Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 270 Life and Death Crisis
The Holy Palace's announcement did not explain the reason, which led to various speculations within the Immortal City.

Li Ji'an, the only one who knew the truth, sat on the second floor of a tavern in the Immortal City. He held a wine cup, closed his eyes to rest, but his divine sense was constantly communicating with Guagua.

The croaking frog has now burrowed nearly thirty feet underground; this is its limit.

When Li Ji'an left, he instructed Guagua to try to escape the sealed area underground. However, when he reached the edge of the sealed area, he sensed a restrictive array that went deep underground. Although the array was only temporarily set up and was not very strong, if Guagua were to force his way through, he could break through, but he would also be exposed. Therefore, he could only conceal all his aura and wait for the right opportunity.

Fortunately, nothing unusual happened at the place where Guagua was hiding until more than half a month later, and at this time the auction in Xuanguang Immortal City finally started.

Li Ji'an can only find an opportunity to leave after the auction ends and a large number of cultivators depart.

Following the crowd and mingling among a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, Li Ji'an entered the auction venue.

The auction, spearheaded by Wanfa Palace, was unprecedented in its scale, the most spectacular Li Ji'an had ever witnessed in his life.

He kept his eyes fixed on his mind, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

However, just by looking at the front row and the VIP rooms on the second and third floors, it can be seen that the number of True Core Realm cultivators present accounted for more than 70% of the entire region.

He also saw the VIP room on the third floor belonging to the Biyun Sect.

They happened to be located below the Lieyang Sect, led by Elder Tian, ​​with True Person Yudan also among them.

The Lieyang Sect, on the other hand, only had one pseudo-Dan elder as its representative.

The Wanfa Palace auction was advertised to be mainly for disposing of a batch of unused third-tier spiritual herbs and various materials, which attracted alchemists from various sects.

Previously, Li Ji'an hadn't thought much about it, but now that he had learned from Zou Yan about the diviner who had divined the secrets of heaven, he had reason to suspect that Wanfa Palace's move might be a helpless measure to accelerate the training of the next generation of Wanfa Zhenjun.

The process of nurturing an infant through the Dharma Pill is the most difficult hurdle in the entire cultivation world of the Great Swamp. The quality of the pill, one's own good fortune, the tempering of one's character, the quality of one's cultivation method, the accumulation of one's foundation, the spiritual veins and cultivation grounds, and the assistance of spiritual treasures are all indispensable.

Even the Myriad Laws Palace, which covers the entire Tiancang Domain, requires nearly a thousand years of accumulation and cultivation to ensure the succession of each generation of True Monarchs.

However, the current Wanfa Zhenjun may have encountered an accident during his fierce battle with Jin Kui Shengjun, forcing him to shorten his training time.

As the first item was brought to the stage, everyone witnessed the sincerity of Wanfa Palace.

"A rare treasure listed on the Core Formation Treasure List, the Five Elements Earth, starting bid 50,000 spirit stones!"

Everyone knows that the first item at an auction is meant to set the tone and generate excitement, so it's unlikely to be too bad.

But to everyone's surprise, the Wanfa Palace was willing to release this precious treasure.

Earth, as a precious material for Core Formation, ranks after the top 100. It is only effective for earth-element cultivators in condensing magic cores. However, it is an invaluable material for refining artifacts and making puppets, which can increase the success rate of magic treasures.

Although the Five Elements Earth on the stage was only a small pot, it was enough to shock the attendees and make them even more eager for the subsequent auction items, especially the grand finale.

Li Ji'an's eyes gleamed with envy. If this kind of earth element was added when creating a second-tier puppet, its defensive power could be greatly enhanced.

However, he ultimately suppressed his desires.

He simply observed calmly as various factions and families competed to bid in the VIP building.

Ultimately, it was captured by the Wan Jianqi family.

The Wan Jian Qi family was the True Core family that seized the century-long management rights of the Biyun Sect's Golden Radiance Immortal City.

The clan is renowned for its weapon crafting skills and is one of the forces supported by the Myriad Laws Palace that connects with the Myriad Merchants Domain Chamber of Commerce.

The subsequent auction items did not disappoint, with second- and third-tier spiritual herbs appearing frequently, and even a pill personally refined by the Pill King being sold to the public for the first time.

The appearance of a high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill midway through the event once again shocked all the participants, who also praised the Pill King's alchemy skills, as high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills had not appeared in the Tiancang Domain for many years.

Li Ji'an nodded secretly. The quality of a premium Foundation Establishment Pill is a level higher than other premium pills of the same grade. It is related to the origin of the dantian and requires a high level of control over the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in addition to normal alchemy skills.

Over the years, Li Ji'an has only managed to refine one high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill, which was only obtained because the little fire spirit consumed a trace of its fire spirit essence.

However, it's not that he can't do it. As the power of the Little Fire Spirit's flame grows stronger, his divine sense becomes stronger. In particular, he has accumulated enough experience by refining a lot of Foundation Establishment Pills for the sect over the years. With his current full strength, the success rate of refining high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills is very high, and there is even hope for top-quality ones.

The auction lasted for seven days and seven nights. Li Ji'an was almost a spectator throughout the entire event. He made five bids, but three of them were met with real bidders who were determined to win, so he decisively gave up.

In the end, they acquired a main ingredient for a Crystallization Pill and a set of materials for a second-tier puppet.

To everyone's delight, Master Yu Dan was very generous this time, acquiring dozens of third-tier spiritual herbs in one go, including the last two spiritual herbs that the Crystal Condensation Pill was missing. He can exchange them for them after returning to his sect.

In addition, some of the final items in this auction were quite disappointing.

It was actually a piece of spiritual marrow the size of a fist, and the outer half of it had been refined and absorbed into gray crystals, leaving only a small, egg-sized, azure-blue part in the middle.

Spiritual marrow is an essential item for Nascent Soul True Monarchs to aid in their cultivation. Especially within the Heavenly Azure Domain, the highest-ranking Pill Kings are only at the third rank, and there are no fourth-rank spiritual pills available for True Monarchs to consume. Furthermore, the spiritual energy contained in ordinary spirit stones cannot meet the requirements for True Monarchs to absorb and refine spiritual energy; only the rich and abundant spiritual energy within spiritual marrow can.

Its value is considerable; a complete piece of spiritual marrow is worth at least 100,000 spirit stones.

It is also the energy source of high-level puppets. For example, the invisible puppet obtained in the Blackwater Swamp tomb has a piece of spiritual marrow as its energy source.

However, for cultivators within the Tiancang Domain, its usefulness is extremely limited, and it can be considered a defective item.

Ultimately, this item failed to sell.

Li Ji'an was tempted several times, but he managed to hold back.

After all, even if it's just a damaged item, the starting bid is 40,000 spirit stones.

Such a precious spiritual marrow, which is of little use to ordinary cultivators but is extremely expensive, is quite astonishing to him, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who has revealed himself to the outside world.

However, when the auction ended and everyone left the venue.

Li Ji'an arrived at the back room of the organizer.

This time, he has activated the true core magic power of Fu Xiaochen within the Formless Mask and used magic power to conceal his appearance and figure.

"Why didn't you bid just now, fellow Daoist?" The cultivator in charge asked after carefully examining Li Ji'an, knowing his purpose.

"I initially thought it was useless, but just now I had a sudden inspiration: could it be used to cultivate a secret technique? However, I need to try it out myself first," Li Ji'an replied fluently.

Upon seeing this, the person in charge smiled broadly and said, "Very good, very good, fellow Daoist, you may give it a try."

Immediately, he ordered someone to bring over the final spirit essence.

As the person in charge of this auction, he is responsible to Wanfa Palace.

This auction was quite successful, with 60% of the items reaching their expected price, 10% exceeding the expected price, and only 30% selling at par. The only exception was the final item, the Spirit Essence, which was not sold.

If it were an ordinary item, it wouldn't matter.

However, this spiritual marrow belongs to the current True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws. If it cannot be sold, it might displease the True Lord.

"May I ask if this spiritual marrow was refined by the current True Monarch?" Li Ji'an held the spiritual marrow, confirmed it was genuine, and then asked tentatively.

The person in charge was slightly taken aback, but then realized that Li Ji'an seemed to really have the intention to make a deal. He immediately lowered his voice and said, "Fellow Daoist has a keen eye. It is indeed the one that has been refined in this day."

Li Ji'an's heart stirred slightly: "True Lord also uses fire-based magic, so we should be able to give it a try."

The complete spiritual marrow is encased in a spiritual shell, which will be affected by the first refiner's magical power. "Excellent. With the protection of this current aura, you will surely achieve your wish." The person in charge immediately beamed with joy.

“However, the price…” Li Ji’an handed the spirit marrow back, looking troubled.

Upon seeing this, the person in charge was not displeased at all; on the contrary, he became even more certain that Li Ji'an needed it and that they had already entered the normal bargaining stage.

"If you are so straightforward, I will be equally generous. A flat price of 30,000 spirit stones!"

"Twenty thousand!"

"Twenty-eight thousand, that's the lowest I can go."

"I'm short on cash, only 22,000!"

"Twenty-five thousand is the bottom line right now; we really can't lower it by even a penny."

"Twenty-three thousand, that's all my savings!"

……

"Very well, very well, I'll just use my own money to make up for the losses for the True Lord."

The transaction was successful, and Li Ji'an was slightly excited.

With this spiritual essence, the fifth-order puppet can be activated. The only question is whether Ning Sujin's nascent soul and primordial spirit can bind it to the contract.

It would be difficult under normal circumstances, but the contract within that puppet has been in existence for at least six thousand years, and the divine soul imprint within it must have been eroded by time, so there is hope.

Once the contract is successful, Ning Sujin's primordial spirit will likely be able to unleash at least 30% of the puppet's power.

At that time, Ning Sujin's self-preservation should not be a problem.

After reactivating the Mask of No Form and transforming into Huang Jie, Li Ji'an arrived at the city gate.

Before long, the Biyun Sect group left the city. Master Tian led a team of Enforcement Hall disciples, plus Master Yudan.

To Li Ji'an's surprise, Xu Xiaochun also appeared behind Master Yudan at this moment, looking around.

The fact that a mere mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator could persuade Master Yu Dan to bring him here shows how much Master Yu Dan truly likes this kid.

"Grandmaster, has Master replied yet?"

Suddenly, Li Ji'an caught a glimpse of his conversation with Jade Elixir Master.

Master Yu Dan shook his head slightly.

“I have searched the entire Xuan Guang Immortal City these past few days, but I have not found any trace of my master. You said he was not at the auction either, so it is very likely that my master did not come here.”

According to what that Fairy Yunyao said, Master was very likely captured by thieves in Huangfeng Market! Xu Xiaochun was both anxious and angry, his fists clenched and veins bulging.

Master Yu Dan glanced at the horizon, frowned, and sighed: "At least the soul lamp hasn't gone out. Your master is a lucky man and should be alright."

Moreover, there has been no news of Master Changfeng; perhaps your master is with him.

"This kid!" Sensing Xu Xiaochun's indignant and worried expression, Li Ji'an felt a warm current in his heart for no reason.

A month after meeting Fairy Yunyao, he received messages from True Person Yudan and other sect colleagues.

However, at that time, he will be surrounded by enemies, and all sects will have the motive to kill him.

Moreover, he wasn't sure if there were any traitors within the sect, and even suspected that Zhao Qi or Elder Tian might take the opportunity to retaliate.

After advancing to the third-tier alchemist, the communication talismans given to him by the sect all had built-in location tracking. Fearing that replying would reveal his location, he had long since sealed off the sect's communication talismans.

Watching the Biyun Sect group leave, Li Ji'an was not worried about the safety of Jade Pill True Person and Xu Xiaochun.

Within the Heavenly Azure Domain, True Core cultivators almost never actually fight each other. At most, they might exchange a few words in mid-air. After all, the higher one's cultivation level, the more one cherishes their life. And since True Core cultivators don't know each other's trump cards, it's easy for them to suffer mutual injuries.

If Li Ji'an were a true Dan cultivator, even if Fairy Yun Yao had approached him, the Lieyang Sect would not have attacked and tried to frame him.

Before long, another group of scattered cultivators left the city, and Li Ji'an mingled among them, flying south.

However, after only three days of flying, they saw that a number of cultivators had already gathered ahead.

These were mostly cultivators from the southern region of the Wanfa Palace who came to participate in the auction, and they were all currently being kept inside the sealed area.

"So it was the Pill King who wanted to capture the Spirit Flame!"

"It is said that when the Pill King returned from abroad a few days ago, he accidentally sensed a spiritual flame in this area, but the spiritual flame quickly disappeared without a trace, which is why such a large-scale blockade and search was carried out."

"The Pill King's condition is a bit off; he's determined to win. Could this spirit flame be even stronger than his third-tier spirit flame?"

……

Upon approaching, the cultivators who wished to travel were all queuing up.

Several True Core Formation experts from the Myriad Laws Palace were stationed ahead, inspecting something one by one.

Li Ji'an slowed down and observed from a distance, listening to the surrounding discussions. Surprisingly, not a single person expressed any resentment; instead, they all sympathized with the Pill King and cooperated by queuing up to wait for the inspection.

This made him feel uneasy.

My plan to sneak out during the chaos failed.

After glancing at the Wanfa Palace cultivators at the very front of the line who were being checked one by one, Li Ji'an smoothly changed direction and headed east again.

He was unsure of what methods the people from Wanfa Palace used to investigate.
They weren't so arrogant as to think they could definitely get away with it.

If you were to encounter a magical artifact similar to a rattle drum, and it asked if you had ever seen a fire spirit, you would instantly die.

Fortunately, he was not alone in changing direction.

Most likely, they saw that there were too many people queuing here and were afraid of wasting time, or perhaps they had some other secrets they didn't want Wanfa Palace to know.

Before long, Li Ji'an once again arrived at the southeastern border with a sparse group of people.

Only one Foundation Establishment disciple of the Wanfa Palace is in charge of this place.

"This way is blocked. If you wish to leave, you can go in any of the four directions: east, west, north, or south." The Wanfa Palace disciple, facing several cultivators with higher cultivation levels than him, gave orders with complete disregard.

However, no one dared to argue or force their way in.

After all, the powerful figures from the Myriad Laws Palace could arrive quickly if the restrictions here posed even the slightest threat.

"Isn't this a death knell? Where is the way out?" Having lived through six lifetimes, Li Ji'an felt a life-or-death crisis for the first time.

Given the determination shown by the Pill King Pure Yuan Zhenren, even if he hides and doesn't come out now, he will eventually be found out as the number of cultivators in the area decreases.

If one were to truly use the spiritual flame to question one's own heart, how could one possibly withstand it?

(End of this chapter)