May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

Fifty-five thousand spirit stones? That's a huge sum of money that would take seven or eight years to accumulate without eating or drinking, without encountering any disasters, and without being exploited!

If it were those low-level rogue cultivators in the outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain, it would probably take them more than ninety years of saving without eating or drinking to accumulate 55,000 spirit stones. Ninety years is a lifetime for a low-level rogue cultivator!

Inside the auction hall, many people were sighing in hushed tones.

"As expected of the leader of the Evil Tiger Sect, this is quite a grand gesture!"

"The leaders of the three major gangs are too rich. People like us with limited resources don't even have the right to compete."

"Fifty thousand spirit stones—that's the price of exploiting and squeezing countless low-level cultivators!"

Su San Niang sat upright in the front row, seemingly oblivious to the discussions behind her. A smug smile played on her lips as she glanced at Xiao Shuo and Yang Xiao.

Xiao Shuo stared at Su San Niang with a sinister expression, a half-smile that sent chills down one's spine.

Yang Xiao glared at Su San Niang, snorted heavily through his nose, and turned his head away.

The three major forces have been entrenched in the outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain for many years, and their open and covert struggles have never stopped.

Su San Niang won first place, which naturally displeased Xiao Shuo and Yang Xiao. However, the price had already exceeded the value of the sword formation by far, and continuing to compete would be a losing proposition.

The auctioneer in the room was fully aware of this and quickly moved on to the next item.

The subsequent items presented by Wanbaoge, including cultivation pills, weapon-refining materials, and fragments of cultivation techniques, were of good quality, but none of them created the same climax as the Earthly Fiend Exorcising Sword Formation.

The three leaders occasionally made offers, mostly to purchase nephews, nieces, or trusted subordinates, and no longer engaged in fierce competition.

This is the rule for the outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain.

Although the three major gangs are powerful, they also know how to maintain boundaries. In the outer areas of Chixia Mountain, there are forces that they cannot afford to offend.

Brands like Wanbaoge, Baicaoge, and Qianqizhai are backed by behemoths spanning the entire Qingming cultivation world. Even if they are just small branches here, they are not to be trifled with.

Moreover, the prohibition of private fights within the market is a bottom line maintained by all parties. If someone were to truly take advantage of others without leaving any room for maneuver, it would incur public wrath, and no one would expect to have an easy time.

……

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, an hour had gone by.

At the Wanbaoge auction, items were being sold one by one.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the venue gradually reached its climax.

In the most secluded southwest corner of the venue, Li Heng was still resting with his eyes closed, hidden in the shadows, his breathing long and even.

Li Heng had been sitting there for over an hour. His drab, coarse cloth clothes, his aura as a cultivator at the early stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his unremarkable appearance allowed him to blend perfectly into the venue without attracting the attention of any cultivators.

He was waiting, preferably for items that were useful to him but useless to others, so that no one would compete with him for them when he bought them.

As for those pills that can enhance cultivation, powerful magical artifacts, and profound cultivation techniques, they are not what he needs most at the moment. If he rashly bids for them now, it will definitely attract the attention of many cultivators and cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

At this moment, another mid-grade magic artifact, the "Flowing Cloud Handkerchief," was auctioned off to a middle-aged female cultivator for 800 spirit stones.

The auctioneer was in a good mood today because many items had been sold.

The more items sold at the auction, the higher his commission would be afterwards.

"Let's move on to the next item!"

Immediately, two burly guards carried a black iron box onto the auction stage.

The auctioneer from Wanbaoge cleared his throat and said:

"Fellow Daoists, the next item up for auction is quite special."

"This item was discovered several years ago by my Myriad Treasures Pavilion in an ancient, long-abandoned cultivation cave. After repeated examination by several appraisers within the pavilion, it has been confirmed as a complete set of defensive magical artifacts, including armor and helmet, and its grade is top-grade!"

The moment the words "top-grade magical artifact" were uttered, the previously somewhat subdued atmosphere in the venue suddenly became lively.

Many cultivators perked up again, their eyes fixed eagerly on the black iron box.

Even the leaders of the three major gangs turned their attention to the center of the venue.

Top-grade magic artifacts—that's the most powerful grade of magic artifacts!

This kind of magical artifact is very useful even to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators are unable to purchase mid-grade or high-grade spiritual artifacts, so they usually choose to buy a top-grade magic artifact as a temporary measure.

In the room, the auctioneer changed the subject, his tone becoming serious as he said, "However, the method of activating this item is quite unusual, and its characteristics are rather dangerous."

He gestured to the guards to open the box, and soon the contents were revealed to everyone.

It was a set of armor and helmet that were entirely blood red.

The armor plates are thick and angular, and the surface is not smooth, but covered with fine and intricate grooves, like a network of countless tiny blood vessels.

The helmet has a simple and archaic design, with only two narrow slits for the eyes, giving it an overall fierce and ominous aura.

Just looking at it makes one feel inexplicably heavy-hearted.

"This armor has no name, so we will temporarily name it the Burial Blood Armor. When not activated, it looks like ordinary armor."

The auctioneer paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, and slowly said:

"This armor cannot be activated with spiritual power; instead, the wearer must infuse it with their own lifespan. The more lifespan is infused, the stronger its defensive power. According to a Foundation Establishment stage elder of our sect who personally tried it, he lost twenty years of his lifespan just by activating it for a moment!"

Suddenly, the entire venue erupted in chaos!

"What? It requires the infusion of lifespan? What kind of evil artifact is this?"

"Just a moment of activation, and it consumed twenty years of my lifespan? Is this some kind of magical artifact or a death warrant?"

"Wanbaoge, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to swindle people with this kind of evil item?"

Shouts of shock and anger rose and fell.

Many cultivators stood up and glared angrily at the auctioneer.

How precious is lifespan to cultivators? It is the foundation for seeking the path to immortality!

Many people persevere in their spiritual practice, hoping to live a few more years and have a greater chance of achieving a breakthrough.

There are now magical artifacts that require lifespan to operate? This is utterly absurd!

The auctioneer, sweat beading on his forehead, quickly bowed and explained:

"Fellow Daoists, please calm your anger. The characteristics of this armor are indeed as described, and my Wanbao Pavilion has not deceived you in the slightest! It is precisely because of its extraordinary danger that we have publicly stated this at the auction, and we would never dare to trade it privately and harm others! And it is precisely because the cost of using it is truly terrifying that, although this armor is a top-grade magic weapon, the starting price is set at only five thousand spirit stones!"

The auctioneer from Wanbaoge raised his voice and cautiously added, "I solemnly declare once again that this armor is extremely dangerous and not something ordinary cultivators can handle! Fellow Daoists, please think carefully before bidding. If you inadvertently use it and lose a lot of your lifespan, it will be too late to regret it."

Having said that, the auctioneer's meaning couldn't be clearer.

This item is quite strange. Although it is a top-grade magical artifact, it is extremely dangerous if not handled properly. You should consider whether to buy it or not. If anything goes wrong, Wanbaoge will not be responsible.

The shouting subsided slightly at this point, but the atmosphere became strange.

The gazes of the crowd toward the dark red armor were filled with apprehension and repulsion, as if they were looking at an ominous, cursed object.