Chapter 639: Fire Spirit Clan
As they walked along, the stores displayed a dazzling array of items, and the majestic Spiritual Energy attracted constant glances from Xiao Ming and his companions. Within an hour, they had successfully collected all the medicinal ingredients they needed, except for the main ones, without any mishaps.
At this moment, in the distance, they could see an extremely large auction house standing in the center of the city. It was the biggest auction house in Merchant City.
The Xiao Ming trio quickened their pace upon seeing this. They passed through several bustling pedestrian streets and, around a street corner, their view widened dramatically.
In front of them stood a large palace, from which an enormous amount of Spiritual Energy emanated, forming a pillar of light that soared into the clouds.
Outside the palace, there was a massive amount of people flowing through. The scale of the operation was so huge that it left them somewhat awe-struck.
"Merchant Auction House."
Xiao Ming raised his head as he looked at the words made of golden light and smiled, "This must be the place."
"This scale is indeed worthy of being the top auction house of the Merchant Continent."
Qing Yanjing looked at the palace, which resembled a giant beast opening its mouth to devour the endless stream of people without the slightest sign of overflowing, and couldn't help but nod in approval. Such a level of auction house was not even possessed by the Ancient Buddha Clan; not because they lacked the capability, but simply because there was no need—the Ancient Buddha Clan did not rely on such activities for sustenance.
Moreover, the auction house's grand scale was greatly influenced by its strategic location. Adjacent to it was the Skylaw Continent, teeming with countless forces that acted as buyers, and surrounded by dozens of other continents that served as close neighbors.
"Let's go."
Xiao Ming waved his hand as he led the duo into the majestic palace.
As soon as they entered, they could clearly feel the spatial ripples around them. After that, their vision blurred slightly before clearing up.
The interior of the palace was exceptionally well-lit. The floor seemed to be forged with shining crystals. A large number of people were scattered around, but even though there were so many people gathered here, it wasn't even a little bit crowded; instead, it was abnormally spacious.
At a counter, Xiao Ming handed over fifteen drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid to a lady and received three tickets to participate in the auction. The group then entered through a light door.
Beyond the light door was a field similar to an arena, the size of which was vast enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. The area was already swarming with heads. The population in this place had reached a dreadful degree.
Even Qing Yanjing, a prodigy from an Ancient Clan, was somewhat astonished by this sight.
A single ticket cost five drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid. This one auction alone could generate several hundred thousand in revenue. On an annual basis, it could be almost two hundred million drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid, a sum that could make even a Heavenly Sovereign envious.
Of course, there were auctions held in the trade city every day, but today's auction was on a much larger scale. It wasn't every day that they had this many attendees, but even if the number of attendees was halved, it would still generate around one hundred million drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid, a significant amount that didn't even include the auction house's commission.
The thought was genuinely staggering.
Qing Tan eagerly looked around for seats and soon spotted some of them. Then she happily pulled Xiao Ming and Qing Yanjing towards them.
The seats in the auction house were forged from jade stones, and the surface was covered with soft fur. When one sat on it, one could vaguely sense a faint Spiritual Energy flowing into one's body. Clearly, neither the jade nor the furs were ordinary materials.
Suddenly, Xiao Ming tilted his head slightly and looked towards a light door not far to the right. At this moment, several figures were slowly stepping in.
Many eyes in the hall were discreetly watching as these figures entered.
These individuals were all clad in fiery red robes. The young man at the forefront had a proud expression, with flame runes marked on his forehead.
Following the young man was an ordinary-looking, gaunt old man who always stayed one step behind him. The occasional glint in the old man's eyes was sharp enough to unsettle anyone who caught it.
Clearly, the young man held the highest status among these people.
"These are people from the Fire Spirit Clan," Qing Yanjing seemed to sense Xiao Ming's gaze and raised her eyes to glance at the group.
"The Fire Spirit Clan?" Qing Tan repeated, somewhat puzzled.
"In the Great Thousand World, there are many clans with ancient heritages and powerful foundations, such as the Ice Spirit Clan and the Wood Spirit Clan. They are quite renowned in the Great Thousand World, and each of them has a Heavenly Sovereign who presides over their clan. The Fire Spirit Clan is one of them, known for cultivating the path of flames and their penchant for collecting Divine Flames. It's said that within their clan, there are flames powerful enough to burn a Heavenly Sovereign into nothingness."
'Oh? That's interesting. Could it be that today's auction includes a Divine Flame?'
Xiao Ming's eyes sparkled. They were not aimlessly wandering; they had come to the auction because they had heard reliable information about certain medicinal herbs. However, they had not heard of a Divine Flame being auctioned. This might be because it was reserved as one of the last items to be auctioned, known only to the elite forces.
While Xiao Ming and Qing Yanjing were observing, the gaunt old man next to the haughty young man seemed to sense something. He lifted his head and glanced in their direction, his eyes pausing on Qing Yanjing for a moment before hesitating in his steps.
His subtle movement was noticed by the young man next to him, who also looked in that direction, his haughty gaze fixed on Qing Yanjing.
After a brief scrutiny, the young man merely furrowed his eyebrows and then led his group into one of the few exclusive small pavilions at the front of the auction house.
Once inside the pavilion, the young man narrowed his eyes and said, "Old Yan, the woman's strength seems quite formidable, doesn't it?"
The old man referred to as Old Yan nodded slightly, "She is a severely injured Perfected Earth Sovereign. She likely came here in search of healing medicine and shouldn't pose much of a threat to our objective."
"That's a relief," the young man sighed. "That Divine Flame is essential for my ascension; I don't want any complications…"
...
Following the arrival of the Fire Spirit Clan, numerous representatives from other major powers appeared one after the other, all of whom walked directly into the small pavilions.
Clearly, this auction had drawn many influential figures.
As time passed, the atmosphere in the auction gradually reached its peak.
Finally, a pillar of light shot up from the center of the auction house, and faintly, the sound of the ringing of bells could be heard.
Countless gazes were directed over.
A white-robed elder appeared in the pillar of light. The elder had white hair and a beard with a solemn expression. There wasn't any smile on his face, giving others a stern feeling. Generally speaking, those with such attitudes were unsuitable to host the auction house, yet his appearance sparked widespread discussion.
"It's actually Master Mo Qing who is presiding over this auction. It seems we really did come to the right place this time; he is the Lead Auctioneer Master in Merchant City!"
"It is said that Master Mo Qing has an extraordinary ability to discern treasures. His true form is that of a divine beast with a treasure-seeking bloodline. Any treasure that passes through his hands is immediately discerned for its true value."
"....."
Xiao Ming overheard the whispers around him and looked at the elderly man in the white robe with some surprise.
'A treasure-seeking bloodline, I wonder how it compares to the treasure-seeking talent of the Ancient Void Dragon.'
It should be somewhat inferior, he reasoned. After all, this old man's strength was only at the Sovereign Stage. If he could go around sensing treasures just like the Ancient Void Dragon, why would he be so weak?
Of course, it could also be due to the impurity of his bloodline, but nevertheless, it was more than enough for an auctioneer.