The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

"It seems this thousand-year-old demonic orca is even more attractive to these people than I imagined." Xu Zihuang sat back down on the sofa and casually picked up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth.

That's fine too; the crazier these people are, the more they profit.

However, compared to Xu Zihuang, Shui Qianqian and Shui Jixi in the other VIP room were not in such a good mood.

"Five hundred thousand gold soul coins." Shui Qianqian gritted her teeth and quoted the maximum price she could accept. Before heading to Moon Pivot Island, her mother had only given her four hundred thousand gold soul coins. The remaining one hundred thousand gold soul coins were paid by her aunt.

If she still can't win the bid with 500,000 gold soul coins, then she will have to give up and instead hunt other soul beasts to become her third soul ring.

Shui Jixi, who was standing nearby, also sat up and paid attention to the situation in the auction center. Although she and Shui Qianqian had different views, they still had a deep friendship.

When the price of 500,000 gold soul coins was announced, many people present hesitated to participate.

After a tense three-round bidding war, thankfully no one else placed a bid, allowing them to successfully acquire the thousand-year-old demonic killer whale.

The atmosphere in the auction center grew increasingly intense, but a very awkward scene occurred when the ninth item, the ancient whale glue, was being auctioned.

This rare find—a whale capsule dating back ten thousand years—remained unsold, with no bids received.

Even Xu Zihuang hadn't anticipated this outcome.

Yao Yang, on the other hand, seemed calmer.

This is due to the unique geographical conditions of the Moon South Islands. Although the elixir of ten-thousand-year whales can increase the maximum age at which a Soul Master can absorb Soul Rings, the exact increase is difficult to determine. Not everyone is a Spiritual Soul Master like Xu Zihuang and Yao Yang, capable of precise perception using spiritual power. Furthermore, Soul Masters on the Moon South Islands only have one way to obtain Soul Rings: from the sea. While the number and quality of sea Soul Beasts surpass those on the mainland, the vastness and size of the ocean make obtaining suitable Soul Rings there far more difficult than obtaining them from the Soul Beast Forest on the mainland. This makes obtaining Soul Rings even more reliant on luck.

It's clearly not worth risking so much to wander the seas in order to obtain a higher-age soul ring.

"Next up is today's grand finale auction item," Zhu Yao's clear and melodious voice rang out again.

This time, the scale was larger than ever before. A young girl held a dark, rectangular metal box in both hands, while around her stood fifty guards from the Moon Pivot City, clad in platinum-gold armor.

Zhu Yao approached the girl, extended her slender fingers to open the closed metal box, and introduced it to everyone.

"This is the last item up for auction tonight, a soul bone. More precisely, it's the head soul bone from the 9,000-year-old demonic soul great white shark. According to our Moon Pivot Auction House's appraisal, any soul master can easily fuse with it. After fusing with this soul bone, one will gain an offensive mental attribute soul skill, while also greatly enhancing the soul master's own mental power. The starting price is one million gold soul coins, and each bid must be at least ten thousand gold soul coins."

No one present paid any attention to what Zhu Yao said, because their eyes were fixed on the small, crystal-clear bone in the center of the metal.

This is a miniature human skull, about the size of a palm.

A rich surge of soul power swept over, merging with the faint silver light emanating from its body, creating an indescribable sense of smoothness.

Chapter 35: Has the dust settled?

Like the Demonic Orca, another top predator in the ocean, the Demonic Great White Shark possesses not only formidable physical strength but also exceptional mental power. It even boasts several innate soul skills that utilize mental attacks.

This is precisely why the Great White Shark species was able to avoid being significantly disadvantaged even when completely countered by the Demon Orca.

Although the soul bone before them originated from a great white shark with nine thousand years of cultivation, its high quality was undeniable. Not only was the soul bone itself extremely complete, but judging from Zhu Yao's previous introduction, the skills attached to this soul bone had clearly been solidified.

In the world of Soul Masters, there's a saying about Soul Bones: any Soul Bone that has attribute requirements for a Soul Master or solidifies a Soul Skill must be exceptionally powerful.

Although soul bones that have attribute requirements for a soul master's martial soul are only suitable for fusion with a small number of soul masters of the same attribute, once they are compatible with a soul master, the amplification effect they can provide far exceeds that of soul bones that do not have attribute requirements.

As for the solidification of soul skills, this is the greatest advantage among soul bones. Only soul bones from exceptionally powerful soul beast races can have solidified soul skills. This is because the martial soul quality of most soul masters is inferior to that of these top-tier soul beasts with noble bloodlines, and naturally, it is impossible for the soul skills attached to the soul bone to change due to their own martial soul during the fusion process.

If a Soul Master can successfully fuse with a Soul Bone that solidifies a Soul Skill, then it is equivalent to perfectly replicating the innate Soul Skill of those top-tier Soul Beasts.

In the VIP lounge, Yao Yang examined the soul bone with a thoughtful expression. He then slowly walked up to Xu Zihuang and asked seriously, "Zihuang, although the Great White Shark that produced this soul bone is a bit old, its attributes and the solidified soul skills within it should be very suitable for you. If you are interested in this soul bone, I can get it for you."

His words were full of confidence and composure.

With his extensive network of operations on Moon Pivot Island over the years, acquiring this soul bone wouldn't be difficult for him. It would simply mean further alienating the already strained pirate groups he was dealing with.

"No need, Brother Yang. To be honest, this soul bone is just average in my opinion. There's no need for you to spend so much money on me." Xu Zihuang met Yao Yang's gaze and smiled meaningfully. "Besides, Brother Yang, the reason you risked offending the Demon Crocodile Pirate Gang to take over this soul bone and put it up for auction must be to create resentment among the five major pirate gangs, right?"

“That’s right, I do have that idea.” Yao Yang gave Xu Zihuang an approving look.

He simply gave a brief overview of the situation in the Yuenan Islands, but unexpectedly, Xu Zihuang saw through his thoughts at a glance.

Of course, if Xu Zihuang really wanted this soul bone, he would help Xu Zihuang get it even if he gave up the idea.

"In that case, let's all watch this show together." Xu Zihuang stretched lazily and looked back at the VIP rooms opposite. His calm, deep purple eyes became exceptionally profound.

Logically, the head bone of a great white shark with a nine-thousand-year cultivation level should have been enough to ignite the passion of the bidders present. However, in reality, only four bidders actually participated, namely the other four pirate crews in the other five VIP rooms besides the Silverfin Pirate Crew.

Within minutes, the price had soared to 1.8 million gold soul coins.

Unlike the previous thousand-year-old demonic orca, although the bidders at the auction center coveted this soul bone, reason told them that this soul bone was definitely not something they could have the chance to obtain.

It's important to understand that this isn't the Sun Moon Empire, nor is it among the three original empires of the Douluo Continent. This is the Moon South Islands, far more chaotic than the Douluo Continent. Without sufficient backing, even if you manage to acquire this soul bone, there's no guarantee you'll leave alive.

Unless they stay in Moon Pivot City forever. Moon Pivot City is directly under the jurisdiction of Viscount Moon South, and with the addition of five hundred Moon Pivot City Guards, even the five major pirate groups wouldn't dare to cause trouble here.

The one who just offered the high price of 1.8 million gold soul coins is Whale Gu, the leader of the Whale Shark Pirate Crew. Just like the name of the Whale Shark Pirate Crew, his own martial soul is a whale shark, and whale sharks are a very powerful soul beast in the ocean.

The head bone of this nine-thousand-year-old demonic great white shark is extremely compatible with his martial soul, and he is determined to obtain it.

In the VIP room next to Whale's, Purple Serpent Pirate Leader Purple Crystal stretched out her slender fingers and stirred a few strands of purple hair behind her ear. She touched a protruding metal block on the table and said in a charming voice, "Since Brother Whale has offered such a high price, it seems that I have no choice but to give up."

The metal block in front of her was a sound transmission device connecting all the VIP rooms; as long as soul power was injected, it could transmit sound.

Xu Zihuang and his two companions, who were in the VIP lounge, naturally heard Zijing's voice as well.

"You flatter me." Another slightly deep voice rang out in the room. It was Jing Gu who spoke, his words carrying a distinctly reserved quality.

Meanwhile, Crocodile Luo, the leader of the Demon Crocodile Pirates, instantly turned grim. Crocodile Cheng, sitting beside him, had long since lost all his arrogance, clenching his fists and anxiously looking at his grandfather.

"grandfather……"

Due to the intense emotional fluctuations, his originally brownish-yellow eyes underwent a dramatic transformation. One pupil turned ice-blue, while the other became fiery red. An aura of extreme cold and heat emanated from his body, spreading outwards.

Crocodile Luo merely glanced at Crocodile Cheng, who immediately sat up straight with some fear.

"Don't worry, no one can take this soul bone away from you. What's yours will always be yours." As he spoke, he raised the price to 1.9 million gold soul coins again.

"Two million." Seeing Crocodile Luo bid again, Whale Gu's expression changed, but he gritted his teeth and raised the price again.

"Hmph!" Crocodile Luo pondered for a moment, his only remaining brown-yellow eye gleaming with coldness, and slammed his large hand heavily onto the table in front of him.

Fine cracks spread silently, and after about two breaths, the heavy table, entirely made of marble, turned into dust.

"Go back to the ship first!"

Crocodile Cheng stood up in a daze, then immediately understood his grandfather's meaning, and was overjoyed. He even walked with a slightly smug air, disdainfully surveying the crowd in the auction center.

Do you know what the biggest difference is between me and you? It's that I can get what I want.

The difference between us is our background.

Chapter 36 Handover

If Xu Zihuang could hear what E Cheng was thinking at this moment, he would probably feel disgusted even if he had glanced at him twice earlier.

That's really beneath me.

It's just a frog holed up in a well in the Southern Islands.

Without Crocodile Luo's bid, the head bone of the nine-thousand-year-old demonic great white shark was easily acquired by Whale Gu. However, although he successfully won the bid for the bone, a shadow fell over his heart.

After all, he had thoroughly offended Crocodile Luo.

Xu Zihuang and the others in the VIP room clearly saw the changes in Crocodile Luo and Crocodile Cheng's expressions. Yao Yang frowned and suddenly said to Xu Zihuang and Wang Xiao, "Zihuang, Uncle Wang, to avoid any accidents, I will personally take this soul bone to Jing Gu for handover. Later, I will have Yao'er bring the fish oil from the head of the Demon Soul Great White Shark. Zihuang, you can also tell her what kind of rare metals you need to learn how to make soul tools, and she will arrange it for you."

"Okay, Yang-ge, you go ahead and get busy."

"If you need my help, just tell me." Wang Xiao patted Yao Yang on the shoulder before he left the room.

Yao Yang nodded slightly, moved, and then walked along the VIP passage towards the auction center. Given their relationship, there was no need for such polite words.

The auction concluded, and the bidders in the auction center gradually left. Those who won the bids were led by staff from the Moon Pivot Auction House to receive their items.

Fifty Moon Pivot City Guards stood ready on either side of the auction center's stage. Surrounded by them, Zhu Yao solemnly put the metal box containing the head bone of the Great White Shark into her bracelet-shaped storage soul tool.

Although the auction has ended, the handover process is equally important and cannot be taken lightly.

Just then, a steady footstep approached from afar, and Yao Yang's figure gradually emerged from the dimly lit corridor.

"Greetings, City Lord." Upon seeing Yao Yang, the fifty Moon Pivot City Guards respectfully knelt on one knee, their armor clanging with a series of metallic sounds.

Yao Yang waved his right hand lightly, signaling everyone to stand up, and in front of outsiders, he resumed his dignified demeanor as the city lord. However, when he walked up to Zhu Yao, especially when he looked directly into her resentful gaze, his eyes revealed a hint of doting and helplessness.

"Has our city lord finished his business? Why does he have time to come here?" Zhu Yao asked, her red lips slightly parted, feigning surprise.

Yao Yang ignored Zhu Yao's teasing and directly stated the purpose of his visit.

"Yao'er, give me that soul bone. I'll personally hand it over to Jing Gu. You take the fish oil from the head of the Demon Soul Great White Shark and give it to Zi Huang. Also, help him prepare some rare metals he needs to learn how to make soul tools."

"You're always ordering me around." Zhu Yao glared at Yao Yang with dissatisfaction, but still obediently took out the soul bone from the soul tool and handed it to Yao Yang.

At the same time, a feeling of warmth rose in my heart.

It seems you still care about me.

The relationship between these five pirate crews and them has never been harmonious.

……

In a secluded room at the Moon Pivot Auction House, Jing Gu, shirtless, sat on a sofa with his eyes closed, seemingly trying to calm himself. However, the occasional twitching of his brow betrayed his turbulent emotions.

The slight sound of a door opening startled him awake, instantly putting him on alert. Looking at Yao Yang, dressed in a magnificent silver-white Soul Master robe, resembling a refined gentleman, a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

"It was actually Viscount Yue Nan who came in person to hand over the duties; I was truly impolite."

"Chief Whale, there's no need for such formalities." Yao Yang smiled slightly, without any intention of further pleasantries. A flash of white light, and the metal box containing the head bone of the nine-thousand-year-old demonic soul great white shark appeared in his right hand.

"Business is of utmost importance. I wonder if Chief Jinggu has prepared the funds?"

“Of course.” Jing Gu’s eyes were fixed on the metal box in Yao Yang’s right hand, even the tone of his voice changed slightly. Facing this soul bone that was about to belong to him at such close range, he could no longer hide his excitement.

Not everyone has such an illustrious background as Xu Zihuang. Soul Masters like them, who rise from humble beginnings, rarely have the chance to even touch a soul bone in their entire lives. This soul bone, which Xu Zihuang considers ordinary, is a priceless treasure to him, one that is hard to come by.

In the nearly 100-year history of the Moon South Islands, only this one piece of soul bone has actually flowed into the Moon Pivot Auction House.

He took out a dazzling purple-gold card from his soul tool and generously tossed it to Yao Yang.

"Chief Jinggu is indeed generous." Yao Yang smiled and complimented Jinggu as he looked at the Soul Crystal Card worth two million Gold Soul Coins. At the same time, he placed the metal box in his hand on the table in front of Jinggu.

Jinggu eagerly opened the box and looked at the soul bone, its surface smooth and radiating a faint silver light. A look of intoxication flashed in his eyes.

He examined it briefly to make sure there were no problems, then put it into his soul tool, nodding to Yao Yang as he did so.

"Viscount Yue Nan's reputation is still reliable. Now that the handover is complete, I'll take my leave."

"May Chief Jinggu have a safe journey." Yao Yang put his hands behind his back, watched Jinggu's retreating figure, and then changed the subject.