Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-495

In the auction house, the auction was still proceeding.

"One million!" Reverend Tianchi shouted, becoming the first to break the one million threshold, his plump face tinged with murderous intent. It was clear that he had his heart set on getting this Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill.

"1.1 million," Leng Yuebing shouted.

That Fan Liu from the Fan Clan was the first to shake his head and give up. Merchants prioritized profit, and at this price, even if they got it, there would be no profit to speak of.

That Cao Shuang of the Cao Clan shouted a bid of 1.15 million, but it appeared that this price was already his limit. After that, the only people bidding for the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill would be the people who actually needed it.

"1.2 million." Old Fourth Liu, who had been holding back this entire time, finally revealed his "fangs".

"1.3 million," the Manzu young master smugly said.

Reverend Tianchi grunted, "I knew that this Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill wouldn't be easy to get, but I didn't expect it to be this hard. Ah, fine, if it goes past 1.5 million, this old man will give up… 1.4 million."

Leng Yuebing pursed her lips in a smile. "A divine medicine like the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill has a value according to the person. When it goes up for auction, it has always been the craziest person that gets it, not the one with the most money. If you need it enough, there is no price too high."

She raised five fingers, bringing the price for the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill to 1.5 million.

Just as Leng Yuebing had said, this medicine had a unique function, so it was difficult to value. In a poorer area, it might fetch a price of two to three hundred thousand, but in a big city, after several rounds of furious bidding, it might end up costing several million. It was a test to see who was willing to go bankrupt for the sake of the charge at Celestial Heart.

There were many people present who had more money than Leng Yuebing, but few who were willing to pay so much for a single pill.

This was exactly why Leng Yuebing was displaying a resolve to fight to the end with all contenders, no matter who they were.

This was also a kind of bidding strategy, using an intimidating pressure to make others give up.

In comparison, Old Fourth Liu was very simple. He didn't have any sort of impressive aura, and everyone noticed that he basically said only one sentence each time, but the price he shouted still instilled despair: "1.8 million."

He had increased the price by three hundred thousand.

At this price, that Manzu young master sat up and stared at Old Fourth Liu in shock.

Leng Yuebing also looked in disbelief at him.

The Manzu young master slapped his chair and said, "I'll add…"

But before he could state a price, the steward behind him bent down and said, "Young Master, we don't have enough money."

"What?" The Manzu young master was stunned. "How? I brought more than three million with me this time."

The steward replied, "You already bought a lot of things. There is currently…"

"Bastard thing, you should've told me earlier!" The Manzu young master was furious and thrust out an elbow.

The steward was ready for this, lightly dodging to the side and pulling over a servant.

This elbow struck the servant, who was a burly man around two meters tall. The strike instantly caused the servant to collapse, throwing up blood as he fell unconscious. Someone dragged this servant away as a new one came in to replace him, also a muscular and burly man, everything going so smoothly that it seemed as if this had been done many times before. However, the steward quietly muttered, "The young master's temper has been rather bad lately, and we're running out of servants. We'll have to find some more…"

The Manzu young master had withdrawn.

Only Leng Yuebing was left, viciously glaring at Old Fourth Liu.

If looks could kill, Old Fourth Liu would have been dead a thousand times over.

The presenter had already prompted twice for any additional bids.

Just when the third call for 1.8 million was about to seal the deal, Leng Yuebing clenched her teeth and bid 1.9 million.

Alas, the price barely had time to travel through the pavilion before Old Fourth Liu shouted, "Two million."

The auction house was instantly in an uproar.

Two million!

This Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill had truly reached an astronomical price.

It wasn't like spirit coins dropped from trees. Two million had never been a small sum.

Using two million to buy a medicine that could support the charge to Celestial Heart, and only improved one's chances by 20%, was a sign of such extravagance that the crowd could not help but sigh in praise.

To put it more bluntly: a Celestial Heart probably wasn't worth that much.

But Leng Yubeing still didn't plan on giving up.

She was a peak Spirit Master and had been stuck at the brink of Celestial Heart for a long time.

Everything else was ready, and all that was needed was the eastern wind. And the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill was this eastern wind.

No matter what, she couldn't miss out on this chance at a Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill. After all, she didn't know when the next one would appear.

Gritting her silver teeth, Leng Yuebing shouted, "I'll bid 2.1 million! Sir, I don't know where you come from, but this Yuebing truly admires your daring. If you are willing to yield, Leng Yuebing will be forever grateful!"

It wasn't allowed to ask your opponent to give up at an auction, and Leng Yuebing had broken this rule, but this woman was famous enough, and the price had already rocketed up to an absurd level. Crucially, this grand occasion wasn't for the sake of money, so nobody stopped her.

Old Fourth Liu simply said, "2.5 million. I don't need your gratitude, only this pill."

He had raised the price by four hundred thousand in one go.

Leng Yuebing was crazy to get the pill, but Tang Jie had money and nowhere to spend it.

He had stolen so much money, and it wasn't doing any good just sitting there. He finally had a chance to use it all, so he naturally didn't care about saving some. In any case, if he kept it, he still wouldn't be able to spend it.

If it couldn't be used anywhere, it was no different from trash!

This was exactly why this auction was more like a crazy woman who was desperate to get something and an idiot who was desperate to bankrupt himself.

The idiot had won!

When she saw Old Fourth Liu not even crease a brow as he made his bid, Leng Yuebing completely gave up.

She weakly fell onto her chair, glaring at Old Fourth Liu as her chest heaved up and down, revealing her voluptuous figure.

After three calls on the price had been made, the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill was finally sold for 2.5 million.

This was the highest price an item had ever gone for at this auction.

Although the medicinal effect of the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill was very powerful, 2.5 million was still a price that left everyone dizzy.

Someone grumbled, "Crazy, insane! If this guy wants a Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill so badly, I'll introduce him to a place! That same price could get him two of them."

As everyone else shook their heads, Old Fourth Liu, still trembling, completed his mission.

Nobody knew just how nervous he had been throughout the bidding process.

This wasn't a problem of money, but of attention.

Every bid drew countless eyes to him, the gazes of Godhead Palace probably among them.

Tang Jie had been right. After this auction, he would no longer be able to stay in Nadir Hill. He had attracted far too many eyeballs.

But at least he had completed Tang Jie's mission.

Just when the dust had settled, a voice drilled into his ear, "Immediately pay and get the pill."

Tang Jie?

Old Fourth Liu looked at Tang Jie in shock.

Wasn't that just a clone? How could it have the ability to transmit his voice?

"Don't go gawking. There's not much time." Tang Jie's voice was brimming with urgency.

Old Fourth Liu took in a deep breath and began to walk toward the back of the auction hall.

"He won the auction. Should we strike?" a Hawk asked.

Nan Ningjiang looked at Old Fourth Liu, confusion in his eyes. He muttered, "Something isn't quite right."

"What is it?" Everyone else was puzzled.

Nan Ningjiang silently stared at Old Fourth Liu for a while before finally saying, "Have Hall Master Li execute the plan and have the two elders strike and seize the target!"

The fifth brother's mouth began to move as he transmitted Nan Ningjiang's orders.

On the other end, Old Fourth Liu was handing over the money and taking the pill.

Taking the pill was simple. Old Fourth Liu received the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill and inspected it. After confirming that it was the real deal, he stowed it away.

Handing over the money was more problematic.

2.5 million was 2,500 spirit jades.

All of these spirit jades being taken out of a Mustard Seed Bag and piled up on the stage was a dazzling sight. At least two maidservants had to come out and help with taking out and counting the money. There were also two maidservants who clung around Old Fourth Liu, apparently taken with this "rich man".

Meanwhile, outside Celestial Flower Pavilion.

He Yueyang and Li Song had received the order.

They had been waiting at the location of Tang Jie's real body for some time, ready to seize him at a moment's notice.

The moment they received the order, they roared, their bodies blurring as they charged into the room. He Yueyang waved his hand, a giant hand manifesting and grabbing at Tang Jie. This was the Demon-Restraining Hand that he was most proud of, a spell art that specialized in capture and restraint. Even Heart Demon cultivators would find it hard to escape. At the same time, Li Song thrust out a finger, which spewed out a ghostly and sinister fog. Yet this sinister finger technique had a very pleasant name: the Incense-Lighting Finger. The power of the Incense-Lighting Finger penetrated into one's marrow, lingering there forever, so it was ideal for pursuit.

One specialized in capture and the other specialized in pursuit. From this, one could see that they weren't looking down on Tang Jie because of his cultivation level, instead using all their power to capture him. This was something that Nan Ningjiang had specifically ordered.

With two Heart Demon True Persons taking action, this should have been a sure thing.

At this time, Tang Jie had barely raised his head, his face full of shock as he looked at the two Heart Demon True Persons. It seemed like he had yet to come to his senses.

A moment later, the Demon-Restraining Hand seized Tang Jie, and there was a poof as Tang Jie's body shattered, dissolving into smoke. As for the Incense-Lighting Finger, it completely missed, vanishing into the smoke.

The two True Persons, seething with murderous intent, were struck dumb.

"This is… an illusion!" He Yueyang shrieked.

"An illusion!" In Room 1, the fifth Hawk also shouted.

"That's impossible!" Nan Ningjiang shouted. "We've already used your spirit detection secret art on that area. An illusion can't appear in that secret art. It doesn't have enough spiritual energy!"

"Look at the map!" Third Sister Zhou Fanghua pointed.

On the map, that dot representing Tang Jie's real body was fading away.

"It's a spirit link art," the third sister shouted. "It can leave behind a spirit link mark that can feign as the real body. It's a spell art that specifically counters spirit detection!"

Zhou Fanghua's voice clearly rose to a higher pitch as she spoke.

Nan Ningjiang took in a cold breath. "He knows our tracking method…"

Nearby, the hidden Xi Canhen mysteriously smiled.

"What do we do now?" Everyone looked to Nan Ningjiang.

Nan Ningjiang stared ahead, where the auction staff had just about finished counting the money.

Old Fourth Liu had taken the medicine and was finishing up the final procedures.

He was about to leave.

At an auction, it was very common to leave early once one had gotten what one wanted.

"Big Brother!" Everyone's anxious voices resounded in Nan Ningjiang's ears.

His mind trembled, and his scattered consciousness returned to his brain. His eyes brightened as he said, "The spirit link mark can't move, but the Tang Jie we saw before was moving. This means that his real body was in that room before. So how did he leave?"

The fifth Hawk urgently conveyed the question, and a few moments later, he replied, "True Person He says that they were watching the house this entire time, and they didn't sense any ripples of spiritual energy. Tang Jie did not use any sort of spell art to leave."

The third sister suddenly said, "Maybe he doesn't need a spell art."

"'Doesn't need a spell art'?" The fifth Hawk was startled, but he still communicated these words to He Yueyang.

The two Heart Demon True Persons looked at each other, clearly not believing in this theory. Nevertheless, they unleashed powerful energy, almost sweeping up the house as they sent all the objects within it into the air.

When the bed flew up, a dark hole was revealed below it.

The two of them rushed over, and when He Yueyang glanced at the area around the pit, he cursed, "It's a Breath Restraint formation!"

In the private room, the fifth Hawk shouted, "Found it! Tang Jie, that bastard, dug a tunnel and ran off! There was a Breath Restraint formation around the entrance, covering up the spiritual energy."

Everyone gasped.

He truly was cunning, using a simple tunnel instead of a spell art to escape. While primitive, it was practical, and good enough to trick two Heart Demon True Persons.

Nan Ningjiang considered this new development. "He only had a few days, so the tunnel can't be too long, and the Breath Restraint formation also couldn't have extended too far. Immediately search for him and see where he went. We'll keep an eye on Old Fourth Liu. No matter where Tang Jie goes, he has to think of a way to meet up with Old Fourth Liu to take the Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill."

"That's easy!" In the house, He Yueyang shouted, "Open up!"

With a chop of his palm, the house and the earth were cleaved apart, revealing the long tunnel hidden underground.

This Heart Demon True Person didn't even need to enter the tunnel, cleaving open the earth to reveal the entirety of the tunnel. As for the noise and chaos, he didn't care. Immortals might choose to care about mortals while there was no more pressing matter, but when they had things to do, the strong lived and the weak died, and the mindset of sparing those who obeyed and killing those who resisted was fully bared.

The tunnel led to a nearby house, and the two True Persons headed straight over.

At the same time, the fifth Hawk said, "They're giving chase right now. True Person Ming, please seal the area and stop him from escaping!"

"Good!" Nan Ningjiang shouted.

Once the order was given, Ming Yezhen activated his sealing spell art. A large area around him became completely sealed. Unless one had a higher cultivation level than him, one could not use a spell art to leave the area.

At the same time, large numbers of Godhead Palace disciples converged on the sealed area, encircling it.

Nan Ningjiang's face turned vicious as he whispered, "Tang Jie, let us begin this game of cat and mouse."

The Five Energies Sovereign Essence Pill hadn't left the area yet, so Nan Ningjiang was sure that Tang Jie wouldn't leave.

His gaze fell on Old Fourth Liu. Nan Ningjiang began to speculate as to when and where Tang Jie would appear to take the pill from Old Fourth Liu.

Old Fourth Liu was still making his way to the door of Celestial Flower Pavilion.

The Celestial Flower Barrier was in the process of being undone, and a sliver of light peeked through the door.

At that moment, Old Fourth Liu suddenly heard Tang Jie's voice. "When the door opens, don't go out. Stay there for a while, and then wait for my order to go back to the auction to bid on more things."

"Huh?" Old Fourth Liu was startled.

His expression also made Nan Ningjiang confused. As he began to think about it, the fifth Hawk suddenly said, "True Person He has found where the tunnel goes, but the building is empty. However, True Person He found that there seemed to be a lot of people in that building."

"'A lot of people'? What does that mean?" Nan Ningjiang asked.

"A lot of cultivators," the fifth Hawk replied. "They didn't try to hide themselves, so True Person He was able to detect their auras. In addition, there was a dead person found hidden near the tunnel exit. He appeared to be at peak Mortal Shedding."

"Peak Mortal Shedding," the third sister muttered. She suddenly realized something and shouted, "Those twelve people!"

When searching for Tang Jie, they had found 13 points of light in total. Twelve of the peak Mortal Shedding experts were clearly together, and only one was alone. It was exactly because it was alone that the Hawks realized that this was Tang Jie. After all, they didn't think that Tang Jie could find 12 peak Mortal Shedding allies in Nadir Hill. Moreover, to tell the truth, if he were finding allies, he wouldn't have only found peak Mortal Shedding experts. These twelve people were clearly an unrelated group. Because everyone only cared about Tang Jie, they hadn't tried to find out who those people were.

But now, they found that Tang Jie had gone toward those 12 points of light.

Everyone looked at the map and found that those 12 points of light really had moved, going from that building to the side. But as nobody had been paying attention to them before, it was only now that they realized that those 12 points of light were moving in the direction of Celestial Flower Pavilion.

One of them was dead, yet there were still 12 points of light.

Everyone instantly understood.

Tang Jie was among those twelve. He had disguised himself as the dead one and mixed into the group.

But who were those 12 people? And what was Tang Jie thinking?

At the same time, Celestial Flower Pavilion's defensive barrier was released, and the pavilion door opened. Rather than stepping out, Old Fourth Liu moved back into the pavilion, saying that he had changed his mind and wanted to bid on more things.

As the rays of sunlight shone onto the noisy auction crowd, they also shone onto Nan Ningjiang's face.

At that point, he suddenly realized something and shouted, "Not good! They're trying to steal the pill!"

As he spoke, those 12 people in the distance rushed up to the pavilion.

Their leader was a stalwart savage with a red scarf wrapped around his head.

His shout preceded him:

"Hand over the treasure!"

A mighty gale howled toward Celestial Flower Pavilion, blowing into the auction venue and assailing Old Fourth Liu and everyone else inside.

A third party had appeared.