The Black Dragon Fortress hummed with barely contained energy as Su Chen's team reconvened in the central operations chamber. Saya had transformed the space into something resembling a high-tech war room, with holographic displays showing real-time data feeds from across the Perfect World's Lower Realm. Satellite imagery—transmitted through miniaturized relay stations Su Chen had seeded across the region during their travels—painted a comprehensive picture of the political landscape.
Saeko stood near the observation window, her form occasionally flickering as her newly mastered transformation principles interacted with the Supreme Sword Bone. She hadn't fully stabilized since completing her trial, and Su Chen could see her experimenting with partial transformations—her right hand shifting between flesh, blade-edge, and pure sword intent rendered physical. The control was still imperfect, but improving rapidly.
Esdeath lounged in a command chair that she had claimed as her personal throne, frost forming intricate patterns on its armrests. Her trial through the Path of Duality had refined her Mahapadma to terrifying new heights. She could now freeze not just time, but the conceptual flow of causality itself, creating pockets where effects could precede their causes or where actions and consequences became divorced from each other entirely.
Lin Xiya approached Su Chen cautiously, her psychic senses having detected the fundamental changes in his existence the moment he had returned. Her eyes widened as she fully processed what she was perceiving.
"Lord Su Chen," she said quietly, "you're... different. Your spiritual signature keeps shifting. It's like trying to track smoke—every time I think I've locked onto your presence, it transforms into something else."
Su Chen smiled slightly, allowing his form to stabilize into something approximating his original appearance. "An unavoidable consequence of the inheritance. The Kun Peng's legacy comes with a price—we can no longer exist as static beings. But the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience."
He turned his attention to the holographic displays, his dual pupils processing information at rates that would have been impossible before his transformation. The ability to exist in multiple cognitive states simultaneously meant he could analyze dozens of data streams in parallel, each version of his consciousness focusing on different aspects before synthesizing their findings into unified understanding.
"Report," he commanded. "What happened in the outside world during our trial?"
Saya manipulated the holographic interface with practiced efficiency, her Mosaic Organ enhancements allowing her to interface directly with the ship's systems. "Approximately fourteen hours have passed subjectively for us, though the temporal dilation inside the nest means only three hours passed locally. During that time, several significant developments occurred."
She highlighted a region on the map, a vast territory marked with the symbol of a crimson dragon. "First, the Fire Country has declared martial law in their border provinces. Intelligence suggests they're mobilizing for a major military campaign, though the target remains unclear. Their stated reason is 'suppression of demonic beast incursions,' but troop movements suggest they're actually positioning for conflict with a human faction."
"The Stone Country," Bibi Dong interjected, her hybrid form allowing her to process political intelligence with enhanced clarity. Her twin spirits had always granted her exceptional insight into power dynamics, and now that capability had multiplied. "The Fire Country's crown prince was humiliated by Shi Yi during a diplomatic gathering six months ago. The royal court has been seeking justification for retaliation ever since."
Su Chen filed that information away. The conflicts between the Lower Realm's major powers were largely irrelevant to his objectives, but they could create opportunities if managed correctly. Chaos always opened doors for those prepared to exploit it.
Saya continued, pulling up another display. "Second, and more relevant to our interests—Stone Village has received a summons from the Virtual God Realm. Apparently, Shi Hao's recent performance in the VR battles attracted significant attention from major powers. Multiple ancient clans are attempting to recruit him."
That caught Su Chen's full attention. The Virtual God Realm was the Perfect World's equivalent of a massive multiplayer training ground, a space where cultivators could battle without risk of true death while testing their techniques against opponents from across the realm. It was also a primary recruitment tool for major sects and ancient families seeking talented disciples.
If Shi Hao was attracting that level of interest, it confirmed Su Chen's assessment of the child's potential. The boy was indeed a Natural Born Supreme, someone whose talent transcended normal limitations. Such individuals were worth monitoring—not as threats, but as investments. Su Chen had already established a positive relationship with Stone Village by providing resources and protection. Maintaining that connection could yield significant returns as Shi Hao matured into his full power.
"Third," Saya continued, her expression becoming more animated, "and this is the most immediately interesting development—the Harvest Moon Auction is being held in five days at the Ancient Sacred City. The auction houses are advertising several items that match our acquisition parameters."
She expanded the display, showing a list of auction lots that made even Su Chen's transformed eyes narrow with interest. The Harvest Moon Auction was legendary throughout the Lower Realm, held only once every decade when the confluence of celestial energies made it possible to safely transport and display treasures that would normally be too dangerous to gather in one location.
The items listed included:
**Lot 47: Fragment of the World Tree (Origin Unknown)**
A piece of bark from an entity identified as a World Tree, though not native to this realm. Analysis suggests dimensional properties and potential for spatial expansion applications.
**Lot 83: Nine Heavens Thunder Bamboo (Three Stalks)**
Legendary material capable of conducting and amplifying lightning-attributed attacks to catastrophic levels. Primary ingredient in crafting Heaven-Defying weapons.
**Lot 104: Ancient Sect's Complete Cultivation Manual (Pre-Cataclysm Era)**
A comprehensive technique scroll predating the ancient wars that shattered the Upper Realm. Covers cultivation from Foundation Establishment through Quasi-Divine Realm.
**Lot 126: Spatial Ring of Unknown Origin**
Artifact recovered from ruins that predate known history. Contains storage capacity estimated at 10,000 cubic kilometers and appears to contain items, but cannot be opened by conventional means. Sold as-is with no guarantees.
**Lot 158: Divine Source Crystal (Sealed)**
A crystal containing vast quantities of pure divine energy, sealed by an unknown method. Provenance suggests it originated from beyond this realm entirely.
Su Chen's mind immediately began calculating possibilities. The World Tree fragment could be copied and integrated into the Black Dragon Fortress, potentially expanding the internal pocket dimensions. The Thunder Bamboo would provide material for upgrading weapons systems. The cultivation manual might contain insights he could synthesize with his existing techniques. The sealed spatial ring was an obvious target—if it couldn't be opened conventionally, the Origin Mirror should have no such limitations. And the Divine Source Crystal...
"That one," Su Chen said, pointing to the crystal. "That's the primary target. Divine energy from beyond this realm suggests it originated from either the Upper Realm or possibly even the Immortal Realm. The energy concentration would be orders of magnitude beyond what's available in the Lower Realm."
Bibi Dong studied the auction listing with her newly enhanced perception. "The starting bid is listed as five million Origin Stones or equivalent value. That's an astronomical sum even for ancient clans. Most powers won't be able to compete."
"We're not most powers," Su Chen replied calmly. "Saya, what's our current liquid resource situation?"
The pink-haired genius pulled up financial inventories, displaying their accumulated wealth in various forms. "We have approximately two million Origin Stones in raw currency, another eight million in easily liquidated treasures and materials, and effectively unlimited resources if we're willing to leverage the items in your storage that you can infinitely duplicate."
Su Chen nodded. The infinite duplication glitch remained his most absurd advantage. A single valuable item became infinite wealth once copied. The trick was avoiding market saturation—flooding the economy with too many identical artifacts would crash their value and attract unwanted attention to his capabilities.
"Prepare a selection of mid-tier treasures for auction," he instructed. "Nothing too distinctive, but valuable enough to establish our credibility as serious buyers. We'll need to participate in earlier lots to avoid suspicion when we bid aggressively on the primary targets."
Esdeath leaned forward, her ice-blue eyes gleaming with interest. "Will there be competition? Powerful bidders who might take offense at being outbid?"
"Almost certainly," Su Chen confirmed. "The Harvest Moon Auction attracts representatives from every major power in the Lower Realm. Ancient clans, demonic beast tribes, rogue cultivator alliances—anyone with sufficient resources and interest will attend. Which means the auction will also provide excellent intelligence gathering opportunities."
He turned to address the full team, his voice taking on the tone of command. "Saeko, Esdeath, Bibi Dong, and Xiao Yi Xian will accompany me to the auction. The rest of you will maintain the fortress in high orbit and monitor for potential threats. Lin Que, I want you personally overseeing defensive systems. If anyone attempts to track us back to the ship, neutralize them before they can report."
The former military officer, who had been standing attentively near the tactical displays, saluted sharply. "Understood. Rules of engagement?"
"Escalate as necessary," Su Chen replied. "Start with warning shots and electronic warfare. If they persist, disable their vessels. If they prove hostile, eliminate them. I don't want complications because someone decided to follow us home."
Lin Que's expression showed grim satisfaction. She had been a professional soldier before the Cataclysm, and had adapted to the post-convergence world by treating every operation with military precision. Having clear authorization to use lethal force pleased her considerably more than the ambiguous situations that often arose during their dimensional raids.
Albedo, who had been silent until now, stirred from her position near the armory section. The succubus had fully adapted to her role as the fortress's logistics manager and commander of the Skeleton Army. "Will you require additional security forces? I can prepare a detachment of elite skeletons disguised as human mercenaries to serve as your honor guard."
Su Chen considered the offer, then shook his head. "No. Five of us will be sufficient, and a large entourage would draw unwanted attention. We're attending as mysterious wealthy cultivators, not as an invading military force. Subtlety serves our purposes better than displays of strength."
He paused, then added, "However, have the Void Stalker reconnaissance units deployed in stealth mode around the Ancient Sacred City. I want complete awareness of who's attending the auction and what their force composition looks like. If complications arise, I want options available."
Albedo bowed, her golden eyes gleaming with approval at the strategic thinking. She had served Nazarick's Supreme Beings for so long that she instinctively recognized and appreciated properly paranoid operational planning.
Over the next three days, the Black Dragon Fortress remained in high orbit while preparations proceeded. Su Chen spent much of that time in the Gravity Chamber, using the 500x Perfect World gravity combined with additional formations to push his newly transformed body to its limits. The Eternal Transformation technique had granted him the ability to exist in flux, but mastering that capability required constant practice.
He discovered that he could now modulate his physical properties in real-time during combat. Facing a physical attack? Transform the impact area into spatial distortion that redirected force harmlessly. Confronting energy-based techniques? Shift to an energy-absorbent crystalline structure that converted attacks into stored power. The possibilities were limited only by his understanding and reaction time.
The training also revealed limitations. Maintaining multiple simultaneous transformations was mentally exhausting, even with his Sovereign-level consciousness. He could sustain perhaps five or six distinct transformed states at once before coherence began to degrade. Additionally, certain transformations were incompatible—he couldn't be both completely solid and completely gaseous in the same location, for example. The laws of reality imposed some constraints even on the Kun Peng's technique.
Bibi Dong spent her time in the Bio-Laboratory, working with Xiao Yi Xian to explore the applications of their transformed natures. The Spider Empress discovered that her hybrid form granted her dominion over a new category of spiritual energy—something that existed between life and death, neither holy nor demonic, but rather transcending both categories. She could now create spirit constructs that possessed properties of both her martial spirits simultaneously, vastly increasing her summoning capabilities.
Xiao Yi Xian's experiments were more disturbing. As a being of pure toxicity, she found that she could now create poisons that existed in conceptual rather than purely physical forms. Toxins that damaged not flesh but rather cultivation foundations. Venoms that corroded spiritual energy itself. Acids that dissolved not matter but the connections between cause and effect. She was becoming something that would give even Su Chen pause if she ever turned hostile—fortunately, her loyalty remained absolute.
Saeko and Esdeath trained together in the combat simulation chambers, testing their respective inheritances against each other. The results were spectacular and terrifying. Saeko's Supreme Sword Bone combined with transformation principles allowed her to become a living weapon—her entire body could shift into blade-form, creating a combatant who could attack from any angle with cutting force capable of severing space itself.
Esdeath's refined Mahapadma had reached truly absurd levels. She demonstrated this by freezing Saeko in time, then spending several subjective minutes carving intricate ice sculptures around the frozen warrior before releasing the effect. From Saeko's perspective, she had simply blinked and found herself surrounded by frozen artwork that shouldn't have been possible to create in the instant between moments.
On the morning of the fifth day, the Black Dragon Fortress descended from high orbit to a position approximately one hundred kilometers from the Ancient Sacred City. The city itself was visible even from that distance—a massive sprawl of construction that combined architectural styles from dozens of different eras and cultures, reflecting its status as one of the Lower Realm's most ancient and cosmopolitan settlements.
Su Chen's team gathered in the deployment bay, now dressed in appropriate attire for wealthy auction attendees. Gone were the combat-practical outfits they normally favored, replaced by formal robes that nevertheless incorporated subtle defensive enchantments and concealed weapons. Su Chen himself wore robes of deep midnight blue that seemed to absorb light, with patterns embroidered in silver thread that resembled constellations. The Origin Mirror remained hidden within his consciousness, while more conventional spatial rings adorned his fingers as props.
Saeko had chosen a elegant kimono-style robe in black and crimson, her blade disguised as a decorative accessory that no one would realize could be drawn in less than a heartbeat. Esdeath wore white and ice-blue, her appearance striking enough to draw attention but not so ostentatious as to suggest someone trying too hard. Bibi Dong had selected robes of purple and green that complemented her hybrid nature, while Xiao Yi Xian wore flowing silver garments that made her appear almost ghostly.
"Remember," Su Chen instructed as they prepared to depart, "we're attending as the representatives of a mysterious reclusive power. Wealthy, knowledgeable, but not looking for conflict. Answer questions vaguely if approached. Be polite but maintain distance. Our goal is to acquire the target items and gather intelligence, not to make allies or enemies."
"And if someone proves troublesome?" Esdeath asked, her tone suggesting she hoped for an affirmative answer.
"Depends on the context," Su Chen replied. "If they're merely annoying, ignore them. If they become genuinely problematic, we remove them quietly after the auction concludes. I will not have our objectives compromised by unnecessary violence attracting regulatory attention."
He opened a spatial portal, and the five of them stepped through, emerging in a discrete alley several blocks from the auction house. The Ancient Sacred City assaulted their senses immediately—the streets were packed with cultivators of every description, from independent rogues in patched robes to young masters and mistresses from major clans who traveled with entourages of servants and guards.
The ambient spiritual energy was dense enough to be visible as a faint haze in the air, a consequence of so many powerful beings gathering in one location. Su Chen's dual pupils automatically analyzed the crowd, identifying cultivation levels and potential threats. Most attendees ranged from Cave Heaven to Engravement Realm, with occasional flashes of more powerful auras suggesting that Formation Arrangement or even Spirit Transformation level experts were present.
They made their way through the crowded streets toward the auction house, a massive structure that dominated the city's central district. The building was a masterwork of formation arrays and spatial manipulation—far larger on the inside than its external dimensions suggested, capable of comfortably accommodating thousands of attendees across multiple auction floors.
At the entrance, attendants in formal robes checked credentials and distributed entry tokens. Su Chen presented one of the invitation letters he had acquired through Saya's information network, identifying himself as a representative of the "Stellar Void Pavilion," a fictional organization he had invented for this purpose. The attendant examined the letter briefly, found it in order, and provided them with tokens that would grant access to the mid-tier viewing boxes.
"The auction begins in one hour," the attendant informed them. "Your viewing box is located on the third floor, eastern section. Refreshments and information packets are provided. Please note that all disputes are to be resolved outside the auction house—fighting within these walls will result in immediate expulsion and blacklisting from future events."
Su Chen nodded his understanding and led his team inside. The interior of the auction house was even more impressive than the exterior suggested—a vast open space with a central stage visible from hundreds of tiered viewing boxes that ringed the chamber in ascending levels. The ceiling was enchanted to display the current phase of the moon, which was indeed approaching full—hence the auction's name.
Their viewing box proved to be comfortable and well-appointed, with cushioned seating, a table laid out with spirit fruits and refined beverages, and a communication formation that would allow them to place bids without shouting across the chamber. Privacy formations ensured that conversations within the box would not be overheard from outside.
"Impressive setup," Bibi Dong observed, her political experience making her appreciate the organizational complexity required to manage an event of this scale. "The formations alone represent an investment of millions of Origin Stones. Whoever operates this auction house commands significant resources."
"The Sacred City Merchant Alliance," Su Chen replied, having researched the organization previously. "They're one of the few truly neutral powers in the Lower Realm—they profit by facilitating trade rather than pursuing territorial ambitions. Attacking them would unite every other major faction against the aggressor, since they all depend on the Alliance's services."
He settled into a seat and activated the communication formation to review the complete auction catalogue. The list contained over two hundred lots, ranging from relatively common spirit herbs and weapon materials to the truly exceptional items he had identified earlier. The auction would proceed from least to most valuable, building anticipation and allowing early lots to establish price baselines.
As the viewing boxes filled with attendees, Su Chen observed the other participants with interest. In a box directly across from theirs, he spotted several individuals wearing the crimson and gold robes of the Fire Country royal family. In another section, a group of cultivators with bestial characteristics—likely representatives of a demon beast tribe—settled in with obvious discomfort at being surrounded by so many humans.
Most intriguing was a box on the highest tier, reserved for the most prestigious attendees. Its privacy formations were so powerful that even Su Chen's dual pupils struggled to penetrate them, revealing only vague silhouettes of the occupants. However, he caught brief glimpses of an aura that resonated with principles similar to his own transformed nature—someone else who existed in perpetual flux rather than static form.
"That box," he murmured to Bibi Dong. "Do you recognize the insignia?"
She studied it carefully, her enhanced perception processing the subtle details. "The symbol is ancient—pre-Cataclysm era. If I'm not mistaken, that's the mark of the Celestial Palace, one of the Upper Realm's declining powers. They rarely involve themselves in Lower Realm affairs anymore."
Su Chen filed that information away. If the Upper Realm was taking interest in this auction, it suggested the items available were more significant than even the catalogue indicated. He would need to be cautious—offending an Upper Realm power could complicate his operations considerably.
The viewing boxes continued to fill. Su Chen noted representatives from most of the major Lower Realm factions—the Stone Country's imperial family, the Western Paradise's Buddhist cultivators, the Martial Imperial Manor's weapon specialists, and dozens of smaller but still significant powers. The total wealth represented in this chamber was staggering, and all of it would soon be competing for the same prizes he desired.
As the hour passed and the auction's start time approached, a formation activated on the central stage, and a figure materialized there through spatial transportation. It was an elderly man with a long white beard, dressed in robes that combined merchant practicality with ceremonial grandeur. His cultivation base radiated the solid pressure of someone at the peak of the Spirit Transformation Realm—powerful enough to command respect, but not so overwhelming as to intimidate the attendees.
"Honored guests," the auctioneer's voice boomed through the chamber, amplified by formations, "welcome to the 847th Harvest Moon Auction. I am Elder Zhen, and I will have the privilege of conducting today's proceedings. The rules are simple—bids must be made in increments of at least ten thousand Origin Stones or equivalent value. All transactions are final. Disputes will be resolved after the auction concludes through properly mediated channels."
He paused, allowing his gaze to sweep across the assembled crowd. "And now, without further delay, let us begin. Lot number one—a Thousand Year Ice Lotus, suitable for cultivators pursuing ice-attributed techniques. Starting bid: fifty thousand Origin Stones."
The auction had begun, and with it, Su Chen's next acquisition would commence. He settled back in his seat, his transformed senses monitoring everything simultaneously—the bidding patterns, the emotional reactions of other participants, the subtle shifts in spiritual pressure that revealed who was truly interested versus who was merely testing the waters.
The game was afoot, and Su Chen intended to win.