Chapter 391 - 255: Ascendant Ji Chen, Magical Treasure Embryo
Chapter 391: Chapter 255: Ascendant Ji Chen, Magical Treasure Embryo
However, the next item up for auction made even someone as knowledgeable and composed as Lin Changheng stare wide-eyed, his breath catching in his throat!
Ximen Gu didn’t immediately present the treasure. Instead, flanked by two Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he had two maids work together to bring up a square container half a man’s height, fashioned entirely from Cold Jade!
The container’s surface was covered in a dense layer of Sealing Talismans. Wisps of white, cold mist continuously seeped out, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet. The edge of the stone platform even instantly frosted over.
Such a spectacle instantly drew the eyes of every Cultivator present. Even the Fake Core and Peak of Late Stage Foundation Establishment experts in the inner circle opened their eyes, their expressions showing interest.
Ximen Gu’s expression was solemn. He took a deep breath and carefully peeled away the Sealing Talismans, one layer at a time.
As the last Talisman was peeled away, the contents of the Cold Jade container were finally revealed to all—
It was not a Spiritual Artifact or an Elixir, but a section of withered wood, about a foot long, scorched completely black, as if it had been struck by Celestial Thunder countless times!
And yet, upon this seemingly lifeless, scorched wood, three tiny, delicate leaves grew with stubborn tenacity. They were a vibrant, tender green, as translucent and exquisite as if carved from jade!
Upon the leaves, countless silver arcs of electricity, finer than a strand of hair, could be seen constantly slithering, appearing and vanishing. They emanated a vast, heart-stopping aura—a bizarre coexistence of destruction and life!
"Thunderstruck Wood!"
"And by the looks of it, it’s quite old..."
’Its effects must be far superior to that stalk of Thunderstruck Grass I obtained before.’
Lin Changheng was tempted, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
It wasn’t just that the starting price was thirty thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, with minimum bid increments of five hundred, but more importantly, the Fake Core Cultivators had joined the fray.
The Fake Core Master in the black Daoist Robe, whose withered face betrayed no hint of his age, was the first to speak.
Then, a Cultivator wearing a wide cloak and shrouded in a blurry shadow immediately followed suit, joining the contest.
The other Fake Core and Peak of Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators competed for a short while before withdrawing one by one. Clearly, they had only intended to make a tentative bid and were not determined to win it at any cost.
Evidently, for those who had a specific need for it, the item was incredibly precious and worth fighting tooth and nail for. But for ordinary Cultivators, it lost its appeal once the price became inflated.
...
In the end, the item went to the Fake Core Master in the black Daoist Robe, selling for the high price of over sixty thousand Spirit Stones.
At the same time, Lin Changheng discreetly swept his Divine Sense through the area, eavesdropping on the private-message whispers of a few Cultivators.
That’s how he learned that the Fake Core Cultivator in the black Daoist Robe was called Ascendant Ji Chen. He was also a Loose Cultivator, said to have come from the Jin Country, which bordered the Southern Border of Song.
According to the rumors, he had originally joined a small Sect in the Jin Country to pursue his Cultivation in peace.
But then, the Cloud Sect—a power in the Jin Country with status and strength comparable to the Purple Extreme Sect—destroyed that small Sect overnight in order to seize its sect-guarding Treasure.
They laid down a Grand Array and attacked with their full might, leaving no one alive and turning the ground into rivers of blood.
But Ascendant Ji Chen, who was only at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment at the time, was away on some matter and thus escaped the slaughter.
After learning the terrible news, Ascendant Ji Chen investigated and identified the perpetrators. He didn’t dare return to his Sect’s former grounds, but unable to forget his master’s kindness and the deep bonds with his martial siblings, he devoted himself to desperate Cultivation.
After countless hardships, he finally attained the Fake Core realm.
And then, his hunt began.
Needless to say, Ascendant Ji Chen’s mind had become twisted, and he began to specifically target disciples of the Cloud Sect.
He would behead and dismember the men. As for the female disciples, he would violate them before killing them.
Initially, he succeeded time and again, causing panic and instability within the Cloud Sect.
Still, the Cloud Sect took no major action.
It was only after he had been on a rampage for half a year, when even a Foundation Establishment Female Cultivator fell victim to him, that the Cloud Sect finally began to take the matter seriously.
They even went so far as to request a True Core Master to intervene. After laying a trap, they finally managed to corner him in the middle of one of his wicked acts.
But Ascendant Ji Chen possessed some kind of powerful technique and, against all odds, managed to escape from the jaws of death.
Though gravely wounded, he still managed to get away.
His flight took him out of the Jin Country and into the Song Territory.
It wasn’t until much later that his identity was pieced together by a Cultivator who had once traveled in the Jin Country.
And so, the news spread like wildfire.
But Ascendant Ji Chen hasn’t caused any major trouble in the Song Territory, so he has been allowed to stay, live, and continue his Cultivation, essentially being accepted by the local powers.
Meanwhile, the Cloud Sect in the Jin Country was seething with hatred, yet they dared not cross the border after him.
Now, Ascendant Ji Chen has a fearsome reputation, and almost no one in the Song Territory dares to provoke him.
...
Following that, several more precious items were brought out.
For instance, there were several rare Tier Three Spiritual Materials and Spirit Grasses.
The grand finale, shockingly, was a Magical Treasure Embryo!
"A Magical Treasure Embryo!"
Those three words seemed to possess a magic of their own, instantly causing the already fervent atmosphere of the auction to utterly explode!
Even the Palace Attire Female Cultivator who had won the Fire-spreading Pill earlier snapped her eyes open, a sharp glint flashing within them.
Ximen Gu deliberately raised his voice, a hint of hoarseness creeping in as he enunciated each word: "And now, for the grand finale of this auction—a Magical Treasure Embryo!"
Before his voice had even faded, two Cultivators in black robes with unfathomably deep auras flanked a maid as she walked onto the stone platform, a Jade Plate in her hands. The plate was covered by a thick layer of red silk, but even that could not completely contain the astonishing Spiritual Pressure and piercing aura of sharpness emanating from the object beneath!