Eternal Life through Drawing Lots

"The Sen Feng Auction?" Fang Yang murmured, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Second Uncle Fang replied,

"That’s right, the Sen Feng Auction.

This auction house has an incredibly powerful backer. It basically has every kind of Spiritual Object you can imagine.

There are even rumors that the great power surnamed Sen, the one backing this auction house, is—"

At this, Second Uncle Fang suddenly stopped and pointed to the official enforcer’s robe Fang Yang was wearing.

His meaning was clear: this backer was very likely the sovereign of the current grand army—Sen Yue!

After some deliberation, Fang Yang and the others decided they had to go to the Sen Feng Auction. They would try to obtain the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object as soon as possible!

...

「Three days later.」

The area was bustling, with crowds of people surging about.

It seemed the start of the Sen Feng Auction had dispersed the gloom from the recent military defeat.

"Ji Juyun is here! Heh, if he runs into Dongfang Mobai, this is going to be fun."

"That’s right. Ji Juyun nearly died at Dongfang Mobai’s hands, after all."

"Wait, is that the Flood Dragon Sword Dao Seed—Jiang Venerable Sword? Whew... turning into a streak of sword light and moving through the air, he’s so unbelievably cool."

"What a beautiful woman! I can’t believe someone like her exists in this world. Is her name... Chen Ying?"

"Damn, what is with today? Even the Qingkong Dao Seed is here."

"Heh, and I think I just saw the figure of the legendary Elder Hua..."

One great power after another arrived at the Sen Feng Auction.

Their arrival sparked heated discussions among the onlookers, creating waves of chatter.

Amidst this commotion, Fang Yang’s group made a low-key arrival.

Guided by a female attendant, Fang Yang and his companions left the main hall and ascended to the second floor, where the private rooms were located.

As for the third floor, that was not an area Fang Yang and his group could enter at their current level.

The third floor was reserved for prodigies of at least the Dao Seed Level!

"Fang Yang is here too. Looks like he’s come for the Thunder Carp Essence, but nine times out of ten, he’s making a wasted trip," Dongfang Mobai said, shaking his head.

Le Shiyu, Lin Tianxue, and others came to the same conclusion as Dongfang Mobai.

Among them, Zhang Ye, who was also on the second floor, gazed at Fang Yang’s departing figure and felt immense pressure.

Like Fang Yang, he had come for an essence-type Spiritual Object.

The difference was that Fang Yang was after the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object, while he was after the Thunder Sparrow Essence Spiritual Object.

But compared to Fang Yang, his situation wasn’t much better. ’I’m being targeted, too!’

Outside, the air was filled with a noisy clamor.

Inside the private room, however, it was tranquil and serene—a world of its own.

Opening the window, Fang Yang looked out and gazed at the balconies on the second and third floors.

He immediately spotted many acquaintances, and even caught sight of Chen Ying!

"Ah Yang, this auction might get turbulent,"

Second Uncle Fang said. "But rest assured, we will do everything we can to help you secure the Thunder Carp Essence. As long as the major families—the Sens, the Qings, the Chens—don’t make a move, there shouldn’t be a problem."

Hearing his uncle’s words, Fang Yang had a bad feeling.

Fortunately, he hadn’t been dead set on getting it no matter what. ’That would be unrealistic!’

"Yes, doing our best is enough, Second Uncle," Fang Yang said, his expression calm.

His calm demeanor immediately put Second Uncle Fang, Seventh Uncle Fang, and Lu Yao at ease.

With so many great powers attending the auction, they were under immense pressure.

After all, no one could guarantee that they would be able to obtain the Spiritual Object they wanted.

「An hour later.」

SNAP!

A string of large red lanterns above the auction hall lit up one after another, bathing the auction stage in brilliant, dazzling light.

Under the gazes of the countless attendees, an old man in a gray-blue robe slowly appeared and walked onto the auction stage.

"This old man is known as San Ya’zi, and I will be the host for this auction. Now, let us begin with the first item."

The old man, San Ya’zi, was a man of action. He wasted no time in presenting the first item to be auctioned—an Inverted Scale of a Flood Dragon!

A shattered piece of a Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale hovered in the air, emitting a strange, divine radiance. It was as if a tiny Flood Dragon was coiled within.

A dragon can be large or small. When large, it stirs the clouds and spits mist; when small, it can hide its form and become invisible.

The crowd below gazed at the Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale with fiery eyes and ragged breaths.

"A Sacred Object! Even if it’s only a fragment, the fact that they’re auctioning it is astounding!" Seventh Uncle Fang’s expression changed, his composure shattered.

An essence-type Spiritual Object can help a Cultivator forge a Spirit Body when breaking through to Tier Three.

A special Sacred Object, in turn, can help a Cultivator at Tier Five Peak forge a Sacred Body.

Sacred Objects are the key to forging a Sacred Body.

The method requires a Cultivator to use a Sacred Object as a catalyst, guiding their True Essence outside their body to condense a First-Level Dharma Aspect based on the phantom image of their Spirit Body.

Then, in one swift motion, they must draw that Dharma Aspect into themselves and harmonize it with their Void Acupoint. Only then can a Sacred Body be successfully forged.

The power of the Dharma Aspect determines the grade of the Sacred Body!

If this process is interrupted or fails, the consequences are dire, ranging from damage to one’s cultivation path to death.

The Sacred Body, in turn, is the key for a Cultivator to survive the Saint Tribulation.

This is because the second of the three steps to Saint Ascension—Absorbing Qi—requires the Cultivator to shatter their own Void Acupoint.

At that moment, Heaven and Earth will send down various tribulations to test the person ascending.

But at that very moment, the ascendant’s Void Acupoint is shattered, their True Essence is gone, and their Lifebound Skills are all but impossible to cast.

To survive, they must rely on the Sacred Body they previously forged.

This is because the Cultivator can manifest their Dharma Aspect without needing to channel True Essence, allowing them to fight the tribulations with the Dharma Aspect itself!

’A Sacred Object...’ Although Fang Yang didn’t gasp like the others, he was still amazed.

He immediately turned his attention inward, to the Carp Eagle Divine Feather Spiritual Object lying dormant within his Void Acupoint True Essence Sea.

At the sight of it, the corners of his mouth turned up in a nearly imperceptible smile.

Once he repaired the Carp Eagle Divine Feather, he would possess a treasure of the Saint Realm, something he could even use as the foundation to form his own Sacred Body.

Most importantly, through his recent ventures in the dreamscape, he had already repaired one-fifth of the Carp Eagle Divine Feather!

"This Inverted Scale of a Flood Dragon came from a legendary Desolate Beast,"

the old man San Ya’zi’s voice was flat and emotionless, almost cold. "Although it was shattered by a Great Power, it was also imbued with a trace of the Dao charm from that Great Power’s Divine Techniques. By studying it, one might gain some enlightenment..."

But no matter how cold his tone was, the Cultivators in the hall stared at the Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale with burning desire.

Even though this item was clearly intended for the great powers on the second and third floors, it didn’t stop them from indulging in pleasant fantasies.

"The Inverted Scale of a Flood Dragon. Bidding starts at one hundred Great Merits," San Ya’zi said unhurriedly.

Fang Yang’s eyebrows shot up when he heard that.

He only had sixty-five Great Merits to his name.

’I never thought I wouldn’t even qualify for the opening bid.’

"One hundred and twenty Great Merits!" Ji Juyun called out.

"One hundred and thirty Great Merits!" Jiang Venerable Sword entered the bidding himself.

"One hundred and fifty Great Merits!" Qingkong called, unwilling to be outdone.

"..."

The bids from the second and third floors continued to ring out.

Great powers like Ji Juyun, Jiang Venerable Sword, and Qingkong personally vied for the Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale, bidding so fiercely their faces were flushed.

They had all already forged a Sacred Body, but that didn’t mean they had no use for the Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale.

The stones of another mountain can be used to polish one’s own jade.

No amount of contention was excessive for a treasure of the Saint Realm.

As Fang Yang listened to the ever-increasing price, a flicker of astonishment in his eyes gave way to a growing sense of joy in his heart.

The Desolate Beast was Tier Six, but the Carp Eagle was Tier Seven.

This meant his Carp Eagle Divine Feather was clearly superior to the Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale.

In other words, he was sitting on a priceless treasure!

In the end, the Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale was won by Jiang Venerable Sword—who possessed the Sword Flood Dragon Sacred Body—at a steep price.

But after winning the bid, Jiang Venerable Sword felt a headache coming on.

He didn’t have nearly enough Great Merits, but fortunately, he could rely on his reputation to owe the Sen Feng Auction a large debt for now.

However, this meant he would have to fight even more desperately in the coming battles.

After all, the great power behind the Sen Feng Auction was none other than Sen Yue!