CHAPTER 346: CHAPTER 217: EARTH BOOK OF EASTERN CANG, THE INTENSE AUCTION (PART 2)

However.

According to the order of allegiance, Ant C will definitely receive the full support of the Four Seasons Sect—this is now Ancestor Miaodu’s field, and its future ownership will surely prioritize Li Ye.

Sometimes it is like this.

Allegiance must be timely, or defeat is inevitable.

...

When Ant C found out that his "tribal land" had become one of the tens of thousands of grotto heavens of the Four Seasons Sect, his expression was rather exceptional.

In the end, he just looked at Li Ye with an expression of "after wandering for half a lifetime, finally meeting a wise leader," and bowed deeply, saying: "From now on, at your command, my tribe and I will face any danger without hesitation!"

These words seemed to be a bit overly emotional.

But his [bindable] status indeed changed from grey to five-colored, which means from this moment, even without any contractual bind, he already belongs to Li Ye.

Or rather... words themselves are the simplest spell.

An oath of allegiance becomes effective.

However, regardless of today, Li Ye is confident that he can earn his sincere loyalty in the future. Any slightly intelligent person would know the choices needed to make one’s cultivation path smoother.

Moreover, even if he does not choose, those subordinates willing to bet their treasures on him, loyal and steadfast, would "persuade" him to make the wise choice—the Ant Race is like this, individual abilities are small, only by banding together can they develop.

And thus they lose quite some freedom.

Without the freedom and might at their will like True Great Power Cultivators.

So, Li Ye smiled: "Since it’s so, I have a task for you. I’ve learned your tribe’s Earth Book Skill.

I need you all to start arranging an array under Dongcang Marketplace, making it a place to cultivate the Earth Book.

I will grant you some permissions and conveniences. As my subordinates under True Man Lingye, you can enjoy some treatment similar to outer disciples.

For example... this cultivation technique."

He reached out his hand.

In his palm floated a book shining with spiritual light.

The mere spiritual light emanating from the book made several Ant Race Daoists feel unusually comfortable, as if their whole body was soaking in warm water, not only was their spiritual power that had not yet completely transformed being nourished, even their Ant Race’s slowly progressing spirituality had marked enhancement.

Characters surrounded their bodies.

It was the introductory version of the cultivation technique specifically meant for foreign races, the "Taixu Yunqing Scripture."

Laws are not lightly passed on.

Just this one cultivation technique, compiled specially by the ancestors of the Four Seasons Sect for foreign races, would take the Ant Race thousands or even tens of thousands of years to accumulate contributions to exchange for.

Not to exaggerate, their eyes immediately widened.

But they still had reason, knowing this was the drawing of a big pie by Li Ye, still in the making but without actually receiving it, it wouldn’t be valid.

How to obtain this item?

Li Ye had made it very clear.

The Earth Book Skill Array!

Immediately, they acted as if they were injected with adrenaline, rushing to collect the materials needed for the array that had long been sent—right after Li Ye had talked with his Master, these materials had already been sent through a long-distance spatial array.

In terms of efficiency, the Four Seasons Sect was always incredibly fast.

Seeing them go to arrange the array, Li Ye was not idle either. He called upon the Spirit Refining Sect people who came to help him work, along with Wei Qingye, and entered directly into the box of the Dongcang Auction through an internal spatial array.

The auction had just begun.

It was still the Daoist from the Qingqiu Fox Race, seemingly named... the beautiful female cultivator Hu Tong, auctioning a row of jade pendants, her voice clear as if coming from beside the ear:

"Fellow Daoists."

"This item is extraordinary!"

She smiled charmingly, revealing a "Li" character on the jade pendant, introducing: "This item has the name personally inscribed by the newly advanced Spirit Plant Master, True Man Lingye of the Four Seasons Sect.

Though this place is guarded by True Man Mochen, who doesn’t know that the Su Xing line favors True Man Lingye the most?

Once acquired, in the next three hundred years, you’ll have a modifiable shop of several acres within Dongcang Marketplace.

Furthermore, there will be priority right for lease renewal.

The starting bid is three million Spirit Stones, with increments of no less than a hundred thousand Spirit Stones each time."

Shops!

In the world of cultivators, making houses and such is really easy, but it depends on the place—shops like here are practically like a spirit stone mine!

Not to say it immediately transforms one into a person of high status, but at least it truly elevates one’s standing, because such jade pendants, only fifty are up for auction!

The extensive Dongcang Marketplace, hundreds of acres in the main marketplace, only fifty shops are available for sale, and all are auctioned among Four Seasons Sect cultivators and all other sect cultivators together.

Not to mention the priority lease renewal rights, as long as you are not foolish, it’s almost like permanent usage, only new marketplaces have such near-permanent rights at the beginning.

That’s why competition for a spot becomes so fierce, even ultimately resorting to drawing lots...

When the words hadn’t even fallen.

A somewhat rough female voice directly rang out: "Ten million Spirit Stones!"

In auctions, there’s no favoritism, even if a minor sect competes with an overlord-level sect, as long as the auction is successful, under normal circumstances, resale is not allowed.

At the Four Seasons Sect’s level of standing and influence, ensuring fairness is enough, they have no need to favor or give face to anyone.

Other sects naturally would not refuse this courtesy from the Four Seasons Sect either.

The current bidder is the sect leader of a small sect from the Northern Domain, a minor sect with only a few Golden Cores, managing to gather ten million Spirit Stones possible only because of the relative wealth of the Northern Domain.

At this moment, her heart was pounding.

Could it be that she could secure this shop for ten million Spirit Stones?

Very unfortunately, reality proved she was overthinking—

"Thirteen million!"

"Fifteen million!"

"Twenty million!"

The price quickly doubled.

Sitting by Li Ye, Duan Jiurui felt a bit awkward—her master was the one who bid fifteen million—but Wei Qingye appeared rather happy because his brother bid the twenty million.

As it happened.

There was a brief pause at twenty million.

Accompanied by Hu Tong softly knocking down the Fox Head Hammer.

"Congratulations to the Daoist in box number thirteen for taking the top spot! You have obtained the use of this shop for three hundred years as well as the subsequent priority lease right!"

The smile on Wei Qingye’s face was unmistakable.

Duan Jiurui’s expression was quite complicated—she couldn’t understand why her master didn’t continue the bid, since the first piece should be the cheapest, and the price would only go higher.

Moreover, what puzzled her was her master’s behavior in the auction of the next forty-nine jade pendants. He bid each time, only stopping when the price was sky-high but just at a line others could still accept.

This led to increasingly strange looks from Li Ye.

He even directly asked at last: "Taoist Friend Duan, if one didn’t know better... they’d think you are acting as a shill for my Four Seasons Sect."

"Haha." Duan Jiurui could only let out an awkward laughter.

But at that moment.

Hu Tong had already started auctioning the introduction rights for the Potato Flood Dragon.

She just announced a starting price of ten million Spirit Stones.

An energetic female voice immediately cried out: "Two hundred million Spirit Stones!"

——It was Duan Jiurui’s master!

This sudden twentyfold increase surely surprised everyone a bit, yet introducing a brand-new species cannot truly be obtained with just two hundred million Spirit Stones.

Let alone something nearly like a staple crop.

"Two hundred and thirty million!"

"Two hundred and fifty million!"

"Four hundred million!"

This time Duan Jiurui’s master showed relentless persistence, displaying determination to acquire the item.

It soon became evident what Duan Jiurui’s master was up to, this guy merely wanted to snag the Potato Flood Dragon and deliberately inflated prices, resulting in all the previous pendants selling for exorbitantly high prices.

This made Li Ye’s gaze at her grow ever more peculiar.

Finally, he even asked directly: "Taoist Friend Duan, I don’t really know what your master is thinking. This guy just wanted the Potato Flood Dragon, yet deliberately hiked the prices up, which led to high prices for the earlier jade pendants."

Duan Jiurui could only manage a helpless laugh.

But it’s at this moment.

Hu Tong had begun auctioning the introduction rights for the Potato Flood Dragon.

She just announced a starting price of two hundred million Spirit Stones.

An imposing and valiant female voice immediately rang out: "Two billion Spirit Stones!"

—It was precisely Duan Jiurui’s master!

This time, it was revealed that it was not so easy to secure such a treasure for just two billion Spirit Stones.

Not to mention it’s the kind of almost staple-like crop.

"Two billion three hundred million!"

"Two billion five hundred million!"

"Four billion!"

Once again, Duan Jiurui’s master was determined to win this thing.

In reality, all could see what Duan Jiurui’s master was planning; this guy simply wanted the Potato Flood Dragon, even going so far as to drive up prices intentionally, making all those previous jade pendants sell for inflated prices.

There was indeed nothing more abominable.

But at least, after this thing was auctioned, their spirit stone reserves should not be very ample anymore, right?

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