Chapter 16: Selling the Treasure

"Bloodflame Cloud Fruit?" Su Youji was puzzled.

"Bloodflame Cloud Fruit?" Danbao World God's eyes widened as he exclaimed.

"You know it?" Su Youji looked at Danbao World God beside her.

Danbao World God forgot to be smug and quickly nodded: "This is a true treasure, a rare wonder born only in special environments. It possesses mysterious and unfathomable power, especially coveted by cultivators on the path of fire. Of course, you can't handle it; your Qi Refining bodies are too fragile to withstand the energy impact of the Bloodflame Cloud Fruit. Only a Divine Body of the Divine Demon path can endure it, and then forcibly transform into a fire-attributed Divine Body. After that, you can easily control some Chaos Divine Fire, and when fleeing, even Dao Lords would find it hard to catch up."

"So powerful?" Su Youji was astonished. Even Dao Lords couldn't catch up?

"If sold to the Divine Weapon Valley, it can fetch a million cubes," Ji Ning said. "But I hope to sell it for a higher price. So, help me spread the word. Just pass it to those Black-Armored Dao Lords; they'll surely spread it by word of mouth, and soon all Twelve Palaces will know. Among them, there must be some who desperately want the Bloodflame Cloud Fruit."

"Selling it at a high price is simple. Leave it to me," Danbao World God said confidently.

"Just spread the news. Even if Dao Lords come to me, let them make their offers," Ji Ning said. "After a hundred years, I'll return from the Sword Tower Forest and choose the Dao Lord who offers the highest price to give the Bloodflame Cloud Fruit to."

"Alright."

"Understood."

Danbao World God and Su Youji were both excited. Though the task was simple, the involvement of a million cubes of Chaos Nectar still made their blood boil.

"Alright, I'm off to the Sword Tower Forest." Ji Ning stood up.

"Can I freely enter and leave the Sword Palace now?" Danbao World God was a bit worried. Earlier, Ji Ning had personally led him in; otherwise, he would have been attacked by the Sword Palace's formations and restrictions.

"Don't worry. When you became my follower, the Sword Palace's spirit already knew," Ji Ning said. The Sword Palace had a rule: each formal member could arrange for at most two servants to freely enter and leave the Sword Palace. Now Su Youji and Danbao World God could come and go freely, but Ji Ning couldn't let a third servant do so.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning immediately transformed into a streak of light, flew out of the Immortal Mansion's gate, and headed toward the distant Sword Tower Forest.

Watching Ji Ning leave, Danbao World God and Su Youji both felt some pressure. Though the task was simple, it involved a million cubes of Chaos Nectar.

"I just became his follower; I must do this well," Danbao World God thought secretly.

"I can't help the master much, but I must not disappoint him in this matter," Su Youji thought similarly.

...

Sword Tower Forest.

Ji Ning released the Time Grass Hut and sat cross-legged inside to begin cultivation.

"I hope it sells for a higher price. I don't have many other valuable treasures," Ji Ning mused. Though he still had a few Eternal Divine Weapons, they were all ordinary. The only thing worth more than a hundred thousand cubes was another Snow View Scroll, a 'Palace Diagram' he had obtained on his way from Star Island to the Sword Palace. Ji Ning hadn't rushed to sell it; if he really needed money, he could sell it anytime, and with good timing, he might get a higher price.

But no matter what, the treasures Ji Ning could sell weren't worth much.

The Bloodflame Cloud Fruit...

Actually, selling it in the Twelve Palaces wasn't the best choice. Most of the great powers in the Twelve Palaces were outside. For instance, though the Sword Palace nominally had over a hundred Dao Lords (excluding Black-Armored Dao Lords), almost all were out adventuring, with only about a dozen in the Sword Palace. The same was true for all Twelve Palaces. With fewer competitors, it was hard for Ji Ning to get a very high price.

If it were in the Dao Alliance, at a grand gathering of Dao Lords, the price might be higher.

But by then, Ji Ning would probably already be a Dao Lord, and even if the Bloodflame Cloud Fruit sold for a higher price, it wouldn't help him as much as now.

...

Time passed.

With Danbao World God and Su Youji's promotion, the news that the Sword Palace's 'Northming Sword Immortal' wanted to sell the treasure 'Bloodflame Cloud Fruit' quickly spread throughout the Twelve Palaces.

"Bloodflame Cloud Fruit?"

The most excited were the Dao Lords and World-level cultivators of the Flame Palace, though ninety-nine percent of the World-level cultivators could only dream of it.

Those on the path of fire would benefit greatly from a fire-attributed Divine Body, making cultivation faster, so it was most suitable for them.

"Bloodflame Cloud Fruit?"

Dao Lords and World-level cultivators from the Saber Palace, Heartforce Palace, Sword Palace, Time-Space Palace, Life-Death Palace, and others also desired it.

For example, Ji Ning was from the Sword Palace, but his Divine Body was lightning-attributed.

Of course, if one walked the path of water or metal, they wouldn't acquire a fire-attributed Divine Body, as it would be counterproductive and interfere with comprehension.

"That junior Northming Sword Immortal wants to sell it within a hundred years? Probably to compete for that great opportunity. Hmph, fellow Daoists, why should we bid against each other? Since he's determined to sell, we can definitely drive down the price." Immediately, some Dao Lords had ideas. Among the Dao Lords of the Twelve Palaces, there were evil ones, even those on the path of great sin. Though bound by oaths not to harm Ji Ning, price suppression was normal.

...

"The highest offer now is one million three hundred thousand cubes!" In the Sword Palace Immortal Mansion, Danbao World God said directly.

"What?"

An old man radiating a狂暴 destructive aura frowned. "Who offered such a high price?"

"That can't be disclosed," Danbao World God said calmly. "If your price isn't higher than this, there's no need to speak."

"You junior." The old man was annoyed and turned to leave.

"Danbao," Su Youji watched the old man leave and secretly transmitted, "You're deliberately deceiving him. What if no one offers a high price later? That would be trouble."

"Don't worry," Danbao World God said confidently.

...

Danbao World God and the others noticed that the Dao Lords weren't in a hurry to bid. Since Ji Ning had set a hundred-year deadline, they didn't want to drive the price too high at the start. Some Dao Lords even had an unspoken understanding.

...

Half a year passed.

The old man with the狂暴 aura came again.

"I offer one million three hundred ten thousand cubes," the old man bid.

"The highest offer now is one million three hundred thirty thousand cubes," Danbao World God said with wide eyes.

"Ah." The old man was stunned.

...

Danbao World God's prices changed repeatedly: one million three hundred thirty thousand, one million three hundred fifty thousand, one million three hundred sixty thousand, one million three hundred seventy thousand... increasing every half year or year.

Faced with the rising prices, the Dao Lords who had initially agreed to suppress prices grew anxious.

"Who keeps bidding?"

"Why is the price always rising?"

When the price didn't rise, they could stay calm, but the continuous increase made them uneasy.

Danbao World God was secretly pleased: "Look at me—I'm an alchemy master. Not only am I good at alchemy, but I also know how to sell pills." Selling treasures required some skill. Many of these prices were fake, but under Danbao World God's manipulation, some real offers were drawn out.

...

In the blink of an eye, a hundred years passed.

"The highest offer now is one million four hundred sixty thousand cubes! This is the final year," Danbao World God said. "My master will return from the Sword Tower Forest at any time. When he does, it will be the final deadline. The highest bidder will get the Bloodflame Cloud Fruit."

"What? It ends as soon as his master returns from the Sword Tower Forest?"

"Now it's the last year. That Northming Sword Immortal could return any moment."

Some Dao Lords who had been extremely patient could no longer hold back. If Ji Ning returned and they missed the chance, it would be gone. They didn't think Danbao World God was lying, as he wouldn't dare lie about the deadline in front of so many Dao Lords.

"I offer one million four hundred seventy thousand cubes."

"One million four hundred eighty thousand."

"One million five hundred thousand."

In the final year, the price rose very quickly. Some Dao Lords truly needed it. With such a treasure, ninety-nine percent of Dao Lords couldn't catch up. Normal flight speed, even for Dao Lords on the verge of Dao integration, wasn't as fast as Chaos Divine Lightning or Chaos Divine Fire! Unless they also had similar means to control Chaos Divine Fire. Missing this opportunity, they didn't know when the next would come. Even if another appeared, by the time they heard the news, the treasure would likely already be sold. After all, the endless territories were vast, and news often arrived too late.

Danbao World God even went to the Sword Tower Forest and transmitted to Ji Ning: "Master, don't rush back. Give me half a year; return after half a year."

"Alright." Ji Ning trusted them.

...

Because the deadline could come at any time, and some truly needed it—naturally occurring magical fruits like this were rare, and waiting for another to appear could take ages—the bidding became fierce.

Ji Ning finally returned from the Sword Tower Forest to the Immortal Mansion.

"How did it go?" Ji Ning descended from the sky. At the Immortal Mansion's gate stood Su Youji and Danbao World God.

"One million eight hundred thousand cubes," Danbao World God said smugly.

"What?" Ji Ning was surprised. If sold to a major power, it would be around a million cubes. With good luck and many Dao Lords bidding, the price might double. But with not many Dao Lords in the Twelve Palaces at present, selling for one million eight hundred thousand cubes was completely unexpected. He had thought reaching one million five hundred thousand would be very good.

...