After discussing the destruction of the Huang family of Heshan, the atmosphere in the private room became a bit delicate. The four of them did not bring up any new topics, and there was a lingering silence.

Aside from Gong Shulan, Wei Tu, Huang Ju Zhi, and Blood God Son were all somewhat reclusive by nature, not the chatty type.

"Excessive talking often leads to mistakes."

Wei Tu was content with the silence, as he was the only "imposter" among the four.

...

The next evening.

Gong Shulan stood up and led Wei Tu, Huang Ju Zhi, and Blood God Son to an ancient residence in Changshan County's county town.

"The Yunyan Chamber of Commerce is, after all, a major alliance of righteous sect merchant guilds. To avoid drawing attention, this auction is held in a secluded location, and it adopts the format of a secret market," Gong Shulan explained while leading the way.

"A secret market differs from regular markets. It doesn't accept new customers; only those introduced by familiar customers are allowed to make transactions," Gong Shulan explained thoroughly before the others had a chance to ask questions.

While explaining, Gong Shulan observed Wei Tu’s expression. Seeing that he seemed calm and as though he was already familiar with the auction’s details, she felt assured.

She gave up on the last remnants of her desire for the Nascent Soul corpses and focused on guiding them.

Entering the ancient residence.

Gong Shulan arrived at a corner of the second courtyard and took out a silver token. She embedded it into a groove in the wall.

In the next moment, the wall opened, revealing a narrow passage that was just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"This auction, being a secret market, I wonder… how was Fairy Gong invited to the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce?" Blood God Son suddenly asked.

At this question, Wei Tu also became curious about Gong Shulan’s connections in the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce.

"I was originally from Zheng Kingdom and have old friendships with a few members of the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce," Gong Shulan answered briefly, the tone clearly evasive.

"If there’s an opportunity, I wonder if Fairy Gong could introduce me to them?" Blood God Son was persistent and didn’t take the hint.

"Of course," Gong Shulan responded effortlessly, her face showing no hint of displeasure.

As they continued to chat, the four of them walked into the narrow passage.

Wei Tu intentionally stayed at the back, following behind Huang Ju Zhi, as they entered the passage.

The narrow passage was only a few steps long, and after they passed through, they reached a deep stone staircase.

They descended the stone steps.

Ahead, a stone door appeared.

Gong Shulan, leading the way, took out another golden token and placed it on the stone door.

The stone door didn’t have a groove, but when Gong Shulan inserted the golden token, a burst of colorful light appeared and absorbed the token.

With a loud rumble, the stone door opened, revealing a third-grade teleportation array inside.

"Fairy Gong, I see there is no other cultivator’s aura within this ancient residence. Could it be that this teleportation array is only for the four of us to use?" Wei Tu asked, voicing the confusion in his mind.

Teleportation arrays are expensive, with each one being at least a third-grade array.

Years ago, Wei Tu had seen a third-grade teleportation array at the underground auction of the Jiuyun Chamber of Commerce.

But unlike that time, where the third-grade array was used by multiple people, this one appeared to be for their exclusive use.

Upon hearing this, Huang Ju Zhi and Blood God Son, who were also in the stone corridor, immediately realized the issue. Both of them became more cautious.

"Fairy Gong, could you explain this?" Huang Ju Zhi coldly asked.

The auction of the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce was real, but it didn’t necessarily mean that the place Gong Shulan led them to was where the auction was taking place.

"Senior Wei’s sharp eyes," Gong Shulan noticed their wariness but remained calm. After praising Wei Tu, she explained, "For the sake of secrecy and safety, the auction’s teleportation arrays are set up in eight locations. The place I brought you to is just one of them."

"Coincidentally, we arrived a bit early, so this teleportation array has not yet been activated, and there are no other cultivators’ auras here."

With this explanation, the tense expressions of the three gradually eased.

"If the three of you don’t believe me, you can wait here for a while. Soon, you should see other cultivators arriving."

Gong Shulan smiled and said.

"Then we’ll wait a bit longer; there’s no rush for now," Huang Ju Zhi narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice.

After the discussion about the destruction of the Heshan Huang family, the atmosphere in the private room became somewhat subtle. The four of them did not introduce any new topics, and the silence lingered.

Aside from Gong Shulan, Wei Tu, Huang Ju Zhi, and Blood God Son were all relatively reclusive and not chatty types.

"Excessive words lead to mistakes."

Wei Tu was content with the silence. After all, he was the only "imposter" among the four.

...

About half a day later.

In the evening.

Gong Shulan stood up and led Wei Tu, Huang Ju Zhi, and Blood God Son to an ancient residence in Changshan County's city.

"The Yunyan Chamber of Commerce is, after all, a major alliance of righteous sect merchant guilds. To avoid drawing attention, this auction is held in a secluded location, and it follows the format of a secret market," Gong Shulan explained while leading the way.

"A secret market is different from a normal market transaction. It does not accept new customers, only those introduced by familiar customers are allowed to enter and trade," Gong Shulan explained thoroughly before the others had the chance to ask.

As she explained, Gong Shulan noticed Wei Tu’s expression. Seeing that he was calm, as if he already knew the auction details, she felt assured.

She gave up on her last bit of longing for the Nascent Soul corpses and focused on guiding them.

Entering the ancient residence.

Gong Shulan arrived at a corner of the second courtyard and took out a silver token, placing it into a groove in the wall.

The next moment, the wall opened, revealing a narrow passage, just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"This auction, being a secret market, I wonder… how was Fairy Gong invited to the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce?" Blood God Son suddenly asked.

At this question, Wei Tu also became curious about Gong Shulan’s connections in the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce.

"I was originally from Zheng Kingdom and have old friendships with a few members of the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce," Gong Shulan answered briefly, clearly evasive.

"If there’s an opportunity, I wonder if Fairy Gong could introduce me to them?" Blood God Son was persistent and didn’t take the hint.

"Of course," Gong Shulan responded effortlessly, her face showing no hint of displeasure.

As they continued to chat, the four of them walked into the narrow passage.

Wei Tu intentionally stayed at the back, following behind Huang Ju Zhi, as they entered the passage.

The narrow passage was only a few steps long, and after they passed through, they reached a deep stone staircase.

They descended the stone steps.

Ahead, a stone door appeared.

Gong Shulan, leading the way, took out another golden token and placed it on the stone door.

The stone door didn’t have a groove, but when Gong Shulan inserted the golden token, a burst of colorful light appeared and absorbed the token.

With a loud rumble, the stone door opened, revealing a third-grade teleportation array inside.

"Fairy Gong, I see there is no other cultivator’s aura within this ancient residence. Could it be that this teleportation array is only for the four of us to use?" Wei Tu asked, voicing the confusion in his mind.

Teleportation arrays are expensive, with each one being at least a third-grade array.

Years ago, Wei Tu had seen a third-grade teleportation array at the underground auction of the Jiuyun Chamber of Commerce.

But unlike that time, where the third-grade array was used by multiple people, this one appeared to be for their exclusive use.

Upon hearing this, Huang Ju Zhi and Blood God Son, who were also in the stone corridor, immediately realized the issue. Both of them became more cautious.

"Fairy Gong, could you explain this?" Huang Ju Zhi coldly asked.

The auction of the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce was real, but it didn’t necessarily mean that the place Gong Shulan led them to was where the auction was taking place.

"Senior Xu’s sharp eyes," Gong Shulan noticed their wariness but remained calm. After praising Wei Tu, she explained, "For the sake of secrecy and safety, the auction’s teleportation arrays are set up in eight locations. The place I brought you to is just one of them."

"Coincidentally, we arrived a bit early, so this teleportation array has not yet been activated, and there are no other cultivators’ auras here."

With this explanation, the tense expressions of the three gradually eased.

"If the three of you don’t believe me, you can wait here for a while. Soon, you should see other cultivators arriving."

Gong Shulan smiled and said.

"Then we’ll wait a bit longer; there’s no rush for now," Huang Ju Zhi narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice.

...

After about a half-day wait.

A group of demonic cultivators entered the stone corridor.

These demonic cultivators, like them, were here to attend the high-level auction.

Seeing this, Wei Tu and the others felt reassured and began entering the teleportation array under Gong Shulan’s lead.

The setup of this auction was quite similar to those Wei Tu had attended before. The first floor was a hall, and the second and third floors were private rooms.

The hall was for regular seating, where foundation establishment cultivators attended the auction.

The private rooms were for VIPs, mostly Golden Core cultivators, along with some distinguished foundation establishment cultivators.

When they arrived at the auction.

The four of them split up, following the attendants to their respective private rooms.

"Divine sense isolation, good concealment," Wei Tu scanned the private room and noticed the curtains and walls had been set with formations to block divine sense. His face relaxed slightly.

The cultivators attending this auction included famous Golden Core cultivators from the demonic path, such as the Blood Demon Lord.

The more safety measures in place, the less likely it would be for a robbery after the auction ended.

This time, Wei Tu was especially interested in a few of the auctioned items.

...

One day passed.

The auction officially began. The hall on the first floor and the private rooms on the second and third floors were all fully occupied.

The items at this auction were a bit different from those in righteous domain auctions, as many items were demonic spiritual items.

For example, the Purple River Cart and Soul Refining Banner.

"The righteous and demonic sides have fought for a hundred years, and many demonic spiritual items were seized by the righteous side. The Yunyan Chamber of Commerce bought them from the righteous domain and sold them to the demonic domain, profiting greatly in the process."

Wei Tu was a bit surprised by the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce’s massive profits. He knew that in the righteous domain, these demonic artifacts barely fetched a price—at most half of what items of the same grade would cost.

Soon, the item Wei Tu was interested in appeared: the body refining treasure, the Vajra Fruit.

"This is the Vajra Fruit, a third-grade spiritual fruit. This fruit typically only grows on the remains of advanced body-refining cultivators from the Buddhist or Taoist paths and is also known as the Relic Fruit..."

"This third-grade spiritual fruit was purchased by our Yunyan Chamber of Commerce from the Wanfo Temple in Xiao Kingdom."

"The starting price for this fruit is three thousand five hundred spirit stones, and each bid must be increased by no less than five hundred spirit stones."

The auctioneer, a woman dressed in light clothing, held a jade hammer and spoke excitedly.

"Xiao Kingdom? Wanfo Temple?" Wei Tu was surprised. The Yunyan Chamber of Commerce had a trade route to Xiao Kingdom?

After all, after the demonic invasion of Zheng Kingdom a hundred years ago, borders had been sealed off.

Of course, he knew that the so-called border blockades only applied to low-level cultivators. High-level cultivators and large powers could still pass through freely.

However, what surprised him was that the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce was one of these "large powers."

"It seems that the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce isn’t just supported by the likes of True Monarch Que Yue and True Monarch Song, but perhaps even by the Nascent Soul ancestors from various major sects," Wei Tu narrowed his eyes.

With the Golden Core True Lord’s position in the Immortal Gate, it would be hard to sustain the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce’s operations, especially when conducting trades between the righteous and demonic domains and traveling to the remote Xiao Kingdom to purchase spiritual items.

Compared to a Golden Core True Lord, a Nascent Soul Ancestor is truly detached from the battle between the righteous and demonic paths, rarely engaging in direct combat unless in exceptional circumstances.

For instance, Lady Lan's Taoist partner, Jiuli Shangren, is a Nascent Soul rogue cultivator from Zheng Kingdom… yet Lady Lan is still able to act alongside defectors to the demonic path like Jia Tianlong, entering the Great Void Realm.

"Three thousand spirit stones!"

"Five thousand spirit stones!"

"Seven thousand spirit stones!"

While Wei Tu was deep in thought, many Golden Core cultivators began bidding, fighting for the Vajra Fruit, a third-grade spiritual fruit.

Though Golden Core cultivators who also practice body refining are rare in both the righteous and demonic paths, the rarity of body refining treasures—especially third-grade ones—makes them highly sought after.

"Thirteen thousand spirit stones," Wei Tu tightened his focus and made his bid.

"Thirteen thousand five hundred spirit stones," another Golden Core cultivator contested Wei Tu's bid.

"Seventeen thousand spirit stones."

Wei Tu raised the price, intending to seal the deal and secure the Vajra Fruit.

But just then—

A voice, somewhat weathered, came from a secluded private room in the northwest corner.

"Twenty-seven thousand spirit stones."

The price of the Vajra Fruit was immediately raised by a full ten thousand spirit stones by the cultivator with the weathered voice.

"Twenty-seven thousand spirit stones? Are you crazy? That's an outrageous price!" The Golden Core cultivator who had been competing with Wei Tu stared for a moment, then blurted out.

Unlike righteous cultivators, demonic cultivators are often arrogant and straightforward, and their words can easily offend others.

After having dealt with Bai Zhi, Wei Tu was no longer surprised by such behavior. He frowned slightly and decided not to bid any higher, dropping out of the competition for the Vajra Fruit.

Though the fruit would save him over a decade of hard training, it wouldn’t significantly enhance his body refining cultivation in the short term.

Thus, buying the Vajra Fruit at such a high price would be a loss for him.

Furthermore, in the near future, he was planning to secretly cross into Kang Kingdom. Unlike the three bordering countries, Kang Kingdom still maintained normal trade relations with Xiao Kingdom.

In Kang Kingdom, buying the Vajra Fruit would undoubtedly be much cheaper.

Of course, the most important factor was that he had come to the auction to purchase a high-level Soul Searching Secret Art.

He needed to save enough spirit stones.

...

It was merely a case of speaking out of turn.

No major conflict ensued.

After the weathered voice raised the price, he sneered and ignored the other cultivators.

As the auction continued, despite some items that caught Wei Tu’s eye, either their prices were prohibitively high, or they were not exactly what he needed, so he glanced at a few and then lost interest.

Two days later, with the final item, the Fourth-Grade Cloud Sea Stone, being auctioned off, the Yunyan Chamber of Commerce followed their usual practice and cleared the stage for free trade among the cultivators present.

Wei Tu didn’t rush to make his move.

After the free trading session had progressed to its later stages, he lowered his voice and said, "I require a high-level Soul Searching Secret Art to search the souls of cultivators of the same rank. I wonder if any of the esteemed Daoists here possess such an art?"

Earlier, the private rooms had been assigned randomly, so he didn’t have to worry about Gong Shulan or others knowing where he was located.

As for soul searching cultivators, it was an everyday affair for demonic cultivators.

Therefore, though Wei Tu’s words were somewhat surprising, none of the cultivators seemed to pay it much mind.

"Old man here has a high-level Soul Searching Secret Art," one of the Golden Core cultivators responded, "However, this art… is not cheap. I wonder if Daoist can accept the price?"

"In my cultivation method, I have a high-level Soul Searching Secret Art, named..." another cultivator spoke up.

Soon, four Golden Core demonic cultivators replied, each indicating that they had a high-level Soul Searching Secret Art.

After all, selling such arts was not only profitable but also provided a nice income in spirit stones.

Wei Tu began negotiating the price.

Not long after, he chose a Soul Searching Secret Art named Tomb Shadow and Venomous Vessel Secret Art.

This art wasn’t as demanding as other Soul Searching techniques, and the "Yin Zhai" created by it also had the benefit of nourishing a cultivator’s divine sense.

Wei Tu exited through the back door of the private room and met with the cultivator offering the art.

"Body refining cultivator in the early third-grade?" In the hidden chamber, the burly man with a yellowish face showed surprise when he first laid eyes on Wei Tu.

Given the conditions Wei Tu had mentioned—searching the souls of demonic cultivators of the same rank—he had assumed Wei Tu’s cultivation level was at least mid-Golden Core, or even late Golden Core.

To his surprise, Wei Tu was only a third-grade early-stage body refining cultivator.