Archfiend

Chapter 148: Core Formation Sets to Task (2)

Xu Yangyi’s gaze twinkled, yet it was incomparably pure and bright. Yes, this was an auction of Core Formation ancestors! To them, spirit stones were nothing more than a number. A Core Formation ancestors’ auction… was based on the bartering of items!

“Yes… at their realm, they only care for their own cultivations. Each person possesses their own destiny. On the contrary, trade is more convenient for them.” He breathed in deeply. In his heart, his thirst for power became stronger and stronger. Core Formation, only Core Formation was able to pry into this world’s full view and see, able to look upon the true world that mortals could not! Capable of touching national secrets concealed by governments!

Xu Yangyi was deeply captivated by this azure planet brimming with life. The Archaeozoic era, the Proterozoic era, the Paleozoic era, the Mesozoic era, and the Cenozoic era… With each extinction and each rebirth, how many unknown secrets were buried and hidden beneath the Earth?

“Is This Dao Master’s price appropriate?” Yue Congrao’s voice carried a smile as it was heard from within his pavilion: “However… my item is not taken so easily.”

“If you wish to take it, you must agree to my condition.”

All gazes gathered on Xu Yangyi’s body. Xu Yangyi cupped his hands: “Ancestor, please.”

“After Foundation Establishment, the pill master must meet me.” Yue Congrao said neither slowly nor swiftly: “I have something I desire to tell to his face.”

“Oh? Is Fellow Daoist planning on taking China’s sole pill master and then seeking shelter with that homicidal devil?” Daomaster Titanspirit guffawed villainously: “No worries, no worries… There’s no rush to first take a look at my bargaining chip!”

“Go!” Following his voice, in the surroundings of the giant golden hand in the sky, countless black dots suddenly emerged. In an instant, they then morphed into qi hawks!

“The Azure Spirit Manifold Beasts Diagram!” On the floor, an unknown number of people cried out in alarm! [1]

“This is Daomaster Titanspirit’s prime arcane effort… I didn’t expect… This Throne would actually still be able to personally witness the famous Azure Spirit Manifold Beasts Diagram in my life!” 

“To be able to watch two Core Formation ancestors set into action, this trip has been well worthwhile!”

After the hawks appeared, they screeched. Followingly, they advanced towards the massive qi hand one by one and pecked at it. As for the massive hand, any location pecked by the hawks was surprisingly incapable of regenerating! It gradually transformed into spiritual light and vanished in the air. In the venue, all of this resembled Buddha using his body to feed a hawk. [2]

“Once the hawk diagram of my Azure Spirit Manifold Beasts Diagram appears, it will immediately attack the location with the densest surrounding qi without distinction. Surely Fellow Daoist won’t blame me.” Daomaster Titanspirit laughed heartily.

“Of course I won’t.” Yue Congrao sneered: “But… Fellow Daoist Titanspirit, must you insist on this pill?”

“Hahaha!” A burst of brash laughter seemed to quake the earth and shake mountains. After ages, Daomaster Titanspirit dwindled his smile, and a soft finger snap echoed through the entire venue. Ensuingly, an extremely large hawk with an object clutched in both its claws circled back in midair. He then said coldly: “The Dao of Pills… I can yield it to anyone but YOU! I will absolutely not allow it!”

“The struggle begins…” Hundredtongues’s breathing had become incredibly rushed and anxious. Never did he expect that the sapling which Daomaster Yue Congrao had taken out actually possessed such a great origin! 

Not only was it him that thought this, but of the Foundation Establishment cultivators below, an unknown number of complexions were flushed in excitement. However, they promptly became deeply worried in their hearts!

There was a good drama to watch! Nonetheless, if it spread to them, what would they do?! The torture of two complex emotions left them neither seated or standing!

“S-rank spirit beast, the egg of a Soaring Dragon-Hawk…” Daomaster Titanspirit said icily: “When it is born, it’s considered a C-rank demon beast. After ten years, it can combat Foundation Establishment. Its body moreover bears a sliver of a Garuda’s bloodline. Whether or not it will experiences atavism is not necessarily known.” [3]

“A great spending…” A cultivator looked dazedly towards the beast egg in midair which was pure and sparkling like white jade. He shivered, unable to restrain himself: “If… If any clan has the power to obtain it, they would be able to groom it into one of their hidden aces! Even if this nurturing period require a century or two!”

“But right now… it was delivered with the wave of a Core Formation ancestor’s hand…” A young-looking cultivator looked up at the sky in amazement: “On the levels of disparity, scope, and spirit, its all completely different… Core Formation is our Grand Dao!”

“What’re you lookin’ at!” At this time, Daomaster Titanspirit snorted coldly: “Appraise it!”

As if it heard his voice, countless characters began to flicker on the light screen with a swoosh! Each person stared fixedly at the light screen and even Xu Yangyi had stood up. He had never heard of spirit beasts, but for Ancestor Titanspirit to be able to take this out with such confidence, its rank was evidently not low!

Swooooosh… Characters flashed with lightning speed. In less than five seconds, an astonished cultivator couldn’t help but to loudly shout: “It charged through… It charged through blue!!! It went straight to blue!!!”

An unknown number of people silently stood up. Regarding the Spirit Familiar Ranking, there was indeed such a ranking, but high-level spirit beasts were almost unheard of! What rank would this spirit beast taken out by a Core Formation ancestor attain? Legions of eyes were locked rigidly on the light screen, however, in the following second, a dinging sound echoed and the present venue came to an immediate racket!

“Purple! Purple! A-rank! It’s also A-rank!”

“ No! That’s not right! It’s not just A-rank! Look carefully!”

“My god… to put out two A-rank spirit objects, this… this is too outrageous!”

“It’s still going! It’s still going!”

At this instant, the characters had already come to a close stop. As for the characters that appeared, it caused a majority of the people on the floor to gasp coldly!

“Soaring Dragon-Hawk, S-rank demon beast. Rank fifty-three on the Demon Familiar Ranking.”

“Rank fifty-three…” The line of purple qi characters caused an untold number of people’s eyeballs to pop out: “Apart from directly finding a recently birthed egg, the top-fifty demon familiars are simply untameable… Of the present cultivation clans that possess the top-fifty demon familiars… there are no more than sixteen… T-this demon familiar that Ancestor Titanspirit presented approaches the top fifty?!”

“It’s… It’s not limited to fifty-three.” An old woman gazed tenaciously at the light screen: “It’s still… still not done… It’s still not over!”

Yes, the transformation of these characters was a “near” stop! It hadn’t stopped at all!

At this moment, each person’s heart was sucked in by those few simple characters. They were transforming little by little. In this minute—no less than a full minute—the present floor was so silent that a falling needle could be heard!

Ding… In the wake of this soft echo, the sound of the whole audience sucking in deeply was akin to a bowstring stretched taut!

“Soaring Dragon-Hawk, S-rank demon beast. Rank fifty-one on the Demon Familiar Ranking.” 

“Fifty-one…” At this moment, Thousandedge had stood up at his seat, both his hands trembling: “It’s still going… It’s actually still going!”

Yes, these several characters had almost come to a halt upon arriving at fifty-one, but they were still in motion! Even if it was slower, these symbols were still moving! 

Their breathing was all fairly anxious. Unknown as to how long it had been, an extremely gentle sound, similar to a dripping noise echoing in everyone’s hearts, suddenly transformed the color of the strip of characters!

Red!

“Soaring Dragon-Hawk, S-rank demon beast. Rank fifty on the Demon Familiar Ranking!”

The top fifty! In all of China! Within 9.6 million square kilometers, it was among the top fifty of over ten thousand species of nurtured demon beasts! The current floor had become deathly silent! Not a single person said anything, only using incredibly scorching gazes to stare tightly at whether these characters were truly immobile!

“The top fifty… The top fifty! The top fifty!!!” The hand of an old man leaning on his cane was shaking ceaselessly like he was spasming. It seemed his cane was a life-saving rice straw he was clutching onto. If he released it, he would drown. His voice hoarse, he said: If this egg was given to my Tu Clan… This Throne… This Throne would be willing be willing to purchase it for a hundred thousand spirit stones!”

“Are you even able to obtain this turn?” A middle-aged cultivator at his side likewise craned his head to look at the light screen. An envious ruefulness covered his face, and he appeared as if he wanted to scoff, but it ultimately transformed into wry laughter: “If one doesn’t have a profound relationship with Daomaster Titanspirit, to think of gaining such a grand gift… is no different than an imbecile’s dream…”

“It can’t be compared…” In a not too distant location, another old man wearing a changpao faced towards the sky and sighed deeply: “The Dao of Pills which has emerged after two centuries, a legendary godsblood leaf… Although its just a thin slice, its qi fluctuations… or this hawk egg… If anything like this was placed outside, wouldn’t the top clans scramble over each other and break heads?”

Xu Yangyi suppressed his hotly broiling mind, his heart madly beating. These items… any one of them were supreme items among precious treasures! Were it not for his own two and a half years of bitter cultivation, how could he presently find pleasure in his success, to look back on the blooming flowers of Chang’an in springtime and unwittingly believe that they offered no more while on horseback? [4]

It caused him heartache. He could only choose one!

“I have to be content with my situation.” He breathed in deeply a few times, forcefully pinching his palm. It still wasn’t the time of security. As soon as the auction ended, it would then be his time to turn towards the heavens and roar in laughter!

All good items were in his hands! His two and a half years of death seclusion hadn’t been in vain! Especially… his gaze brushed over the others. There were still ten Core Formation masters that hadn’t made a move! He didn’t believe that the sole Minister pill would only be contested by two ancestors! [5]

In the air, joyous laughter rang out. As the Soaring Dragon-Hawk had pushed down Daomaster Yue’s head, Daomaster Titanspirit didn’t make the least effort to mask his guffaws.

“Fellow Daoist Yue, could it be that you’re willing to put forth a mature tree leaf now?” He laughed and said: “If so, how about I take out another beast egg? The rank thirty-two Heaven Swallowing Insect? The rank twenty-one Impermanant? Or perhaps … the rank nine Spirit Devourer?” [6]

As each name was heard in the ears of the Foundation Establishment cultivators below, it was enough to drive them wild!

“Listen up, buddy.” Daomaster Yue hadn’t answered, but Daomaster Titanspirit laughed merrily at Xu Yangyi: “Tell that pill master… I have never consumed a pill elixir!”

Grandmaster Fivetastes’s and Grandmaster Knowledge’s complexions turned another shade gloomier.

“What’s tasty about such a bland thing?”

“However, my things aren’t so easily taken, as well… This time, I’m willing to give this Soaring Dragon-Hawk to plant good karma, but… I have a descendent. His talents are astonishing and even in comparison to myself he is not outdone in the slightest. In particular, his neurons have also been unleashed to S-rank.”

“Should you accept my down payment, my descendant will be sent off to the pill master’s side. I do not care what rank pill master he is! So long as he nods, this Soaring Dragon-Hawk is his!” His voice carried a sliver of beguilement: “Even… my sect-exclusive heart art, the Beast-Governing Hundred Spirits Scripture, isn’t off limits.”

Have you no embarrassment?!

At this moment, all the people below practically didn’t know of any goodness! An untold number of people wanted to jump up and curse shamelessly! 

You’re still a Core Formation master! Must your table manners be so unsightly?!

Nonetheless, they dared not to. What was this? This was a brazen dispatch of an apprentice! Was a single medicinal pill worthy of a S-rank demon familiar? Impossible! However, for the Dao of Pills, this S-rank demon familiar was simply too cheap!

“Shameless… Shameless!” An old cultivator’s beard soon began to float upwards. Gnashing his teeth in fury, he used a voice only he could hear and cursed: “Especially shameless! It’s no wonder that there are more and more shameless cultivators nowadays! If the upper beam isn’t straight, then the lower beam will be skewed!”

[1] Azure Spirit is based the name of what I believe to be the name of a Chinese deity named Cang Ling, but is simply known as the Azure Emperor. In Chinese astronomy, his creature/beast form is the Azure Dragon.

[2] “Buddha using his body to feed a hawk” This is a Buddhist story of Buddha coming down a mountain. A pigeon fleeing from a hawk sees him and hides inside his sleeve. The hawk comes and wants to eat the pigeon. Buddha says that all beings should be filled with love for each other and the hawks agrees, but he has been chasing this pigeon for three days and nights and doesn’t want to starve to death. Buddha is like “okay”, so he cuts off a piece of a flesh and feeds the hawk.

[3] Garuda is a legendary bird in Hindu/Buddhist/Jain myth. 

[4] This is a poem by Tang poet Meng Jiao. Meant to describe great success after enduring a long period of hardships. Used in the context of the poem as achieving top marks in the imperial examinations. After great success, one thinks that all the hardship was worth it and feels at ease. The figure then urges the horse onwards on Chang’an Road, unconsciously thinking that the flowers have already been finished viewing. 

[5] I don’t think I ever stated it, but most of the time “death seclusion” is considered a very serious conclusion, considering that most cultivators in the modern day have hot tubs and jacuzzis, but Xu Yangyi foregoes these things. In general, it is usually an idea of “break through or die trying”.

[6] The “Impermanant” is a real thing in Daoist myth. Its name is literally “Ghost of Impermanence” It is something like a Daoist death god, but in some scenarios, it is considered two separate beings, one black and the other white. I combined “Impermanence + Revenant”