Chapter 392 - 255: Ascendant Ji Chen, Magical Treasure Embryo (Part 2)
Chapter 392: Chapter 255: Ascendant Ji Chen, Magical Treasure Embryo (Part 2)
SWISH!
The red silk was yanked away!
In that instant, a dazzling beam of purple-gold light shot toward the heavens, as if intending to pierce the very sky above the open-air plaza!
An incomparably sharp aura, one that felt capable of severing all things, erupted outward. Some of the Qi Cultivation Cultivators sitting closer even felt a faint stinging on their skin and subconsciously took several steps back.
There, floating silently above the Jade Plate, was a sword-shaped embryo about three feet long, its entire body a streamlined, purple-gold hue!
It wasn’t a complete Flying Sword. It had no guard, no hilt, and its edge wasn’t even sharpened. It looked more like a piece of Divine Iron that had been crudely shaped into a sword by the forces of Creation itself.
But its material was crystal clear. Inside, countless tiny purple vortexes of wind and flecks of golden starlight seemed to ceaselessly swirl and collide, emitting a deep, pleasant hum.
"This embryo was forged from a fusion of Nine Heavens Purple Gold, Star Sand, and a Wind Howling Beast Horn, cultivated with the very lifeblood of a reclusive Artifact Refining Master! It has already begun to nurture a trace of spirituality, and it possesses both the speed of the wind and the aura-breaking properties of the stars! One need only find a suitable Artifact Refining Master to perform the final refining, imprint the last core runes, and begin the refinement process ahead of time. Then, it will become a Lifebound Treasure of limitless potential!"
Ximen Gu sounded extremely excited, almost shouting himself hoarse as he made the introduction. Every word struck the hearts of all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, but Lin Changheng knew it was just a deliberate sales tactic.
Not that it was an exaggeration.
A Lifebound Treasure! It was one of the most coveted goals for any Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
A Magical Treasure Embryo was itself comparable to a Tier Two Upper Grade Masterpiece Spiritual Artifact!
A good Magical Treasure Embryo was directly tied to one’s future combat strength.
Its value was also extremely high.
Especially since this embryo’s quality was high, and its properties were both rare and powerful!
The entire venue fell into a strange silence, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing and the hum of the sword embryo itself.
The eyes of every Peak of Late Stage Foundation Establishment and even Fake Core Cultivator were fixed on it.
This included the Palace Attire Female Cultivator, the grey-clothed Sword Cultivator, the cultivator in the shadows, and even a few experts who had been concealing their auras. At this moment, they all unleashed their astonishing presences without reservation, their gazes locked onto the sword embryo!
Lin Changheng’s mouth also went dry and his heart pounded. ’If I could refine this into my Lifebound Treasure...’
But he knew just as well that this would be a bloody struggle he couldn’t possibly hope to join!
Ximen Gu scanned the crowd, looking at the eyes gleaming with desire, and announced the starting price with a smile:
"One Magical Treasure Embryo. Starting price—fifty thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones! Each bid must be an increment of no less than five thousand!"
"Sixty thousand!" The moment the words left his mouth, the grey-clothed Sword Cultivator was the first to speak.
"Seventy thousand!" The Palace Attire Female Cultivator followed up coldly, her face like frost.
"Eighty thousand!" The cultivator in the shadows called out a number.
"One hundred thousand!" A Fake Core Elder who had previously concealed his cultivation spoke slowly. His voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly silenced all others, displaying his determination to win and his immense financial might.
The price skyrocketed at a jaw-dropping pace, and the Spirit Stones seemed to become nothing more than cold numbers. Every new bid was met with gasps of shock and sharp intakes of breath.
Lin Changheng took one last look, then silently decided to leave without watching any further.
At that moment, with nearly every cultivator’s attention captured by the astronomical price and the entire venue in a roaring uproar, it was the perfect time to slip away unnoticed.
Lin Changheng had bid multiple times during the auction and already revealed his wealth. He was well aware of the danger of displaying riches. Leaving now was indeed the safer move. At the very least, the most powerful group of Peak of Late Stage Foundation Establishment and Fake Core Cultivators were completely absorbed in the fight for the Magical Treasure Embryo, with no time to spare for anything else.
His figure quietly blended into the shadows of the crowd, many of whom had stood up in their excitement. Like a drop of water in the ocean, he drew no attention as he moved swiftly toward the path leading down the mountain.
However, he hadn’t fooled everyone.
Especially not those who were already watching.
Just as he was leaving, two cultivators in the crowd wearing tiger- and rat-faced masks exchanged a subtle glance and nodded in silent understanding.
Using the commotion of the agitated, roaring crowd as cover, the two slipped away like phantoms. They began tailing Lin Changheng from a short distance, leaving the mountain peak that was still steeped in a fanatical atmosphere.
After leaving the peak, Lin Changheng didn’t immediately soar into the sky on an Escape Light; that would be tantamount to making himself a living target. He first quickened his pace, hurrying along the mountain path while covertly pushing his Divine Sense and Insight Skill to their limits, remaining vigilant of his surroundings.
He had only gone about a mile when he entered a relatively secluded, forested area, and his steps faltered slightly.
The two auras behind him were doing their utmost to stay hidden, but how could they possibly escape his perception, which had been strengthened multiple times over?
One aura was fierce and domineering—a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator!
The other was slightly weaker but still at the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment. Its aura was more slippery and concealed, clearly belonging to someone skilled in tracking.
’So they took the bait after all...’ Lin Changheng sneered inwardly. His expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn’t noticed a thing. He continued forward, but the Magical Power in his body had already begun to circulate quietly, and his Divine Sense spread out behind him like an invisible spiderweb, carefully monitoring the two men.
His two pursuers didn’t seem to be in a rush to attack. They followed at a leisurely pace, clearly looking for a more suitable, secluded spot to make their move.
They wanted to prevent their cooked duck from flying away, or letting another oriole get the prize.
Lin Changheng’s thoughts raced. His opponents were strong, especially the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, who would certainly be a tough foe. ’This will be a good chance to test my own strength,’ he thought.
His gaze swept over the terrain ahead, and a plan quickly formed in his mind. He altered his course slightly, no longer heading toward the Marketplace or other crowded areas, but instead making for a more desolate and densely wooded ravine.
Seeing this, the tiger- and rat-faced cultivators following behind him showed a flicker of delight and cruelty in their eyes.
"Big brother, the kid’s walking right into his own grave!" the rat-faced cultivator sent via voice transmission, his voice high and sharp.
"Hmph, thinks he’s so clever! Stay close, don’t let him pull any tricks! He’s a fat sheep. Taking him down will be enough for us to live comfortably for a good long while!" the tiger-faced cultivator replied with a savage grin.
"It’s his bad luck to fall into the hands of us, the Black and Dark Double Fiend."
The rat-faced cultivator also gave a sinister smile.
Ahead, Lin Changheng’s figure turned a corner into a dead end of the ravine, a place crowded with strange rock formations and exceptionally dense trees, severely obscuring the view.
In the next moment.
"What’s going on?!" the tiger-faced cultivator growled. He realized that the "fat sheep" he had been firmly locked onto with his Divine Sense had vanished.
He had disappeared without a trace, like a soap bubble!
"After him!"
The two instantly accelerated, pouncing into the ravine from the left and right like two arrows loosed from a bow!
However, the instant they charged into the ravine—
The rat-faced cultivator, charging in front, found his vision suddenly blurring!
The original mountain rocks and trees twisted and vanished in an instant, replaced by a boundless expanse of pink mist that exuded a strange, sweet fragrance.
An alluring, illusory figure in revealing clothes flickered in and out of sight within the mist, its seductive whispers causing his blood to boil as it coiled toward him. An indescribable heat rose from his lower abdomen, instantly overwhelming his mind!
Hallucinogenic Technique: Ascension!
"Ugh... beautiful... I..."
The rat-faced cultivator’s forward momentum came to a sudden halt. A besotted smile appeared on his face, his eyes instantly turning vacant and dazed. He had already sunk into the blissful Illusion Realm that Lin Changheng had woven for him, his body riddled with openings!
"Watch out! It’s an Illusion Skill!" The tiger-faced cultivator’s cultivation was higher and his Divine Sense more formidable, after all. Although he was slightly affected, he immediately realized something was wrong and roared a warning!
But it was too late!
At the very same instant the rat-faced cultivator’s mind faltered and he froze in place—
TSK!
A streak of red light, so faint it was almost invisible, shot out from behind a strange rock as if its trajectory had been calculated long ago!
It was faster than the speed of thought!