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.

The Taotie City had been the exception, earning great profits through their shopping district. Even so, the goods they sold were primarily cultivation-related, so they were not wealthy enough to act ostentatiously.

Nevertheless, since the rise of the Red Cotton Peak, the methods for acquiring spirit-stone coins in surplus had increased in number and complexity, followed by further business developments. That also meant cultivators suddenly had many places where they could spend their money. Anyone who went to Red Cotton Peak would leave with large debts—even those who had gone there with no money and no intention to spend.

The cultivators' increased desire to consume pushed them into pursuing more profitable lines of work. It could be said that Red Cotton Peak was gradually reshaping the era. The flow of spirit-stone coins throughout the world of immortality cultivators was accelerating rapidly.

However, the influx of spirit-stone coins didn't stay in the hands of cultivators. Instead, three major destinations absorbed them—Red Cotton Peak, Taotie City, and the Immortals' Square. When it came to spirit-stone coins, no sect could rival them.

"

Hah,

" Daoist Xuan Lu laughed as he glanced at Chu Liang. Their seats weren't far apart, so he spoke to Chu Liang directly. "Young Hero Chu, you're quite decisive. Did you offer your highest bid already?"

Chu Liang shook his head and replied with a smile, "Esteemed Senior Xuan Lu, you're mistaken. I wasn't offering my highest bid; I was offering your highest bid."

"Is that so?" Daoist Xuan Lu raised his hand again. "One million five hundred thousand."

His bid shocked the guests. "

Huh?!

"

Is such a bid even possible?

One million five hundred thousand Vermillion-Bird coins—what was this ridiculousness? Even if all the smaller sects present pooled their resources, they might not have that much money. The larger sects, on the other hand, might have that much in assets, but it was impossible that they had that much funds on hand either. Some Terrestrial Ten sects might even have to sell their mountain to get that much money.

Chu Liang frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes in thought as he glanced at Daoist Xuan Lu.

The Penglai Supreme Sect's internal factions were divided among three islands. Previously, it was Daoist Chi Niu who had shown the most interest in the six demon-eliminating treasures. Daoist Xuan Lu couldn't possibly drain the reserves of all three islands for his personal gain. So, where was this money coming from?

Chu Liang's gaze passed over Daoist Xuan Lu and landed on the person sitting beside him—Huyan Bin. This old acquaintance, whom Chu Liang hadn't seen in six years, looked much thinner and more pallid than he remembered.

When Huyan Bin's eyes met Chu Liang's, they carried a complex expression.

Huyan Bin had once invested heavily in Red Cotton Peak, providing crucial start-up capital. The dividends Taotie City received from Red Cotton Peak were now substantial and had long exceeded the initial investment, but they had paid a heavy price for that. Taotie City had suffered major losses. Every year, when the dividends arrived, they felt like a slap in the face.

In Taotie City, Huyan Bin faced severe scrutiny about the investment he had made. Fortunately, he had no brothers, so his father couldn't appoint another heir—though there were rumors suggesting his father was working on that.

Two years ago, Huyan Dong, Taotie City's lord and Huyan Bin's father, had been seen seeking out young women. Perhaps he thought his son was useless and wanted to sire a new heir as soon as possible.

All of that had happened because of Chu Liang. Initially, Huyan Bin thought Chu Liang was dead, so he just let go of his resentment. Nonetheless, seeing Chu Liang alive and well now, it was difficult for Huyan Bin to conceal his feelings of hostility.

Meanwhile, seeing Huyan Bin beside Daoist Xuan Lu, Chu Liang immediately pieced things together.

Taotie City and the Penglai Supreme Sect were probably colluding in secret to suppress the Mount Shu Sect. One party provided the funds, and the other provided the force.

If Taotie City is backing them, then...

Chu Liang casually raised his hand again and casually called out, "Two million."

"

Pfff!

"

This time, it wasn't just the members of other sects who were surprised; Wang Xuanling nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Two million???

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. ☜