I long to return home!

Shen Xin frowned slightly, looked at Gu Changgeng who seemed to be deep in thought, and said in a deep voice: "Issue my decree, and proclaim to the world from this day forward that all cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage, regardless of sect, rogue cultivator, or evil cultivator, may enter the royal mausoleum. Whoever obtains the late king's possessions will be rewarded with land, the title of king, an eighth-grade pill, and ten thousand high-grade spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Gu Changgeng bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

...

This upheaval has caused a stir throughout the entire Yin Yue Empire. All three rewards are incredibly valuable, especially the eighth-grade elixir, which is enough to drive any cultivator into a frenzy. A Golden Core cultivator who obtains it will likely advance directly to the Nascent Soul stage; a Nascent Soul cultivator who obtains this precious elixir will definitely reach the Deity Transformation stage in their lifetime; even a Deity Transformation cultivator who obtains it will consider it a rare and precious treasure, gaining a deeper understanding of cultivation and with a slight chance of comprehending the insights required for a breakthrough and ascension.

Gu Changgeng arrived at Huaizhen Cave in the Star Watching Academy. At this moment, Huaizhen created another miracle, and his fame resounded throughout the Star Watching Academy and continued to spread.

Gu Changgeng sat on a stone bench in the courtyard and looked at Huai Zhen, who was bowing, and asked, "A-Zhen, what are your thoughts on blood-related secret arts?"

Upon hearing this, Huai Zhen frowned slightly. After pondering for a moment, he extended his right hand and activated his magic. Instantly, wisps of blood energy overflowed from his palm.

Gu Changgeng carefully examined the blood energy that Huai Zhen was displaying. He could sense that it was different from what he had seen in the royal tomb, yet there was an inexplicable similarity. The blood energy that Huai Zhen was displaying did not have a strong killing intent.

Immediately afterwards, Huai Zhen's eyes flashed as he controlled his blood energy to evolve into various secret techniques, transforming it into various blood energy weapons, unleashing killing moves, and even using the Blood Escape Technique.

Gu Changgeng pondered inwardly, thinking to himself that the spells of cultivators with blood spiritual roots in our country are indeed rare, but the tomb of the former king has a rich blood aura. He wondered if it would have a different effect on cultivators with blood aura.

Gu Changgeng once tried to deduce the approximate appearance of the tomb using the Heavenly Evolution Technique, but the karmic consequences from ten thousand years ago were too great, and forcibly deducing it would have a significant backlash.

A month has passed since the royal tomb was discovered, and sects across the country are gathering their disciples to seize this unprecedented opportunity. However, during this time, several of the largest merchant guilds in the country have set up auctions to allow cultivators to purchase top-quality magic treasures before entering the tomb.

The Yinyue Imperial City was packed with people, but apart from the golden palace, only one tall building stood out, which was also one of the venues for this auction.

Huai Zhen walked down the street, looking extremely embarrassed. To his left was a woman with purple hair who looked like a fairy, her captivating figure envied by all. It was Lei Mengying.

His right hand was held by another blonde woman. The woman was slightly immature and her figure was not particularly outstanding, but she had an air of nobility that others could not match. She was Shen Lingjiao.

The golden phoenix on Shen Lingjiao's head rests there, unchanged over the years, still in its infancy.

Before long, the three people and the chicken arrived in front of the tall building. There, they saw three young men standing at the entrance. Upon seeing Huai Zhen and the others, they waved excitedly and shouted, "Senior Brother Huai Zhen, here we are!"

After recognizing each other, Huai Zhen was overjoyed to see his fellow disciples again after many years. With the help of Shen Lingjiao's royal invitation, they entered smoothly and arrived at a high-class room.

They were at the highest point, and there were four such rooms in total, located in the four cardinal directions, offering a panoramic view of the entire auction.

The moment they sat down, the air was thick with tension. Mu Qingfeng of the Xiaoyao Sect leaned close to the two people beside him, watching as Shen Lingjiao took Huai Zhen's arm. On the other side, Lei Mengying sat expressionless, but the chill emanating from her was terrifying.

To ease the awkwardness, Mu Qingfeng stammered, "Senior Brother Huaizhen, you're truly amazing..." His gaze swept back and forth between the two women, and he swallowed hard before continuing, "Senior Brother Huaizhen's unparalleled abilities truly astonish us junior brothers, hahaha..."

Huai Zhen took a deep breath. He felt immense pressure. His right hand was being held tightly, and his left hand felt a bone-chilling cold. He felt extremely depressed. After a long while, he asked, "Qingfeng, why are there only three of you? Where are the others?"

“I don’t know much about the other junior brothers either. They didn’t join the same sect as us and chose to venture out on their own,” Mu Qingfeng replied.

After listening, Huai Zhen moved her lips and chatted with everyone about the various things that had happened in the past five years, despite the pressure from the two women.

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingfeng was incredulous. He looked around and communicated with his two fellow disciples, exchanging thoughts.

"Senior Brother Huaizhen...you're really lucky with women."

"Of course! The princesses of both countries will never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of their lives."

"Eh, that's surprising. Princess Lei has a voluptuous figure. If she becomes a Daoist partner, Senior Brother Huaizhen will still have the mind to cultivate. As for Princess Yinyue, her figure isn't great, but her family is wealthy, and she'll provide plenty of cultivation resources. If these two were to unite, it would be something we cultivators could only dream of in our lifetime. We'd be devastated..."

When the appointed time arrived, a gong sounded, and the auction officially began.

This auction is larger than ever before, with all sorts of rare magical treasures appearing one after another. The lowest grade of magical treasures for sale are mid-grade pill treasures, and there are also quite a few Nascent Soul stage magical treasures. The pills for sale start at least at the fourth grade, and the price of each item is astonishing.

Inside the private room, Mu Qingfeng and his two companions were dumbfounded. The price of the fourth-grade pills alone was more than double what it used to be. With the spirit stones they had accumulated over the years, it would be a luxury to be able to buy even one.

Although Lei Mengying's expression was calm, her slightly closed beautiful eyes still confirmed her inner shock. The salary she had received in the palace over the years was only considered average among the people present.

Huai Zhen's situation is relatively better. After becoming a one-star Star Supervisor, his monthly salary is comparable to that of most sect elders. However, top-grade pills and magic treasures are priced exorbitantly, and for the same price, one could buy a Nascent Soul magic treasure.

He swayed as he put down his teacup, sweat beading on his forehead, but at that moment, Shen Lingjiao, who was holding his right arm, stepped forward and rubbed against him, asking, "Sickly boy, which one do you fancy? This princess will buy it for you."

These words immediately filled Mu Qingfeng and the others with envy, their brows furrowed with admiration.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the luxurious private room directly in front. At that moment, a low-grade defensive infant treasure was being auctioned, but the man in the room immediately shouted, "Fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones."

This bid was a full ten thousand yuan higher than the previous bidder's, which made it clear to onlookers that the item was already in the man's possession, and further bidding would be futile.

As the graceful woman on the central jade platform brought down the hammer, she announced, "Congratulations to our distinguished guest in the Tianbei VIP room for winning the low-grade Nascent Soul defensive magic weapon."

Huai Zhen's gaze sharpened. This place had a restriction to protect the identity of cultivators and conceal their divine sense, but he still saw a familiar person through the gap in the fluttering curtain.

"The notorious thief of Jiangcheng? What's she doing here?"