thousand words to say, but in the end, she only said this one sentence, as if talking to herself, and as if asking a question.

”Overplaying?” Mo Youming turned around and smiled mysteriously. ”Even if the True Monarch fails, my Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion still has Venerables to fall back on. If the Venerables are not enough, there will still be Immortal Lords to step in. How could it fail? How could it possibly fail?”

He looked at his granddaughter, his tone echoing. ”Li’er, everything is fate; nothing is up to oneself. Purple Mansion True Persons are struggling to cross, Golden Core True Monarchs are struggling to cross, Nascent Soul Venerables are struggling to cross, and even the various Immortal Lords are struggling to cross.”

”You think of everything as too wonderful. The Cultivation World is just this cruel. In order to achieve one’s goals, what does it matter if thousands upon thousands of people die? When I achieve the Dao, there will naturally be great scholars to debate the scriptures for me.”

While speaking, he raised his hand, and the ten-thousand-mile dark night turned into daylight, and then returned to darkness.

”No one can disrupt the affairs of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s founding. Not Earth Immortal Venerables, not Immortal Lords. This is the trend of the great trend, the location of Heavenly Mandate; no existence can stop it.”

”As for that Xuan Yuan Sect, their destiny is exhausted and they won’t be able to jump around for much longer. And that Qian Family, don’t worry; in a few more years, without me needing to make a move, someone will naturally destroy them.”

As his voice fell, Mo Youming’s figure vanished, leaving only Mo Li, with her willow-leaf eyebrows tightly furrowed, standing in place, wondering what she was thinking.

...

Seven days later, Chen Fufeng pushed open the courtyard door, and a maidservant was already waiting outside.

Holding his invitation, he followed the maidservant through the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. It took a full half an hour of walking before the surroundings gradually became lively.

One by one, Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators held copper ten thousand treasures tokens in their hands, walking into the Foundation Establishment auction venue with their heads held high and chests puffed out.

There were also those holding invitations who glanced with disdain at these shabby Foundation Establishment Cultivators, then walked into the special passageway with arrogant expressions to enter the private rooms.

After confirming that the invitation in Chen Fufeng’s hand was in order, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion deacon responsible for maintaining order at the auction personally brought him to a luxurious and imposing private room.

Two and a half hours later, the attendees of the Foundation Establishment auction arrived one after another. A figure stepped out from the Void Realm, and a Purple Mansion aura swept across the entire venue.

”This old man is Liu Yu, with the dao title ’Shaking Heavens’. I will be presiding over this Foundation Establishment auction.”