Free Web NovelChapter 528: Chapter 33: Shadowless Sect Leader (Part 2)
Back then, after Wu Weixiong captured Sima Yu, he took Li Ji’an away from the prying eyes and then gave him the Dark Light Umbrella.
At this moment, Li Ji’an was worried not only because the Dark Light Umbrella was in his possession, but also because Master Chunyuan inexplicably wanted to redeem it, sparking suspicion.
Generally, a Seventh Grade Magical Treasure corresponds to a True Pill Early Stage True Man. It’s understandable that some True Pill Middle Stage True Men, who are not well-off, would value it. However, a Late-stage Core Formation Ascendant would certainly not care about a Seventh Grade Magical Treasure.
As for his claim about it being an ancestral item, Li Ji’an didn’t believe a word.
If it were truly as he claimed, he definitely wouldn’t have let a Foundation Establishment Clan Descendant carry it on their journey.
If he wanted to give a protective Magical Treasure to his clan descendant, the Ten Thousand Laws Palace surely wouldn’t be lacking. It would be impossible for them to choose something with mere commemorative value as an ancestral item.
"The Dark Light Umbrella holds secrets!"
During the invasion of the Yellow Heaven Domain and the Boundless Domain, Master Chunyuan, being the Grand Elder of the Ten Thousand Laws Palace, the apparent foremost person, must have been unable to escape the Celestial Cyan Domain due to certain restrictions.
Moreover, he didn’t carry it with him but instead let a younger generation from his clan take it away.
Could it be that he was worried about being targeted by the Yellow Heaven Domain and the Boundless Domain?
Could it be that the Two Domains have some means of sensing the Dark Light Umbrella, or is there a hidden technique within it?
Li Ji’an’s mind instantly caught on to the key points.
However, whenever he acquires an item, he lets the Little Fire Spirit inspect it first, to burn away any Divine Soul Mark or Magical Power technique.
With the power and characteristics of the Little Fire Spirit, he was confident that any technique below Nascent Soul True Monarch wouldn’t escape the wrath of its Spirit Flame.
"Could there be hidden compartments or engravings?"
This speculation crossed his mind, but now wasn’t the time to covet the secrets of the Dark Light Umbrella.
Without any hesitation, Li Ji’an got up and quietly withdrew.
Currently, Gugu was still in seclusion in the underground palace beneath the Dao Field. Should a dire situation arise, he had a Great Shifting Talisman obtained from slaying Tong Liang, which could allow instant escape from a Core Formation Ascendant’s lock, but Gugu would have to be left behind.
Therefore, he needed to return to the Dao Field to bring Gugu with him.
"Fellow Daoist Huang, don’t worry, Han will ensure your safety." Just as he was about to move, the voice of the Shadowless Sect Leader echoed in his Sea of Consciousness.
Thud~
Li Ji’an was greatly shocked.
Apparently, Wu Weixiong had already reported his situation to the Shadowless Sect Leader, and at least the other party knew that the Dark Light Umbrella was in his possession.
However, on reflection, it made sense.
The Shadowless Sect Leader had been of great assistance to Wu Weixiong, and the Dark Light Umbrella had been seen by the members of the Shadowless Sect that day. Wu Weixiong would not deliberately hide this matter.
"Phew~" Understanding this, Li Ji’an felt somewhat relieved.
Given this, the Shadowless Sect Leader had long been aware of his presence.
If the leader indeed harbored ill intentions, there was no way it would have taken until today.
And by the tone of his transmitted message, there wasn’t any hostility.
Immediately, Li Ji’an sat back down.
"Oh? Does that Seventh Grade Magical Treasure truly hold such importance to you? This indeed piques my interest as the Sect Leader. Go on, what kind of Spiritual Talent are you offering for its redemption?" the Shadowless Sect Leader responded with a smile the next moment.
Upon hearing this, Master Chunyuan’s expression slightly changed, confirming that the Dark Light Umbrella was in the hands of the Shadowless Sect. He then casually spoke, "Hm, just a mere Seventh Grade Magical Treasure, three bottles of Dragon Essence Pill are enough."
Hearing this, the Shadowless Sect Leader smiled faintly: "For a Seventh Grade Magical Treasure, you’re willing to redeem it with three bottles of Dragon Essence Pill. It seems this Dark Light Umbrella’s importance to you exceeds just being an ancestral memento, doesn’t it?"
Master Chunyuan’s pupils contracted, indeed feeling a bit anxious. He had offered a price higher than the market value of a Seventh Grade Magical Treasure, believing that the ancestral memento added value, making it acceptable to be slightly high. However, the Shadowless Sect Leader seized this as a handle.
"Hahaha, old thief, do you take this Sect Leader for a three-year-old child? Back then, when I sent messages to negotiate the redemption of your clan descendant, you had no intention of redeeming, yet today you specifically want to redeem an ancestral item. Could it be that your clan descendant, a living person, is less important than a dead object? Unless you reveal the secrets of the Dark Light Umbrella, don’t even think about redeeming it!" Seeing the other tongue-tied, the Shadowless Sect Leader no longer played games and openly exposed his excuse.
"You..." Master Chunyuan’s face turned instantly sullen, full of embarrassment and anger from having his lie exposed.
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"Dark Light Umbrella? What does it look like? When I first met Brother Liu, the item he used to slay the earth-level assassin was a Dharma Umbrella that glowed with a dark light, and it also happened to be a Seventh Grade Magical Treasure!" In the Jinhua Commerce Association’s box, Wu Yehua’s heart stirred.
After Liu Qingyun left without saying goodbye, he felt quite furious and had been searching in vain for several months, recently recalling some peculiar aspects of Liu Qingyun.
He even secretly posted a bounty for Liu Qingyun’s whereabouts before the auction.
One of the points was that he carried a dark-glowing umbrella-type Magical Artifact.
Upon hearing about the entanglements between the two Ascendants, he immediately recalled Liu Qingyun.
Especially since that Dark Light Umbrella, he had only seen it used once and never again.
At the time, he thought Liu Qingyun simply wanted the Jinhua Commerce Association to provide him a Magical Treasure, and even kept that umbrella-shaped Magical Artifact to surprise others at the Flying Crane Dao Discussion, which was why he hadn’t informed his father.
Now, however, he immediately made a connection.
"Could Liu Qingyun be a member of the Shadowless Sect?"
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With Alliance Leader Tong present, the storm between Master Chunyuan and the Shadowless Sect Leader quickly subsided.
The Shadowless Sect Leader’s group was even invited to the fourth-floor VIP box, a gesture indicating ample respect.
Subsequently, the auction continued.
However, due to Master Chunyuan’s bid of 150,000 spirit stones, those initially tempted gave up competing with him.
After all, even if they weren’t intimidated by his Ascendant cultivation and the prestige of the Nine Tripods Commerce Association, they had to cautiously consider his identity as a Tier Three Advanced Pill King.
There’s no guarantee that they might not need his assistance in the future.
Yet, just as the Insect Catching Net Dao Artifact was about to belong to Master Chunyuan, Li Ji’an transmitted a message to the Shadowless Sect Leader, asking for his help in the bidding.
The Insect Catching Net might have been useless for him, but he couldn’t let Master Chunyuan have it.
Otherwise, it would pose a significant threat to him later.
"150,100!" The Shadowless Sect Leader, not wanting to disregard Li Ji’an’s request for face, swiftly joined the bidding.
Master Chunyuan, who was ready to collect the item with a smile, found his smile instantly frozen.
The humiliation from having his Spirit Flame devoured back then pierced his heart like a thorn.
Subsequent years of investigation confirmed that that person was definitely not Fu Xiaochen, as he later found Fu Xiaochen’s Soul Lamp and confirmed he had perished completely.
Moreover, after a brief encounter with that thief back then, he could confirm that the thief was at most an Early-stage True Core.
Yet, as a dignified late-stage Core Formation Ascendant, he had let that person escape from his grasp.
A great shame and humiliation!
Therefore, seeing the Insect Catching Net, he was determined to get it.
If he ever encountered that little thief again, he definitely wouldn’t let him escape!
But now, the Shadowless Sect Leader was once again interfering.
Clenching his teeth, Master Chunyuan made another bid.
In contrast, the Shadowless Sect Leader was bidding on behalf of Li Ji’an, not spending his own Spiritual Talent, making his bids seem more relaxed and casual, adding only a thousand each time Master Chunyuan bid.
Realizing the Shadowless Sect Leader’s intentional targeting, after a few aggressive bids, Master Chunyuan conceded, intending for the Shadowless Sect Leader to bleed a lot.
Yet, the Shadowless Sect Leader accepted the final bid effortlessly, unruffled and calm.
Li Ji’an secretly frowned, adding this incident to Master Chunyuan’s account as well.
The subsequent auction returned to normal.
The Third Grade Magical Treasure, promised by the emcee on the first day, finally appeared.
The Third Grade Magical Treasure corresponds to a Nascent Soul True Monarch and was acquired by the Nine Tripods Commerce Association through trade with the Central Ten Domains.
However, due to its high listing price and the absence of a True Monarch at the event, it became an eye candy for the attendees and eventually went unsold.
Until the final auction item made its appearance, reigniting the competitive atmosphere in the venue once more.
The final treasure was a Tier Three High-level Giant Beast Puppet!
Alliance Leader Tong personally invited a sturdy man onto the stage for a demonstration and explanation.
The man hailed from the westernmost barren and frigid region of the Great Marsh Cultivation Realm, where spirit veins were scarce, with only two Tier Four spirit veins in the entire west, and the cultivation civilization not as developed as the east.
However, the unique environment there gave rise to two formidable super sects.
One of them being the Thousand Mechanism Sect, where the sturdy man belonged, specializing in puppets, the spirit vein he inhabited was suspected to be the ancestral site of the ancient Thousand Mechanism Sect.
The ancient Thousand Mechanism Sect was mentioned in many ancient texts, having a heritage of hundreds of thousands of years, and was even rumored to have created a super puppet army formation comparable to the Celestial Venerable.
The other is the Ten Thousand Poison Sect, specializing in poisonous insects and substances, reputed to be peerless in toxic prescriptions in the world.
