"Fellow Daoist, do you still intend to bid?" He Shuixiu's voice carried across the distance, her gaze fixed upon Xu Changshou.

At this moment, the gazes of everyone in the venue converged upon him. They seemed to be waiting for him to yield.

"Ninety Spirit Stones!" Xu Changshou gritted his teeth and declared.

He knew he was acting with reckless impulse, but the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn was far too rare. For a long time to come, he would desperately need a spirit brush refined from it.

If he missed this fated chance, heaven only knew how many epochs would pass before another appeared.

He was already past his twentieth year; soon, he would exceed the golden age for Foundation Establishment. He could not afford to wait.

If he offended a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator, so be it. The path of Cultivation was inherently a defiance of the heavens. Some karma simply had to be contested.

Hiss—

"This brat has gone mad."

"To dare bid against a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator, is he courting death?"

"It is over. He is a dead man!"

Gasps of cold air rippled through the hall.

"Hehe, since this little friend is so unyielding, how could this old man be so shameless as to snatch it from you? Very well, I shall yield this Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn to you."

A thick, resonant voice echoed, laced with seemingly benevolent intent.

Xu Changshou inwardly released a breath of stale air. He had gambled correctly. To think this Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator actually disdained to lower himself to bicker with a junior.

Hiss—

Yet, in the next breath, Xu Changshou's scalp went numb. A suffocating, tyrannical spiritual pressure suddenly locked onto his figure.

This...

Xu Changshou felt his blood run cold.

He had ultimately underestimated the sinister hypocrisy of the Cultivation world.

It was glaringly obvious that the Foundation Establishment Senior possessed no intention of sparing him. Those words of yielding were nothing more than a facade to preserve his lofty reputation before the masses.

"Congratulations to this little friend! The Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn belongs to you. Please, step onto the dais."

As He Shuixiu's words settled, Xu Changshou ascended the stage step by heavy step. Throughout the agonizing walk, that crushing aura remained securely fastened to him like a venomous viper.

It drowned Xu Changshou in an abyss of boundless terror.

This was a public domain. Mo Futu dared not strike him here. But the instant he stepped foot outside the auction, the other party would absolutely unleash his killing intent.

There was not a shadow of a doubt.

Arriving on the dais, Xu Changshou retrieved ninety Spirit Stones and smoothly claimed the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn.

"Fellow Daoist truly possesses commendable courage."

He Shuixiu studied him, a faint, unreadable smile playing on her lips. Whether her words carried praise or mockery was a mystery.

At this moment, Xu Changshou's mind was a chaotic tempest. He hastily muttered his thanks and practically fled the stage.

Upon returning to his original seat, Xu Changshou discovered that Li Linhao, Su Miaomiao, and Yang Jieyuan had already snatched up their prayer mats and relocated.

He cast a distant glance toward their new position. Li Linhao and Su Miaomiao wore expressions of mild apology, while Yang Jieyuan's face was painted with undisguised annoyance.

Xu Changshou gathered his mat, intending to rejoin them. Seeing this, Yang Jieyuan frantically waved him off. "Fellow Daoist Wang, our temporary alliance severs here. You walk your sunlit path, and I shall cross my single-plank bridge."

"Ah... very well."

Left with no alternative, Xu Changshou retreated to his isolated corner.

The denizens of the Cultivation world were truly driven by cold pragmatism. Moments ago, they had been sharing laughter and Daoist insights. Yet, the instant he drew the ire of a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator, they severed all karma and fled.

Seeking fortune and fleeing calamity was the instinct of all living beings; Xu Changshou understood this harsh truth.

Had the roles been reversed, he too would have shattered the alliance. There was no logic in throwing away one's life to combat a Foundation Establishment Senior for the sake of a superficial acquaintance.

Sitting alone for a quarter of an hour, Xu Changshou found it utterly impossible to suppress his rising panic. A faint, ethereal tether of spiritual sense remained locked upon him. Without a doubt, Mo Futu had marked him as prey.

I must sever this lock and escape.

He hoisted his prayer mat and relocated to a shadowy corner against the wall.

Yet, even in the gloom, that chilling gaze remained fixed upon his soul.

With a subtle flick of his wrist, Xu Changshou slid several talismans into his palm: a Flight Talisman, a Wall-Piercing Talisman, and an Invisibility Talisman.

Then, he sank into absolute stillness, concealing his aura as he waited.

He was waiting for the grand finale to conclude. The moment the venue erupted into chaotic departure, he would have a fleeting window to shatter Mo Futu's lock.

The auction flowed relentlessly onward.

It was rapidly approaching its twilight.

The final dozen lots were treasures of substantial wealth.

During this span, Li Linhao struck once, hemorrhaging over seven hundred Spirit Stones to acquire a Propulsion Flying Disk.

Xu Changshou endured the suffocating wait until, at last, the ultimate lot was presented.

"Esteemed Fellow Daoists, please turn your attention to our grand finale. This supreme artifact is a genuine Magical Artifact—the Yuanyang Sword!"

A true Magical Artifact to cap the night. This was the absolute pinnacle of the Ten Thousand Immortals Pavilion's auction.

In his entire life, Xu Changshou had only witnessed a true Magical Artifact once—the Hunyuan Ribbon gifted by Leng Mei to Li Ling'er.

As He Shuixiu spoke, she drew a golden broadsword from the silk-lined tray. Even from across the vast hall, its razor-sharp killing intent pierced the skin of the onlookers.

"Allow me to introduce the Yuanyang Sword. Do not let its classification as a Low Grade Magical Artifact deceive you; it stands at the absolute zenith of its tier. It was personally forged in the furnace of Master Lu from the Ten Thousand Hammer Sect. I am certain Master Lu's divine craftsmanship needs no embellishment."

"The bidding begins now. Starting price: one thousand Spirit Stones."

"One thousand and ten!"

"One thousand and thirty!"

"One thousand and fifty!"

"One thousand, one hundred!"

The bidding war ignited with terrifying ferocity. Naturally, not a single Qi Condensation cultivator dared open their mouths. This was a battlefield reserved exclusively for the Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivators lurking in the VIP booths.

Even Mo Futu hurled his wealth into the fray.

Enlightenment suddenly struck Xu Changshou. He finally grasped why Mo Futu had so casually surrendered the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn.

It was not a lack of Spirit Stones, but the necessity of preserving his foundation for a far greater prize.

If Mo Futu had bled too much wealth over a mere crafting material and subsequently lost the Yuanyang Sword, he would vomit blood in sheer fury.

Thus, he had tossed the horn to Xu Changshou.

After all, how could a lowly Qi Condensation ant ever escape his grasp?

Having pierced through Mo Futu's calculations, Xu Changshou was dead certain: the Foundation Establishment Senior would slaughter him the moment he stepped outside.

"One thousand, two hundred!"

"One thousand, five hundred!"

"One thousand, eight hundred!"

The bloodbath over the Yuanyang Sword intensified, rocketing the price to one thousand, eight hundred Spirit Stones in mere breaths.

"One thousand, eight hundred and ten," croaked an elder with a voice like grinding stones.

"One thousand, eight hundred and fifty," rumbled Mo Futu's oppressive voice.

"One thousand, eight hundred and eighty."

"One thousand, nine hundred!"

By this point, the lesser tycoons had bled out. Only two titans remained: the croaking elder and Mo Futu.

Mo Futu slammed down a bid of one thousand, nine hundred. The croaking elder visibly hesitated, silence stretching before he rasped, "One thousand, nine hundred and ten."

Mo Futu crushed him instantly. "One thousand, nine hundred and fifty."

Xu Changshou had intended to use the chaos of the bidding war to mask his escape. To his despair, even while locked in fierce competition, Mo Futu kept a sliver of his divine sense securely fastened to Xu Changshou.

It clung to him like a maggot upon rotting bone.

"Enough. This old man concedes. Let it fall to Fellow Daoist Mo."

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Mo for claiming the Yuanyang Sword. This formally concludes our auction."

He Shuixiu retrieved the silk tray from her attendant and personally carried it toward the VIP booths.

"Fellow Daoist Mo, please inspect the blade!"

"Excellent! Hahaha, excellent!"

Mo Futu shot to his feet, his massive hand snatching the Yuanyang Sword. Boundless elation surged through his meridians.

In that intoxicating instant, his entire mind and soul were utterly swallowed by the artifact.

Simultaneously, the auction hall dissolved into a chaotic sea as thousands of cultivators rose and surged toward the exits.

Amidst the clamor, Xu Changshou felt the iron grip of Mo Futu's spiritual lock slacken for a fraction of a breath.

"This is the moment!"

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