096 The Supreme Profound Iron

In the end, the Ice Phoenix Puppet was sold for 1,330,000 Spirit Stones.
The buyer of the Ice Phoenix Puppet was said to be from the Xun family.
Among the affiliated noble houses of the Demon Talisman Sect, aside from the six great Golden Core families, the Xun family was the strongest.
A cultivator from the Xun family had once apprenticed under the Pavilion Master of the Sutra Treasury, reputed to be the second true successor of the Demon Talisman Sect, with strength surpassing even He Miao.
However, this individual was deeply devoted to cultivation, rarely appearing in public, and left no renowned battle records.
All that was known about him came from several Golden Core elders at a certain alchemy feast, who unanimously recognized that his combat power exceeded that of He Miao from the True Demon Hall.
Besides possessing a Golden Core Dao Seed, the Xun family also had the largest number of Dao Foundation cultivators among the six great Golden Core families.
Meng Zitao had initially intended to bid on the Ice Phoenix but inexplicably stopped midway.
Perhaps he feared that the item would evoke memories of someone... or maybe he was wary of the Xun family’s powerful member...
After the Ice Phoenix, the final treasure of the auction was grandly presented.
It was a blood-red slender grass planted in a jade basin.
Its name was Bloodleaf Demon Grass!
Within the Demon Talisman Sect, no one was unaware of this grass.
This was because the grass originated from the outer void and had a profound and mysterious connection with the Celestial Demons.
It was said that there were three thousand varieties of Bloodleaf Demon Grass, corresponding exactly to the number of three thousand Celestial Demons!
The Demon Talisman Sect’s Celestial Demon Path-Seizing Array summoned Celestial Demons from the lower realm at random each time.
Countless Celestial Demons existed in the boundless outer realm, as numerous as grains of sand in the Ganges River.
Though the secret demon talisman manual contained a technique to draw upon the energy of already refined Celestial Demons to reduce the summoning range,
it had a critical limitation: it could only use the cultivator’s own refined Celestial Demon energy as the source!
For example, if Pang Yue wished to refine a Void Demon Serpent clone, he would have to keep summoning Celestial Demons until encountering the Void Demon Serpent!
Sometimes it might take only three to five days, other times it could be thirty to fifty years without success!
The ancestors of the Demon Talisman Sect deeply studied the method of seizing the Celestial Demon’s path and finally discovered a shortcut by using Bloodleaf Demon Grass to pre-lock the type of Celestial Demon, thus summoning specific Celestial Demons!
In other words, each variety of Bloodleaf Demon Grass represented a Celestial Demon’s divine power!
Tonight, the Bloodleaf Demon Grass corresponded to a Celestial Demon called the Ten-Color Demon Vine, said to have been obtained by a true successor disciple from the Self-Devouring Demon Hall...
Within the Demon Talisman Sect, true successor disciples who practiced the Celestial Demon Path-Seizing method were few and far between.
The greatest value of this item was to be presented to a certain Golden Core grand cultivator to gain favor and build connections.
Therefore, after the elder of the Gu family announced the starting bid, many cultivators began bidding.
In an instant, the price of the small pot of exotic grass surged to 390,000 Spirit Stones—comparable to a fine supreme artifact!

"490,000!"
Inside a private room, Pang Yue raised the price by 100,000 Spirit Stones at once!
The entire hall suddenly fell silent.
Everyone speculated about the bidder’s identity.
Only those with deep backgrounds or profound cultivation could enter the third-floor private rooms.
For a moment, those intending to bid fell silent, quietly weighing the pros and cons.
Throughout the auction, no one had spoken from the third floor, leading many to believe it was empty...
Who would have thought that at the very end, such a surprise would occur!
Moreover, the high bid made many feel a faint sense of intimidation.
Seeing this, the elder of the Gu family sighed inwardly and inquired three times more, but with no further bids, he announced the sale concluded.
The auction ended at this point.
Soon after, the Antiquities Pavilion sent messengers to deliver the Bloodleaf Demon Grass.
Pang Yue handed over the Spirit Stones, then left together with Meng Zitao and the others to return to the painting boat for the night.
The night passed quietly.
...
The next day.
The four parted ways after a pleasant time.
Pang Yue originally intended to return to Zhuoguang Mountain but, passing by Thousand Cloud Island’s Swallow Cliff, recalled Huang Luxi’s words from the previous day and impulsively activated his teleportation light.
Swallow Cliff resembled a swift swallow about to take flight, with roaring waves below, the tide sounding like thunder.
Many cultivators set up stalls here for trading, and over time, it had become a unique marketplace, one of the must-visit spots on Thousand Cloud Island.
It was said that even Golden Core grand cultivators once concealed their strength here to experience the mortal world, selling cultivation techniques and manuals at low prices...
Ordinary Qi-condensation disciples sometimes came here unknowingly with world-shaking treasures, only to be picked clean by savvy traders!
On the massive dark brown rock, hundreds of reed clusters bathed in the soft morning glow, cultivators haggled and shouted continuously.
As Pang Yue strolled through, he felt overwhelmed by the dazzling variety.
The place could be summed up in one word: chaotic!
From top-tier artifacts and artifact fragments to low-grade talismans, inferior artifacts, Qi-condensation pills, mental cultivation methods, manuals, spirit pets, talismans, secret treasures, spirit medicines—everything was available.
As he wandered, he unexpectedly encountered an old acquaintance.

Seated beneath a reed cluster was a woman dressed in a simple cyan dress, with a silk cloth laid out before her displaying various items.
She was tall, with almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, possessing the ethereal grace of an orchid in a secluded valley—a beauty beyond compare.
It was none other than Zhao Mengyuan, whom he had not seen for a long time.

"Senior Brother Pang, meeting by chance is better than by appointment. I didn’t expect to see you here at Swallow Cliff," Zhao Mengyuan said with a gentle, melodious smile.
Pang Yue looked at her with slight surprise and asked, "I heard you made it into the Ice Demon Hall as you wished?"
Back then, she was among the outstanding few in the outer sect, not only beautiful but also exceptionally talented in cultivation, earning the attention of many outer sect elders.
Now, she had become an inner disciple of the Ice Demon Hall.
Zhao Mengyuan nodded, saying, "Senior Brother’s three consecutive victories over top true successors were a rare sight. I was lucky to witness it and still admire it greatly."
Pang Yue chuckled, "You’re no slouch either. You have the potential to become a true successor in the future."
Zhao Mengyuan’s beautiful eyes flickered with curiosity, "Senior Brother came alone today?"
Seeing Pang Yue nod, a relaxed smile spread across her face.
"I wonder, what caught your eye? I haven’t opened my stall for business yet today—please take care of my business," she said coquettishly.
Pang Yue had indeed been attracted by an item on her stall. Pointing to a piece of heavily rusted ore, he asked, "Where did you get this ore?"
Zhao Mengyuan glanced at it and softly replied, "I found this stone on a deserted island in the outer sea. Its rust formed natural runes, and I originally thought it was extraordinary. But after numerous tests back home, it showed no reaction..."
"If Senior Brother likes it, I can give it to you."
Pang Yue reached out to pick up the ore, noting the surface was covered in layers of red rust resembling intricate talismanic runes, jumbled and overlapping.
Using a secret technique to probe lightly, he confirmed his suspicions and asked, "Is there any more of this on that island?"
Zhao Mengyuan shook her head, "Only one piece. If not for a monster guarding it back then, I might not have noticed it."
Pang Yue exhaled and toyed with the ore, smiling, "Very well, name your price. I want this stone."
Zhao Mengyuan’s eyes gleamed as she said, "If you tell me the origin of this stone, I’ll consider it a gift to thank you."
Pang Yue gently stroked the ore and said, "This stone is called Supreme Profound Clear Iron, a precious material for forging artifacts. It’s a pity it’s a bit small..."
He spoke with a hint of regret.
This ore was the main material used to forge the Ding Xuan Mirror, one of the nine great transcendent spirit treasures from a past life...