Han Li was startled and slightly puzzled, rubbing his nose. Yet he remained deeply confused about what the human-faced dragon had said before leaving. After all, Han Li was entirely human—how had he become connected to this dragon? Could it be due to the several true spirit bloodlines he had absorbed? In principle, that seemed unlikely—their strength was undeniable, but once absorbed, they remained dormant within him, invisible. Otherwise, he would have noticed something amiss long before, given the numerous powerful beings he had encountered. After pondering for a while, Han Li still felt a host of questions unanswered. However, the gaze of the nearby ethnic groups toward him had grown increasingly strange. Even the young man named Fei, standing on the stage, had glanced at him twice without speaking. Among the third-tier, combined-level beings, several had also cast curious glances his way. Naturally, Duantie immediately recognized Han Li, his expression now somewhat unusual. Seeing that he had now drawn such widespread attention, Han Li found himself secretly worried. "Well, since this matter has been settled, you go ahead with the auction. I'll be off now. Landown, you all avoid the area near Zuiwei Sea from now on. Should anything truly go wrong, I won't be able to step in—do your best." The young man turned his gaze to Xiao Bu Yi and the elderly landowner, speaking calmly and simply. "The young disciple will remember this most gratefully. Thank you so much for your protection just now—otherwise, we would have been in serious trouble." The elders and the landowner naturally expressed their gratitude with continuous thanks. Xiao Bu Yi remained stationed at the side, offering his own words of "farewell." The young man nodded, then stepped down from the platform. His movements were composed, yet after only a few steps, he gradually blurred into the hall doors and then vanished suddenly. Upon seeing the two great Multiplication-stage beings depart one after another, the combined-bodied elders on the third level swiftly returned to the rooms and once again disappeared into the shadows. The others in the hall turned their attention back to the individuals on the stage. "Lu brother, you're still injured—please go back to your pavilion and rest well. Lady Kun, we'll need you all to stay a little longer. Fortunately, we're nearing the end, so it won't take much more time. As for the originally agreed compensation, I'll personally have the clan add an additional twenty percent for each of you." Xue Bu Yi spoke with great courtesy to the elder and the woman. "Xue brother, please rest assured! No matter what happens, as long as we've agreed to stay with our friends, we will absolutely see this auction through to its conclusion." After exchanging glances with each other, the woman and the other two smiled faintly, a touch of wryness in their expressions. "Thank you so much, Xue brother!" Xue Bu Yi felt greatly relieved upon hearing this. If these three had simply decided to leave, he would have truly struggled to find words to persuade them to stay. As for the elderly man with the surname Lu, he merely nodded solemnly, his expression gloomy, then, with a firm grasp of his good arm, he reached down and plucked at the ground. Immediately, the severed arm floated gently into the elder's hands, where it was carefully collected. Then, without a word, the elderly man with the surname Lu pressed two palms together, performing a series of gestures. The blue magical array on the stage hummed softly before his form vanished in a shimmer of light. Then he raised his hand, tossing back the bag of spiritual stones that the other party had just delivered. The silver-haired elder, clearly anxious about potential trouble from the Human-Faced Dragon, had quietly appeared there without a word. Now, upon hearing Xiao Bu Bai's words, he shook his head and sighed, saying, "Well, since the auction went awry earlier, it seems I've lost my chance to participate in this event. From now on, I won't bid on any of the rarer treasures." The elder proved himself both composed and decisive—after receiving the stones, he immediately turned and walked down to the platform, heading straight for the outer hall, where he vanished without a trace shortly thereafter. A number of people in the audience were stirred by this development, and a fresh wave of commotion followed. Xiao Bu Bai furrowed his brow slightly, but soon settled into calmness, then nodded gently to the green-scaled woman standing beside him. The woman instantly grasped his intent, reached into her sleeve with one hand, withdrew a dark object, and tossed it into the air. In an instant, several loud cries soared straight into the heavens! Then, a fierce gale surged up on the stone platform, and a black cloud materialized in mid-air, rolling slightly before expanding to a size of over ten zhang. This remarkable sight immediately drew the attention of the audience once again. The cries continued to emanate from within the cloud, and after a few thunderclaps, the white lightning flashed, dispersing and vanishing the乌cloud. Instantly, a black flying chariot emerged in the sky—about five to six zhang long, its surface adorned with ancient, intricate patterns, dense and detailed—and a wild, primal aura poured out, filling the air. In front of the chariot, four similarly black, single-horned flying horses pulled it, each bearing a black armored knight of ordinary height. These horses not only had black double wings on their backs but also had a significant portion of their bodies covered in black battle armor. On each of the four flying horses, a knight rode, each armed with a sword and a bow, fully equipped. Yet regardless of whether it's the unicorns or the knights, they remain suspended in mid-air, motionless—clearly four mounted automaton beasts. Both the chariots and the four knights emit the same cold, ethereal glow, evidently crafted from the same material. Upon seeing these chariots and knights, many of the audience below immediately express interest. "Ah, this is our second centerpiece auction item—the 'Earth-Shadow War Chariot.' I won't elaborate extensively on its features, but merely mention its origin—by then, I'm certain most of you will be familiar with it. The Earth Spirit Clan, which was wiped out some fifty thousand years ago—many of you may still recall that. Back then, the Earth Spirit Clan was renowned as the foremost masters of mechanical automaton technology on the Thundering Continent. This very chariot was created by them, unearthed from a hidden site of the Earth Spirit Clan. As for its specific powers, I won't demonstrate them in detail. I can only clearly state that each of these accompanying knight automata possesses the strength of a Mid-Immortal stage practitioner." Moreover, when the four knight puppets work in unison, they can execute a long-forgotten secret technique that is sufficient to withstand an attack from a novice saint-kin. As for the Earth-Spirit War Chariot itself, its intricacies are boundless—only those who have finally touched it can truly appreciate them. "Xiao Bu Yi chuckled, saying so. When they withdrew their divine awareness, they encountered no obstacles—otherwise, they would have suffered significant losses. Yet thus, the extraordinary nature of this vehicle was confirmed from another angle, sparking even greater interest among the audience. Han Li, unprepared, also incurred a small setback and now found himself quite curious about it. Yet he immediately sighed inwardly. Though he still did not know the vehicle's base price, its ability to withstand treasures of the Divine Clan rank made its cost clearly staggering. He could only sit and observe. However, Jin Lei Zhu had not yet appeared, confirming that the vehicle was indeed highly valued and placed relatively late even among the final items. While Han Li was pondering, Xiao Bu Yi finally announced the base price for this "Earth-Shadow War Chariot" on stage! "The full set of the Earth-Shadow War Chariot is priced at 120 million spiritual stones!" Though he had expected the price to be impressive, Han Li was momentarily stunned upon hearing it, before gradually smiling. Indeed, the bidding for this Earth-Shadow War Chariot was exceptionally lively! With successive price increases, the final bid easily surpassed twenty million, yet many bidders still showed no intention of giving up. However, among the three layers of bidders, the Saint Clan representatives were notably few. Several who had previously placed bids once or twice simply fell silent once the price exceeded twenty million. In the end, the chariot was secured by a graceful woman veiled in a veil, who won it at a price of twenty-two million. Yet afterward, many observers found themselves murmuring about the veiled woman. For though she appeared only at the Mid-Transcendent stage, she clearly carried a substantial fortune in spiritual stones—something truly remarkable. Han Li was initially surprised, but within moments, he completely set this matter aside. After all, Xiao Bu Yi had just received a jade box from the two-headed stranger, and upon opening it, revealed a first-rank bamboo stalk, vividly emerald in hue—exactly the golden thunder bamboo that Han Li had previously presented. "The Five Elements reach their peak in wood, and the divine thunder originates from this bamboo—gold thunder bamboo! Starting price: seventeen million!" Xiao Bu Yi was remarkably direct this time. He simply took the bamboo in his hand and, with a brief gesture toward the audience, introduced it. A thunderous roar erupted as countless golden electric arcs surged from the bamboo's surface, instantly forming a shimmering golden grid that appeared before everyone's eyes. "Gold Thunder Bamboo!" "Divine Thunder that repels evil!" "Divine Thunder of the Supreme Wood!"... Almost simultaneously, a dozen exclamations of astonishment rang out from various parts of the hall. Several of these came directly from the third level. Meanwhile, the rest of the audience, upon seeing the golden arcs, immediately grew stunned, their murmurs rising in volume. ------------ Volume Nine: The Hundred Clans of the Spirit Realm — The Spirit-Eating Fire Bird and the Lapis Lazuli Heavenly Fire Han Li showed no outward reaction, yet felt a surge of joy within. Clearly, the value of this gold thunder bamboo surpassed his initial expectations. Nevertheless, upon reflection, although he had mastered the art of summoning thunder, he still sensed that the Golden Thunder Bamboo seemed to hold something concealed—something not fully revealed—given the profound apprehension displayed by the several great beast kings during the initial land survey. Unfortunately, those great beast kings had primarily exploited the Golden Thunder Bamboo at the time, and even if it indeed concealed further secrets, they would naturally have kept them from him. As for the Feiling Clan and the current Yun City, the ordinary records available offered only limited information about the Golden Thunder Bamboo and the divine thunder that repelled evil spirits. Thus, their investigation had to be temporarily paused, with the hope of uncovering the answers later. While Han Li was mentally pondering these thoughts, the bidding for the Golden Thunder Bamboo had already commenced. A saint-branch member from the third layer had suddenly announced a price of "250 million," instantly causing several potential bidders to pale. Yet, it was far from certain that only one such affluent bidder existed. In the span of a moment, the figures of 260 million and 270 million were again announced by the two other elders from the Three Layers. One of the male voices was calm and measured, and Han Li found it familiar. After a brief thought, he immediately recognized him—none other than Qianji, the senior elder of the Wangu Clan, who had also taken a keen interest in this trial golden bamboo. As for the other person, it was the fierce-named male who had previously shown ill grace toward Xi's remarks about the Heavenly Fire Liquid at the beginning of the auction. With these two price points successively revealed, those who had still hoped to make a bid now quietly abandoned their ambitions, merely gazing at the golden bamboo on the platform and silently swallowing their saliva. The hall grew suddenly quiet. "Thirty million spirit days!" The previously known senior elder who had opened the bidding with a high price paused, then uttered a figure that sent Han Li's heart racing. At this moment, Qianji sighed, and the silence that followed in the hall was complete. "Thirty-one million!" It was Mr. Jing who made the offer, wasn't it? This golden thunder bamboo is of great significance to me, and I sincerely hope you will be kind enough to accommodate me. Master Li hesitated slightly, then quoted a price, and suddenly spoke to the other with unusually courteous demeanor. "Master Li, that's quite incorrect. I have offered such a high price, and naturally, the golden thunder bamboo holds equal or even greater importance for me. I fear we shall not be able to compromise. Thirty million two hundred thousand!" The first bidder smiled calmly, showing no intention of yielding, and then announced a new price. "Very well. Since Master Jing has made such a clear statement, I shall not insist on my own preferences. This section of golden thunder bamboo shall be yours." Master Li, having learned something about the other's financial standing, saw that the offer was firm and promptly stepped back from the competition. Yet, within himself, he felt deeply dissatisfied. "Heh, thank you so much, Master Li!" Master Jing's voice carried a touch of satisfaction, though he slightly lowered his tone. From somewhere on the first floor of the hall, a new bid of "Thirty million two hundred thousand" was heard. The voice was clear and melodious, surprisingly that of a woman. At this, half the audience was taken aback and turned to look. The bidder was none other than the masked woman who had just purchased the Yōu Jiān Chē earlier. Even Han Li, among the onlookers, was momentarily stunned. This woman had already spent such a substantial sum in灵stones, and now she was still bidding at such a premium—this was indeed extraordinary. Of course, this did not necessarily mean that her family's wealth was unquestionably superior to that of ordinary Saint Clans. Yet, in terms of the amount of灵stones, she was certainly no ordinary Saint Clan member. "Three hundred and forty million!" The voice of the man with the surname Jing grew suddenly deeper and more somber. "Three hundred and fifty million!" The masked woman remained calm and announced her price without hesitation. The man with the surname Jing fell silent once again, but after a brief pause, he spoke with a voice as cold as ice, saying coldly, "Three hundred and sixty million! Even if someone offers one more灵stone above this." Mirror Xuan bowed immediately, but as soon as he finished speaking, the masked woman calmly announced a price of "Three Ten Million." Upon hearing this offer, a surge of anger erupted from the third floor, where Mirror Xuan's voice rang out in laughter. "Excellent! Remarkable! Having placed such a bold, all-or-nothing bet on Jinlei Bamboo, I hope you will understand—after having been repeatedly outbid by a senior lineage member, this Saint Clan representative of Yuncheng finally could no longer contain her displeasure and openly expressed her dissatisfaction. Yet the masked woman seemed entirely unimpressed, as though she had not heard a single word. She neither responded nor even glanced toward the third floor. Only when Xiao Bu Bai announced that she had successfully secured the item did she calmly move to the platform, pay the spiritual stones, take the Jinlei Bamboo, and then return to her place in the distance. Her composed, unflinching demeanor actually made Mirror Xuan feel a sense of caution. After chuckling several times, he finally chose to remain silent. "Very well. Now, finally, we come to the last treasure of this auction, the concluding piece. Hehe—believe me, I needn’t say much more; by now, all of you should already know what it is. It’s a bottle containing thirteen pills of the Wàn Miào Dan. The wonders of the Wàn Miào Dan hardly require further explanation. Not only is it an excellent auxiliary elixir for breaking through the Saint Clan’s thresholds, but after consumption, it also has the miraculous effect of purifying and refreshing the body’s essence, improving one’s constitution. In past auctions, we’ve occasionally featured the Wàn Miào Dan, but usually only in small quantities—three or four pills, sometimes even just one or two. This time, however, the senior elders of the Crystal Clan originally intended to offer all thirteen pills at once. Honestly, this greatly surprised me. Had I not been in charge of hosting this auction, I might have even joined the bidding myself. Even if I don’t personally use them, if just one of my disciples can take a single pill, that would be a truly fortunate opportunity." Xiao Bu Yi spoke with a nodding, rhythmic motion, his face filled with genuine regret. Then, he took from the armored warrior bearing the golden mask a small bottle of pale silver and held it high above the crowd! Facing the next item up for auction, though he had no idea what the Three-Level Saint Clans might think, the ordinary ethnic groups from the First and Second Levels all stared intently at the silver bottle in Xiao Bu Yi’s hands—some with solemn expressions, others filled with eager anticipation, and a few visibly tense. "Alright," Xiao Bu Yi smiled gently and suddenly announced, "the base price for this Wan Miao Pill is three hundred million!" Upon hearing this price, I stroked my chin, clasped my arms, and then remained expressionless, leaning back against the chair while slowly closing my eyes. At this moment, Han Li’s thoughts were not on the pill displayed on the stage, but rather focused on quietly pondering where he might directly find the recipe for the Wan Miao Pill. As long as the raw materials were of plant or wood origin, he could entirely craft countless batches of this kind of elixir himself. If this Wanmiao Elixir truly possessed such remarkable properties, combined with the several true spirit-bloods circulating within his body, he had a strong chance of reaching the Consolidated Stage. Han Li silently pondered this in his mind... Thus, the consumption of spiritual stones for the tiered teleportation array was finally no longer a concern. All he needed to do was visit the Guanghan Realm, collect the refining materials for the Shiji Clan, and assist Cai Liu Ying and Duan Tian Ren in retrieving items from the sealed structures—then he could directly teleport back to Fengyuan Great 6. Moreover, the Guanghan Realm itself offered an excellent opportunity for a breakthrough in cultivation. Before entering, he would first refine his cultivation to the peak of the Lianxu Initial Stage, allowing him to easily advance into the Lianxu Mid-stage through the realm’s abundant spiritual energy. While mentally reviewing his future plans, Han Li carefully reconsidered his entire strategy and felt confident that everything was sound. With a deep breath, he flashed a hand gesture, and the bag of spiritual stones instantly vanished. His gaze then settled on the small, milky-white vial. Naturally, this contained the high-grade Lvy Tian Huo Liquid from the previous encounter. Although this fire essence was considerably more affordable compared to the top-tier items on the auction block, Han Li remained deeply attentive and never slackened his efforts, as it was directly tied to Qingyuan's promised Yinhe Divine Milk. Though Xiao Bu Yi referred to this liquid as a substandard batch, he consistently emphasized that its original potency remained, merely diminished. Han Li, of course, would not simply accept these claims at face value. He naturally wanted to personally verify the liquid himself, to determine exactly how it differed from the renowned Lirui Heavenly Fire Essence, before making any final decision. Otherwise, he risked ending up with a mere useless batch from Linxi, which would leave him in a difficult position. Now, gazing at the jade bottle in his hands, he paused thoughtfully before suddenly opening his mouth, expelling a swirling silver flame. The flame circled around Han Li several times before suddenly emitting a clear, resonant chime, transforming into a silver fire bird. Without further hesitation, Han Li then tossed the jade bottle into the air and pointed with a single hand at it. A soft "crack" echoed as the runes on the bottle cap flashed and then soared upward. At the same moment, a brilliant red glow burst from the bottle's mouth, shooting out a column of crimson light. Within this column, a glob of red liquid drifted slowly from the bottle. Instantly, the entire chamber was bathed in radiant red light, and a surge of hot air rushed toward Han Li, as if he had suddenly been plunged into the heart of a blazing furnace. Yet, upon seeing the red liquid, the spirit-devouring phoenix beside him became unusually excited. It gave a clear, joyful cry, spread its wings, and took off without waiting for Han Li's command. (This chapter fills in the one missing yesterday. Due to an evening visit to my parents, today's two chapters will be completed late at night. Everyone can view them tomorrow during the day!)