In the Liuyun Mountain Range, Liu Hongye and Du Huating stood in mid-air, gazing toward the distant battlefield where a colossal warship cut through enemy lines like a blade through silk. Their eyes met, and both revealed a wry smile.
They had originally assumed that even if the Song Clan slew the great demon, they would surely suffer heavy losses. Offering such generous payment for the Song Clan's aid, they had harbored hopes of further depleting its strength.
What they had not expected was that the Song Clan had hidden such depths, producing a quasi-heavenly warship.
Its devastating firepower was enough to make even Liu Hongye, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, feel a chill in his heart.
"The Song Clan's heritage is truly unfathomable," Liu Hongye murmured. He realized he would have to reassess the relationship between his sect and the Songs.
Though they had been on the defensive for the whole battle, their losses were no less than the Song Clan's. For Wuling Sect, the former young clan head of the Qiu family, Qiu Wenwu, who had only recently broken through to Foundation Establishment, had fallen in battle. Li Siyang and Li Tiancheng were gravely injured.
More than a hundred sect members had perished.
The Liuyun Sect's losses were even greater.
Their protective sect formation had been inherited from the Liuyun Market's original third-rank, low-grade array, but their formation masters lacked the skill to fully control it. During the battle, it had nearly been broken through.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators had fallen, and more than three hundred disciples were dead or injured.
Yet those two Foundation cultivators had both belonged to Grand Elder Xia Ai's faction; none of the Liu family's three Foundation Establishment cultivators had been harmed.
Taking advantage of this, Liu Hongye reclaimed most of the sect's authority. Grand Elder Xia Ai was effectively sidelined. While the sect had suffered heavy losses, Liu Hongye emerged as the biggest victor.
The implications were… thought-provoking.
But in the end, winners and losers write the tale, and truth often mattered less than results.
Du Huating's expression was no better. Chang Wudao had been in seclusion for years, and no one knew how far his cultivation had progressed.
If Song Xianming were to break through first to the Purple Mansion realm backed by a quasi-heavenly warship and the ruthless Song Changsheng, then Wuling Sect would be in grave danger.
Du Huating knew he could not sit idly by. His mind turned rapidly, and he resolved to find an ally for his sect…
In just a few days, the Silver Moon Demon Wolves of the Liuyun Mountain Range suffered a devastating blow. When Xia Yunxue and the others returned in triumph, they brought back a staggering haul.
Not only had they recovered resources worth 150,000 spirit stones, but they had also seized vast quantities of beast materials, valued at no less than 200,000 spirit stones in total. The Song Clan no longer needed to worry about cultivation resources for years to come.
By contrast, Wuling Sect and Liuyun Sect, the two "brothers in misery," would have to tighten their belts to recover.
As the old saying went: One unit taken from the enemy is worth twenty of your own.
The Song Clan was undoubtedly the biggest winner of this battle!
At the same time, with Song Changsheng deliberately fanning the flames, news of the Song Clan's slaying of the great demon and annihilation of the Silver Moon Wolves spread rapidly across the surrounding provinces.
The Song Clan's name became famous overnight.
Defeating a Purple Mansion cultivator was one thing; killing one was another entirely.
What's more, the Silver Moon Wolf had awakened a divine ability, making its strength far surpass that of an ordinary third-rank, low-grade great demon.
Such an achievement was rare across the entire southwest, placing the Song Clan in the sight of every major Purple Mansion power for the first time in a century.
Song Changsheng's goal wasn't just to bring fame to the clan; he immediately followed up with the announcement that the Song Clan would be hosting an auction…
Bianzhou had once been a land of prosperity; after all, it had sustained the massive city of Luoxia.
In addition to Luoxia City, there had been seven Foundation Establishment powers and dozens of Qi Refining families. But due to the ravages of the Silver Moon Wolves, five of the seven Foundation Establishment powers had been wiped out. The Qi Refining families had fared even worse; fewer than one in ten survived.
The human forces of Bianzhou had suffered catastrophic losses.
When the news of the Song Clan slaying the great demon reached Bianzhou, the surviving cultivators, those who had escaped the wolves' fangs, were first struck by disbelief, and then by grief.
This battle had broken them.
Yet, no matter the sorrow, life had to go on.
Some chose to start anew, gritting their teeth to protect their ancestral legacies.
But more fell to the life of wandering rogue cultivators, as powerful independents seized their former spiritual mountains and veins.
For cultivators, the importance of a spiritual vein could not be overstated. Without one, they could only rely on spirit stones for cultivation.
Even those with some savings would eventually exhaust their resources if they lived off them alone.
Thus, every capable cultivator sought to claim a spiritual vein as a foundation for survival.
But spiritual veins were limited, and in Bianzhou, the remaining ones were either occupied by powerful rogues, destroyed, or taken by the two surviving Foundation Establishment powers.
To claim a vein, one would have to fight for it, and if you could seize it from someone, someone else could seize it from you. In the lawless Bianzhou of today, nothing was secure.
It was in the midst of this uncertainty that the news reached Bianzhou
The Song Clan would be hosting an auction…
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, what do you make of the Song Clan's auction?"
On a picturesque spiritual mountain, an elderly man with an immortal bearing held a piece of beast-hide parchment in his hand, speaking to the middle-aged man brewing tea across from him.
The middle-aged man was carefully adding tea leaves like pine needles into a kettle of boiling spiritual water on the brazier before him. Watching the leaves swirl and rise in the water, he finally looked up and replied, "Oh? Now that's interesting. With the Song Clan's centuries of heritage, they're bound to have some fine treasures."
The old man smiled. "The Song Clan's move this time is certainly no small matter. According to the information released, there will be a large number of first- and second-rank spiritual veins put up for public auction.
Aside from that, there will also be cultivation methods, secret techniques, multi-discipline inheritances, pills, talismans, and even spirit tools and third-rank spiritual items."
The middle-aged man's eyebrows rose in surprise. Leaving aside the third-rank items for the moment, even second-rank spiritual veins and spirit tools, these were not things one casually put up for sale. Was the Song Clan insane?
But a moment later, he understood their intent and chuckled. "The Song Clan is willing to stake everything. Given Bianzhou's current state, there will surely be many eager to relocate to Lingzhou.
After all, the last battle proved the Song Clan's strength; becoming their vassal is far better than staying in Bianzhou."
"So you see it too, Fellow Daoist Zhang. Would you be interested in accompanying me?" the old man asked, stroking his white beard with a genial smile.
"Could it be, Fellow Daoist Qi, that you've set your eyes on a spirit tool? Forgive my frankness, but such treasures are rare. If the Song Clan offers one or two for auction, that will already be a lot.
When that happens, there will be no shortage of cultivators drawn there. With your current wealth, I fear you may not be able to compete," the middle-aged man replied bluntly.
The elder shook his head with a laugh. "I'm well aware of that. But aside from the spirit tools, there will be plenty of other treasures worth bidding for."
As he spoke, he handed the beast-hide parchment over.
The middle-aged man took it with some skepticism, finding it to be a list of some auction lots. Spirit tools were listed first, but without specifying quantity.
Next came the pelts, teeth, and claws of great demons, all worth a fortune.
Then there were spiritual veins, magic tools, pills, and inheritances, most of which failed to pique his interest until his eyes fell upon the last few lines. He could not help exclaiming: "A second-rank high-grade Sword Pellet? An Ascension Dragon Pill?"
"That's right, Fellow Daoist Zhang. I've been stuck at mid-Foundation Establishment for fifteen years. I thought I'd never break through in this lifetime, but the Ascension Dragon Pill gives me hope. No matter what, I must win one.
And I know you own a Sword Pellet, but it's only second-rank low-grade, far beneath your current strength. If you replaced it with this second-rank high-grade Sword Pellet, your power would surely reach a whole new level!"
At that, the middle-aged man's eyes lit with interest. He promptly accepted the elder's invitation. "Very well, one month from now, I'll attend the auction with you."
Similar scenes were unfolding across many places, with countless people eagerly anticipating the event, some for spirit tools, some for great demon hides, and others for cultivation methods or inheritances. The reasons were as varied as the bidders themselves.
Ever since Song Xianyun awoke, Song Changsheng's burdens had lessened. Passing all the minor administrative work to him, Song Changsheng began secluding himself to refine a Sword Pellet.
Meanwhile, Xia Yunxue kept busy leading preparations for the auction.
This auction was part of Song Changsheng's plan to further spread the Song Clan's name; only by building their reputation could they one day reopen the market.
Without people, building a market would be nothing but a joke.
The auction house was situated three hundred li outside Cangmang Peak, on the banks of the Luo River, built atop one second-rank and several first-rank spiritual veins. In just over ten days, buildings rose one after another.
Though far smaller in scale than the former Liuyun Market, it was complete in all essentials despite its size.
At the center stood the governor's office, with four broad main streets extending outward in a cross-shaped pattern. Along the streets were a few shops, inns, eateries, and taverns.
Next to the governor's office, they built a towering nine-zhang-high hall covering over ten thousand square meters, the future venue of the auction. A plaque reading "Song Clan Auction" already hung above its entrance.
Song Lutong, a man built like a bear, stood on the newly paved stone street, watching the bustling workers all around with a puzzled frown. "Weren't we just holding an auction? What's the point of building all this? Seems like a waste of time."
Beside him, Song Changan replied, "Some of these shops will be run directly by the clan, while others will be rented out to powers like the Wang family or the Liuyun Sect for rent income.
What you see now is just the beginning; it will continue to expand, eventually forming a market even larger than the Liuyun Mountain Range."
Song Lutong eyed him doubtfully. "Can we pull this off ourselves?"
"That's why the young clan leader is holding this auction first," Song Changan said evenly.
"Tch, don't get me started on that auction; it makes my blood boil. Selling great demon hides and Ascension Dragon Pills is one thing, but even putting three spirit tools up for bid? I, his uncle, only have one!"
Just thinking about it filled Song Lutong with resentment. Putting such treasures up for sale was, to him, nothing but throwing away the family fortune.
Seeing his displeasure, Song Changan smiled faintly. "Rest assured, Uncle, good things don't flow to outsiders."
Without another word, he turned and headed toward the Governor's Office.
"What's that supposed to mean? He didn't even explain himself," Song Lutong muttered, his brows furrowing into deep creases. When it came to matters like this, his intelligence was perilously close to zero, so he completely failed to catch the implication in Song Changan's words.
"No, I need to go and ask him what's really on his mind." With that, he mounted his sword and flew toward Cangmang Peak.
At that moment, Song Changsheng had just successfully refined a second-rank high-grade Sword Pellet. He had intended to refine a few more, but the materials for such an item were rare, and the clan's treasury held very little stock, so he could only set the idea aside for now. Bringing Song Qingxi with him, he headed toward Spirit Herb Mountain, just outside Cangmang Peak.
Around Cangmang Peak lay three spiritual mountains arranged in the shape of the character "pǐn": Spirit Herb Mountain, Spirit Embroidery Mountain, and Jade Bamboo Mountain. Each stood a thousand zhang high and held a second-rank spiritual vein, with spiritual energy so dense it was almost tangible.
Spirit Embroidery Mountain was home to vast mulberry fields for raising spiritual silkworms. The silk they spun was used to weave array flags and magic robes, and this had long been one of the Song Clan's pillar industries.
Jade Bamboo Mountain boasted great groves of spiritual bamboo, an excellent material for refining magical tools. Its bamboo shoots, rich in spiritual energy, were a rare delicacy that aided cultivation when eaten regularly.
Spirit Herb Mountain, on the other hand, had extensive spirit fields planted with large quantities of first- and second-rank spirit herbs, making it the clan's largest medicinal planting site apart from the second-rank wood spiritual vein of the Chiyun Iron Mine.
This time, Song Changsheng's purpose was to plant a medicinal herb.
Previously, when he had helped Peng Siying gamble on spirit stones, he had acquired a third-rank low-grade Phoenix Blood Grass and an Iris Flower.
He had already planted the Iris Flower in the medicine garden atop Cangmang Peak, where all third-rank or rare spirit plants were cultivated.
The Phoenix Blood Grass, however, he had no intention of planting there.
Phoenix Blood Grass spread rapidly and needed a large, open spirit field for cultivation, something the peak of Cangmang Mountain lacked.
"This spot will do." Song Changsheng selected an area and handed the Phoenix Blood Grass kept safe in a jade box to Song Qingxi.
The young girl had a natural talent for herb cultivation and was already a second-rank low-grade spirit farmer. Transplanting a single medicinal plant was no challenge for her.
She carefully opened the box, gently set the Phoenix Blood Grass into a pre-dug hole, covered it with soil, and then brought out a variety of bottles and jars. After tending to it for the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, she wiped the sweat from her brow and said, "It's done. From now on, it just needs to be watered with spiritual liquid once a day."
"Good. I'll leave it in your care. Once this Phoenix Blood Grass begins to spread, the clan's members will see their physiques take a great leap forward."
Looking at the Phoenix Blood Grass swaying gently in the wind, Song Changsheng smiled in genuine satisfaction. As a plant that strengthened the body, its value was beyond question.
The benefits of a powerful physique were countless, not just in combat, but also in increasing the chances of success when breaking through cultivation realms.
The disciples of great sects all chose a suitable body-refinement method to temper themselves.
But such practices came at a high cost, something small factions could hardly afford. Now, with Phoenix Blood Grass, they had at least taken the first step.
Just as the two were preparing to leave, Song Lutong arrived at Spirit Herb Mountain on his sword, his face full of indignation.
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