The treasures that were reserved for the ninth floor of Yi’s Emporium could almost be regarded as Qing Shaohuang’s private collection, and the most valuable items had just been taken.
On top of that, if Lu Yin had not been stopped, he would have also taken away everything from Yi’s Emporium’s eighth floor as well. The bastard was completely shameless.
Qing Shaohuang also learned of what had happened, and his expression turned ugly. Even though Lu Yin had only taken three things, each one of them was just far too valuable. Even a single one of the items would have been enough to incite chaos, and yet Qing Shaohuang was supposed to cover everything Lu Yin had just spent.
Subconsciously, Qing Shaohuang looked over at Attendant Yi, and the chief attendant happened to look at Qing Shaohuang at the same time. When Attendant Yi saw Qing Shaohuang’s eyes, the man fell to his knees and said, “Your Majesty, everything this lowly one possesses was given to me by you. Please, Your Majesty, don’t even consider paying for this incident! This lowly one would rather die!”
Qing Shaohuang’s expression improved greatly. While he was wealthy and did not particularly care about his wealth, he was still upset to suddenly owe such an outrageous sum. “Don’t worry, I won’t allow you to suffer. He will willingly repay everything that he owes.”
Attendant Yi’s expression showed all of his grief and rage. He was resentful, yet felt helpless about everything that had happened. In fact, the handprint Lu Yin had left on the man’s face was still visible. “Your Majesty, there are still a few days before the banquet.”
Qing Shaohuang’s heart dropped. Given the shameless behavior Lu Yin had just shown, it was impossible he would behave before the banquet. He would definitely run up a shocking tab. “There’s no choice; prepare the banquet to be held sooner. We can’t wait.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This lowly one will start preparing immediately.” Attendant Yi left in a hurry.
Qing Shaohuang let out a drawn out breath and clenched his fists tightly. Lu Yin was truly too shameless!
After leaving Yi’s Emporium, Lu Yin felt quite relieved. He reached over to pat the shop owner on the shoulder. “You did a good job! Not bad at all.”
The shop owner was frozen in fear and regret. He was still reacting to what had just happened. This young man had just played with Yi’s Emporium and Attendant Yi, and the shop owner had been the one who had led Lu Yin to Yi’s Emporium in the first place! This was the end! The shop owner knew his death was imminent, and no one could save him.
Lu Yin glanced at the man. “Hey, don’t look like you’re about to die. I’ll tell Qing Shaohuang to take care of you, and he’ll have to do at least that much for me. That’s just a given.”
Hearing Lu Yin’s words, the shop owner felt like a life-saving straw had just been offered to him. He kneeled down before Lu Yin and started wailing, “Sir, you have to save this lowly one! I don’t want to die yet! My life has only just begun, and I’m still very young! I don’t want to die! Though you asked me to take you to the most expensive place in the city, I was ignorant before taking you to Yi’s Emporium! You must save me! Save me!”
Lu Yin lost his patience with the man. “I already told you that I’d save you! Enough, let’s go. Where else can I spend more money?”
The shop owner turned pale. This man was brutal in the way that he spent money, which meant that he had to have a powerful background. After seeing how Lu Yin had offended Yi’s Emporium, the shop owner did not dare take Lu Yin to such a place again. Any place that Lu Yin went, people would be offended, and if the man took Lu Yin anywhere else, there would not be any place for him to call home on the Divine Venom Continent, or even within the entire empire.
Seeing the shop owner’s reaction, Lu Yin knew that the man did not dare show him any other place. Still, Lu Yin did not want to lose the rare opportunity, so he decided to try to intimidate the man.
“If you don’t take me anywhere expensive, then I’ll just abandon you. Yi’s Emporium will certainly remember you, and actually, I slapped Attendant Yi’s face in your own store,” Lu Yin spoke slowly.
The shop owner trembled as he listened to Lu Yin’s every word. Each word sounded like a declaration of death. This person was too terrifying and too cruel.
Lu Yin was in no hurry, and he simply started looking around.
The shop owner felt cornered. “Young Master, this lowly one knows a place, and though I cannot be certain if it is expensive or not, it should not be too bad.”
Lu Yin looked at the man. “You don’t know? Haven’t you been there before? Where is it?”
The shop owner bitterly explained, “It’s a secret auction. I happened to visit it once by accident, but I was almost immediately removed, as I had insufficient funds.”
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up. “Do they check people’s funds before entering?”
“Yes. Each person must have at least a million star essence to be able to enter.”
“Take me!” Lu Yin had no hesitation. Even though a million star essence were practically nothing for Lu Yin, it was a staggering amount for most cultivators, even Enlighters who had completed thirty-two cycles. Only a million star essence were usually required to complete that cycle, while new Enlighters only needed about 120,000 star essence to complete a cycle.
Lu Yin had long been confronting the powers that controlled the Innerverse’s eight great flowzones, or even the monstrous forces of the Neoverse, and these were groups that handled hundreds of millions of star essence. Still, as far as most average cultivators were concerned, millions of star essence was enough to last even an Enlighter for their entire lifetime.
This meant that the entry requirements for this auction was essentially limited to Enlighters.
There were not a large number of Enlighters even in the Innerverse’s eight great flowzones, so a place that was limited to such powerhouses was naturally quite tempting to Lu Yin.
…
There were 108 Astral River tributaries that wrapped around the Innerverse’s Little Millennium Flowzone. It was a truly unique scene that was highly unusual given its precise order.
Countless spacecraft arrived every day at the border of the flowzone, hoping to be contacted by the Starsibyl Sect. Also, there were also quite a few people who simply hoped to see Starsibyl herself.
“Brother Liang, I heard that you once sat at the same table as Starsibyl long ago! This has got to be another chance to see her again.This time, I just want to step into the Starsibyl Sect to have a glimpse of her beauty.”
There were many vessels docked on a meteorite that had been transformed into a space station. There was even a small market that could be found.
Within the space station, a group of young people were drinking tea and chatting. Every so often, they would spar among themselves with an audience, sparking a lively atmosphere.
“Brother Ping is being too humble. Back then, Brother Ping also spoke with Starsibyl when she was only an Explorer. It’s even said that you spoke to her for longer than any of your peers, which makes one truly jealous.”
“Haha, none of us can compare to Brother Liu. As part of the Sword Sect Liu’s family, he can laugh as he wanders about the universe with Starsibyl, while waiting here is our only option.”
A short ways away, a young man’s mouth curled into a smile as many people turned to look at him with envy. His name was Liu Dong, and he was someone from the same generation as Liu Shaoqiu in the Liu family. However, Liu Dong was far inferior to Liu Shaoqiu, and could not even measure up to Liu Ling or Liu Xiaoyun. Still, due to being part of the Liu family, Liu Dong had indeed managed to meet with Starsibyl.
Liu Dong put on a humble demeanor as soon as he saw everyone direct their attention towards him. “There is more than one Starsibyl, while I’ve only spoken with the Limiteer Starsibyl. I’ve never been able to speak with the Explorer Starsibyl, let alone the Cruiser or Enlighter Starsibyls.”
The man who had been referred to as Brother Liang voiced his jealousy, “Who knows, maybe the current generation of Starsibyls are different from before, and they’re actually all the same person and are just the various clones that were created with the Nine Clones Secret Technique. When Brother Liu spoke to the Limiteer Starsibyl, it might have been the same as speaking to all of them. Even Starsibyl herself treats you with respect! Just don’t forget about me waiting here if you’re able to enter the Starsibyl Sect, Brother Liu.”
“We’ll thank you now, Brother Liu.”
“We’ll thank you now, Brother Liu.”
…
Liu Dong laughed loudly. Even though they all thought that he looked impressive, the truth that only he knew was that when he had seen Starsibyl, she had not even looked at him directly. From her perspective, what was different between Liu Dong and the people around him? He also did not qualify to enter the Starsibyl Sect.
If he was someone who stood at the same level as Liu Shaoqiu, things would be completely different. While Liu Shaoqiu did not have the same sort of status as Starsibyl or the Ten Arbiters, he was still someone who would one day become a powerhouse who could stand tall in the entire universe after he mastered the Thirteen Swords.
Liu Dong dreamed of comprehending the Thirteen Swords, especially since an outsider like Lu Yin had managed such a feat, and had even defeated senior disciple sister Liu Tianmu with the Sword Sect’s own Thirteen Swords. Liu Tianmu’s loss had shocked the entire Liu family, and outsiders would never believe that the family was just feigning their calmness.
If Liu Dong could reach the same level as Lu Yin, even Starsibyl would have to kneel down to greet him. Liu Dong could not help himself from starting to daydream and imagine becoming Lu Yin.
Suddenly, space shattered, and the entire space station was swept away. Everyone’s bones were pulverized instantaneously, and people, spaceships, and celestial bodies were all destroyed in that instant.
A black shadow suddenly stood at the center of Little Millennium Flowzone. They glanced around, revealing a pair of slitted scarlet eyes.
Then, the figure disappeared.
It was not long before all of Little Millennium Flowzone was completely destroyed. News of the Starsibyl Sect’s disappearance almost instantly spread through the Innerverse, and then throughout the entire Fifth Mainland.
The Starsibyl Sect was a power that had a powerful influence on the entire universe. Whether or not people believed in divination, the sect would still have an impact on them. Each of the Starsibyls was individually powerful, and yet all of them had vanished in a moment.
The Starsibyl Sect’s disappearance had an even greater effect than if one of the powers that led any of the eight great flowzones had suddenly disappeared.
…
In Venom King City, the shop owner led Lu Yin around until they entered a dark alley. They quickly passed through the alley to arrive in a dark place that led to a long passageway.
The moment Lu Yin and the shop owner entered the corridor, oil lamps lit up on both sides, and each flame slightly distorted the void, giving the hallway an extraordinary appearance.
“Asset confirmation: one million star essence. Please present it.” A voice spoke up. It sounded soulless, and it had appeared completely without any prior indication. The shop owner was startled by the voice, and he quickly ducked his head, hoping to not be recognized, or even worse, remembered later on. The shop owner was already aware that Lu Yin was intending to help himself to a free meal, and he was absolutely going to create a mess. Even if the shop owner had hidden his appearance, it would mean nothing if Lu Yin was going to go all out on this trip.
A secret auction indicated an auction held in a hidden place that catered to those who could not be exposed. This was not only referring to the goods being sold, but also the people bidding on the items.
Everyone who participated in a secret auction would hide their identity so that no one would know who attended the auction. This was also done to protect the secret auction.
Lu Yin had naturally also hidden himself. He glanced out of the corner of eyes and lifted a hand that held an Enhanced poison from Elder Wu. The poison was tossed out, and it instantly disappeared. “Check for yourself.”
Asset verification could be done with star essence or items of equivalent value. As long as the value matched a million star essence, it would be enough.
The poisons that Lu Yin had obtained from Elder Wu and then upgraded were able to affect even Envoys, which meant that the value of the poison would greatly exceed a million star essence, especially in the Divine Venom Dynasty.
After a while, the bottle reappeared and Lu Yin retrieved it.
“Approved. Please enter.” As the voice spoke, the passageway grew dark once again, and Lu Yin proceeded along with the shop owner.
The shop owner could not decide if he should be happy or concerned. After all, he had not only accompanied Lu Yin to the legendary ninth floor of Yi’s Emporium, he had also made it into the secret auction. The shop owner was visiting all sorts of places he would never have gained access to in his entire life, but would his final destination for the day end up being his own grave? All he could do was hope and pray that Lu Yin possessed a conscience and would save him.
After passing through the passageway, the two entered a dark room. Only a platform at the front was illuminated, but there were hundreds of compartments all around the room. Each one was tens of meters away from the others, and it was impossible to see inside any of the compartments from the others.
