Scourge Messenger

Chapter 430 The Auction Ends (The End)
The Foundation Establishment cultivators looked around with a mixture of excitement and awe. Not to mention the outer wilderness, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a rural area like Winter Hunting True Person had heard of the Heavenly Court's great name.

Because the Heavenly Court was a force created by the Primordial Daoist, and it was the lineage of the first Nine-Turn Messenger in the world! At the end of "The Biography of the Primordial Daoist," the Heavenly Court ruled the world for 100,000 years until the appearance of the Dragon Lord ended the Heavenly Court's supreme status.

No one answered. Perhaps they had guessed wrong, or perhaps the Heavenly Court had made up its mind not to appear. This left everyone somewhat disappointed, as they all wanted to see the demeanor of the Heavenly Court's celestial lords.

“Your Excellency,” Tong Moli turned to Jiang Shi, “While the Gold Element is important, the resources I provide can guarantee your safe cultivation up to the sixth level! As long as you reach the sixth level, and with the Treasure Pavilion plundering resources from all over the world, why worry about not having the Gold Element?”

"On the other hand, the Heavenly Court is only willing to give you a wisp of gold essence, but unwilling to provide other resources. They are trying to suppress your growth rate, and their intentions are sinister!"

"While the metal element is good, different metal elements have vastly different effects on the inner realm. The 'two natures of all things in the myriad realms' that I teach in the Myriad Realms can create a lush and prosperous blessed land with abundant life force, which is beneficial for management. Although I do not know the nature of the Fragrant Flower Necklace Heavenly Demon, I imagine it is related to the ways of killing, defense, and the soul. You are a son of a wealthy family, so this kind of metal element is really useless to you."

“Exactly,” Dean Huayue said. “With only a trace of gold, it is indeed not enough to show sincerity.”

"The Heavenly Court is so powerful, can't it even afford a few tokens?" The Lord of Changsheng Mountain sneered.

They weren't speaking up for Zoroastrianism, but if saying a few more words could make the Heavenly Court bleed more money, they were naturally happy to join in the fun.

However, the hidden bidders did not place any new bids. After thirty seconds, under Tong Moli's helpless gaze, Jiang Shi raised his token and announced:
"Time's up. The final transaction price for the Guild Establishment Token is 'A Wisp of Fragrant Flower Necklace Heavenly Demon Nature'."

"At this point, all auctions have been completed. We will now have 15 minutes of free trading time. The auction will automatically close after 15 minutes, so please make the most of this time to complete your transactions."

"After this auction concludes, I will post a notice to recycle the [Wish Tickets] I created myself. Please leave your organization's name and location on the notice. The organization that bids for the most [Wish Tickets] will, as promised, try to establish trade relations with you within a month."

"I hope you all find what you need at this auction. Goodbye."

As the curtain closed, Jiang Shi disappeared from the auction. The Foundation Establishment cultivators, having finished watching the spectacle, quickly browsed the listings on the curtain, making transactions where necessary and discussing matters in detail where appropriate. Even if disputes arose, both sides compromised, as no one wanted to give up this rare trading event.

When Dongshou Zhenren turned around, he found that many people had dispersed, leaving only the young man with the earring chatting with the young man in the straw hat.

"There are actually more than fifty seventh-rank Immortal Lords in this world?" the young man with the earring exclaimed in amazement.

"These are just the currently active Immortal Lords; in reality, there are many more. Many Immortal Lords do not have the need to establish a power base and instead choose to live a life of seclusion in secret realms," said the young man in the bamboo hat.

"Then what about the Golden Core Tribulation Masters? How many Golden Core Tribulation Masters are there now?"

“I certainly wouldn’t dare to talk to you about this outside,” the young man in the straw hat chuckled. “But since the Treasure Pavilion is so extraordinary, it’s alright to talk about it. Currently, there are generally believed to be five active Golden Core Tribulation Masters.”

"The Emperor of the Eternal Heaven, the Lord of the Imperial Court, the Candle Lord of the Fire Worship Cult, and the Lord of the Heavenly Court and the Divine Lord. However, the Fire Worship Cult just dared to sell the [Eternal Candle] tribulation succession, which means that even the Fire Worship Cult thinks that the Candle Lord may have already gone into seclusion."

"What is the inheritance of the throne?" the young man with the earring asked curiously, and even Master Dongshou, who was browsing the list on the curtain, couldn't help but prick up his ears.

The young man in the straw hat chuckled, "Such secrets are not something you have the right to inquire about unless you are a core member of a super power. But since I'm in a good mood, I might as well tell you." As soon as he said this, the Foundation Establishment cultivators around him silently gathered again.

"The Path of Ascension in the Mortal World and the Path of Tribulation in the Golden Core are actually the same path. The difference lies in the pursuit of ascension. Only those who have achieved the Foundation Establishment stage and are favored by Heaven and Earth are qualified to support blessed lands and respond to the tribulation stage to form a grotto-heaven."

"If there is no one favoring the one who will be in a tribulation, or if the one who will be in a tribulation is already taken, the Great Immortal Canjin can only be placed in the blessed land of Mount Sumeru and go through hundreds of tribulations to become an immortal."

"But why are some people able to gain the favor of the Tribulation Master while others cannot? Later, someone discovered that if one completely replicates the refining path of the Golden Core Tribulation Master, it will definitely attract the attention of the Tribulation Master."

"This set of refining methods during the Foundation Establishment period is the inheritance of the Tribulation Rank, which is the core of the lineage of major forces."

“However,” the young man in the straw hat shrugged, “the inheritance of the Tribulation Rank is just a threshold. If having the inheritance of the Tribulation Rank was enough to prove the Golden Core, the Fire Worship Cult wouldn’t be selling it. There are many tricks involved. For example, the Dragon Poetry Clan must have the Tribulation Rank inheritance of the Dragon Lord, but thousands of years have passed and no one has yet proven it. The Golden Crow Immortal Lord and the Azure Cloud Immortal Lord are both outstanding figures of their time, but they would rather enter the Blessed Land than prove the Golden Core. This shows how dangerous it is.”

"So, the [Eternal Candle] resides in the position of the Calamity Fire?"

"No... um!?"

The young man in the straw hat's pupils contracted sharply. He turned around to look, but couldn't see the speaker.

Winter Hunting Master kindly reminded him, "The auction is running out of time, hurry up and see if there's anything you need."

"No need, I've already acquired my target for this trip." The young man in the straw hat shook his head and disappeared from the auction hall. Master Winter Hunt was slightly taken aback. The young man in the straw hat had been explaining everything since the auction began, and he had never seen him glance at the curtain. How could a transaction be made? Could it be that he bought ten rare items auctioned by the master of ceremonies himself?

However, all ten of the bidders were prominent figures with names and identities. The only item that was won by a hidden buyer was the Guild Establishment Token... Master Dongshou's mind went completely blank. He remained in a daze until the auction ended a quarter of an hour later, when his consciousness was kicked out of the auction by the Treasure Pavilion.

Only when the moon was high in the sky and the city of Chang'an was ablaze with lights did Dongshou Zhenren return to his inner room, lay out paper and grind ink, and write an article:
"On the tenth day of the fifth month of the thirteenth year of the Wucheng era, I attended a grand gathering at the Jubao Pavilion, an event unprecedented in history. Among the guests were immortal lords or those residing at the Foundation Establishment stage. I once discussed the Dao with an immortal lord, and also debated the affairs of the world with celestial officials from the Heavenly Court..."

……

...

In the thieves' house, when Yan Qing pushed open the door, the thieving women immediately stared at him, as if they wanted to devour him whole. Yan Qing took a deep breath, touched his storage ring, and a wisp of golden light appeared in his palm.

A female Bodhisattva statue appeared in the golden light. The female Bodhisattva had a solemn and beautiful appearance. She wore a crown of many treasures and a necklace of eight precious gems. Her surface was shiny and fragrant. However, when people looked at her, they felt desire in their minds and heard the seductive voices of thousands of young girls calling out to them.

Fragrant Flower Jewelry, Heavenly Demon Nature!
Once Yan Qing withdrew the golden energy, everyone broke free from its influence. They looked at each other in disbelief, but Shang Xinlei was the first to burst into tears, hugging Yan Qing and the pharmacist excitedly, exclaiming, "We're rich! We're really rich!"

She pulled Ying Rushi in as well, and the thieves hugged each other and spun around, unable to suppress their excitement.

One Guild Establishment Token, exchanged for a strand of gold!
Although it's an exception, the value of the Guild Establishment Token is undeniable, and it's just one of the Thieves' Guild's regular rewards! They have a high probability of getting another Guild Establishment Token as a reward on their next mission, and the one after that. They can then resell it, and the resources they get will be enough to get everyone to level up to the sixth rank!

So how could they not be happy? How could they not be excited?

The pharmacist quickly withdrew from this childish game, took out a bottle of wine, and switched to an adult celebration, pouring drinks for everyone: "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Shang Xinlei's face was flushed from drinking; this was strong liquor from the Chongming Cave, enough to intoxicate even a Foundation Establishment cultivator. She shook Yan Qing's arm: "Yan Qing, what do you plan to do with this wisp of golden essence? Will you inject it into your inner realm when you ascend to immortality?"

Ying Rushi and the pharmacist looked at Yan Qing. In their view, this was undoubtedly the best way to utilize the value of the gold element. Although it would be used much later, who could resist the temptation of significantly increasing the success rate of seeking ascension through gold?
However, Yan Qing shook his head.

"I will infuse my supernatural powers with the essence of metal."

"Why?" the pharmacist asked calmly. "We don't have any imminent crisis that requires you to increase your combat power right now."

"Because I never intended to take the path of ascension in the mortal world," Yan Qing said. "My goal is to attain the Golden Core Tribulation Realm."

“And it’s not just me,” he said, looking at the three female thieves. “I hope you will follow this path as well.”

The female thieves remained silent, knowing that Yan Qing wouldn't speak without reason.

“I didn’t actually think about ascending to the seventh level at first, because I thought the Tribulation positions would definitely be filled. I didn’t expect that there are only five active Golden Core cultivators now, which means there are probably still eleven vacancies.” Yan Qing looked at the ceiling of the Thieves’ House, his eyes shining with unprecedented light: “Such a heaven-sent opportunity, if I can’t ascend to the peak of immortality and survey all the mountains, it would be a waste of my time in the mortal world.”

“Black Wolf, White Fox, Red Serpent,” he said, “I want to seize four Golden Core Tribulation Positions and forge a Heavenly Immortal Path to the Eighth Rank. But unlike the Path of Ascension in the Mortal World, this path is much more difficult and dangerous, and may even lead to mortal enmity with other Tribulation Masters… Do you want to follow me on this path?”

"Of course." Shang Xinlei stretched out her hand. "I knew you had a lot of good stuff that you hadn't revealed yet. You even know how to advance to the eighth level, and you control the Treasure Pavilion. Did you receive the inheritance of the Primordial Daoist?"

"Now that you know that immortals are divided into Tribulation Lords and Immortal Sovereigns, it's truly difficult to be content without attaining the Golden Core." The Pharmacist placed his hand on Shang Xinlei's hand: "Even if you die seeking the Dao, your heart will be as firm as iron. Besides, the Great Dao is not a solitary path."

Ying Rushi remained silent, placing her hand on it. When the State of Qi was well-governed, she had no more attachment to the mortal world, only wishing to follow the person before her to the very end, until death do them part.

Yan Qing finally placed his hand on it, the four hands overlapping. No one in the world knew of such a secret alliance with such enormous ambitions; only the thieves' family witnessed everything.

"Target: Golden Core Tribulation Stage!"

Suddenly, a high-pitched and resonant voice rang out across the world, reaching from the highest heavens to the deepest hells, from the humblest mortals to the most powerful calamities. At that moment, everyone clearly heard the surging torrent of the times:
"Congratulations to Jubaoge! May the auction bring wealth to the world and may Jubaoge's fortunes finally come to fruition!"
I, the Daoist Duobao of Jubao Pavilion, will attain the Golden Dao Tribulation in Jubao Cave in thirty days, and I invite messengers from all over the world to witness it!

(End of Volume 1)

　It's a day late, but I still wish everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

　　Today is the last day of double monthly passes, so please vote with your monthly passes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)