Han Li narrowed his eyes as he watched one rare treasure after another being brought out by the demonic cultivators of both the human and demon races, only to vanish one by one.
Those who succeeded in their exchanges beamed with joy, while those who failed were visibly disappointed, forced to return empty-handed from the platform.
Overall, however, most people managed to acquire what they desired.
Yet, compared to other auctions or exchange gatherings, the proportion of finished treasures appearing on the platform this time was noticeably higher than raw materials.
Clearly, everyone was preparing for the impending demonic calamity, eager to trade unused items for ready-to-use treasures.
After all, no matter how rare materials were, they would be useless in the demonic calamity if not refined into artifacts or magic tools.
For the beings of both races present, ordinary magic tools were no longer of interest. The top-tier treasures suitable for them typically required dozens or even hundreds of rare materials to forge.
Not to mention the possibility of failure during refinement, just gathering such an abundance of materials could take ordinary people centuries, if not millennia.
Otherwise, why would rare materials still dominate previous auctions?
After most of the day had passed, the majority in the hall had taken their turns, presenting their prepared items and completing their exchanges.
Though Han Li coveted many of the treasures, most of the owners specified trades for other finished treasures, leaving him to watch helplessly.
However, he wasn’t entirely empty-handed.
He had traded another spiritual herb obtained from the Cold Moon Realm for several sets of powerful formation flags. He also exchanged two bottles of Red Luo Immortal Wine with a demonic cultivator who was a heavy drinker, securing over a dozen spiritual herb seeds he previously lacked.
Earlier, when he took the stage, he had offered some ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs, specifically requesting certain demon beast materials he had yet to collect.
As a result, he effortlessly obtained the needed materials from a few demonic cultivators who concealed their identities.
This allowed Han Li to exhale in relief—now, once the Myriad Treasures Convention concluded, he could attempt refining his second Extreme Mountain.
His strength would soon increase significantly.
Just as Han Li thought he had no further business in the remaining exchanges, a figure shrouded in rolling black mist flew onto the platform and slowly retrieved a dark, round bowl from his sleeve.
“A sea of sin clouds condensed from ten million beast souls. I guarantee these souls are all from fierce beasts, including a hundred thousand low-tier demon beasts. I wish to exchange this sin cloud for an offensive-type Heavenly Spirit Treasure listed on the Chaos Myriad Spirit Ranking.”
The moment these words were spoken, everyone—including Han Li—turned pale, their gazes filled with shock and horror as they fixed upon the speaker.
Even the golden-masked figure, who had retreated to a corner of the golden formation and watched the exchanges with a smile, suddenly sharpened his gaze, staring intently at the black-misted figure with suspicion.
Yet, despite the piercing scrutiny, the mysterious figure stood firm. With one hand, he lifted the bowl, and with the other, removed its lid.
Instantly, ghostly wails and howls filled the void as an ink-black cloud of yin energy surged out like a hurricane, expanding to cover several acres of space, obscuring nearly half the void.
Han Li’s eyes flashed with blue light as he instantly discerned the true nature of the black cloud—it was composed of countless black shadows, not only familiar beasts like wolves and tigers but also bizarre, never-before-seen creatures.
These spectral beasts constantly morphed, tearing at one another, their forms dispersing and reforming. No matter their state, they remained vicious, and even when shredded into fragments, they would quickly reassemble.
These shadows were the refined spirits of beasts. While a sin cloud formed from dozens or even hundreds of such spirits held little value, one condensed from tens of thousands was a different matter entirely.
The more spirits a sin cloud contained, the greater its efficacy—and the harder it was to create.
A sin cloud with over a hundred thousand spirits would tempt even those who practiced ghost or demonic arts.
A million spirits would drive even Body Integration-stage ghost and demonic cultivators into a frenzy.
As for ten million? Such a sin cloud had appeared only a handful of times in the history of both races.
For those who cultivated related techniques, whether for personal advancement or refining ghostly artifacts, its value was unimaginable.
However, not only was the method to refine such a sin cloud nearly lost, gathering ten million spirits was a near-impossible task.
The backlash from slaughtering so many beings would be unbearable even for a Body Integration cultivator.
Moreover, due to the sheer cruelty of refining such a sin cloud, it had been banned by both races since ancient times.
A sin cloud of ten thousand spirits would trigger celestial phenomena, while one of a million would be nearly impossible to conceal—already the stuff of legends.
Thus, the claim of a sin cloud formed from ten million beast souls left everyone stunned.
Had this not been the Black Domain, someone might have already attempted to seize it by force.
“Ten million beast souls? Are you serious, fellow Daoist? It doesn’t seem likely,” a hoarse voice questioned, skepticism lacing the words.
“I’ve only released one percent. Releasing them all would overwhelm this hall. But if any fellow Daoist wishes to verify, they may inspect this Soul Gathering Bowl themselves,” the black-misted figure replied calmly.
“A Heavenly Spirit Treasure from the Chaos Myriad Spirit Ranking—and an offensive one at that. Your demand is excessive. How about this? I’ll offer two—no, three top-tier spirit treasures in exchange,” someone interjected eagerly.
“Unless it’s an offensive Heavenly Spirit Treasure from the ranking, I refuse,” the black-misted figure flatly declined.
“Don’t be hasty, fellow Daoist. See what I have first before deciding,” an elderly voice suddenly spoke.
A streak of blood-red light shot toward the platform, revealing a tall, thin figure enveloped in crimson radiance. He tossed a jade bottle toward the black-misted figure.
Reluctantly, the figure caught it, opened the lid, and peered inside—then jolted as if struck by lightning.
“Well? You know what this pill represents. Were it not for the sin cloud’s greater value to me, I would never offer it,” the tall figure said, his voice thick with reluctance.
“No. I still require a Heavenly Spirit Treasure,” the black-misted figure hesitated before shaking his head and tossing the bottle back.
“Are you blind? That was a Pure Enlightenment Pill—one that increases the chances of breaking through Body Integration bottlenecks!” the tall figure exclaimed in disbelief.
“A Pure Enlightenment Pill!”
“Such a pill exists?”
“Fellow Daoist, would you trade that pill for other treasures? I’m willing!”
At the mention of the pill’s name, the Body Integration elders of both races erupted in excitement, several immediately clamoring to negotiate.
The pill was clearly more coveted than the sin cloud.
This was no surprise—while the ten-million-spirit sin cloud was legendary, it was only useful to demonic and ghostly cultivators. The Pure Enlightenment Pill, however, was a holy medicine recorded only in ancient texts, beneficial to all Body Integration cultivators.
No wonder those long-stagnated elders couldn’t remain seated.
“Hmph! If you want my pill, first help me acquire this fellow Daoist’s sin cloud. Then I’ll trade it to you,” the tall figure spat, glaring at the black-misted figure before making his demand.
Silence fell over the hall.
While most Body Integration elders possessed multiple spirit treasures, Heavenly Spirit Treasures listed on the Chaos Myriad Spirit Ranking numbered fewer than ten across both races—with offensive types likely no more than two or three.
Even if someone owned one, they might not be present at the Black Domain gathering.
Moreover, a ranked Heavenly Spirit Treasure’s value rivaled that of the Pure Enlightenment Pill. Whether anyone would trade it for the pill remained uncertain.
Han Li stared at the jade bottle in the tall figure’s hand, his expression flickering.
Seeing no one speak up, the black-misted figure seemed to accept that no exchange would occur. With a shake of his head, he formed a seal, recalling the black cloud and preparing to leave.
“Wait, fellow Daoist!”
The tall figure panicked, stomping his foot and flashing forward to block the black-misted figure’s path.
“What is the meaning of this? Do you intend to force an exchange?” the black-misted figure roared, a wave of bone-chilling cold radiating from his body.
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