"Bull! Total bull!" Yan Zaizen had already gone through seven different types of cake. Every time a bid for a water-attributed heavenly material went up, he would bid an absurd price, but every time, without fail, he would not obtain any message of winning. Which meant, he lost every last one of his bids. At the moment, he was stressed.
The atmosphere was different than one filled with intense bidding and slinging insults. It was an atmosphere of the unknown. However, even he was unwilling to throw money at things and suffer an intense loss. How sad would that be? After all, he loved obtaining things. But he loved his money more. In the end, in the cultivation world, it's possible he'll obtain these things using...other methods.
Moreover, he could probably just find a greater realm and buy these things for less than the auctioned price. Unlike others who would take millennia or centuries to travel to other realms, he had a realmship!
As the auction continued, he just simply stopped bidding on heavenly materials.
"Next item: Our first heavenly-tier pill! Seventh State Earth Pill! This pill will allow you to reach the seventh state of self-enlightenment. If appropriately used, it could support you in enhancing your soul cultivation!" The auctioneer transmitted, her voice contained traces of excitement.
Yan Zaizen's brows furrowed. He had heard of these pills. The seventh state was essentially overt awareness of the seventh sense. If the five senses were physical, the sixth was instinctual, then the seventh was personal awareness. It's one's perception of themselves rather than what they hear, see, feel, taste, or touch, but who they truly were.
Essentially, this seventh state wasn't much different from enlightenment, except it only helped with understanding yourself through introspection. The eighth sense related to the heavens and how it's perceived, typically relating to laws and concepts. In records, it's stated that all existences have nine senses. However, no one knows what the ninth sense is.
"The Seventh State has three pills, Earth, Sky, and Heaven," Tao explained, "Each was heavenly-tier, but the Earth Pill was only low-grade in quality. Even if you obtained it, or any of the others, it didn't mean you'll be able to progress in soul cultivation, simply be an additional support. It's quite similar to the True Sublimation Pill."
Yan Zaizen nodded. Tao's words were the truth, even if he obtained it, it didn't mean he would or could make a breakthrough in his soul cultivation. It just meant that entering the state would occur. The greater the grade of the pill, the greater the immersion.
However, Bai Lufeng's eyes flickered at this. To him, this pill was vastly important. He had a deep, deep heart demon embedded in his psyche. This directly impacted his soul. If he could enhance his soul cultivation, perhaps the hindrance would be alleviated or removed! Right now, he needed to face his demon through introspection and this could help it.
Yan Zaizen knew this, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he glanced at Bai Lufeng who was fidgeting.
The market price of this pill was absurd.
"...three quintillion essence crystals…" Tao muttered, causing Bai Lufeng to fidget even more. This was equivalent to three heavenly drops. THREE! This was three centuries of a Heavenly Genesis experts effort. That was just the base price.
"Haaaaa…" Yan Zaizen deeply sighed. Bai Lufeng wasn't like Tao to him. Tao was a brother who he swore to travel the myriad realms with at their lowest. He would fight the very heavens for him fearlessly, but Bai Lufeng...he was more like a weak soldier who had very little use. He couldn't even pilot the realmship. If it wasn't for the fact that he's been loyal to Yan Zaizen since joining, he would've left him in the Xiantu Realm.
Bai Lufeng knew this. He felt awkward and guilty just wishing to ask. All those years ago, Yan Zaizen could've killed him but instead, he let him join in their adventures. When he was kidnapped and tortured, Yan Zaizen saved his life. Yet...he desired much but could only offer little.
After a while, Yan Zaizen rationalized.
In the Border Expanse, those mouth-balls could've taken their lives. If it wasn't for Bai Lufeng informing him, it's possible they could've ended up in the belly of those things. In truth, this was the case. If Tao had experienced Bai Lufeng's feelings, his unreasonable confidence would've led him to disregard it. Only Bai Lufeng, who learned his lesson in the Xiantu Realm about not immediately informing others, would've taken such a course of action.
"Five heavenly drops." Yan Zaizen directly announced, causing Tao to softly smile. Bai Lufeng was shocked. His gaze towards Yan Zaizen contained profound, immeasurable thanks.
After an hour, "Mister, you've won the bid for the Seventh State Earth Pill. Your assigned lot number for all purchases is 181. Thank you for your purchase." The auctioneer's soft, delicate voice resounded in the Meteor Ring. So, it seems that they truly did send messages. However, this left him disheartened. He truly lost all his previous bids.
The bids continued.
"We have a very special item! A dual cultivation cauldron, a hybrid of a Divine Beast - The Pale Arctic Wolf - and a human of the gigantus race!" The Auctioneer's voice was filled with brilliant excitement, and even her eyes were shining with profound light. As she did, a silver-bar cage was rolled into sight. It contained a naked woman.
When Yan Zaizen and the others saw this woman, they were immensely shocked. The most notable feature of this woman was her ample, vastly ample, bosom. Despite her curvy figure, long legs, soft jade skin, deep-white hair that reached her feet, what stood out was her chest! Her figure was slightly thick, filled with delicate musculature that didn't take away from her soft skin or seem overly manly.
She laid on the floor, her legs bent. To her left leg, a single shackle was seen that extended to the center of the cage. Her naked body seemed untainted, but her long hair was in disarray. If it wasn't for the water occasionally moving it to the side, it would be impossible to see her body clearly.
"Breasts…" Tao's eyes revealed a deep light of perversion. Bai Lufeng, however, was trembling intensely as he watched the woman, naked, and attached by the leg to the center of the cage. His hands couldn't stop trembling, and his eyes started to lose focus. Memories were exploding in his mind, and he felt his body go unbearably cold.
Internally, he could remember the screams of himself and others as they defiantly desired life.
Yan Zaizen's brows furrowed. Slavery wasn't uncommon in the cultivation world, at least in the Xiantu Empire. This was obviously represented by Grux, a literal slave-based country, but this was the first time he saw a human being auctioned as a cauldron. Her cultivation was at the peak-True Essence, but it had a faint heavenly aura.
"Her heavenly shrine was taken?" Yan Zaizen noted. He was shocked to learn she was a gigantus. Shouldn't they be giant? She was about his height, if not a few inches lesser. He wasn't familiar with foreign races, so he was quite curious about them. Despite this, he had little intention of buying this woman.
He could tell her body's vital energies reached the Heavenly Genesis realm in intensity, likely the first-floor. She would be an absolutely heavenly-tier dual cultivation partner. Not to mention, she had two unique bloodlines. The children's she could have would be extraordinary. Some may even use her as a breeding machine.
What truly shocked him was why the Deluge Realmlord was auctioning this woman off. If he used her for his own uses, his cultivation would still benefit.
"FREE HER!!!" Bai Lufeng shrieked. His mental state wasn't sane. Yan Zaizen saw him and waved his hand. Immediately, Bai Lufeng lost consciousness. Furrowing his brows, he couldn't help feel sympathetic for her, but it wasn't to the extent he would pay, likely, over a hundred heavenly drops for her because of it.
Tao was silent, looking at the unconscious Bai Lufeng.
"!"
"AH!!" Bai Lufeng abruptly jumped out of unconsciousness, lunging towards Yan Zaizen. In his eyes was a madness that felt ridiculous and scalp numbing. There were even tears dripping from his eyes. Yan Zaizen was deeply startled. Just as he was about to send Bai Lufeng into a deeper state of unconsciousness, "PLEASE!! SAVE ME!!!"
Thumm!
His heart skipped a beat looking at those eyes filled with despair and urgency. Tao's mind was visibly shaken, he trembled at the sheer pain from those words. Biting his lips, he looked downwards. He couldn't imagine how it felt to live in darkness, being tortured in body and soul, and taunted by your captors. To wish to be saved but having such a wish unfulfilled day in and day out.
Even suicide wasn't a possibility.
"Haaaa….Calm down." His eyes flashed with dark-amber light. Bai Lufeng visibly calmed down at that, his body shrouded in the profound warmth of his original existence. Like a child in his father's embrace, Bai Lufeng ceased any further outcry.
"Two hundred heavenly drops." Yan Zaizen bid. If he didn't do this, he would feel guilty, not towards the woman, but towards Bai Lufeng. If he was lucky, perhaps, this may be cathartic for him. If so, then it'll be worth it. Even though it didn't make much sense, but his instincts whispered to him slightly that buying this woman had benefits, he just didn't know how.
An hour later. "Mister, you've won the bid for the Hybrid Cauldron. Your assigned lot number for all purchases is 181. Thank you for your purchase."
"..." Yan Zaizen looked at Bai Lufeng with flickering emotions. While Bai Lufeng was standing there absentmindedly.
Pinaka's voice sounded so that only Yan Zaizen could hear, "In life, wealth is temporary. Remember this."
"..." Yan Zaizen understood her. In this world, at this moment, he had only two friends. A brother who he met at the precipice of death - Tao. A soldier who's loyal - Bai Lufeng. If Yan Zaizen hadn't risen so quickly in strength, Bai Lufeng still would've stayed with him. Despite his weakness, he decided to travel to the myriad realms. Bai Lufeng was willing to explore the vast dangers that await.
"Don't worry, I will never regret a choice I made." Yan Zaizen's eyes flashed with dark-amber light.