His punches came faster and faster, his sword strikes sharper and sharper. The more the fight progressed, the more terrifying the impact force generated by the collision of fist shadows and sword light became.
They fought from the ground to mid-air, and from mid-air into the desert. Everywhere and nowhere was a location for their battle.
Fifty moves!
One hundred moves!
Two hundred moves!
Three hundred moves!
Four hundred moves!
...
The two fought for four hundred moves without a victor. Wu Tao could not overcome Li Lang, and Li Lang could not overcome Wu Tao.
Their combat strengths were remarkably similar. It was now possible for either to live or die.
At this point, it was no longer a matter of strength, but of will and endurance. Whoever could persist longer would claim the final victory.
Suddenly!
After seven or eight moments, with a "crack," during the final collision between the Wolf Fang Blood Light Sword and the Armor-Piercing Dragon Cone, Li Lang's Wolf Fang Blood Light Sword was shattered by Wu Tao's Armor-Piercing Dragon Cone.
...
The next moment, Li Lang was sent flying back over a hundred meters by Wu Tao's sandbag-sized fist, finally crashing heavily into the desert.
Wu Tao looked at Li Lang, who lay dead on the ground, his blood spilling everywhere, and shook his head slightly. The next second, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
After collecting the storage bag from Li Lang's person, Wu Tao, stumbling and covered in wounds, left the place.
...
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Wu Tao entered seclusion for half a month before his injuries were healed.
After recovering from his injuries, Wu Tao took stock of his spoils of war.
Li Lang was indeed a cultivator who lived by robbery. His storage bag contained no small number of treasures: several bottles of spirit-enhancing pills, countless healing pills, a large stack of five-element talismans, twenty to thirty low to mid-grade magic artifacts, two high-grade magic artifacts, and hundreds of spirit stones.
By hunting numerous demonic beasts and engaging in several double-crosses, Wu Tao's accumulated wealth totaled over two thousand spirit stones.
In other words, Wu Tao now had approximately over two thousand spirit stones that he could utilize.
These were all accumulated through various overt and covert means during this period. Among Qi Refining stage cultivators, this wealth could certainly be considered that of a top-tier tycoon.
However, Wu Tao knew this was still far from enough. It was rumored that at the upcoming auction held by the Yi Bao Merchant Guild, there was a high probability of a Foundation Establishment Pill appearing.
A Foundation Establishment Pill was an indispensable medicinal pill for Qi Refining stage cultivators seeking to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Having diligently cultivated for over twenty years, and having taken numerous spirit-enhancing pills as aids during this process, Wu Tao knew clearly that the cost price of refining a Foundation Establishment Pill was only around one thousand spirit stones.
However, in practice, it often sold for over one thousand six to seven hundred spirit stones. If auctioned, it was common for the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill to surge to over two thousand spirit stones.
Moreover, Wu Tao had previously intended to purchase a high-grade flight-type magic artifact. The flight speed of low-grade flight-type magic artifacts was simply too slow, making everything inconvenient and greatly impacting Wu Tao's movements.
Additionally, Wu Tao still needed to purchase spirit-enhancing pills.
Normally, once a cultivator experienced the feeling of rapid spirit power improvement through cultivation with spirit-enhancing pills, they would spare no effort to acquire more.
This feeling of rapid progress, like a thousand miles in a day, also made Wu Tao unable to extricate himself, reluctant to let go.
The problem, however, was that with so many things Wu Tao needed now, were the spirit stones in his storage bag sufficient?
...
The Yi Bao Merchant Guild was one of the five major merchant guilds in the cultivation world of the Divine Continent's Nine Provinces. It had many Nascent Soul, Core Formation, and Foundation Establishment stage experts, with branches throughout the Nine Provinces, numbering in the thousands. It operated hundreds of auctions and possessed spiritual stone assets in the hundreds of billions.
The Hong Feng Auction House, located nearest to the Taiyi Immortal Sect, was one of the Yi Bao Merchant Guild's properties.
Under normal circumstances, the Hong Feng Auction House had a rule to prevent malicious bidding or individuals attending solely for amusement without sufficient spirit stones. Each cultivator entering the venue had to pay a deposit of thirty spirit stones.
Of course, afterwards, the auction house, as the host, would typically not refund a single spirit stone.
As for the specific reasons, hehe, think for yourself... Da Feng Novel Network.
Upon arriving at the Hong Feng Auction House, Wu Tao pondered for a moment, then added another hundred spirit stones. He found the auction house executives and arranged for himself a private room.
Wu Tao's significant expenditure of an additional hundred spirit stones for a private room was not for comfort, but for privacy.
He had received reliable insider information from a friend that a Foundation Establishment Pill would definitely appear at this Hong Feng Auction.
With the appearance of a Foundation Establishment Pill, Wu Tao was absolutely determined to participate in this bidding, no matter what.
Furthermore, the Foundation Establishment Pill was his top priority. Even if he obtained nothing else, he had to bid for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
This was because it was the most crucial item related to his breakthrough from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, speaking of which, the furnishings and decorations of this private room were quite good. The hundred gleaming spirit stones were not wasted.
The thirty-meter-sized private room was extremely spacious for one person. The entire room was crafted from Huang Lihua wood, exuding a faint pear fragrance.
The floor was entirely covered with a pure lamb's wool carpet. In the center of the carpet were over a dozen light green lotuses in full bloom.
These dozen light green lotuses were arranged in a Daoist five-element bagua pattern, inlaid amidst the pure white lamb's wool. The petals were simple and ancient, fresh and elegant, while the veins between them were exceptionally profound, clearly indicating the work of the most renowned needlework masters from mortal kingdoms.
Such top-tier luxury items were only enjoyed by royalty, nobles, and emperors in the mortal world. In the cultivation world, however, these were nothing.
...
Wu Tao sat in the private room, looking through the window at the bustling Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage cultivators below the auction seating area. He did not see any cultivators above the Core Formation stage appear.
It seemed that the quality of the spiritual materials and treasures at this auction was not particularly high, thus failing to attract higher-tier cultivators.
The cultivators in the auction hall were a motley mix, comprising disciples from major sects of Qing Province, rogue cultivators, and young disciples from surrounding families. It was extremely complex.
Due to the thirty spirit stone entrance fee and limited seating, there were only a little over a thousand cultivators who entered the venue in total.
While the thousand-plus cultivators in the hall waited for the auction to begin, they chatted amongst themselves, creating a chaotic din below. Curses, arguments, and conversations echoed ceaselessly.
Amidst this noisy and chaotic clamor, a woman of above-average beauty, appearing to be in her early thirties, walked gracefully onto the auction stage with an alluring demeanor.
The woman's skin was as pure as white jade. She was draped in a red sheer veil, revealing a hint of her voluptuous cleavage, her partially concealed perfect figure. Her voice was like a silver bell, and her bright eyes seemed to speak, conveying a thousand unspoken words.
After a series of elaborate introductions, the auction officially commenced.
...
"What is now presented before you all is the treasured magic artifact of Wang Tuwei, the leader of the notorious Thirteen Bandits of Black Wind, the 'Blood Crescent Saber'."
In the brightly lit auction hall, illuminated by sunlight stones, under the central spotlight, a beautiful woman in a pink gauze dress explained the auction item held by a female attendant in a seductive, captivating voice that could make one's bones feel weak.
This beautiful woman clearly exuded spiritual pressure, indicating that she was a cultivator at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, nearing perfection.
The first auction item was a top-grade magic artifact with a distinct demonic style. The blade was curved like a crescent moon, its partially exposed edge glinting with a cold light, resembling a sinister blood moon.
It immediately gave the impression of an incredibly sharp and powerful top-grade magic artifact. The center of the blade was inlaid with a ruby the size of a dragon's eye.
This ruby was like a star in the sky, making the entire ferocious saber seem to have a crimson glow flowing around it. This ruby was called a Blood Tear Stone in the cultivation world. It was forged from the vital essence and souls of three hundred and sixty-five male and female children under the age of ten, using demonic magic methods for forty-nine consecutive days.
This ferocious saber possessed considerable power and was considered a high-grade top-tier magic artifact.
Furthermore, the previous owner of this ferocious saber was Wang Tuwei, the leader of the Thirteen Bandits of Black Wind Mountain, renowned throughout Qing Province.
Many in the audience were interested in this deadly blade. Under the tension of the atmosphere, the breathing sounds throughout the auction hall became noticeably heavier.
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