Chapter 2236: The Auction
“The Divine Sons and Divine Daughters of the Destiny Temple must be selected alternately.”
“For example, in this generation, if a Divine Daughter is chosen, the next generation must select a Divine Son.”
“Once the current Divine Daughter becomes a god, or falls, or spends a thousand years without achieving godhood, preparations will begin for selecting the next Divine Son.” Luo Sha said.
Zhang Ruochen was moved and asked, “Do you mean the Destiny Temple selects a Divine Son or Divine Daughter at most once every thousand years?”
“That’s correct.”
“In one Eon, the total number of Divine Sons and Divine Daughters would add up to one hundred and twenty-nine, wouldn’t it? How many of them can become gods?” Zhang Ruochen wanted to try, by calculating the probability of Divine Sons and Daughters becoming gods, to infer the approximate number of gods in the Destiny Temple.
Luo Sha said, “When the Destiny Temple’s Divine Sons and Daughters are selected, it is already stated that they possess the most exceptional talent among cultivators of their generation. Additionally, they can enjoy the best cultivation resources in the entire Hell Realm, so the probability of them becoming gods is very high.”
“Among them, ten to twenty percent can cultivate to godhood within a thousand years of being chosen as Divine Son or Divine Daughter.”
“As for those Divine Sons and Daughters who do not become gods within a thousand years, even after stepping down from their high positions, the vast majority are already top-tier experts among Great Saints. With their long lifespans, it is certain that many of them can cultivate to godhood later.”
“As for which ones become gods, which ones fall, or are in other states, that is a secret of the Destiny Temple, known only to the highest-level figures.”
“The reason the position of Divine Daughter is so fiercely contested is, most importantly, because the Divine Daughter’s power is truly immense.”
“Unless an extremely major event occurs, the gods of the Destiny Temple do not interfere with any matters in the Hell Realm. All affairs are handled jointly by the Divine Daughter and the Black Robe High Priests of the Twelve Palaces. The Divine Daughter’s authority surpasses even that of the Black Robe High Priests of the Twelve Palaces, representing the will of the gods.”
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. These Divine Sons and Daughters were essentially seeds of gods selected by the Destiny Temple. They were the most outstanding talents, and after a thousand years of tempering, any one of them had the ability to become the Hall Master of the Destiny Temple.
The foundation of the Destiny Temple was truly unfathomable.
The more he tried to fathom it, the more he felt fear.
Zhang Ruochen was curious and said, “Your talent is among the top of your generation, and you believe in fate. Why weren’t you able to become a candidate for Divine Daughter?”
“You finally praised this princess once. Not bad, not bad.”
Luo Sha gave a charming, playful smile, lightly pursing her red lips, and said, “This princess’s talent, comprehension, and beauty are at least as good as, if not better than, the three candidates for Divine Daughter. I could have become a candidate. Unfortunately, this princess heard that after becoming a Divine Daughter, one must sever all emotions and desires for a thousand years, so I gave up competing with them.”
Zhang Ruochen stared intently into her eyes, trying to see if she was telling the truth or lying.
Luo Sha, like a fox, squinted at Zhang Ruochen with a smile and added another sentence: “Actually, the most important thing is that this princess wanted to see who the person destined for me in the prophecy is. How will he walk into my life? What if I had become the Destiny Temple’s Divine Daughter, and he suddenly appeared? What would I do then?”
Zhang Ruochen knew Luo Sha was teasing him again, so he averted his gaze from her, put on a stern face, and said, “Boring.”
A Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint from the Star Sea World arrived, stopping both Bo Re and Feng Hou’s groups, and led them separately to two pavilions by the lake for rest.
Between the two pavilions, there was only one pavilion in between.
It was the one where Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha were temporarily resting.
Bo Re and the cultivators of the Death Clan and Nether Clan were on the left.
The cultivators under Feng Hou were on the right.
Even though they were separated, the two groups still confronted each other from a distance, as if using their minds to clash. The air in this area was constantly vibrating.
Occasionally, waves of killing intent would fall upon Zhang Ruochen.
Luo Sha remained very calm and began introducing the Hundred Shackles Realm experts in Feng Hou’s camp to Zhang Ruochen one by one. “That guy with the golden hair is the number one expert below the Thousand Questions Realm in your Undying Blood Clan, Dao Yu Huang. You must be wary of him.”
“Why?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Luo Sha said, “Although this person is gifted with exceptional talent and has top-notch aptitude, he is narrow-minded and thinks too highly of himself. He cannot tolerate talents more outstanding than him. Your appearance will steal his limelight in the Undying Blood Clan. If he gets the chance, he will definitely give you a show of force, or embarrass you in public, to suppress you, the so-called once-in-an-Eon prodigy.”
Zhang Ruochen gave her a deep look. He had to admit that Luo Sha had a very accurate read on Dao Yu Huang’s character.
Not long ago, Dao Yu Huang had deliberately sent the invitation to Yu Huang instead, which had already shown Zhang Ruochen his nature.
Luo Sha continued, “See that burly man, radiating white holy light, with disheveled hair, looking like a lion? He is an outlier. He doesn’t belong to the Lower Three Clans; he belongs to the Stone Clan, yet he firmly stands in Feng Hou’s camp.”
“Bai Yu Feng Shi?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“That’s the mad lion.”
Luo Sha smiled and added, “Other cultivators support the Divine Daughter candidates for the benefit of their own clans. But he does it entirely for Feng Hou, actively throwing himself at her, even publicly declaring that he is willing to be Feng Hou’s mount in this life.”
Zhang Ruochen was stunned for a moment, then gently shook his head. “No wonder he’s called the mad lion.”
“If you think he’s truly mad, you’d be greatly mistaken. How could a living being who has become a Great Saint have poor mental faculties?” Luo Sha said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Do you mean Feng Hou’s methods are brilliant?”
“To make a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection expert willingly become a mount, Feng Hou’s methods are naturally extraordinary. But if Feng Hou becomes the true Divine Daughter, she will immediately gain immense power. The mount of the Divine Daughter is her first confidant and can also have a significant say in the Destiny Temple.”
Then, Luo Sha posed a question: “Do you think Bo Re, who hasn’t reached the Great Saint realm, or Feng Hou, who is already at the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection, has a greater chance of becoming the Divine Daughter?”
Zhang Ruochen remained silent.
Luo Sha smiled and continued, “The Stone Clan cannot bet everything on Bo Re. I suspect that Bai Yu Feng Shi is a piece they placed beside Feng Hou. If Feng Hou really thinks she has completely tamed Bai Yu Feng Shi and has no guard against him, in the end, who rides whom is still uncertain!”
The interests surrounding the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet and the Divine Daughter selection were complex and intertwined. Any faction or cultivator involved would treat it with the utmost seriousness.
Feng Hou’s junior brother, Yan Bei Jun, arrived outside the pavilion, clasped his hands, and said, “Lord Ruochen, Princess Luo Sha, my senior sister sincerely invites you both to come over for a chat.”
Luo Sha looked at Zhang Ruochen to see his attitude.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I came to the Star Sea World to purchase cultivation items and also to see the various rare treasures at the auction. If Feng Hou wants to make friends, we can arrange another time and place separately, not today.”
Yan Bei Jun listened to a transmission, showing an attentive expression, then said, “My senior sister says that if Lord Ruochen purchases any items at the Star Sea World, they can be charged to her account.”
“Is that so? What if I bid on the divine corpse?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Bei Jun’s face stiffened for a moment, then relaxed again. “Lord Ruochen is joking. Please believe in my senior sister’s sincerity. She truly wants to befriend you.”
“I’m not joking. I am very interested in the divine corpse,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Loud laughter erupted from the pavilions on both sides.
Da Sen Luo Huang said, “What a coincidence. I am under orders from my divine father to bid on the divine corpse no matter what. Zhang Ruochen, how many divine stones have you prepared to bid on the divine corpse?”
Wu Jiang said, “As far as I know, the Blood Absolute Family recently obtained the corpse of a false god, so they shouldn’t need to buy a divine corpse for now.”
Zhang Ruochen said flatly, “My purchase of the divine corpse has nothing to do with the Blood Absolute Family.”
The laughter from the pavilion of the Death Clan and Nether Clan grew even louder.
No one believed that, without relying on his family or gods, Zhang Ruochen could afford to buy a divine corpse with his own wealth.
At that moment, San Jin Da Sheng arrived with three attendants and walked into the pavilion.
“Lord Ruochen, the ten Earth-grade Artifact Pills, ten Heaven-grade Artifact Pills, and fifty Heaven-grade Heaven-Slaughter Pills you requested are all here. The total value is seven divine stones.”
Then, San Jin Da Sheng spread open his right hand.
At the center of his palm, a point of light appeared.
The point of light grew larger and larger, eventually transforming into a lotus flower about one zhang in diameter, with twelve petals. Each petal was crystalline and emitted a rich floral fragrance.
Seeing this Zhao Shen Lian, all the cultivators present turned their gazes toward it.
Da Sen Luo Huang’s eyes flashed with excited light, and he blurted out, “A ten-thousand-year-old Zhao Shen Lian.”
“Exactly, a ten-thousand-year-old Zhao Shen Lian, valued at one hundred and forty divine stones.”
After saying this, San Jin Da Sheng handed the Zhao Shen Lian to Zhang Ruochen, then took out a spherical, semi-transparent space treasure. Inside the space treasure were twelve star cores.
One sixth-grade star core, five fifth-grade star cores, and six fourth-grade star cores.
“Lord Ruochen, all the treasures you requested total three hundred and fifty-three divine stones,” San Jin Da Sheng said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. “Put them down. I’ll take them all.”
Then, San Jin Da Sheng took out the cultivation resources Luo Sha wanted to buy, one by one, and placed them on the table. They were worth a total of twenty-four divine stones.
Luo Sha didn’t bother to check carefully and said, “This princess will take them all too. Charge it all to him.”
San Jin Da Sheng showed an awkward smile and looked at Zhang Ruochen.
Twenty-four divine stones was no small amount. For a Great Saint like Xue Tu, he would need to sell his fiefdom to raise that much.
“Your Ming Yang Shen Lun is so valuable, and you can’t even part with twenty-four divine stones? If this princess causes trouble, do you believe the auction price of the Ming Yang Shen Lun will drop significantly?” Luo Sha secretly transmitted to Zhang Ruochen.
She was still very resentful that he hadn’t sold the Ming Yang Shen Lun to her.
If she jumped out to cause trouble, even just spreading the news that the seller of the Ming Yang Shen Lun was Zhang Ruochen would greatly affect its price.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. “Her share is on me.”
Gasps of surprise came from the pavilions on both sides.
Buying treasures worth several hundred divine stones at once was already a very large expenditure for Immortal Realm and Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints. For cultivators at the Saint King realm, it was an astronomical price.
Of course, what they cared about more was the relationship between Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha.
Being able to casually buy twenty-four divine stones’ worth of cultivation resources for Luo Sha—did that mean Zhang Ruochen was pursuing Luo Sha and wanted to form an alliance with the Tian Luo Divine Kingdom?
The strength of Divine Prince Luo Sheng Tian was there for all to see, and no one could ignore it.
For Zhang Ruochen’s enemies, this was very bad news.
Bo Re’s gaze shifted over again, calm and indifferent, but her eyes lingered on Luo Sha’s face for a long time, carefully studying her.
Feng Hou fell silent.
Meanwhile, Yan Bei Jun retreated.
After a while, Yuan Mo Shen Zi said in a flat tone, “On the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield, Zhang Ruochen plundered quite a few treasures. A few hundred divine stones are nothing to him. If you killed Zhang Ruochen and took all his treasures, you’d find that his wealth might not be less than that of a Supreme Realm Great Saint.”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
...
The bell rang seven times.
The auction was about to begin.
The cultivators by the lake all soared into the air and headed toward the auction venue.
The auction venue of the Star Sea World was immense, suspended in midair, a spiral, upward-ringing world. The ring’s diameter was about forty li, divided into three layers: upper, middle, and lower.
Each layer had green mountains, clear pools, steps, and jade towers, along with flower gardens and VIP seats.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha flew together to the top layer of the ring world.
As soon as they landed, they heard a roar from afar: “Zhang Ruochen, stay away from my sister! Are you looking for death?”
Divine Prince Luo Sheng Tian’s tall figure strode forward with rapid steps, his face full of anger. Even with the suppression of heaven and earth rules, his body erupted with overwhelming power, and a scorching, blinding evil light appeared on the fist of his right hand.
Behind Luo Sheng Tian followed more than a dozen experts from the Luo Sha Clan, all radiating murderous intent.
Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply, looked at Luo Sha beside him, and said, “Go explain to your imperial brother yourself. I haven’t done anything to you.”
Zhang Ruochen took the opportunity to leave, not wanting to be blackmailed by Luo Sha again. In an instant, he disappeared into the flowing crowd.
Luo Sha, somewhat helplessly, walked toward Luo Sheng Tian and let out a soft sigh.
“Where is that bastard Zhang Ruochen? Little sister, did he trouble you? Is it because of the life-and-death platform incident that he holds a grudge and came to retaliate against you?”
Luo Sheng Tian wanted to chase after Zhang Ruochen but was stopped by Luo Sha.
“Even if he had the guts, Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t dare to do anything to this princess. Imperial brother, first retract your power. This is the auction venue. Don’t attract the order enforcers of the Star Sea World and delay the important matters,” Luo Sha said.
Luo Sheng Tian snorted heavily: “Although in the Fate Divine Domain, Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t dare to do anything to you, this man acts arrogantly and disregards rules. You two have deep old grudges. You must be careful in the future. After the auction, I’ll find an opportunity to give him a warning.”
“On the Merit Battlefield in the past, that was one thing. But now that he’s in the Hell Realm, if he dares to bully you again, I will make sure he dies without a burial place.”