Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1066

Apart from Han Li’s group, people from all directions were gathering towards the summit of Flying Immortal Peak. However, instead of flying directly to the top like Han Li, they arrived at the foot of the mountain and ascended via flying chariots. Only the Nascent Soul cultivators flashed and flew into the clouds.

Guided by Lei Wei, Han Li arrived above a certain palace and looked down at a secluded entrance. In front of the entrance, a middle-aged man in golden robes and a woman in a black skirt were talking.

The black-clad woman’s back was all that could be seen, but she exuded an imposing dignity. Behind her, a girl in a purple robe with a round face looked both elegant and pretty.

Her clear aura drew people’s attention, and even the surrounding soldiers and attendants, knowing she was of noble status, frequently glanced at the purple-robed girl. Han Li’s gaze swept past the girl and landed on the golden-robed man and the black-clad woman.

‘Those are…’

As he landed near the entrance, the soldiers, as well as those who were talking, turned to look at him. Then, the black-clad woman’s face came into view. She was a peerless beauty with thick eyebrows, slightly upturned phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and rosy lips.

She also took in Han Li’s face and wore a strange expression, and the purple-robed girl also showed a fleeting look of delight when she saw Han Li.

‘Oh, you seem to be someone I haven’t met before. Could you be the cultivator Han Li who recently reached the Nascent Soul stage?’

The middle-aged man in golden robes scanned Han Li’s cultivation and spoke with a smile.

‘You are…’

Han Li also knew that the other party was an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and clasped his fist in greeting.

‘Haha, I am Peng Jue, the Deputy City Lord of Xuanwu City! I am managing the human cultivators at this assembly. It is a joyous occasion that a new Nascent Soul cultivator has emerged among the humans!’

‘I am still lacking, having only recently reached the Nascent Soul stage. I hope City Lord Peng will provide much guidance in the future.’

Han Li humbly replied to Peng Jue’s friendly attitude.

‘Everyone knows that you reached the Nascent Soul stage from the Core Formation stage in just a few hundred years. With such talent, your future is bright, so how can you ask for guidance from an old man like me!’

‘Haha, no, it’s not like that. But who is this immortal friend…’

Han Li turned his head to look at the black-clad woman. Surprisingly, she was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from the Star Domain with very pure magic power.

‘This palace is called Xiao Guan. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, cultivator Han.’

‘The Black Phoenix King!’

Although he had somewhat expected it, he couldn’t help but change his expression when he heard it directly.

‘So, cultivator Han knows of me. I heard that a child from my clan named Xiao Hong caused you quite a bit of trouble.’

‘About that time…’

Han Li frowned and was about to say something, but the black-clad woman waved her hand.

‘Please don’t misunderstand. Xiao Hong has already been punished for her unauthorized attempt to seize the Heavenly Phoenix Bloodline of the Ye family and is currently undergoing a thousand years of secluded cultivation in the Black Phoenix Palace. It was fortunate that you intervened at the time, or else the relationship between our Black Phoenix Clan and the Ye family would have been strained. You may not know, but the Grand Elder of the Ye family and I are old friends.’

‘Since cultivator Xiao has said so, I will not mention the matter any further.’

Han Li smiled and replied, though he didn’t know if what she said was true.

Peng Jue, who had been listening from the side, had no idea about the grudges between Han Li and the Black Phoenix Clan, but he was relieved that things were going well and continued to speak.

‘The auction is about to begin, shall we go inside? If you two go in first, I will escort the other cultivators in.’

‘Understood. Da Ya, let’s go in.’

The black-clad woman nodded and called the purple-robed girl, then walked away with her maids.

‘Da Ya?’

Han Li flinched at the black-clad woman’s words and examined the purple-robed girl. However, the girl kept her head down and did not even glance at him, following the black-clad woman. Han Li couldn’t take his eyes off the girl until she disappeared from sight.

‘If it’s Da Ya, isn’t she the girl that Xiao Hong took away!’

Considering that Xiao Hong, a Core Formation stage Black Phoenix Clan cultivator, had personally infiltrated human territory to take her, Da Ya, a human-demon hybrid, must have had an extraordinary background.

In that case, it was not strange that Da Ya was staying by the Black Phoenix King’s side, but it was even more surprising that a weak mortal had become a Core Formation stage cultivator in just a few hundred years.

Even if it was related to the Black Phoenix bloodline, such rapid cultivation speed was astonishing. Moreover, she didn’t resemble her past self at all, and it was strange that she didn’t acknowledge him.

Peng Jue wondered why Han Li was not leaving with a strange expression, but he waited quietly with a smile.

‘Brother Peng, it seems that the cultivator Da Ya is also from the Black Phoenix Clan. Do you know what her relationship is with cultivator Xiao?’

‘Haha, as far as I know, Da Ya is a direct descendant of cultivator Xiao! She is quite famous among the young demon cultivators. Her talent is outstanding, and her actual face is said to be so beautiful that she is known as the ‘Phoenix Spirit Immortal’ to the outside world. Many young demons admire her and are courting her.’

‘Her actual face…’

‘It’s understandable that you didn’t recognize her. Da Ya’s current face is something that cultivator Xiao created using her true name, Zhen Ling. According to the Black Phoenix cultivators, it was done to avoid trouble at the Myriad Treasures Assembly. By the way, are you also interested in the Phoenix Spirit Immortal? I heard that Da Ya is not a pure demon but a human-demon hybrid.’

‘Haha, of course not. I was just curious because she seemed to have an unusual aura. Then, I will go in first.’

Han Li raised the corners of his mouth and went inside. Then, a maid came out and guided Han Li’s group, and they passed through a long corridor into a huge hall with spectator seats.

There was no one on the circular stage yet, but faint lights of spiritual energy flickered in the corners, and long silver flying swords floated within them. And below the stage, soldiers in golden armor stood with their faces covered by silver masks.

‘……’

Han Li narrowed his eyes as he saw the four flying swords and eight golden-armored soldiers with his Brightsight Spirit Eyes [a technique that enhances vision]. The flying swords seemed to be spiritual treasures with connected auras, and the eight soldiers did not seem to have any magic power fluctuations, but the dark aura around them was very intimidating.

Han Li was guided to a private room on the highest third floor. It was small, but it was meticulously prepared with a table, chairs, and even a pot of spiritual energy-emitting flowers, and it had a square window.

The window was covered with white mist, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

‘Senior, do you like the VIP room? If you are not satisfied, I can show you another one.’

The maid who had guided them asked politely.

‘It’s fine. I’ll take this one.’

‘Then, I will take my leave. I will be waiting at the door, so please call me anytime if you have any orders.’

The maid bowed and retreated at Han Li’s calm reply.

Han Li sat by the window and checked the auction formation artifact placed on the table, while Hai Da-shao and Qi Lingzi were busy looking around the room with curious eyes.

Han Li also looked out the window and saw that the huge hall was filled with tens of thousands of human and demon cultivators. The cultivators on the first and second floors were mostly Core Formation or Void Refinement stage cultivators, while the Nascent Soul stage old monsters like Han Li were guided to the VIP rooms.

Soon, Han Li closed his eyes, and Hai Da-shao and Qi Lingzi stood quietly behind him, waiting. How much time had passed? The murmuring suddenly stopped, and Han Li quietly opened his eyes.

Now, two men with unusual appearances were standing on the stage.

One was a giant with black light flowing all over his body, and his face was covered by a tangled beard, making it impossible to see his exact face. And the man next to him was a head taller than the giant, and his cheeks had shiny scales, making him look like a demon from the Transformation stage.

As Han Li was examining them, the giant in the black aura opened his mouth.

‘Most of the cultivators gathered here know the Hegemon and the Yi Hua cultivator, so I will skip the introductions and immediately announce the opening of the Myriad Treasures Assembly.’

The giant in the black aura was the Xuanwu Hegemon, and the demon cultivator next to him was the Yi Hua King.

The cultivators murmured at the unexpected appearance of these figures, but they gradually quieted down as a silver-haired old man in a white robe came up after them.

Behind him, children with clear faces followed one after another, carrying trays covered with golden cloths.

‘I, Tian Anzi, will be in charge of this auction. I ask for the cooperation of all the cultivators!’

The old man clasped his fist towards the crowd and burst into laughter.

‘Haha, if cultivator Tian An is in charge, we can rest assured!’

‘That’s right! The discernment of Tian An Daoist is famous among both the human and demon races.’

Quite a few cultivators responded, indicating that the old man named Tian Anzi was quite famous.

‘Thank you. Since everyone has taken time out of their busy schedules to be here, let’s get straight to the auction! Child, bring out the first item!’

At Tian Anzi’s words, one of the boys standing in a line behind the stage came out with a tray. When the old man removed the golden cloth, a silver crystal on the tray was revealed. It was a beautiful crystal with patterns engraved on it.

‘This is the ‘Silver Silk Crystal,’ perfect for refining metal-attribute treasures. It is a material that can only be found in the White Cliff Gorge in the Far East region of the human race, and the annual production is only half of the Silver Silk Crystal in front of you.

Even a small addition to a flying sword-type treasure will increase its attack power, and if you refine it, you can even create a spiritual treasure. The minimum price is 3 million spirit stones, and you can raise the price in increments of 100,000. Let’s begin!’

Tian Anzi briefly introduced the treasure on the tray and shouted loudly. The Silver Silk Crystal was not something that would catch the eyes of Nascent Soul cultivators, but it was a sufficiently attractive material for Core Formation or Void Refinement stage cultivators.

‘4 million!’

‘4.5 million!’

‘5 million.’

The prices rose one after another, and the numbers on the light screen above the stage kept changing. However, in the end, a demon with black fur all over his body won the bid at a high price of 7.3 million, making the human cultivators feel dejected.

Demon cultivators were usually not skilled in refining techniques, so they had not expected that the Silver Silk Crystal would be bought at such a high price.

In the early stages of the auction, refining materials were continuously put up for sale, but as time passed, the expressions of the cultivators gathered in the hall changed. This was because the black-furred demon who had won the bid for the Silver Silk Crystal had bought all the way up to the seventh item at high prices.

The black-furred demon was covering his entire body with a yellow-black wind cloak, but even if the Core Formation stage cultivators could not recognize him, it was not difficult for a Nascent Soul cultivator like Han Li to recognize his face.

‘Black Wolf Demon! He seems to have just reached the early stage of Void Refinement, but his spending is so generous. He might be someone with a special status in the Black Wolf Clan.’

Han Li withdrew the navy blue light from his eyes and muttered. At this time, a bright red cloth that looked like it was woven from flames appeared as a new item.

‘Isn’t that the Crystalline Flame Silk? To weave a cloth with such precious silk.’

‘What a luxurious thing to do.’

‘Haha, amazing.’

The appearance of the bright red cloth caused a stir on the lower floors, and many people revealed their undisguised desires.

‘Master, what is the Crystalline Flame Silk that everyone wants so much?’

Hai Da-shao, who saw it, asked curiously.

‘Crystalline Flame Silk is not a material produced by our human race, but a unique material of the demon Black Phoenix Clan. Fire insects that live in lava emit silk only once in their lifetime, and the Black Phoenix Clan manages that lava. If a cultivator who cultivates the same type of fire-attribute techniques refines a fire-attribute magic tool with Crystalline Flame Silk and carries it around, it can increase their cultivation speed. Also, treasures refined with it amplify fire-attribute techniques, so everyone is so eager to get it.’