The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

"The auction..." Han Mu tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes deep. If "Eclipse" was indeed after the "Forging Heaven Workshop Secret Realm Map" at the auction, then they had to get involved, and they had to make contact with or even reach some kind of cooperation with the "Shadow Guild" before the other party made a move.

"My lord, the auction has high entry requirements," Liu Ruyan reminded us. "'Shadow Auction House' is one of the core businesses of 'Shadow Guild,' and the quarterly auctions are only open to guests who hold VIP tokens, can provide items of sufficient value, or are introduced by long-time members. We are newcomers, and our identities are sensitive, so it will be difficult for us to obtain entry qualifications."

"Old Ghost might have a way." Han Mu took out the gray jade talisman and infused it with a wisp of immortal power. After a moment, the jade talisman glowed faintly, and Old Ghost's cautious voice came through: "My lord?"

"I need to get into the quarterly auction at the 'Shadow Auction House' in three days. Is there any way to do that?" Han Mu asked directly.

After a few moments of silence on the other end of the jade talisman, the old ghost's voice came through: "It's a bit troublesome, but we can give it a try. I know an old fellow who does appraisals at an auction house. He owes me a favor and can introduce me to a 'new client with considerable influence.' But he'll need a sufficiently substantial 'stepping stone' item, and... he might need to demonstrate some of his wealth to gain the auction house's initial trust."

"The items for auction are no problem." Han Mu looked at Luo Feng. "Pick a few of the best quality 'Dragon Beast Soul Crystals,' 'Star Cores,' and 'Fiend Qi Crystal Cores' brought out from the Star Tomb. Also..." He hesitated for a moment, then took out a high-quality ancient treasure-level flying sword from the seized storage artifacts, which belonged to an elder of the "Reverse Time Alliance." "Add this to the list. That should be enough."

"As for demonstrating strength..." A glint of light flashed in Han Mu's eyes, "The auction house shouldn't mind dealing with a few potential problems beforehand, right?"

After ending the communication with Lao Gui, Han Mu looked at everyone: "The plan is in two steps. Zhou Meng, Bai Ling, and I will enter the auction house as new clients, introduced by Lao Gui. Luo Feng, you take Li Qingzhu and the others to continue gathering intelligence on the movements of 'Eclipse' and 'Time Pavilion' around the perimeter, especially regarding personnel changes before and after the auction. Han Li and Liu Ruyan, you two should try to set up several early warning and support formations around the auction house, just in case."

"Brother Han, be careful once you enter the auction house," Han Li said. "There will definitely be a lot of array formations and restrictions in that kind of place, and the 'Shadow Guild' may not be a united front."

"I understand." Han Mu nodded. "Our primary objective is to confirm the existence of the 'Secret Realm Map' and the movements of 'Eclipse.' If necessary, we can display our strength appropriately, but we shouldn't reveal all our trump cards too early."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Under Lao Gui's arrangement, Han Mu and his two companions disguised themselves as a "young master" from a reclusive family who was experiencing the world for the first time, along with two guards. They carried several rare "Star Tomb specialties" and the ancient flying sword, and passed the initial review of a senior appraiser at the "Shadow Auction House," obtaining a temporary VIP token.

The auction house is located in the center of the "Shadow District" in the west of the city. It is an unassuming black stone building on the outside, but extremely magnificent inside. The entrance is heavily guarded, and all those who enter must have their tokens verified and be scanned by several detection arrays.

Han Mu and his two companions followed the flow of people inside. The interior space was more than ten times larger than it appeared from the outside, clearly due to the use of a sophisticated spatial expansion array. The hall was divided into several levels; the lower level had ordinary seating, while the upper levels consisted of individual private rooms, protected from divine sense detection by special materials. A faint scent of sandalwood and an atmosphere of tense anticipation filled the air.

Han Mu's temporary token was only enough to secure a small private room at the back of the second floor. He entered the room, closed the door, and was largely cut off from outside observation. Inside, there was simple tea and snacks, as well as a water mirror from which he could clearly see the auction stage below.

"The auction will begin in an hour," Zhou Meng said in a low voice, while alertly sensing his surroundings.

Han Mu closed his eyes, his "Source Coffin Mark" between his brows subtly sensing the surroundings. He could sense that the entire auction house was shrouded in layers of powerful formations, some of which faintly resonated with the passage of time. Simultaneously, from certain private rooms on the upper levels, several obscure yet powerful auras emanated, at least at the Taiyi Jade Immortal level.

"The water is deep." Han Mu opened his eyes. "Wait patiently."

An hour later, the auction began on time. The auctioneer was a still-charming, charming woman in palace attire who called herself "Mei Ji" and whose cultivation was clearly at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. She was extremely eloquent, and with just a few words, she stirred up the atmosphere of the entire room. One after another, rare treasures, cultivation techniques, secret skills, and intelligence information were presented on the auction stage, causing waves of bidding frenzy.

Han Mu showed little interest in most of the auction items, observing silently. He noticed that when a few materials or fragments clearly related to time and space appeared, the bidding in a particular private room on the third floor was always exceptionally aggressive, with an undeniable sense of dominance. The fluctuations in the protective array of that private room gave Han Mu a vague sense of familiarity—somewhat similar to the "Reversal of Time" Dao principle of the "Reversal Alliance," but even more subtle.

"It might be someone from 'Eclipse Time,' or someone related to it," Han Mu thought to himself.

As the auction progressed into its second half, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated. When the final item was presented, the entire auction hall fell silent instantly.

It was an ancient bronze box, its surface covered with rust and cracks, yet exuding an aura of antiquity and vicissitude. Meiji's voice carried a hint of excitement: "Ladies and gentlemen, the next item up for auction is not an actual object, but a piece of intelligence—a map depicting the possible location of the last known weapon-forging workshop, 'Forging Heaven Workshop,' before the disappearance of the ancient master craftsman Ou Yezi…"

Whoosh! The entire arena erupted in uproar! Ou Yezi's secret realm map! Even if it was just a fragment, it was enough to drive countless forces and powerful individuals mad!

Han Mu's eyes narrowed. They've finally arrived!

Meiji continued, "This fragment of the map was obtained by our guild after much effort, and after authentication, its authenticity is extremely high. The starting bid is one million high-grade spirit stones! Each bid must be at least one hundred thousand!"

The bidding instantly became fierce! The price climbed at an astonishing speed, quickly surpassing five million and still rising. The VIP room that Han Mu had previously recognized also joined the bidding, offering aggressive bids with an air of determination to win.

Han Mu did not immediately make a bid; he was waiting. He was waiting for the person from "Eclipse Time," or others who were determined to obtain the fragment of the map, to reveal more flaws.

When the price broke through eight million and only three private rooms remained among the bidders, a sudden change occurred!

The seemingly sturdy defensive array in the auction house's dome suddenly and silently melted away, creating a large hole! Three figures shrouded in dense shadows, their auras both obscure and powerful, descended from the sky like ghosts, their target the bronze box on the auction stage!

At the same time, dozens of previously hidden auras suddenly erupted throughout the auction house, carrying intense killing intent and chaotic "rebellious" fluctuations, rushing towards the "Shadow Guild" guards who were maintaining order, as well as the few private rooms where bidding was still taking place!

"Move! Grab the picture!" A hoarse, gloomy voice echoed throughout the venue.

It was the "Eclipse" team! They indeed chose to launch their attack at the height of the auction, when the defenses were at their weakest!