Mortal: Reborn in Yellow Maple Valley, Awakening the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts

After speaking, Madam Zhang turned to Chu Zifei and said in a humble tone, "Please forgive my rudeness, senior. Please come inside with me."

Upon seeing this, Wang Laowu quickly bowed and said, "Now that our distinguished guest has arrived, my mission is complete, so I will take my leave!"

Having said that, he dared not linger any longer, turned around, and hurried away with light steps, humming a little tune.

Chu Zifei nodded in acknowledgment and followed closely behind Madam Zhang, stepping into the seemingly ordinary, hidden shop.

Walking to a corner of the room, Madam Zhang slightly raised her hands and gently touched the hidden mechanism on the ground.

A soft, yellow light suddenly shone from her hand, followed by a deep, rumbling sound. The hard stone floor cracked open, revealing a dark, deep cave entrance. She turned to signal and then slowly descended the stone steps inside the cave.

Without much hesitation, Chu Zifei followed closely behind and stepped onto the stairs, arriving at the underground hall in an instant.

The scene here was a stark contrast to the dilapidated and simple huts on the surface. The entire underground hall was ornately decorated and magnificent, with various furnishings arranged in a staggered manner, exuding an atmosphere of extravagance and luxury that was far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators from the outside world.

There were very few guests in the hall at this time, indicating that the auction had not yet started. Chu Zifei, however, had arrived quite early.

Madam Zhang led him to the hall, gave him a few simple instructions, then bowed and withdrew, leaving him the large space.

Chu Zifei didn't pay any attention. His gaze casually swept over the exquisite and luxurious furnishings around him. Finally, he walked to an empty corner, sat down comfortably, and waited for the auction to begin.

After he took his seat, mysterious cultivators began to enter one after another.

  

Without exception, these people either covered themselves with cloaks or used secret techniques to conceal their aura, layer by layer, to hide their cultivation and appearance, and none of them wanted to reveal their identities.

Chu Zifei's gaze swept quickly over each visitor, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. So far, he still hadn't seen Han Li.

He wondered to himself, could it be that something unexpected happened along the way, preventing Han Li from coming?

Currently, being in an underground auction, with no way to gather information, there is nothing else to do but suppress my emotions and wait quietly.

Time passed quietly, and after three or four hours, the tightly closed stone door finally opened again.

A familiar figure wearing a straw hat followed closely behind Madam Zhang as she slowly entered the hall.

Han Li was still dressed in a simple black hat and robe. After entering the room, he quickly scanned the hall and finally fixed his gaze on the empty seat next to Chu Zifei. He then silently sat down.

As soon as Han Li sat down, a wooden door on the inside of the hall slowly opened.

Three figures in black robes walked out side by side, first reading out the auction rules in a deep voice, and then taking their seats on the sandalwood benches to the side, thus beginning the auction.

Immediately afterwards, a tall, thin middle-aged man slowly appeared and took charge of the auction.

Several items were auctioned off in succession. Although they were all rare and precious medicinal herbs and magical artifacts, they failed to catch Chu Zifei's eye, leaving him with little interest.

Just when he thought he would be disappointed at the auction, a new item caught his eye.

On the high platform, the tall, thin man raised his hand and took out a piece of ore the size of a pigeon egg. It was golden and shiny, with a fine texture, and placed it steadily on the table.

"Distinguished guests, please take a look!"

The man's voice resounded throughout the hall: "This is mid-grade Golden Essence! It's a superior material for refining Core Formation magic treasures! Just a small amount can elevate the grade and power of ordinary magic tools and treasures by a whole level! The starting bid is 1,500 spirit stones!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.

All the cultivators present instantly turned their gazes on the golden essence on the table with intense interest.

This item is a rare material that can only be refined by Core Formation cultivators using their own internal energy, and it rarely circulates in the outside market. If it weren't for the strange auction hall here, with numerous powerful figures presiding over it, someone would probably have already lost their patience and directly tried to snatch it.

In a corner seat, Chu Zifei's eyes gleamed, and he had already made up his mind.

He was determined to get his hands on this piece of mid-grade gold essence!

Once it is completely melted down and integrated into the Magic-Breaking Golden Bullet, its destructive power will be greatly enhanced. At that time, when paired with the Serpent Slingshot, it will be a deadly deterrent even against a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, enough to deal with the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He had previously killed Feng Yue and Hao Renyi, seizing nearly three thousand spirit stones, which he had hardly used. In addition, he possessed two magic artifacts and a complete corpse of a Foundation Establishment demon beast, making him quite wealthy and fully capable of participating in the bidding.

"One thousand six hundred spirit stones!"

In the far corner of the hall, a dragon's voice rang out first, kicking off the bidding process.

This bid ignited the competitive spirit of all the cultivators present, and shouts of price rose and fell in succession.

"One thousand seven hundred spirit stones!"

"One thousand nine hundred spirit stones!"

"Two thousand three hundred spirit stones!"

Bidding sounds rang out from all over the hall, rising higher and higher. In just a few breaths, the price of mid-grade gold essence broke through 2,500 spirit stones.

As prices continued to rise, fewer and fewer people were bidding in the market.

Although golden essence is rare and precious, most of those present were merely ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, and very few knew how to utilize it effectively. The price of 2,500 spirit stones had already exceeded the expectations of most cultivators, and no one dared to raise the price any further.

Chu Zifei's gaze narrowed slightly, knowing that the time had come. He deliberately lowered his voice, turning it into a hoarse tone, and calmly said, "Two thousand seven hundred spirit stones."

This price immediately deterred two hesitant competitors.

Only a burly man and a gaunt old man with a gloomy face remained in the arena, still refusing to give up the fight.

Although the voice was deliberately concealed, the figure hidden by the cloak was extremely familiar, instantly stirring Han Li's heart as he sat quietly to the side.

His gaze was fixed on Chu Zifei's direction, and he perfectly superimposed the person in front of him with the mysterious figure in the forbidden area in his mind, with surprise and doubt hidden in his eyes.

From another corner, a gaunt old man's sinister laughter rang out: "Two thousand eight hundred spirit stones!"

"Two thousand nine hundred spirit stones!"

The burly man refused to back down, abruptly rising to his feet. His late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation erupted forth, his gaze sweeping across the entire area as he roared, "This piece of golden essence, I want it! Anyone who dares to contest it again will be my enemy!"

The sound echoed throughout half the hall, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the three men in black sitting quietly on the sandalwood chair next to him suddenly unleashed the pressure of their Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivation, which pressed down like a mountain and a sea, instantly locking the strong man's aura and forcibly suppressing his momentum.

The tall, thin man in charge of the auction frowned and coldly rebuked, "Sir, behave yourself! Fair bidding is the norm. How dare you act arrogantly because of your cultivation level? I'll let it slide this time since it's your first offense! But if you dare to disrupt the order again, I'll immediately cripple your cultivation, break your limbs, and throw you out of the venue!"

With the overwhelming strength of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, the burly man's face turned pale and then red. Despite his resentment, he could only suppress his anger, sit down reluctantly, and dare not be presumptuous again.

The tall, thin man surveyed the room and asked again in a deep voice, "Any other distinguished guests willing to raise their prices?"

Chu Zifei observed the whole scene and understood everything.

The remaining competitors have reached their price limits, and no one can easily raise the price anymore.

Without further hesitation, he slowly said, "I will offer 1,500 spirit stones, plus a top-tier defensive magic artifact."

Before he could finish speaking, Chu Zifei raised his hand and waved, and the yellow parasol flew out of his storage bag and landed in front of the tall, thin man.

What he didn't notice was that the moment the yellow parasol appeared, the burly man sitting below stared intently at the magical artifact, his teeth grinding together, his eyes blazing with fury.