Chapter 794: Chapter 794

Time had passed; three hundred years had gone by.

The Zixiao Marketplace, controlled by Zixiao Palace, bustled with merchants and travelers.

Zixiao Palace planned to hold a large auction for Void Refining Cultivators, offering many treasures that attracted numerous cultivators and promoted the prosperity of the Zixiao Marketplace.

A streak of cyan Escape Light appeared on the distant horizon and, with a flicker, halted, revealing a bronze beast carriage shimmering with ceaseless Spiritual Light.

Two men and two women stood in the carriage, Shen Long and Chu Buyu among them.

"Taoist Friend Shen, Fairy Chu, we have arrived at the Zixiao Marketplace,"

a handsome, green-robed young man said with a smile.

"If we hadn’t encountered Taoist Friend Shen and Fairy Chu this time, our lives would have been lost,"

a slender girl in a golden dress said gratefully.

"Daoist Friend Zhang and Fairy Zhang are too polite, it was but a small effort,"

Shen Long said nonchalantly.

He and Chu Buyu had been on the Thunder Continent for over three hundred years, seeking grand fortunes and traveling far and wide.

They had visited many places with "Lin" in their names, but had not found the great opportunity they sought; instead, they had met many Void Refining Cultivators.

The green-robed youth was named Zhang Weidong, and the golden-dressed girl was Zhang Weiyue; they were from the Zhang Family, affiliated with Zixiao Palace and boasted more than twenty Void Refining Cultivators.

While picking Spiritual Medicine in a dangerous area, the siblings had encountered a Late-Stage Rank 6 Quake Hill Bear. Had they not met Shen Long and Chu Buyu, their lives would have ended then and there.

"I heard there will be many fine items at the auction this time; I hope to bid on a few,"

Chu Buyu said with a smile.

Zhang Weidong had told them that Zixiao Palace was preparing a grand auction with many fine items, and Shen Long and Chu Buyu planned to attend, hoping to win some treasures.

"Certainly, let’s go in together!"

Zhang Weidong formed a spell with his hands, and the bronze beast carriage gently descended. The four disembarked.

Zhang Weidong put away the beast carriage, and they walked into the Zixiao Marketplace.

Shen Long greeted Zhang Weidong, and then the four of them split up with Shen Long and Chu Buyu strolling along the street.

Over the years, Shen Long and Chu Buyu had visited many large marketplaces and had gained a deeper understanding of the resources and products of the Thunder Continent, greatly broadening their horizons.

Half an hour later, they were in a spacious Azure Stone Plaza with many small stalls. They wandered and looked around, their gaze sweeping over the items on the stalls, but they found nothing of interest.

"Taoist Friend Shen, Fairy Chu, what a coincidence!"

An excited male voice rang out.

No sooner had the voice died down than a figure flashed by, appearing before them—it was Zhang Qing.

"Eh, Daoist Friend Zhang, it’s you! Are you here for the auction too?"

"Yes! We have come for the auction. My brother is also in the marketplace. Taoist Friend Shen, may I have a word with you in private?"

Zhang Qing asked politely.

"We just passed by a teahouse; let’s talk there,"

Zhang Qing had no objections and followed Shen Long and Chu Buyu to a teahouse where they requested a private room.

"Taoist Friend Shen, do you still have elixirs for healing wounds? I’m not referring to the Six-Petal Gold Soul Lotus,"

Zhang Qing got straight to the point.

Shen Long smiled lightly and said, "It depends on what Daoist Friend Zhang has to offer in exchange."

Zhang Qing produced a palm-sized Golden Gourd and an exquisite cyan jade box, saying, "How about Qixia True Water and the silk spat out by a Rank 6 Seven Stars Jade Silkworm?"

Chu Buyu opened the case, and inside was a bundle of golden silk, enough for her to craft a piece of defensive inner armor.

Shen Long opened the Gourd lid, confirmed the presence of Qixia True Water inside, nodded, then took out a golden jade box and handed it to Zhang Qing, saying, "Here are five top-grade Blood Ganoderma Golden Scales Pills, they’re very effective for healing severe blood qi deficiency wounds."

"Thank you very much, Taoist Friend Shen."

Zhang Qing expressed his gratitude and accepted the golden jade box.

After some casual conversation, Zhang Qing bid farewell and left.

"They sure have some good things on them, even able to produce silk from a sixth-order Seven Stars Jade Silkworm."

Chu Buyu commented with praise.

"I didn’t see Zhang Shuo, I guess he’s badly injured. They are all cultivators at the Hollow Phasing Late Stage and not weak, it seems they have encountered a powerful enemy," Shen Long analyzed.

Chu Buyu nodded and said, "This is good news for us, I hope they will exchange more top-grade elixirs with my husband next time."

They left the tea house and strolled around the marketplace.

As time went by, the sky darkened, and they rented a small courtyard with green tiles to stay in.

A three-story, green-colored pavilion stood tall, with "Qingmu Pavilion" written prominently on its signboard.

Zhang Shuo sat in a chair, looking somewhat pale, while Zhang Qing sat beside him.

"Their Divine Skills are not insignificant, should we invite them to join us?" Zhang Qing suggested.

"That’s what I’m worried about too, if they turn on us, we might not be their match," Zhang Shuo said with a frown.

"With our strength, we might not be able to defeat that mutated Blood Pupil Ape. Another misstep and we might perish forever. We have caused quite a commotion, and some cultivators of the Fine Fire Clan have noticed us, they just don’t understand our purpose. If we delay too long, the object of our pursuit might be taken by the Fine Fire Clan," Zhang Qing analyzed.

"Let’s wait until after the auction. If we can buy powerful Talismans or treasures, we won’t need to invite them. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have no choice but to invite them to join our treasure hunt," Zhang Shuo suggested.

"That’s the safest bet. Let’s do that! You should take the Blood Ganoderma Golden Scales Pill to heal first and recover as soon as possible. If it weren’t for the Tribulation-Substituting Treasure, we would have perished already," Zhang Qing said, his face showing traces of lingering fear.

A month went by quickly, and come morning, with the sky just brightening.

A long queue stretched in front of a Purple Pagoda shimmering with violet light, with "Purple Cloud Tower" inscribed on it in large characters. A multitude of cultivators lined up to enter the Purple Cloud Tower.

The Purple Cloud Tower was the venue for the auction, and Shen Long and Chu Buyu were also in line. Two Soul Transformation Cultivators stood guard at the entrance to the tower, charging a fee for admission to the venue.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance to the Purple Cloud Tower. Shen Long paid the fee and entered the tower along with Chu Buyu.

The main hall was spacious and brightly lit, with a hundred-foot circumference azure stage at its center, upon which stood an azure jade table.

"Respected seniors, please follow me," a green-robed attendant walked briskly over, bowed respectfully, and led the way.

Shen Long and Chu Buyu followed the green-robed attendant to a private room on the fourth floor, which was a hundred feet in size and had walls embedded with a huge golden mirror. The mirror’s surface displayed the azure stage.

The room contained an azure jade table and several matching jade chairs, and on the table lay a square golden token.

After briefly explaining the use of the golden token, the green-robed attendant left.

Shen Long and Chu Buyu sat down, closing the door behind them.

Chu Buyu brought out some brewed Spiritual Tea, and they drank tea in silence, waiting.