Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Never Changes
Arc: The Great Guerrilla War
Lin Yuan and Gu Yue sat on the second floor of a tavern across from the auction house. Fortunately, they had found an empty table, as all the others were occupied because the auction would begin in only a few hours.
The tavern was simple. Both floors contained chairs and tables. At the front, near the entrance, stood a counter selling juices, while the kitchen was located behind the area where juice and wine were served. The second floor followed the same design.
Gu Yue and Lin Yuan sat beside the window, drinking qi juice.
While Lin Yuan watched the people walking outside, Gu Yue closed his eyes and connected his vision to that of the shadow inside the auction hall.
Through the shadow, he saw the elder speaking with the auctioneer.
"Haaah… That boy defeated me in the negotiation, but we cannot afford to lose a product like this. Divide the honey into separate containers, each holding half a kilogram. The starting price for each container will be one hundred green primal stones."
"We will sell the honey in batches, with fifteen containers in each batch. Keep the final four containers for future auctions, and use one container for the demonstration so the audience will believe in its effects. Each container will start at one hundred primal stones, making the entire batch worth one thousand five hundred green primal stones."
Scarlet King rested one hand against his cheek as he drank some juice and thought,
(As expected. They will divide the honey into containers and assign each one its own price.)
The elder continued while drinking his tea.
"Also, prepare the room for our most important guests. The Sect Mistress herself will be coming with the sect's only male disciple, Fang Chen, along with several leaders of the major sects and first-rank sects."
Gu Yue opened his eyes, smiled, and thought,
(Hah… It seems my younger brother has returned to life, and he is now the most important disciple of the Thousand Flowers Sect. Should I wear my military uniform and appear as Scarlet King, or should I remain in my human form and surprise him?)
(It also seems that extremely valuable items will be sold at this auction, considering that the leaders of all four major sects and several first-rank sects are attending.)
He remained silent for a while before continuing his thoughts.
(Little brother, prepare yourself. We are about to meet again, and we shall see whether you are still prey fit to be eaten.)
[Several Hours Later…]
Gu Yue suddenly stood and said to Lin Yuan,
"Come on, get up. The auction is about to begin."
The two quickly moved toward the entrance of the auction hall, which was extremely crowded. However, Gu Yue grabbed Lin Yuan and used Vaporization to transport them directly to the first-tier balcony.
The balconies were divided across four floors, with five balconies on each floor. The first tier held the lowest status among them, but it still stood above the area reserved for the general public.
Their balcony was simple, though it was decorated with several paintings.
The two beautiful attendants standing on either side of the entrance were startled by Gu Yue and Lin Yuan's sudden appearance. However, they had already been informed of their assigned seats, so they immediately approached and respectfully guided them toward the two chairs.
"Honored sirs, please sit and rest."
The two sat down. Between them stood a table covered with fruit.
Lin Yuan picked up a fruit and began eating while his personal attendant massaged his shoulders.
"You seem extremely tense, sir. Your shoulders are as hard as stone."
Lin Yuan sighed comfortably as his body began to relax.
"Oh… That feels good."
Gu Yue's attendant stood silently beside him, waiting for any command. However, Gu Yue's full attention was focused on his younger brother and the auction that was about to begin.
Fang Chen and Qing Mang, the Mistress of the Thousand Flowers Sect, sat in the central balcony on the fourth floor.
Tian Lang, the leader of the Moon Sect; Da Fu and Liu Zai Hang, the leader and elder of the Food Sect; and He Xuan, the leader of the Heaven-Grasping Sect, all sat in their private balconies.
Gu Yue observed them and thought,
(Why have all these great powers gathered here? It seems something priceless by the standards of the First Dimension will be sold at this auction.)
Below them, nearly three thousand people crowded into the public area, standing shoulder to shoulder because of the valuable items that would be sold.
This was the Twenty-Two-Year Auction, held only once every twenty-two years, during which the finest and rarest items were put up for sale.
The beautiful auctioneer appeared and began speaking.
"Welcome, honored guests! Today is the Great Periodic Auction, which takes place once every twenty-two years. Rare and valuable treasures will be sold here, so prepare your money if you wish to obtain them!"
Gu Yue thought,
(So we did not arrive during the ordinary semiannual auction. We happened to come during the Great Periodic Auction, which is held only once every twenty-two years.)
The first item was brought onto the stage.
It was an ancient sword radiating powerful energy. Its blade was white with golden edges, while its red handle was wrapped in black cloth.
"This is the Sword of Wills, a weapon containing the accumulated wills of several great sword masters. Once you refine it, it will become stronger than any ordinary sword. Alternatively, if you refine the sword wills within it, your own sword will grow tremendously stronger, allowing you to enhance your sword attacks."
"The bidding begins at four hundred green primal stones, with each increase being no less than fifty primal stones."
The bids immediately began rising at a frantic pace.
"Five hundred primal stones!"
"Seven hundred primal stones!"
"One thousand three hundred primal stones!"
The bidding continued until the weapon was sold to the leader of a first-rank sect seated in the third balcony of the second floor for three thousand seven hundred and fifty primal stones.
The next item was the Purple Blood Crystal, a crystal decorated with a blood-red color that leaned toward violet.
"This is the Purple Blood Crystal. It assists Path Initiation experts in refining the Blood Path. The starting price is five hundred green primal stones."
Gu Yue raised his hand.
"Four thousand primal stones."
Everyone immediately fell silent.
The price was extremely high for such a crystal, so no one attempted to bid against him, especially since cultivators of the Blood Path were exceedingly rare.
The crystal was sold to Gu Yue.
Lin Yuan asked,
"Why offer such a high price? You know we currently possess only eight thousand primal stones."
Gu Yue replied with a faint smile,
"I can use it to develop my Blood Absorption ability. It will be extremely useful against Long Wei in the future."
"Besides, do not worry. Once the honey is sold, we will recover the money we have spent."
In truth, the two attendants heard nothing because Gu Yue had formed a barrier around his and Lin Yuan's heads. Only the two of them could hear one another, while no one outside could hear a single word.
Items continued to be displayed one after another—a sword, a spear, and cultivation resources—until they reached the third item, the pink honey.
It was placed on a movable table holding fifteen containers.
The auctioneer picked up one of the containers and gestured toward it.
"This is pink honey, a magical substance capable of healing any injury."
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, and whispers began spreading throughout the hall.
A man with only one leg entered the stage, and the auctioneer approached him.
"We will demonstrate the honey's effects on him."
She picked up a container, opened it, and spread the honey across the place where the man's leg had been severed.
Within seconds, a new leg grew.
The man was overwhelmed with joy, but he said nothing. He merely stood there in disbelief, staring at his restored leg.
The auctioneer continued,
"The starting price for each container is one hundred primal stones, while the entire batch begins at one thousand five hundred green primal stones!"
Shouts and bids immediately erupted.
"Five hundred!"
"Eight hundred!"
"One thousand two hundred!"
Suddenly, a powerful young voice interrupted them.
"Six thousand primal stones!"
It was Fang Chen.
"I will purchase this honey for Senior Sister Su You Xin of our sect, as well as for the Sect Mistress. Therefore, I hope the esteemed seniors will withdraw from this auction."
Fang Chen stood and approached the glass overlooking the hall.
Silence filled the auction house, but then a voice suddenly called out,
"Seven thousand."
Fang Chen was shocked.
Everyone looked toward the owner of the voice.
It was Gu Yue, who stared ahead coldly as he spoke.
"What? I have the right to bid on something I want. Why is everyone looking at me?"
Fang Chen stared at him with nervousness and terror as he thought,
(M-My elder brother?!)
Gu Yue looked directly at Fang Chen with an extremely wide and obvious smile.
"Does Lord Fang Chen have any objections?"
Fang Chen gathered himself and shouted,
"Eight thousand!"
Gu Yue replied in a quiet voice,
"Nine thousand."
The competition continued until Fang Chen offered eleven thousand primal stones.
Gu Yue then remained silent for a while before saying,
"Very well. I admit defeat."
Everyone fell silent.
Fang Chen smiled and returned to his seat, while Qing Mang spoke.
"What a courageous man you are, Fang Chen. You spent one-third of your wealth to heal Disciple Su You Xin."
Fang Chen spoke while sweating, his cheeks flushed red.
"Senior Sister Su You Xin always deserves the best."
Fang Chen began recalling certain memories.
When he first entered the sect, he had been reborn near it. The Mistress of the Thousand Flowers Sect found him injured and brought him back with her.
The moment he entered, all the girls looked at him with surprise and curiosity. Some were annoyed or even disgusted by the presence of a man within their sect.
However, the first person to treat him kindly was Su You Xin.
Like the Sect Mistress, she was blind, and almost her entire body was paralyzed. Her hair was black, her skin extremely pale, and her incredibly thick, long hair covered her eyes before flowing softly across her shoulders and down her back.
She wore a white sect robe.
At that moment, butterflies fluttered within Fang Chen's heart.
Back in the present, numerous items were sold over the course of an hour—swords, spears, cultivation resources, strange objects, spiritual beasts, and powerful slaves.
The pink honey was offered for sale again, infuriating Fang Chen so much that he broke his chair.
"That bastard!"
Gu Yue had deceived Fang Chen, making him believe there was only a single batch of pink honey when there were actually several.
The Sect Mistress attempted to comfort him.
"Come now, Fang Chen. Do not be angry. You are still young and inexperienced when it comes to such schemes. Do not worry. I will compensate you when we return to the sect."
They eventually reached the eleventh item, which appeared to be nothing at all.
Lin Yuan stared at it in confusion.
"Nothing?"
Gu Yue answered,
"Idiot. That is the Ghostly Lord's Cloak."
The auctioneer spoke enthusiastically while appearing to hold nothing in her hands.
"This is the Ghostly Lord's Cloak. When worn, it makes you disappear, preventing anyone from seeing or sensing you. The bidding begins at one thousand primal stones."
She put it on and immediately vanished from sight.
Lin Yuan was deeply shocked.
"Damn! That would be extremely useful for watching girls while they are naked!"
Gu Yue gave Lin Yuan a sideways glance that clearly said, Do you ever think about anything besides women?
Gu Yue cleared his throat and said,
"Ahem. Please do not be an idiot. This cloak can easily be detected by Path Initiation cultivators. However, it can be upgraded so that even those at the Path Initiation Realm or above cannot sense you, as long as you obtain the appropriate materials."
He spiritually contacted Liu Zai Hang.
(Buy it for me. I will repay you later.)
Liu Zai Hang remained silent before raising his hand.
"Three thousand primal stones."
Sect Leader He Xuan then raised his hand.
"Four thousand primal stones."
Liu Zai Hang looked toward He Xuan with faint irritation.
"It seems Sect Leader He Xuan greatly enjoys competition."
He Xuan replied,
"So what? Do you lack a competitive spirit, Elder Liu?"
The two began releasing their auras slightly.
The auctioneer laughed softly.
"Fufu… It seems the two esteemed gentlemen enjoy competing. Unfortunately, this is a respectable auction house, so I ask that you conceal your auras."
Meanwhile, Gu Yue drank dried bamboo juice, paying no attention to the contest of pride unfolding before him.
After half an hour of bidding, Liu Zai Hang won the cloak for nineteen thousand primal stones.
Items continued to sell rapidly, one after another, and the pink honey was auctioned several more times.
Eventually, they reached the nineteenth product, which was also sold.
The auctioneer then announced,
"Honored guests, we have now reached the final three items of the auction—the rarest and finest treasures of the day."
The first item displayed was the Wings of the Mighty Eagle King.
"These wings increase the wearer's base speed fivefold! The bidding begins at two thousand primal stones!"
It was a high-grade Path Initiation treasure, making it exceedingly rare.
The bids immediately began rising.
Lin Yuan asked,
"Why are we not participating?"
Gu Yue answered,
"We cannot compete."
The price rose from two thousand to five thousand, then ten thousand, seventeen thousand seven hundred, and finally twenty-two thousand.
The bidding ended when Long Wei of the Dragon Gang purchased the wings.
The twenty-first treasure was then brought out.
It was a strange wooden resource.
The auctioneer explained,
"This is a mysterious wooden resource we discovered. Its energy is strange, yet unbelievably powerful. It most likely came from a higher dimension. The bidding begins at ten thousand primal stones!"
Gu Yue stared at it in utter disbelief, as though unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
"Blooming Flower Wood? Is that not a second-rank Heaven-Opening resource?"
Lin Yuan asked,
"Why? Is it rare?"
Gu Yue replied,
"It is not rare in the higher dimensions, but it should be impossible for it to appear within the Mortal Dimensions. Let me explain."
"There are eighteen different systems in this world. They are the Human System, the Beast System, the Demonic System, the Chaos System, and the Ink System. These are the primary systems."
"Then there are the Heaven-Opening System, the Primordial Saints System, the Evolution System, the Beast Transformation Masters System, the Tyrants System, and the Venerables System. These are subsidiary systems belonging to the two dimensional systems: the Human System and the Demonic System."
"There are also the Formation System, the Chemistry-Alchemy System, the Furnaces, Flames, and Refinement Materials System, the Inscription System, and the Weapons and Treasures System. These are the general supporting systems."
"Finally, there are the Dao Insect System and the Concept Manifestation System. These are two independent systems belonging to the greater Cultivation System, which encompasses all the others."
"Every system possesses its own laws, structure, and composition. Put simply, they are cultivation systems that are mostly independent from one another, yet they are still all cultivation systems."
He slowly closed his eyes.
"This wooden resource belongs to the Heaven-Opening System, a system that cannot even be entered until one reaches the Tenth Dimension and the Emperor Realm."
"We are currently in the First Dimension, so how did a resource like this appear here?"
Lin Yuan told him,
"Why do you not ask the auction master after we collect our money?"
Gu Yue replied,
"I cannot."
He continued inwardly,
(If I ask about this item, he may think I know where it came from. That could expose me as the Devil of Rebirth, resulting in the entire dimension hunting me. Even the Second Dimension might interfere in the pursuit.)
The resource's name itself was absent from all knowledge recorded within the Mortal Dimensions. Only someone who had lived in the higher dimensions could recognize it.
It would make no sense for a child to know something that even people from dimensions above the child's own did not recognize.
The wooden resource was sold to Sect Leader He Xuan for seventy-two thousand primal stones.
The final treasure was then brought out.
It was a pair of red daggers.
"We named these the Chaos Rage Daggers because of their unstable and furious energy. We also know that they came from a higher dimension. The starting price is twenty thousand primal stones."
Within seconds, the price rose to forty thousand primal stones, then seventy thousand, then one hundred thousand.
The bidding finally ended at two hundred twenty thousand primal stones.
Tian Lang, the leader of the Moon Sect and the strongest person in the entire First Dimension, won the daggers.
Gu Yue laughed softly.
(Even if he possesses the weapons, he will not be able to use their full power because his refinement level is beneath theirs. My weapons, the Imperial Scales Daggers, are tens of thousands of times stronger than these two daggers at their full strength. However, because my own refinement level is too low, I cannot use their full power either.)
The auction came to an end, and everyone began leaving.