Chapter 2249: The Auction
“The Scions and Scionesses of the Fane of Destiny must be selected alternately.
“For example, if this generation chooses Scionesses, the next generation must choose the Scions.
“When this generation of Scionesses attain Godhood or die, or maybe they fail to attain Godhood after one thousand years, they will begin to prepare the plan to choose the next generation of Scions,” Luo Sha said.
Zhang Ruochen was moved and asked, “Do you mean that the Fane of Destiny will choose a Scion or Scioness in a thousand years at most?”
“Yes.”
“In one Yuanhui period, the total number of Scion and Scioness will add up to 129. How many of them can become gods?” Zhang Ruochen wanted to try, by using the probability of Scion and Scioness attaining Godhood to estimate the approximate number of deities in the Fane of Destiny.
Luo Sha replied, “When the Scion and Scioness of the Fane of Destiny are selected, it is already clear that they have the best talent among the cultivators of the same generation. In addition, they are entitled to the best cultivation resources in Infernal Court, so the probability of attaining Godhood is very high.
“Ten to twenty percent of them could attain Godhood within a thousand years after being selected as the Scion and Scioness.
“For those who haven’t attained godhood within a thousand years, even if they step down from their positions, most of them are already elites among Supreme Saints. With their long lifespans, many of them can still attain Godhood afterward.
“As for whoever attains Godhood, dies or exists in other states, that is a tightly guarded secret of the Fane of Destiny. Only those at the highest level know about it.
“The most important reason why everyone is fighting for the position of the Scioness is because of the power and influence that they wield.
“Unless an extremely important event happens, the gods of the Fane of Destiny won’t ask about anything in Infernal Court. Everything was handled by the Scioness and the twelve black-robed high priests. The power of the Scioness is above that of the twelve black-robed high priests. She represents the will of the gods.”
Zhang Ruochen sighed to himself. These Scion and Scioness were the seeds of god selected by the Fane of Destiny. They possessed the most outstanding talents. After thousands of years of training, any one of them could be the lord of the Fane of Destiny.
There were many unfathomable secrets concealed by the Fane of Destiny
The more he thought about it, the more fearful he felt.
Zhang Ruochen was curious and asked, “Your talent is the best among your peers, and you believe in fate and destiny. So why didn’t you become a candidate for the Scioness?”
“You finally praised me once. Not bad.”
Luo Sha smiled charmingly and pursed her red lips slightly, and said, “My talents, beauty, and my ability to comprehend are not inferior to the other three candidates competing for the position of Scioness. I could have been a candidate. Unfortunately, I heard that in the thousand years after becoming a Scioness, one must give up on love and lust, so I gave up on competing with them.”
Zhang Ruochen looked into her eyes, trying to figure whether she was telling the truth or not.
Luo Sha smiled cunningly at Zhang Ruochen and added, “In fact, the most important thing that I want to see is who is my destined one in the prophecy. How will he enter into my life? What if he suddenly appears when I become the Scioness of Destiny?”
Zhang Ruochen knew that Luo Sha was teasing him again, so he looked away and said with a straight face, “Boring.”
A Thousand-Koan Realm Supreme Saint from the Realm of Star Ocean arrived and stopped the two groups of people led by Pan Ruo and Lady Wind. He led them to two pavilions by the lake to rest.
There was only one pavilion between the two pavilions.
It was the one Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha were resting in.
Pan Ruo, and the Deathkin and Nether Clan cultivators were on the left.
The cultivators under Lady Wind were on the right side.
Even though they were separated, the two groups of people were still facing each other. It was as if they were fighting with their thoughts as the surrounding air trembled.
Occasionally, murderous intent would fall on Zhang Ruochen.
Luo Sha was very calm. She introduced Zhang Ruochen to the Hundred-Shackle Realm elites in Lady Wind’s camp, saying, “That guy with golden hair is the strongest warrior below the Thousand-Koan Realm of the Immortal Vampires. He is Lord Bladehell, and you must be wary of him.”
“Why?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Luo Sha said, “Although he is exceptionally gifted, he is very narrow-minded and has an overly high opinion of himself. He can not tolerate heroes who are more outstanding than him. Your appearance will steal his limelight among the Immortal Vampires. If there is a chance, he will give you trouble or humiliate you in public. There is no doubt that he will suppress you, who is known as the genius that appears once per Yuanhui period.”
Zhang Ruochen stared at her deeply. Luo Sha was certainly right about Lord Bladehell.
Not long ago, Lord Bladehell had deliberately sent the invitation to Lord Xia Yu by mistake, which let Zhang Ruochen see through his character.
Luo Fu continued, “Do you see that burly man shining with divine light and a mane of hair like a lion? He is of a different breed because he doesn’t belong to the lower three clans, but belongs to the Stone Clan instead. Yet, he stands firmly on Lady Wind’s side.”
“The Mad Whitejade Lion?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“It’s that mad lion.”
Luo Sha smiled, and continued, “Other cultivators only assist the candidate of the Scioness for the benefit of their clans. But he only went up to Lady Wind for her sake, and even said publicly that he was willing to be Lady Wind’s bearer for the rest of his life.”
Zhang Ruochen was stunned for a moment. He shook his head slightly and said, “No wonder he’s known as ‘the mad lion.’”
“If you think he’s crazy, you’re wrong. How crazy can a creature that can achieve Supreme Sainthood be?” Luo Sha replied.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You mean Lady Wind plays her cards well?”
“To be able to have a Supreme Saint — who has achieved Great Perfection of the Hundred-Shackle Realm — as a willing mount, Lady Wind plays her cards very skilfully.
“If Lady Wind becomes a true Scioness, she will immediately hold great authority. Her mount would be her most trusted aide with much influence over the Fane of Destiny.”
Luo Sha then threw out a question. “In your opinion, between Pan Ruo — who is yet a Supreme Saint — and Lady Wind — who has already achieved the Great Perfection of the Hundred-Shackle Realm, whose chance of becoming a Scioness is greater?”
Zhang Ruochen remained silent.
Luo Sha smiled and continued, “It’s impossible for the Stone Clan to bet all their chips on Pan Ruo. My guess is that the Mad Whitejade Lion is most likely a chess piece that they’ve planted on Lady Wind’s side. Lady Wind might let down her guard as she thought she had fully controlled the Mad Whitejade Lion. Hence, no one can tell for sure who will end up being the ‘mount’!”
The interests involved in the Celestial-Hunting Festival and the selection of the Scioness were complicated. Any force and any cultivators who participated in them would pay full attention to them.
Lady Wind’s junior brother, Yan Beijun, came to the pavilion. He cupped his hands and said, “Lord Ruochen, Princess Luo Sha, my senior sister sincerely invites you two to have a chat.”
Luo Sha glanced towards Zhang Ruochen to see his response.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I came to the Realm of Star Ocean to buy items for cultivation. I also want to see the various treasures at the auction. If Lady Wind wants to become friends with me, we can arrange another time and place for the both of us, just not today.”
Yan Beijun listened attentively to her reply via spiritual power and replied, “My sister said that she could pay for all the items that Supreme Saint Ruochen bought at the Realm of Star Ocean.”
“Is that so… What if I bid for the divine corpse?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Yan Beijun’s face froze and immediately relaxed again, saying. “You must be joking, Supreme Saint Ruochen. Please believe my sister’s sincerity. She really wants to make friends with you.”
“I’m not joking. I’m really interested in the divine corpse,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Laughter could be heard from the pavilions on both sides.
Lord Sinluo said, “What a coincidence, I have orders from my father too, which is that I have to buy the divine corpse no matter what. Zhang Ruochen, how many Godstones do you have to bid for the divine corpse?”
Wu Jiang said, “As far as I know, the Xue Jue family has recently obtained the body of a false deity. There is probably no need to buy the divine corpse for the time being.”
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, “My purchase of the divine corpse has nothing to do with the Xue Jue family.”
The laughter in the pavilion where the Deathkin and the Nether Clan were located grew louder.
No one believed that Zhang Ruochen could buy the divine corpse with his financial resources without relying on his family and deities.
At this moment, Supreme Saint Sanjin and three attendants walked over and entered the pavilion.
“Great Saint Ruochen, the ten Earth Grade Implement Nurturing Pills, ten Heaven Grade Implement Nurturing Pills, and 50 Heaven Grade damaging pills that you want are all here. They are worth a total of seven Godstones.”
Following that, Sanjin Supreme Saint spread out his right hand.
A speck of light appeared in the center of his palm.
The speck of light grew larger and larger. Finally, it turned into a lotus about ten feet in diameter. There were a total of 12 petals. Each petal was crystal clear, emitting a pungent fragrance.
Upon seeing this Lotus of Divine Reflection, all the cultivators present turned their gazes over.
Lord Sinluo’s eyes shone with excitement, and he blurted abruptly, “That’s a 100,000-year-old Lotus of Divine Reflection.”
“It’s a 100,000-year-old Lotus of Divine Reflection, and it’s worth 140 Godstones.”
With that, Sanjin Supreme Saints handed the Lotus of Divine Reflection to Zhang Ruochen and took out a spherical, translucent spatial treasure. There were a total of 12 stellar cores in the spatial treasure.
One level-six stellar core, five level-five stellar cores, and six level-four stellar cores.
“Supreme Saint Ruochen, all the treasures you asked for add up to a total of 353 Godstones,” Supreme Saint Sanjin announced.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, “Put them down. I want all of them.”
Then, Supreme Saint Sanjin took out the cultivation resources that Luo Sha wanted to buy one by one and put them on the table. They were worth 24 Godstones in total.
Luo Sha took a cursory glance and said, “I want all of them too. Put them all on him.”
Supreme Saint Sanjin smiled awkwardly and looked at Zhang Ruochen.
24 Godstones wasn’t a small amount. A Supreme Saint like Xue Tu had to sell his fiefdom to get it.
“Your Wheel of the Nether Sun is so valuable, but you can’t even bear to give up 24 Godstones? If I make a scene at the auction, will the auction price of the Wheel of the Nether Sun get lower?” Luo Sha secretly transmitted her thoughts to Zhang Ruochen.
Luo Sha was very angry that he hadn’t sold the Wheel of the Nether Sun to her.
If she wanted to make a scene at the auction, she could simply spread the news that the auctioneer of the Wheel of the Nether Sun was Zhang Ruochen. This would greatly affect the price it fetched.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, “Her purchase is on me.”
There was an uproar in the pavilions on both sides.
Buying treasures that cost hundreds of Godstones in a single time was already a big deal for Supreme Saints in the Neverwilt Realm and Hundred-Shackle Realm. It was even more unthinkable for the monks in the Saint Kinghood Realm.
Of course, what made them more concerned was the relationship between Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha.
The fact that he could buy cultivation resources that cost 24 Godstones for Luo Sha without hesitation could mean that Zhang Ruochen was pursuing Luo Sha to ally with Devala.
No one could overlook the power of the Divine Prince, Luo Shengtian.
This was bad news for Zhang Ruochen’s enemies.
Pan Ruo looked at Luo Sha again. She was calm and indifferent, but her eyes lingered on Luo Sha’s face for a long time as she sized her up carefully.
Lady Wind fell silent.
At the same time, Yan Beijun retreated.
After a long while.. Scion Yuan Mo said indifferently, “Zhang Ruochen plundered a lot of treasures on the Battlefield of Merits in Kunlun. What’s a few hundred Godstones? If you kill Zhang Ruochen and take all his treasures, you will find that his wealth is comparable to those of a Paramount Realm Supreme Saint.”
Ding!
Ding!
…
The bell rang seven times.
The auction was about to begin.
A group of cultivators by the lake hurriedly flew, rushing to the auction house.
The auction house in the Realm of Star Ocean was immense. It was an Annulus World hovering in midair. It was a spiral-shaped ring. The diameter of the circle was about 40 miles, and it was divided into three levels.
Each level was built with green mountains, lush pools, stairs, and jade towers. There were also flower beds and seats for distinguished guests.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha flew to the top level of the Annulus World.
The moment they landed, there came an angry roar from afar. “Zhang Ruochen, stay away from my sister. Are you looking to die?”
Divine Prince Luo Shengtian possessed a towering frame. His footsteps were hurried, and his face was full of anger. Even though he was suppressed by the precepts of heaven and earth, power erupted constantly from his body. His right fist glowed with a scorching evil blaze.
Behind Luo Shengtian, there were more than a dozen elites of the Luo Sha clan brimming with murderous intent.
Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply. He looked at Luo Sha beside him and said, “Go and explain to your royal brother. I didn’t do anything to you.”
Zhang Ruochen took the opportunity to leave. He didn’t want to be blackmailed by Luo Sha again. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the endless stream of people.
Luo Sha had no other option but to face Luo Shengtian and she sighed to herself.
“Where’s that b*stard Zhang Ruochen. Little sister, did he make things difficult for you? Is it because of what happened in the Arena of Life and Death that he has a grudge against you and wants revenge?”
Luo Shengtian wanted to chase after Zhang Ruochen, but he was stopped by Luo Sha.
“Even if he has the courage, Zhang Ruochen would not dare to do anything to me… Royal brother, restrain your power first. This is an auction house. Do not draw out the order keepers of the Realm of the Star Ocean and delay the proper business,” Luo Sha said.
Luo Shengtian snorted. “Although Zhang Ruochen doesn’t dare to do anything to you in the Divine Domain of Destiny, he is undoubtedly a cocky b*stard who ignores rules. You have old grudges with him, so you must be careful in the future. After the auction, I will find an opportunity to give him a warning.”
“In the past, on the Battlefield of Merits, it’s fine. But after coming to Infernal Court, if he dares to humiliate you again, I will make sure he dies without a burial place.”