Chapter 106: Chapter 104: Contained Rivalry

The bidding war over a treasure as precious as the Flood Dragon’s Reverse Scale had drawn in a host of powerful figures, including Ji Juyun, Qingkong, and Jiang Venerable Sword.

As a result, the atmosphere in the Sen Feng Auction grew instantly electric.

Even with the old man San Ya’zi’s persistently nonchalant attitude, nothing could dampen the crowd’s burning enthusiasm.

A Tier Three treasure, the Gathering Flame Spear...

A Tier Four Elemental Artifact, the Water Dao Sword Seed...

A Tier Five Spiritual Object, the Proud Snow Cold Plum...

Tier Five Array Flags for the Ninety-Nine Linked Array...

One treasure after another captivated the hearts of the audience.

Predictably, the bidding grew increasingly intense.

The final prices were all far higher than their market values!

After a flurry of other items were auctioned off, the event finally moved on to the Spiritual Object essences.

At that moment, Fang Yang could hear the heavy breathing of his two uncles beside him.

It was clear they were even more nervous than Fang Yang about the upcoming fight for the Thunder Carp Essence.

It made sense. No matter how formidable Fang Yang was now, he had been on his cultivation path for less than two years and still needed time to build his foundation.

A competition of wealth was really a contest between the factions backing each person.

"The first Spiritual Object is a Tier Four Thunder Sparrow Essence. The starting bid is thirty Great Merits." The old man San Ya’zi’s voice spread throughout the entire auction hall.

In that instant, Zhang Ye, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, snapped them open. A fiery glint flashed in their depths.

The Thunder Sparrow Essence was the exact treasure he needed!

After the world’s great transformation, within the Changkong Clan, the Zhang Clan and the Fang Clan had both lost the legacies they once took pride in.

No, it wasn’t that they had lost their legacies, but rather that their legacies were no longer suited to the new world.

Under these circumstances, influenced by an "unseen hand," the paths of the Zhang Clan and the Fang Clan grew increasingly similar.

The Fang Clan no longer followed the path of the Great Sun Golden Crow, instead seeking to evolve from a Carp Eagle into a Kunpeng.

The Zhang Clan no longer followed the path of the Nine-tailed Crocodile Dragon, instead seeking to evolve from a Crocodile Sparrow into a Kunpeng.

This change in their paths was abrupt and far from seamless.

But at least there was still a path forward.

The only regret was that among all the exceptional talents of the Fang and Zhang Clans, none had successfully completed the path to the Kunpeng.

The only one to have come close was the Carp Eagle Saint who had perished long ago—Fang Nian.

"Thirty-two Great Merits." Zhang Ye’s Guardian called out the bid in a powerful male voice.

"Thirty-five Great Merits!" A cold female voice immediately shot back from the third floor, from the private room where Lin Tianxue was staying.

It was the Lin Clan, making a move to support Lin Tianxue by slowing Zhang Ye’s progress.

This would allow Lin Tianxue to catch up to, and perhaps even surpass, Zhang Ye, reclaiming her fame and status.

The Zhang and Lin Clans continued to clash, and the price of the Thunder Sparrow Essence unbelievably soared to fifty Great Merits—an absurd figure!

’Zhang Ye is being blocked by the Lin Clan. If things go as expected, I’ll be blocked by the Qing Clan...’ Fang Yang had a premonition.

His two uncles also realized the gravity of the situation.

The two uncles exchanged a look, and both saw the resolve in the other’s eyes.

In the end, as Fang Yang and the others watched, Zhang Ye stopped his uncle from bidding further. The gap between their clans’ resources was simply too large.

Faced with such a massive disparity, Zhang Ye had no choice but to concede the excellent-quality Thunder Sparrow Essence to the Lin Clan.

In that moment, Fang Yang sensed Zhang Ye’s helplessness.

He suddenly understood why the Fang and Zhang Clans always maintained a relationship of conflict without rupture.

Because within a Golden Clan like the Changkong Clan, if you couldn’t produce a Great Saint, you were doomed to remain at the bottom!

It made sense. According to the Daoist Mansion of Eternal Life, the eight great Golden Clans were no different from eight great Sacred Lands.

Each clan and branch was equivalent to a peak within one of these Sacred Lands.

If a branch had no Great Saint to bear its weight, it would inevitably become one of the weaker factions within the Sacred Land.

You would be forced to do all the dirty work, and with your low status, you could only lie low and bide your time.

"The second Spiritual Object is also a Thunder Dao essence. It is a Tier Five Thunder Carp Essence. The starting bid is fifty Great Merits." The old man San Ya’zi’s voice once again echoed through the auction hall.

The moment the words "Thunder Carp Essence" were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall instantly shifted, growing even more tense than before.

’Tier Five quality?’

’A starting bid of fifty Great Merits?’

’This...’ Fang Yang’s pupils contracted, his mind reeling.

「Meanwhile.」

In various private rooms of the auction house.

"Thunder Carp Essence? For the Carp Eagle evolution? Heh heh... Fang Yang, I think it’s time you slowed down for a while," Qingfei said as she poured tea for the Dao Seed, Qingkong.

"It’s finally here, Sis! Remember what you promised me. You’re not allowed to back out," Chen Ying whined coquettishly to the "Dao Seed," Chen Kui.

"Xiaohui’s affections, Wei’Er’s scheme... to think I would be the one to execute it." Elder Hua’s eyes crinkled into a smile, a glimpse of Spirit Ruins hidden within their unfathomable depths.

...

Fang Yang and his uncles understood the Zhang Clan’s path and knew that Zhang Ye needed the Thunder Sparrow Essence.

Likewise, Zhang Ye’s group also understood the Fang Clan’s path and knew that Fang Yang needed the Thunder Carp Essence.

Now, hearing San Ya’zi announce a starting bid of fifty Great Merits, Zhang Le and the others gasped.

*Hiss...*

"Tier Five quality?"

"The starting bid alone is fifty Great Merits?"

"That’ll be incredibly difficult to win. Even harder than our situation..."

They chattered amongst themselves, utterly astonished.

Zhang Le, in particular, couldn’t have been more delighted. Finally, it wasn’t just his Zhang Clan suffering misfortune. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

This particular Thunder Carp Essence was approaching a perfect grade.

It wasn’t just those with malicious intent who would bid on it; even those with no prior interest would be tempted to make an offer.

This undoubtedly made Fang Yang’s chances of obtaining the Thunder Carp Essence even slimmer.

"Sis, I want the Thunder Carp Essence to forge a new layer for my Array. Can you help me?" Dongfang Moran suddenly spoke up, pleading with his sister, the Dao Seed Dongfang Mobai.

His words sent Dongfang Mobai into a thoughtful silence.

「On the other side.」

The pressure on the shoulders of Fang Yang’s two uncles had become immense.

They had never imagined that this Thunder Carp Essence would be of such shockingly high quality.

The problem was, they would very likely have to withdraw from the bidding.

"Sixty-five Great Merits!" Second Uncle Fang called out.

But in the next instant, someone else bid sixty-six Great Merits, pushing the price higher.

"Ah Yang, you need to be prepared for failure," Seventh Uncle Fang said softly.

Fang Yang gazed down at the Thunder Carp Essence on the auction stage and nodded gently. "Just do your best, Uncles. I understand."

’Just do your best.’ First came his own repeated setbacks on the merit board, followed by watching Zhang Ye suffer a crushing defeat.

Given the circumstances, Fang Yang had already mentally prepared himself for the likelihood that he wouldn’t be able to win the Thunder Carp Essence.