The bidding began, with all the bids coming from the second floor, and the price increasing by a hundred top-grade spirit stones each time.
The starting bid of twelve hundred top-grade spirit stones caused a stir on the first floor. Bao Gu heard many people discussing who would sell such wine. Heavenly Spirit Fruit, Earthly Spirit Fruit, and Primordial Spirit Fruit had long been extinct, and even the major cultivation powers did not possess them, making it impossible to use them for brewing wine. Moreover, this wine was the Monkey Wine, which could only be brewed by spirit monkeys! Various speculations arose. Many cultivators guessed that it must be someone who had stumbled upon an ancient treasure to have obtained this wine.
Those cultivators on the first floor who couldn’t afford the wine had already set their sights on the person who had brought out the Monkey Wine for sale, with many glances being cast towards the private rooms on the second floor. Although it was impossible to see who was in the private rooms on the second floor, one could still glean some clues from the magnitude of their bids.
The price quickly soared to two thousand top-grade spirit stones, with the rate of increase slowing down, now at fifty top-grade spirit stones at a time.
Bao Gu muttered softly, “The cultivation world is really poor.”
Yu Mi gave Bao Gu a sidelong glance, then looked at the Duobao Spirit Monkey sitting on Bao Gu’s shoulder, and said, “Did you really think you could buy out a major cultivation sect with a barrel of Monkey Wine?”
As they spoke, two more bidders dropped out of the competition, leaving only three still bidding. The rate of increase became very slow, and with one more withdrawal, the Monkey Wine would be hammered down.
Suddenly, a voice rang out, “Haha, I hope I’m not too late!” With this loud voice, an old man with wrinkled skin and only a few hairs left, escorted by two disciples dressed in the attire of the Taiyin Sect, stepped into the auction house.
Yu Mi’s expression changed, and she exclaimed, “The Demon Exterminator Ancestor from the Taiyin Sect!”
Following the Demon Exterminator Ancestor, several other late-stage Nascent Soul elders hurried in, apparently having rushed over upon hearing the news of the Supreme Monkey Wine.
Yu Mi said, “Now this will be interesting!”
Bao Gu suddenly saw a few familiar faces entering, one of whom she recognized. It was Elder Fan Tuan from Zhuo Yun Peak, followed by two true disciples who had caused trouble at the Lingyun Main Peak courtyard last time. She exclaimed, “Sister, look, it’s Elder Fan Tuan and the others, including the acting sect leader!”
Yu Mi whispered anxiously, “This is bad! They suspect us!”
Bao Gu felt the same! Such expensive wine, the Xuantian Sect definitely couldn’t afford it. After they entered, they only glanced at the auction stage before looking towards the second floor. Moreover, the Xuantian Sect had just been disturbed by the Duobao Spirit Monkey, and they were already suspected of being connected to the Duobao Spirit Monkey. Now that they had just arrived in Yun City and someone was selling this rare Monkey Wine, it was hard not to think of them. Bao Gu nervously asked, “Sister, will they come up and catch us?”
Yu Mi said, “No! The first rule of the auction house is to absolutely keep the clients’ secrets. If we were to be robbed while selling treasures here, who would dare to come here to sell treasures in the future? Don’t be afraid, we’ll leave through the teleportation formation later.”
During their conversation, the Demon Exterminator Ancestor from the Taiyin Sect bid two thousand seven hundred top-grade spirit stones.
A voice from one of the private rooms on the second floor immediately announced their withdrawal, willing to let the Demon Exterminator Ancestor have the item.
After that, two more withdrew, leaving the previous highest bidder and the Demon Exterminator Ancestor with the highest bids, and they won the Supreme Monkey Wine. The two barrels of Supreme Monkey Wine were auctioned off for two thousand seven hundred and two thousand six hundred top-grade spirit stones respectively.
Bao Gu asked, “Sister, why did so many important figures suddenly show up?”
Yu Mi said, “Naturally, it’s because disciples from various sects went back to report! In the blink of an eye, they can send the message back, and it only takes a few breaths for the big figures to come here through the teleportation formation.”
Bao Gu thoughtfully asked, “Sister, isn’t it too risky for us to sell the wine like this?” The appearance of so many important figures had frightened her.
Yu Mi said, “With our current cultivation levels, keeping the Supreme Monkey Wine is of no use to us. It’s better to exchange it for urgently needed items to advance our cultivation. We are both too weak now and have no powerful backers, which is why we are in this situation. If I were at the Nascent Soul stage, even if I openly took out this wine, they would have to think twice about their actions.”
Without strength, even if one possesses treasures, they cannot be protected. She asked Bao Gu, “Are you scared?”
Bao Gu said, “I’ve never seen such a big scene before, so I’m a bit scared.”
Yu Mi smiled nonchalantly and said, “They’re just here to probe the situation. They haven’t blocked and chased you, so what’s there to be afraid of? Even if they suspect us, without catching us or having evidence, they can only suspect.” She sighed inwardly, thinking, “If Master breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, or if the little aunt successfully transforms, with Master and Uncle protecting us, we wouldn’t have to hide like this.”
The auction of the Supreme Monkey Wine as the finale marked the end of the auction.
The auction house manager delivered the top-grade spirit stones from the sale of the Monkey Wine to Bao Gu.
A total of five thousand three hundred top-grade spirit stones were auctioned off. After deducting two thousand four hundred top-grade spirit stones for the auction fee and two hundred sixty-five for the handling fee, a balance of two thousand six hundred thirty-five top-grade spirit stones remained.
The auction house manager presented two thousand top-grade spirit stones and sixty-three thousand five hundred high-grade spirit stones converted from six hundred thirty-five top-grade spirit stones.
Bao Gu took the storage bag containing the spirit stones from the auction house manager, took out one thousand top-grade spirit stones and half of the high-grade spirit stones, and put them into her own storage bag. She gave the rest, including the storage bag, to Yu Mi.
Yu Mi looked at Bao Gu in surprise and asked, “What’s this?”
Bao Gu said, “For you. I have enough with these!”
The auction house manager watched Bao Gu’s generous act in astonishment for a while before regaining his composure and asked routinely, “Would the two of you like to leave through the teleportation formation? Our teleportation formation is one-way and the route is absolutely confidential, so please rest assured.”
Yu Mi replied, “Then we’ll trouble the manager.”
The auction house manager turned and opened a secret door on the side wall, revealing a small teleportation formation inside. He said, “Please, if the two young friends have rare treasures to sell next time, Jubao Pavilion is willing to auction them for a two percent fee.”
Bao Gu smiled and thanked him, following Yu Mi onto the teleportation formation. The auction house manager tactfully closed the secret door, allowing them to set their own teleportation destination and leave.
Yu Mi said to Bao Gu, “The jade bracelet on your left hand is a concealment artifact. Once activated, it can hide your aura and create a ring of light around you. This ring of light can change color according to the surrounding environment, allowing you to blend in. This jade bracelet is actually a concealment formation, and it needs spirit stones to activate.”
She raised her left hand, showing a jade bracelet almost identical to Bao Gu’s concealment artifact, and said, “The bracelet has a storage space. Just put the spirit stones in it. See this carving? Turn it and align it here to activate.” She demonstrated how to activate it.
Following Yu Mi’s instructions, Bao Gu activated the concealment jade bracelet and saw Yu Mi take out a few mid-grade spirit stones and walk onto the teleportation platform.
Yu Mi said, “Teleportation formations come in different sizes. This kind, which can only teleport five people at a time, is called a teleportation platform and is a small teleportation formation. See these grooves? They are for placing spirit stones, which are needed for activation.” She threw a few mid-grade spirit stones into the grooves, and they quickly transformed into spiritual energy that entered the platform. The array patterns on the platform immediately emitted a dazzling light, enveloping the platform.
Yu Mi said, “See these runes? They are the teleportation coordinates. Input the coordinates where you want to teleport.” As she spoke, she had already input the coordinates. The teleportation formation emitted a powerful force that pierced through the spatial barriers, sending the area covered by the formation’s light into the dark void.
Bao Gu felt a void under her feet and suddenly found herself in darkness, with only faint light from the formation flickering around them. She felt dizzy and a bit unstable, floating in the air. After regaining her balance, she felt a violent shake, followed by bright sunlight shining down, and her feet seemed to touch solid ground. Before she could take in her surroundings, Yu Mi had already pulled her onto a flying sword and soared into the sky. She asked, “Sister, there are soul lamps for us on Lingyun Peak. They can find us through the soul lamps. Is it useful for us to hide?”
Yu Mi said, “Didn’t I tell you that to prevent someone from harming fellow disciples with soul lamps, the soul lamps must be activated by the sect leader, the head of the Punishment Hall, and the peak master together? With Master in seclusion and me, the acting peak master, not there, they are one short and can’t use the soul lamps…”
As she spoke, Yu Mi suddenly felt energy fluctuations behind her and let out a “Hmm?” She turned around and saw two figures rushing up from the forest below, circling around them. One looked to be in his twenties and was at the early stage of the Golden Core. The other appeared to be in his thirties and was at the middle stage of the Golden Core.
Yu Mi flew with the concealment artifact activated, but these two were still able to catch up, probably sensing the fluctuations from her controlling the flying sword. She quietly transmitted a message to Bao Gu, “Silence, they can’t see us.”
Bao Gu wanted to ask who they were and what they were doing, whether they were chasing them from Yun City. However, she knew her cultivation was too weak and she couldn’t transmit thoughts telepathically. If she spoke, they would be immediately exposed.
The middle-aged Golden Core cultivator suddenly smiled in Bao Gu’s direction and said, “Little cultivator, come out. I heard your heartbeat! I, your grandpa, seek wealth but not lives.”
Yu Mi’s flying sword steadied in the air, supporting Bao Gu, while she slowly ascended, chuckling, “I’ve always been the one robbing others. I never thought someone would dare to rob me today! Scram!”
A fierce “Scram” was uttered, and she turned off the concealment jade bracelet on her wrist. Her cold gaze swept over the two men blocking their way like looking at dead people.
The younger man exclaimed, “Wow, so arrogant! I’m so scared!”
The older Golden Core cultivator said, “Leave your storage bag and scram!” He released his power, creating a huge aura, trying to suppress Yu Mi.
Yu Mi coldly said, “Say it again, scram! Otherwise, leave your life behind!”
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