Chapter 753: Chapter 753

"Incubating a Spirit Beast Egg, isn’t this reward enough?"

Han He frowned as he spoke.

"Taoist Friend Han thinks hatching such a feeble Spirit Beast Egg is easy? If others could do it, you wouldn’t have come to me. Rarity commands a higher price. If others can’t do it and I can, then naturally, I have the final say on the compensation. If Taoist Friend Han isn’t willing to offer something good, then forget it."

Shen Long’s tone was calm.

Han He’s brow furrowed tightly. He took out more than a dozen items—Spirit Wood, Beast Hide, ores, Spiritual Medicine, and so on—none of which appealed to Shen Long.

"If Taoist Friend Han has no other business, that will be all! I have other matters to attend to."

Shen Long issued a dismissal.

From Han He’s reaction, that Spirit Beast Egg was extraordinary.

Han He took out an exquisite green jade box and opened it. Inside was a green Crystal Core.

"A sixth-order Wood Demon Crystal Core!"

Shen Long nodded slightly without showing any out-of-the-ordinary expression.

"Taoist Friend Shen must know the value of this item. Hatch the Spirit Beast Egg and this Crystal Core is yours. How about it?"

Han He said earnestly.

"No problem, hand over the Spirit Beast Egg to me. Once it hatches, I will notify you."

"How long will the hatching take? Can Taoist Friend Shen give me a reliable estimate?"

"This isn’t alchemy. It’s unpredictable. If it doesn’t hatch, I won’t take your compensation. If Taoist Friend Han doesn’t trust me, then let’s drop the matter."

Shen Long said with a frown.

"Since I’ve come to Taoist Friend Shen, of course, I trust Taoist Friend Shen."

Han He hastily said and took out the Spirit Beast Egg, handing it over to Shen Long.

Shen Long examined it closely and asked, "What kind of Spirit Beast Egg is this? Be clear, I will also use a treasure to verify."

"This is the egg of a Purple-Pupil Swallowing Spirit Python. Taoist Friend Shen can use a treasure to check and find out."

Han He stated truthfully.

Shen Long took out the Demon-Identifying Mirror and investigated the Spirit Beast Egg, confirming that it indeed was the Purple-Pupil Swallowing Spirit Python.

"Its life force is indeed weak. I’ll try hatching it! I’ll notify you once it hatches."

"Good, thank you, Taoist Friend Shen."

Han He expressed his thanks.

They chatted idly for a few moments, and then Han He bid his farewell and left.

Shen Long entered the Practice Room and went into the Myriad Beasts Tower. He placed the Spirit Beast Egg into the Spirit Control Pool and then exited the Myriad Beasts Tower.

He planned to wait some time before attempting to hatch the Spirit Beast Egg.

He sat cross-legged on a cushion, took out a red Messaging Plate, input a spell, and asked, "Taoist Friend Li, have you heard of Qingxuan Tower?"

"I’ve heard of it. It’s a store established by the Green Whirl Alliance. Sometimes they hold underground auctions, selling some dubiously-sourced items, and they also accept consignments."

The voice of Li Yunpeng sounded.

"I see. There’s an underground auction happening tonight at Qingxuan Tower. Are you interested in attending?"

"No, I have something to do tonight and will not be attending," Li Yunpeng declined.

Shen Long nodded, exchanged a few more words, and then cut off the contact, closing his eyes to rest.

At 7PM, the sky darkened, and the streets teemed with people.

A young man in blue with average facial features stood at the entrance of an eighteen-story green tower bearing a signboard that read "Qingxuan Tower."

The man in blue was Shen Long, who, out of caution, had altered his appearance.

He walked briskly inside. The hall was arranged with numerous tables where Nascent Soul Cultivators were enjoying tea and conversation.

An energetic, green-robed elder stood behind the counter, engrossed in checking the ledger.

Shen Long approached, tapped on the counter, and sent a voice transmission, "I’m here to attend the underground auction."

The elder in the green robe stiffened, then warmly replied, "Senior, please follow me."

Shen Long followed the green-robed elder to the seventh floor, where a five-foot-tall green pagoda stood on the ground.

Two Divinity Transformation Cultivators stood by the side, their expressions solemn.

"Senior, this Green Cloud Tower is a Cave Heaven Treasure. The auction will take place here, and after the auction ends, we will see you out," said the green-robed elder, pointing to the green pagoda.

"Cave Heaven Treasure? So troublesome?"

"Troublesome it may be, but it ensures safety. You won’t see the other bidders during the auction process. Compared to safety, a bit of trouble is nothing. Our Qingxuan Tower is no stranger to hosting auctions, so Senior needn’t worry about safety issues," the green-robed elder said with full confidence.

Shen Long nodded and asked, "Alright. Who will take me in?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Green Cloud Tower shone with green light, exerting a strong pull.

Shen Long’s face was filled with wariness, and he was about to evade when the green-robed elder spoke up, "Senior need not be nervous, Senior Xu will receive you inside."

Hearing this, Shen Long let go of his wariness, was enveloped by the green glow, and felt a powerful attraction pulling him towards the Green Cloud Tower.

Suddenly, he appeared in a grand hall a hundred acres in size, where a long green counter stood. Nine green stone corridors extended from the hall, leading to unknown destinations.

A slender girl in a green dress sat behind the green counter, her demeanor respectful.

"Does Senior need to consign any items for the auction? If not, at the end of every corridor, there are auction rooms. Feel free to pick any and join the auction from inside," the girl in the green dress explained.

Shen Long had nothing to consign, so he strode down one of the green stone corridors.

Before long, he saw a row of stone chambers with closed doors.

After a short while, Shen Long came across several chambers with open doors. Observing that their area and facilities were the same, he walked into one of them.

Embedded in the wall was a mirror flickering with Spiritual Light, reflecting a green stone platform with a green jade table on it.

Inside the room, there was a green round table and several green wooden stools. A square green token lay on the round table.

Shen Long, not a first-timer at auctions, took a seat next to a green wooden stool, quietly waiting.

Half a moment later, the pleasant voice of a woman rang out, "I am Chen Qing, welcoming all seniors to this auction. The highest bidder wins. Let us now begin the bidding."

A plump woman in a green dress could be seen on the mirror, standing on the green stone platform. She took out ten green jade boxes, opened them to reveal a golden pill inside each one—they were all top-grade Elixirs.

"Top-grade Golden Raspberry Pills, beneficial for Divinity Transformation Cultivators to break through to the Refinement Void Phase. We’ll auction them separately, starting at ten million Spirit Stones each. Each bid must be no less than one million more," Chen Qing announced.

The price surged, with bids coming in one after another.

Shen Long had no lack of such elixirs and did not join the bidding.

All ten top-grade Golden Raspberry Pills were sold at high prices, none for less than fifty million Spirit Stones.

Chen Qing presented a beautifully-crafted green jade box, opened it to reveal a green-gold Crystal Core within.

"A sixth rank early-stage Flower Demon’s Crystal Core; exchanging for equivalent value in Artifact Refining materials," declared Chen Qing.

"Sixth rank Flower Demon’s Crystal Core?"

Shen Long’s eyes lit up. It seemed this underground auction had plenty of good items!

"I’ll exchange with twenty-thousand-year-old Crystal Sky Wood," offered one.

"I’ll exchange with a Five Thunder Crystal," proposed another.

"This old man will exchange with the Beast Hide of a sixth rank middle-stage Blood Whale Beast," said another bidder.

The offers were endless. Shen Long finally spoke up, "I’ll exchange a five-foot segment of the Six Cleansing Bamboos, over twenty thousand years old."

Shen Long had transplanted that Six Cleansing Bamboos he acquired in The Lower Realm into his Myriad Beasts Tower and had long since cut a large piece off to trade for Cultivation Resources.

Chen Qing produced a Law Disk flashing with green light, gestured for a moment, evidently in contact with the owner of the items.

"The Crystal Core will be exchanged for the Six Cleansing Bamboos offered by the Senior," declared Chen Qing.