Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 210 The Seven Arrows of the Nailhead Technique

As usual, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant who was presiding over the auction made his appearance, and after saying a few nice words, he began today's auction.

One by one, pills, magical artifacts, talismans, talismanic implements, formations, cultivation techniques, ancient treasures, secret arts, and spiritual armor flowed across the stage like water.

Compared to ordinary small gatherings, the monthly auction is undoubtedly much faster-paced.

While many immortals were still hesitating, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant called out several times and clapped his hands, confirming his master's appointment. This made the hesitant immortals immediately regret their decision.

This made the atmosphere in the venue exceptionally lively. Many immortals who were interested in the treasures dared not delay any longer, for fear that if they were a step too slow, the treasures would be bought by others.

Fang Shu landed among them and waited patiently. After the two evil energies were bought at the auction, an evil energy called "Plague Poisonous Evil" appeared on the stage, and his eyes finally lit up.

"This evil spirit is harvested from a thousand-year-old rotten valley, where all living things have perished. Anyone who enters will inevitably be afflicted by plague, and even Qi-refining immortals will easily be poisoned and die."

After examination by the association's chief priest, this evil spirit was assessed as having a medium-to-high level of malevolent energy.

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant briefly stated: "There are two lots available today, with a starting bid of one hundred taels of low-grade spirit stones. You may bid individually or in multiple lots."

As soon as the words were spoken, someone in the hall immediately shouted out a bid: "One hundred taels!"

"Me too, one hundred taels!" "One hundred and ten."

Fang Shu's gaze flickered slightly, and he no longer hesitated.

This plague-like miasma is of good quality and is perfect for serving as the disease-causing agent in the Six Desires Yin-Yang Method. Moreover, he himself is quite accustomed to the miasma.

"One hundred and ten," Fang Shu replied.

He remained restrained, neither making unreasonable demands nor trying to show off.

After the price fluctuated for about ten breaths, the value of a single portion of malevolent energy reached 170 taels, which was quite expensive.

Fortunately, no further incidents occurred, and Fang Shu came in second, successfully acquiring the malevolent energy for 170 taels of silver.

Once the auction is concluded, a waiter immediately retrieves the goods and approaches the buyer to complete the transaction. Alternatively, the buyer can choose to leave their seat and complete the transaction separately in a darkroom from the auction hall.

However, Fang Shu did not try to hide it too much. Although the price of 170 taels of murderous aura made him wince, it was only of medium to low value compared to the many other goods on site.

For goods worth less than a thousand spirit stones, buyers usually choose to pay in cash. Instead, private transactions tend to attract more attention from others.

Before long, Fang Shu paid the spirit stones and obtained the evil energy.

He first looked at the receipt, and then personally checked it with his divine sense and Taoist talisman. After confirming that the evil energy was correct, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The most important item, the one imbued with malevolent energy, has been obtained.

His main goal in attending the auction was to achieve his objective. Even if he didn't gain anything further, he could still go back to refine his inner energy and cultivate properly.

However, Fang Shu did not rush to leave; his eyes remained bright as he gazed at the auction hall.

The malevolent energy can only help him solidify his foundation and unlock the next stage of malevolent energy condensation, but the actual cultivation still requires the assistance of various pills and spiritual plants.

Otherwise, even if he took three Qi-nourishing pills every day, his cultivation speed would still be much slower than that of those with innate spiritual roots, especially those with medium spiritual roots.

Not long after, a cultivation technique that had captivated Fang Shu appeared in the venue.

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant held up two pellets, one bluish-green and the other jet black, and spoke:
"Fellow immortals, take a good look. This is not a elixir, but a means of transmitting a Dharma. The method is called the 'Method of Consuming Copper Juice and Iron Pills.' It is not a pure elixir formula, but a method for absorbing the essence of copper, iron, and metal."

"By swallowing these two pills, one can prepare medicinal herbs to nourish the six internal organs and promote cultivation. This is truly a rare and invaluable secret method for those cultivating true qi and condensing evil spirits."

The other party tempted them, saying, "If a fourth-tribulation immortal obtains it, the chance of condensing evil spirits will increase twice. If a fifth-tribulation immortal obtains it, the efficiency of condensing evil spirits will increase twice... This method can also be passed down through generations."

Fang Shu's heart skipped a beat.

But soon, his heart sank.

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Slave announced, "Starting bid: seven hundred spirit stones!"

Immediately, a spirit called out: "Eight hundred!"

"Eight hundred and fifty!" "Eight hundred and seventy!"

The calls for price were much faster and more continuous than for ordinary goods.

As Fang Shu listened, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Let alone eight or nine hundred, the starting bid of seven hundred taels alone would drain all his spirit stones and evil energy.

However, just a short while later, the auction price of "The Method of Taking Copper Juice and Iron Pills" broke through a thousand, becoming a highlight of the day's event.

Fang Shu frowned and muttered to himself, "How come there are so many rich guys?"

Despite his inner turmoil—even half an ounce of spirit stones could stump a hero—he still dared not openly quote a price.

After the copper molten iron pills were sold, the goods at the auction continued to be sold, but today's auction had clearly reached its second half, and some of the immortals in the meeting had even left.

It was likely that those people had already run out of spirit stones and were afraid that some rare treasures might come along that would tempt them to spend their life savings, so they left first.

Fang Shu remained seated calmly in the venue, intending to witness the highlight of the day.

Suddenly, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant took out a rusty coffin nail.

Everyone instinctively assumed that this item would be a magical artifact, but the other party spoke up and said:
"This is an item for transmitting a magical technique, called the 'Seven Arrows of Nailhead Technique.' Has any fellow Daoist taken a fancy to it?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a roar. Many immortals abruptly raised their heads, staring at the other party with suspicion in their eyes.

Under the watchful eyes of most of the immortals, even with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, the immortal servant couldn't help but cough lightly and explain:

"Of course, after inspection by our clerk, it is found that this is just a fake technique. It is different from the rumored Seven Nailhead Arrows. Instead, they are called Black Dog Nail, Purple River Nail, Yellow Human Nail, Red Lead Nail, Green Corpse Nail, White Lust Nail, and Blue Nightmare Nail."

He spoke eloquently: "The complete spell consists of seven magical artifacts, and the method of refining them is quite unorthodox. It requires black dog blood, black donkey hoof, placenta, human urine, children's urine, and women's red lead, among other things."

Immediately, jeers and jeers erupted from the people in the hall:

"What? It's just another fake technique, a thing under a false name."

"I knew it. The legend says that the real Seven Arrows of Nailhead can easily kill even gods. If you really had them, why would you bring them out?"

Upon hearing this, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant added, "Although it is a pseudo-technique under a false name, according to what the technique says, if it is fully refined and controlled by a Foundation Establishment Immortal, the seven arrows can be fired simultaneously, unleashing the power of a Golden Core True Immortal."

These words immediately piqued the interest of the immortals who had previously looked away, but most of them still squinted and looked at the other party with suspicion.

"Is that really so? This is the grand finale for today? Isn't today's time not up yet..." a celestial being exclaimed.

At this moment, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant coughed lightly again, sighed, and introduced:

"Whether it is true or false, our association cannot discern it either; it is merely a self-description within a spell. Unfortunately, this instrument used to transmit the spell is severely damaged, with only the general method of cultivation for the three nailed arrows remaining, though the secret text should be complete."

Fortunately, our association has verified that if all three nail arrows are successfully forged, firing them together should unleash the power of a quasi-Foundation Establishment cultivator. Of course, this is contingent on their successful forging and cultivation.

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Servant no longer concealed anything and revealed all the information about the goods in one go. After he finished speaking, the immortals present pondered for a moment before finally realizing what he had said.

Another round of jeers erupted from the audience:

"It turns out to be just a broken method, without even a complete refining process inside."

"Your humble auction house actually dares to bring out such ominous and unknown goods to tease us? If it fails to be refined, will your shop offer a refund?"

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Slave looked troubled and said, "Once the goods are sold, they cannot be returned or exchanged unless they are completely different from what is stated in the contract."

Suddenly, the rusty nail, which had previously attracted everyone's attention, fell out of favor, with many people muttering to themselves and showing no interest in making a move.

Fang Shu, however, took his seat among them, pondering to himself whether or not to make a move: "Since there are three general methods, if I were to acquire them and carefully deduce them, perhaps I could complete the repairs?"

However, after careful consideration, he suppressed the idea of ​​taking advantage of the situation.

A fragmentary manual of unknown origin carries immense risks when practiced, and its price is likely not low either.

However, suddenly, seeing the cold reception and troubled expression on the face of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, he gritted his teeth and made a face:

"Alright, I'll reveal some more information to you all today. This secret technique of nailing arrows was acquired by our organization from another region."

That man's ancestors were legitimate practitioners of the Witchcraft and Ghostly Immortals lineage. This technique appears to have originated from within that lineage, and is not some baseless, fabricated art!

Seeing that the crowd was still discussing, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Slave cupped his hands again: "However, what you all say makes sense. Selling incomplete methods is indeed too far from the rules of our hall."

"That's settled then. The immortal who purchases this item will receive an additional Qi Refining Secret Technique as a gift from our hall, which can be selected later within our hall."

Finally, some people in the audience started to get interested.

A voice then sounded beside Fang Shu:

"Having made so many concessions, even if we lose money, we can still have a Qi Refining Secret Technique as a safety net. It seems like a good opportunity."

"This is a rare opportunity for us to offer a discount today."

He sneered inwardly upon hearing these words.

No matter how eloquently the Foundation Establishment Immortals speak, quoting scriptures and trying to climb the social ladder, it's all just a way to stir up the emotions of the audience and keep the atmosphere lively.

Everyone thought they were about to get a good deal, but the merchant definitely didn't lose out.

This is a rhetorical tactic!

However… he, Fang, wants it.

Fang Shu's expression turned unusually troubled.

"The Nail Arrow spell, although not a flying sword or a leaping ball, is still a good tool for controlling and killing enemies, and it is just right for my object manipulation technique."

He is lacking a powerful killing weapon!
Moreover, this technique is so powerful, yet it is incomplete. He still possesses a Daoist talisman, which may be able to repair it.

Fang Shu's thoughts were in turmoil:
"This technique is suspected to originate from the Witchcraft and Ghostly Path. Although I am not a member of the Witchcraft and Ghostly Path, I have managed to extract quite a few cultivation steps from those Ghostly Path immortals, which can be used as a reference for repairing the method..."

While Fang Shu was still hesitating, bidding had already begun on the spot:

"Starting bid: only 150 spirit stones!"

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Slave had just raised the price of his spell so high, and now he was only offering a price of less than two hundred spirit stones, which made many immortals even more tempted.

The room was quiet for a few moments, then the bidding immediately resumed:

"One hundred and sixty!" "One hundred and eighty!"

After a chase.

The method was ultimately sold to someone in the room for a price of two hundred spirit stones.

And this person... was none other than Fang Shu.

He really couldn't resist.

It wasn't that he was unaware of the tricks used at the auction, but rather that this spell was simply too fitting and appropriate for him.

After acquiring it, Fang Shu examined it thoroughly.

He noticed that the rusty nails were heavy, and the rust was far more severe than it appeared on the surface.

Even so, when he probed it with his divine sense, there were still many secret texts inside, and three of them were probably complete.

After inspecting the goods, he comforted himself: "Even if the secret text is incomplete, it should still be able to refine something. Besides, there's another complete Qi refining secret method as a backup."

After paying the spirit stones and putting away the magic method, Fang Shu didn't feel like he had made a bad purchase.

However, he had already spent more than half of his entire fortune in today's auction. Now, looking back, he truly felt a pang of regret.

It should be noted that he originally intended to use these spirit stones for ten years.

An hour later.

With the Foundation Establishment Immortal Slave's cupped hands, today's auction came to a complete end.

When the final item appeared, it was actually a robe for a near-Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if a Refining Immortal wore it, it could withstand a blow from a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had lost their ground during the Seven Tribulations and survive.

This item once again stirred up the auction hall.

Fang Shu was no longer excited. He quickly finished reading and followed the attendant to select a guaranteed spell.

Soon, his eyes lit up as he took a liking to a technique called "Soul Searching and Truth Exhalation Technique." After reading the description of the technique, he didn't hesitate any longer and immediately chose it.

This method is a spell that can be used to search for souls. It allows immortals to capture enemies and knock something out of their skulls to prevent them from being deceived.

Unlike the "Pseudo-Nail-Head Seven Arrows Technique," this method is genuinely from the Witchcraft and Ghost Path, and it is divided into two volumes.

The first volume allows one to insert ink lines into a person's brain, forcing them to reveal the truth; it is suitable for cultivators who refine essence. The second volume allows one to insert divine sense into a person's brain, not only forcing thieves to reveal the truth but also allowing one to vaguely see some images.

After accepting the spell, Fang Shu opened his eyes and thought to himself:

"This Witchcraft and Ghost Path is indeed worthy of being an ancient lineage. They are truly proficient in witchcraft and ghosts, especially in the soul. Even their methods that have been passed down are so exquisite."

Perfectly, this method can make up for his lack of soul-searching techniques and can also be used as another source of material for deducing witchcraft and ghost magic.

Having acquired the Soul Searching Spell, he felt that today's auction trip had been quite fruitful, and the pain of financial loss subsided.

　Happy New Year! Friends, remember to leave a monthly pass to read the extra chapters.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)