After Fei Lengyi heard Yang Yunfan’s words, he revealed a faint smile. He had feared the Heavenly Cauldron Pavilion would get angry and toss him out.
If that happened, Fei Lengyi would not be able to do anything. Others might not know, but he was quite aware that there were several Martial Emperors in the Heavenly Cauldron Pavilion. Fortunately, he had a Sovereign Martial Emperor ancestor still alive. Otherwise, he would have been chased out immediately after saying such things.
As for the other Martial Emperors present, he believed that his influence would be sufficient to stop them.
Several of the quasi-Emperors at the auction could afford to take out thirty million Black Astral Coins. However, after they thought about it, there was no need to compete with Fei Lengyi. This made sense. Firstly, they might not be able to overcome Fei Lengyi with their wealth. Secondly, even if they lost, they would end up offending this half-step Martial Emperor.
Finally, even if they managed to win the Heptagold Origin somehow, they did not have any urgent use for it.
Heptagold Origin was only one of the items for refining a Divine Weapon into a Transcendent Divine Weapon. There were still many other supplementary items suitable for the same purpose. It was better for them to sell this favor to Fei Lengyi.
As Fei Lengyi expected, no one competed with him. Hence, he won the bid for the Heptagold Origin at thirty million Black Astral Coins.
After putting away the Heptagold Origin, Fei Lengyi was in a good mood. He performed a cupped-fist salute and said, “Many thanks to everyone. Now, the auction is already over. If everyone is willing to give me some face, you can come to my Jadeite Mountain Manor to observe the ritual, to witness the birth of a new Transcendent Divine Weapon, the Heavenly Cloud Jadeite Sword.”
Fei Lengyi left while laughing loudly in satisfaction.
A large number of quasi-Emperors in the hall and private rooms rushed out to follow. This was a rare event. Everyone wanted to go and see whether Fei Lengyi would succeed or not.
Even Jiang Feng and Xia Luo temporarily forgot about their hatred for Xiao Chen. This sudden development disrupted their plans.
After thinking for a while, these two left their private rooms and immediately headed to the Jadeite Mountain Manor.
Only ten Transcendent Divine Weapons existed in the world. Each Transcendent Divine Weapon possessed great power, enough to rival a Primordial Emperor Treasure. If the breakthrough succeeded, it would definitely shake the entire Black Sea, and the aftershocks would spread throughout the Kunlun Realm.
It might even upset the balance between the entire Black Sea’s factions, causing a great shuffle in power.
Still in his private room, Xiao Chen did not rush to leave. He currently worked at tidying up what he bought in the auction.
Aside from the Fleeting Shadow Gloves and the Source Returning Pill, he also had obtained one hundred Superior Grade Demon Fiend Rocks. Ordinary Demon Fiend Rocks were effective for tempering saber intent or sword intent. However, in order to temper a saber soul, one needed Medial Grade or Superior Grade Demon Fiend Rock.
Of course, Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rock would be best. Unfortunately, that was something that would interest a Martial Emperor, so it would not appear in this quasi-Emperor-level auction.
Xiao Chen spent more than thirty million Black Astral Coins. If not for Jiang Feng causing trouble, he would have spent a lot less.
Xiao Chen would remember this debt in his heart. In the future, if there was a chance, he would extract compensation together with interest.
He unhurriedly walked out of the auction hall. Then, he saw Yue Bingyun, who had been waiting for a long time by the door.
“Haha! Everyone is gone already, but you don’t appear to be in any rush. Are you not interested at all in watching the ritual?” Yue Bingyun smiled gently, appearing very beautiful, so beautiful that others would not dare to look directly at her.
Xiao Chen looked at Yue Bingyun and smiled playfully. “The one who should be in a rush should be you and not me, right? You would not be able to handle the loss if the Startling Wind Zither falls out of the Divine Weapon Ranking.”
If Yue Bingyun botched such a mission, her position as Holy Daughter would no doubt fall into question.
Xiao Chen did not believe that she did not have any competition in the Lunar Palace, no pressure whatsoever.
“It looks like you more or less guessed the details of this matter.”
As Yue Bingyun walked, her expression did not change. She said calmly, “However, with the Heavenly Origin Pill that you gave me, my Longevity Art can definitely reach the twelfth layer. There will be no threat to my position as Holy Daughter, so I am not anxious at all.”
Yue Bingyun’s calm expression frustrated Xiao Chen’s efforts to figure out what she was really thinking.
The two chatted as they walked. However, their pace was not slow at all.
Normally, when the sun rose and sent out the first rays of light, it would sweep away all the darkness, making the sky bright and clear. However, the Black Sea was frequently covered with dark clouds, making it impossible to enjoy a glorious sunrise with light scattering everywhere. This really made one miss the dawn.
The Jadeite Mountain Manor was within Black Water City, sitting between mountains and rivers. However, the many mountains and rivers around certainly did not look like mountains or rivers with one glance.
As one walked on the small path that wound around, looking at the mountains, rivers, trees, and clouds floating about, it felt fantastically like one was walking within a painting.
Rumor had it that the Jadeite Sovereign personally made the landscape around the Jadeite Mountain Manor.
This landscape contained a set of wondrous formations, merging the entire mountain manor with the surrounding natural landscape. If the formation were activated, even Sovereign Martial Emperors would find it hard to break.
Within the entire Black Water City, the Jadeite Mountain Manor could be considered a famous landmark. Many people came to visit all year round.
As Xiao Chen walked around inside Jadeite Mountain Manor, he was deeply impressed. He could tell that the Jadeite Sovereign had put in a lot of effort into every part of it. Any small alteration or damage could result in a great change.
This Jadeite Sovereign was really incredible. His mastery of geomancy probably reached a level that few could match. When Xiao Chen felt how the mountain manor merged with its environs, he suddenly gained some understanding of why this Sovereign Martial Emperor did not care about worldly power at all, uninterested in developing the influence of the Jadeite Mountain Manor. Instead, the Jadeite Sovereign chose to wander around after finding people to manage the Jadeite Mountain Manor, not showing any special care for his descendants.
It was truly a miracle for such a Sovereign Martial Emperor to emerge from this Black Sea where the law of the jungle reigned, where strength ruled.
When Xiao Chen neared the mountain manor, he could not help musing, “The Jadeite Sovereign’s strength is definitely not low. Given his mental state, it should be quite possible for him to advance to Prime.”
Yue Bingyun looked at the elegant gates of the mountain manor, wondering how many quasi-Emperors worked hard to manage this place.
After a while, she headed forward and said indifferently, “That is natural. If the Jadeite Sovereign were not that strong, even if Fei Lengyi had ten times the courage, he would not dare to try and advance a Divine Weapon into a Transcendent Divine Weapon.
“However, he is just a fool in the end. He does not know what he is doing. If the ritual really succeeds, Fei Lengyi will not be able to keep his life, even if the Jadeite Sovereign rushes back.”
Xiao Chen felt his heart shiver. A man’s wealth was his own ruin. Even if the Lunar Palace did not seek trouble for Fei Lengyi, the other factions in the Black Sea would immediately try to snatch the Heavenly Cloud Jadeite Sword.
At that time, there would be a bloody storm. As a half-step Martial Emperor, Fei Lengyi would not be able to handle the situation.
A guard of the mountain manor wearing jade-green robes walked over when he saw Xiao Chen and Yue Bingyun. Then, he performed a cupped-fist salute and asked politely, “Are the two of you entering the manor to watch the ritual?”
Xiao Chen nodded. “While in the Heavenly Cauldron Pavilion, Manor Lord Fei invited us to come to watch. However, due to some matters, we are late.”
That person smiled amiably and said, “The two of you are indeed a little late. The ritual should have already started. I’ll bring you to the observation platform.”
The jade-green-robed cultivator did not show any intention of stopping Xiao Chen and Yue Bingyun. Instead, he generously led them to the observation platform, providing very attentive service.
Xiao Chen smiled and thanked the guard. However, he wondered to himself, What exactly is this Fei Lengyi thinking?
Clearly, Fei Lengyi already sent people to speak with this group of cultivators ahead of time. So, the ritual itself came as no surprise to these quasi-Emperors. It was just shifting up the plans for the fifteenth of next month to today.
Just from these details, one could tell that Fei Lengyi put in a lot of effort for the sake of transforming the Heavenly Cloud Jadeite Sword into a Transcendent Divine Weapon.
One of the purposes was to cause as big a commotion as possible, making sure everyone knew.
The moment Xiao Chen entered the Black Sea, he received an invitation. From this, he could judge that Fei Lengyi already made preparations long ago in order to create the biggest splash possible.
If this were just an ordinary event, there would not be any problems. However, turning a Divine Weapon into a Transcendent Divine Weapon would paint a target on Fei Lengyi.
Any leakage of news could result in the failure of the event, attracting people like Yue Bingyun. Even an ordinary person would understand such a simple principle.
Yue Bingyun said that this person was arrogant in believing that he would succeed. Hence, he was not afraid of calling more people.
Thus far, Xiao Chen agreed that this Fei Lengyi was indeed extraordinarily arrogant. However, he disagreed with the latter evaluation.
Xiao Chen guessed that this Fei Lengyi’s primary purpose was not making a Transcendent Divine Weapon but causing as big a commotion as possible, with the ideal result of triggering a bloody storm.
However, Xiao Chen was not very confident of this guess, because there is no logical benefit for Fei Lengyi.
“We have arrived!”
The Jadeite Mountain Manor guard brought the two to seats on the viewing platform. Then, he bowed and took his leave.
Xiao Chen collected his thoughts and politely returned the bow. Then, he sat down together with Yue Bingyun.
The observation platform was filled with thousands of people. Nearly all the quasi-Emperors in the Heavenly Cauldron Pavilion were here. There were even some quasi-Emperors who had not gone to the Heavenly Cauldron Pavilion but somehow managed to catch hold of this information.
There was a vast empty space several kilometers from the observation platform. The Jadeite Mountain Manor had laid a huge formation made of various divine materials over there.
The formation lines radiated various colors, flickering endlessly. The aura of divine materials spread out and lingered in the air. This sight made everyone who saw it cry out in shock.
“This Fei Lengyi is truly for real. The entire platform is covered in Black Patterned Gold—at least five hundred tons of it.”
“That is just the foundation. Look at those formation lines. They are made up of all sorts of precious materials, at least a hundred different types.”
“He took out nearly everything that the Jadeite Sovereign left behind. If he does not succeed, he will eat a huge loss.”
In an altar placed at the center of the formation, the Jadeite Mountain Manor had a scarlet sword stabbed down amid blazing flames. The sword’s hilt was inlaid with a flickering jadeite.
Even a stronger flame would not be able to diminish the brilliance of that jadeite, which occasionally scintillated with a few very dazzling beams of light. It was even brighter than the sun at noon, deterring everyone from staring at it directly.
This was a jadeite that the Jadeite Sovereign had made by refining an entire star in the Starry Heavens. It contained boundless energy and was rumored to be the only one in the world. It was extraordinarily precious, tempting even Martial Emperors.