sonovelo Chapter 664: Just Casually Throwing It Out?
Chapter 664: Just Casually Throwing It Out?
Chapter 664: Just Casually Throwing It Out?
The Demon-Slaying Sword had been one of the Mount Shu Sect's six demon-eliminating treasures and was ranked twenty-ninth in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures.
Back when the six demon-eliminating treasures were still in the Mount Shu Sect's possession, it was commonly said that the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda held the greatest power, but the Demon-Slaying Sword claimed the most lives. For years, this treasured sword rested in the hands of the peak masters of the Five Peaks of Swordsmanship, serving as the Mount Shu Sect's best weapon for slaying evil entities.
Unlike the Violet and Azure Twin Swords that were used to protect the sect, the Demon-Slaying Sword was wielded in external battles. Whenever evil entities appeared, the Mount Shu Sect would use the Demon-Slaying Sword to slay them, no matter how far they lurked. It was said that this sword had been used to slay so many demons that its murderous qi soared toward the heavens and the countless spirits of the slayed demons lingered around it.
Unfortunately, three hundred years ago, one of the Mount Shu Sect's elders took a trip down the mountain and vanished with the sword.
With the immense murderous qi concealed within the ancient bronze sword, it was obvious at a glance that this was the real thing.
Wang Xuanling's expression hardened. He hadn't expected to see the Demon-Slaying Sword here.
Turning to Chu Liang, Wang Xuanling said gravely, "We must take the Demon-Slaying Sword with us."
"Rest assured, Senior Uncle Wang." Chu Liang nodded. "I'm confident it will be ours."
Hearing that, Wang Xuanling felt inexplicably reassured. He was Chu Liang's elder and the Mount Shu Sect's grand peak master, but when it came to money... he knew who the king was.
Furthermore, the Mount Shu Sect was no longer what it used to be.
At a past auction in Taotie City, they feared the Penglai Supreme Sect would get the Demon-Subduing Pestle. Ultimately, they suffered great financial losses and even resorted to a bit of trickery just to secure the Demon-Subduing Pestle.
However, the Mount Shu Sect had Red Cotton Peak now. They no longer had anything to fear.
Daoist Xuan Lu raised his hand without hesitation. "Five hundred thousand!"
Legendary artifacts of this caliber rarely appeared on the market, so the Buddhist Cloud Monastery had set the starting bid based on the final price of the Demon-Subduing Pestle from the previous auction.
After all, the might of the Demon-Slaying Sword was far superior to that of Demon-Subduing Pestle. Considering that the Demon-Subduing Pestle had been sold at a staggering price of eight hundred thousand, there was no way the Demon-Slaying Sword should have a low starting bid.
Initially, when Abbot Dayu took the Demon-Slaying Sword out from the Divine Ruins, he thought that it was a hot potato awaiting trouble. It was a top-tier legendary artifact, but it was incompatible with Buddhist divine techniques and arts, so it was of no use to the Buddhist Cloud Monastery.
According to the long-standing rules of the world of immortality cultivators, any enchanted tool that had been lost inside a hidden realm for many years was considered ownerless. That meant Abbot Dayu was not obligated to return it to the Mount Shu Sect. If the Mount Shu Sect wished to buy it, a trade could be arranged without issue.
However, the Penglai Supreme Sect was also collecting the six demon-eliminating treasures. Their fierce competition with the Mount Shu Sect in Taotie City over the Demon-Subduing Pestle had become a widely known affair.
If the Buddhist Cloud Monastery sold the sword to the Mount Shu Sect, they would offend the Penglai Supreme Sect, and if they sold it to the Penglai Supreme Sect, they would offend the Mount Shu Sect. For this reason, the Buddhist Cloud Monastery had kept the sword sealed away, waiting for the right moment to sell it.
This time, Chu Liang's suggestion of a charity auction provided the perfect opportunity. As the host, the Buddhist Cloud Monastery needed to take the lead and offer up something impressive. The Demon-Slaying Sword was the perfect item for that. The auction would serve as a fair competition for the sects to obtain the sword.
Chu Liang casually raised his hand and doubled the bid. "One million."
This immediately crushed the hopes of those from the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten who initially thought they had a shot. Such a large amount of spirit-stone coins was beyond the means of most sects. After all, when the Mount Shu Sect bought the Demon-Subduing Pestle for eight hundred thousand, they had to sell off pretty much all their assets and lands to afford it.
Just ten years ago, most cultivators in the world of immortality cultivators did not even know the concept of saving money. If they needed resources, they would obtain the items themselves. It was only when they failed to find the items that they would turn to the market, but the items being sold in the market were mostly items they didn't want. Whenever there were items that could be used to further their cultivation, they would swiftly trade off any spirit-stone coins they had earned.
Apart from the disciples in the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten, wealthier sects that had established internal trade systems, who else would save their spirit-stone coins? Getting stronger was the most important thing.
He turned and stared at Chu Liang with wide eyes. The old fellow didn't understand business and had no idea of Red Cotton Peak's wealth. As a layman in this subject, all he knew was that a few hundred sword coins could buy a fine flying sword, a few thousand could buy a treasure of nature... and tens of thousands could buy a cultivator enough resources to reach the seventh realm—a fortune that took half a lifetime to accumulate. It was already an incredible achievement just having any savings at all.
Yet, with a casual wave of his hand, Chu Liang threw out enough funds to support nearly a hundred seventh-realm cultivators...
Faced with Wang Xuanling's shocked expression, Chu Liang simply shrugged, signaling him to stay calm. Chu Liang's gaze seemed to say, Since they've teamed up, let's team up too... It's no big deal.
As for the other guests, there were no outbursts of disbelief this time; they were just all in a daze. Their understanding of reality had been shattered so many times that they were left numb.
These are spirit-stone coins, not netherworld money.[1]
Is he really just throwing them around like that?
Maybe we heard wrong.
We must have.
Aaahhh...
How could someone so ridiculously rich exist in this world?!
Seeing Chu Liang's calm display of insanity, Daoist Xuan Lu fell silent and said nothing more.
On the lotus platform, Dhyana Master Shenjie's hands trembled slightly as he held the sword. Of course, the Buddhist Cloud Monastery thought that the more money they raised, the better it would be, but this astronomical sum had completely shattered how he valued things.
Noticing the guests had fallen silent, Dhyana Master Shenjie quickly composed himself and announced, "Since there are no further bids, the Demon-Slaying Sword will go to the Mount Shu Sect. All proceeds will be used to purchase relief supplies, and the Buddhist Cloud Monastery will not keep a single coin for ourselves. You may all supervise the process if you wish."
The Demon-Slaying Sword was taken off the platform, but the guests remained stunned. It took a long while before chatter spread through the venue. Regardless of their rank and status, everyone was deeply shocked by Chu Liang's bid.
Chu Liang, on the other hand, remained indifferent. It wasn't just to intimidate his opponents; he genuinely didn't care that much.
In truth, his winning bid nearly drained all of the savings Chu Yi had accumulated for him over the years. Chu Liang didn't have much money left now, just the few hundred thousand sword coins in his bag. Nevertheless, Red Cotton Peak would remain under his control for a few more years, so as long as his business continued to run, he could earn back all of that money.
Even without the auction, Chu Liang had already planned to donate most of his savings to gather supplies for disaster relief. The Southern Regions, where Mount Shu was located, were home to the harshest lands and the poorest people, and they were the most heavily affected by disaster. That meant Chu Liang just needed to pay a bit more, and he would also get the Demon-Slaying Sword back for the Mount Shu Sect, so he saw no reason not to.
Of course, unlike the Demon-Subduing Pestle, he had bought this sword entirely with his personal funds, so he intended to keep it for himself. Now that his cultivation power had increased drastically, he might just be able to wield a legendary sword like the Demon-Slaying Sword.
"Next, the Mount Shu Sect will present their valuable item," Dhyana Master Shenjie introduced with a sweep of his robe, redirecting the guests' attention to the Mount Shu Sect's seating area.
The old monk then descended from the platform, looking for a quiet place to calm down after that shocking sale.
Wang Xuanling glanced at Chu Liang.
Turning toward him, Chu Liang nodded with a smile. Then he leaped onto the lotus platform.
"My friends and esteemed seniors of the immortal sects, I'm sure you've all encountered these frustrations..." Chu Liang said, without immediately presenting his auction item. "You may have found that spending years in closed-door cultivation can be lonely. Perhaps sometimes you wish to connect with others, but you don't know what to say. Other times, you wish to announce things to the world but don't know how. The Seven Stars Gazette publishes only once a month—too slow for information to be spread in a timely manner..."
"But now... Red Cotton Peak proudly introduces a revolutionary new enchanted tool." Chu Liang retrieved a token from his sleeve. "The Circle of Immortal Friends!"
1. False paper money burned as an offering to the dead. ☜