Translator: AnubisTL
"To continue where we left off, after sealing the dragon vein, the great ancestor emperor of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty decided to establish the capital in Xuan Prefecture, choosing this very spot beneath our feet for the Imperial City!"
"..."
After the Immortal Dynasty's fall, numerous storytellers flocked to the Imperial City, frequenting taverns and cultivator gatherings to recount the dynasty's heinous deeds.
They embellished tales of the emperor's sealing of the dragon vein, the dynasty's oppressive taxation, and the atrocities committed by successive tyrannical rulers, spreading these exaggerated accounts far and wide.
Clearly, these storytellers were backed by figures from both the righteous and demonic paths.
History is written by the victors, but Li Qing remained unmoved. He simply strolled through the few surviving streets of the Imperial City with Shen Ningbing.
Former palaces had been transformed into shops selling various spiritual objects.
"The spiritual objects sold on the outskirts are mostly low-grade. Earlier, I saw many foundation establishment realm cultivators flying toward those structures suspended in the air. Why don't we go take a look?"
Li Qing tilted his head slightly, his gaze settling on the cluster of palaces floating amidst the clouds.
These cloud-shrouded structures, resembling celestial palaces, radiated an ethereal aura, showing no signs of having endured the ravages of the Great War and the great calamity.
"Mm, no problem," Shen Ningbing nodded. Having traveled far from home, she had long since decided to entrust all decision-making to Li Qing.
If Li Qing said east, she wouldn't even consider going west.
Faced with his junior sister Shen's complete lack of independent thought, Li Qing could only shake his head helplessly. Still, he steered his magic artifact skyward.
Three days later, the auction was held in the grand hall known as the Imperial Sky Pavilion.
Once the residence of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's feng shui masters, the pavilion now saw frequent visits from Taiyi Sect disciples, clearly preparing meticulously for the upcoming auction.
The aerial architecture was undeniably more refined than the Imperial City below. Most of the cultivators passing through were at the foundation establishment realm, with occasional glimpses of core formation realm True Lords soaring overhead, causing many to hastily retreat.
"What?! They're starting the bidding at several hundred spirit stones for this pile of scrap metal? This is highway robbery!"
A furious shout erupted from a lavish pavilion perched atop a cloud.
"Hey, Daoist friend, don't get so worked up," a voice replied. "These items may look worn, but they were all salvaged from the Crown Prince's eastern palace treasury!"
"Of course, the most valuable items have already fallen into the hands of the righteous and demonic paths. But who knows? Perhaps some hidden treasures remain undiscovered."
From a logical perspective, these words seemed perfectly reasonable.
Yet in this world, everyone knew that the last Crown Prince of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty was an utter failure. His aptitude for cultivation was abysmal, his comprehension even worse, and he hadn't mastered a single cultivation technique.
How could such a useless Crown Prince possibly have hidden any valuable treasures in the imperial treasury?
"This is absurd! Only a fool like the Ancient Hua Crown Prince would hoard mundane gold in the treasury!"
"You're mistaken again, Daoist. These Golden Fire Seals may lack spirituality, but their material is exceptionally durable—far beyond ordinary worldly gold and silver."
"So small? Even if they're tough, what good are they? You couldn't even refine a small heart-protecting mirror from them."
"..."
This conversation reached Li Qing's ears. He had been about to leave, but he gradually stopped in his tracks.
Golden Fire Seals?! Lacking spirituality but exceptionally durable!
These words immediately stirred distant memories in his mind.
These were similar to the items he had collected back at the Lingyun Sect. The Golden Fire Seals could be perfectly embedded into the inner walls of the Black Furnace!
"Let's go take a look," Li Qing said, flying toward the magnificent pavilion that stood atop the colorful clouds to his left. Shen Ningbing followed closely behind.
Inside the pavilion, various objects were scattered about—jade ornaments, bronze trinkets, and other miscellaneous items.
Yet all these items shared a common trait: they lacked any trace of spirituality, appearing as if they had been casually brought from the mortal realm.
Only a handful of cultivators, three or four in the foundation establishment realm, were meticulously examining the items, probing with their divine senses in hopes of detecting some hidden resonance.
Alas, the absence of spirituality was absolute; no amount of probing could reveal anything beyond their mundane nature.
"Fellow Daoists," a attendant greeted them, "the treasures in our Hidden Treasures Pavilion were all brought from the Ancient Hua imperial palace—some even from the emperor's private chambers!"
"Would you prefer to browse on your own, or shall I guide you?"
As Li Qing and Shen Ningbing entered, they were immediately greeted by an attendant.
Hearing this, Li Qing calmly replied, "First, take me to see the items brought out from the emperor's private chambers."
Though he was deeply curious about the Golden Fire Seals, Li Qing decided to play the part of an ordinary customer for now.
"Heh heh, Daoist, this way please. If it weren't for my familial connection to a supreme elder of the Taiyi Sect, there's no way I could have gotten these items out of the Imperial Palace."
"So, the prices might be a bit higher than usual. Please forgive me!"
The pavilion manager led Li Qing to a golden display case. The items inside, devoid of any spirituality, were merely trinkets and curiosities.
Like other cultivators, Li Qing meticulously examined each item with his divine sense, carefully selecting and scrutinizing every antique.
The owner of the hidden treasures pavilion, observing this, couldn't help but feel a flicker of disappointment.
Typically, cultivators like this rarely wasted spirit stones on such useless items.
However, to maintain his facade, Li Qing finally picked up a finger-sized jade sword and asked, "How many spirit stones for this little trinket?"
The hidden treasures pavilion owner's eyes lit up at Li Qing's question. "Heh, Daoist friend, each of these items brought out from the emperor's palace costs five hundred spirit stones!"
Li Qing's expression stiffened slightly. He immediately lost any desire to be taken for a fool.
"Daoist friend, don't think it's too expensive! These items were stored alongside the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's imperial jade seal. That seal eventually fell into the hands of the Taiyi Sect, but I'm sure these treasures are of comparable value!"
"Five hundred spirit stones is truly a bargain!"
After some persuasion, Li Qing reluctantly purchased the finger-sized jade sword with a forced smile.
Despite his steady income from the black market, parting with five hundred spirit stones still felt like a painful loss.
Five hundred spirit stones! That was no small sum!
"Ahem, I'll go take a look at the other items," Li Qing said, clearing his throat.
Having secured a sale, the pavilion owner's smile widened instantly, his eyes narrowing like a fox's.
"Fellow Daoist, this way, please."
In the end, Li Qing glanced over several ornate display cases without making another purchase.
No matter how eloquently the shopkeeper tried to persuade him, Li Qing remained unmoved.
The most bizarre item was a consort's collection, where even a handkerchief cost nearly a thousand mid-grade spirit stones!
The reason? The consort had once been the most renowned beauty in the entire Immortal Dynasty.
To be fair, her personal belongings fetched absurdly high prices, yet people still bought them!
Upon learning this, Li Qing's lips twitched uncontrollably as he mentally scoffed.
My worldview is completely shattered!
It seems the market for "original flavor" exists in every world!
Li Qing had no such vulgar tastes, especially with Junior Sister Shen at his side. He couldn't risk tarnishing his image as a senior brother!
Finally, Li Qing stopped before the display case for the crown prince's eastern palace.
His attention was instantly drawn to the four Golden Fire Seals lying quietly within.
The four golden seals gleamed brilliantly, their radiance utterly captivating.
Indeed, these were the same type of Golden Fire Seals he had obtained from the Lingyun Sect!
He was certain that these seals would fit into the corresponding slots on the inner wall of the Black Furnace.
"What are these things?" Li Qing asked, feigning curiosity. "Mortal gold shouldn't be this hard."
The shopkeeper of the hidden treasures pavilion chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, you're putting me in a difficult position. If I knew, I wouldn't be displaying them here."
"However, this material is exceptionally hard—far surpassing many spiritual materials used in artifact refinement!"
Hearing this, Li Qing shook his head. "Mere hardness is useless. Without spirituality, it can't be refined into a magic artifact."
"Fine, I'll buy them to see if I can melt them into a heart-protecting plate. How many spirit stones for these?"
"One hundred spirit stones each. Four hundred spirit stones total!"
Four hundred spirit stones wasn't too steep.
Having already wasted five hundred spirit stones on useless items, spending another four hundred on something he actually needed was hardly a loss.
Let's just consider it 900 spirit stones for these four Golden Fire Seals, with a finger-sized jade sword thrown in as a bonus!
Next, Li Qing produced four mid-grade spirit stones and smoothly secured the Golden Fire Seals into his robe.
Though he didn't know what effect these seals would have when embedded in the Black Furnace, Li Qing felt compelled to do it, likely driven by his obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
Beside him, Shen Ningbing spent several hundred spirit stones on a silver hairpin. It was remarkably delicate, adorned with a crescent moon motif.
"By the way, fellow cultivator," Li Qing asked with a smile, "where can I find core formation spiritual materials like Heavenly Fire Treasure Nectar and Azure Jade Spirit Water?"
The shopkeeper of the Hidden Treasures Pavilion replied casually, "I heard the auction might feature yin-yang spirit liquid. As for Heavenly Fire Treasure Nectar and Azure Jade Spirit Water, try the Hall of Rare Treasures."
Hall of Rare Treasures!
Hearing those three words, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing exchanged glances, their next destination now clear.
(End of the Chapter)
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