"Perhaps indeed no one wishes to take this great risk," the Auctioneer said, her voice tinged with disappointment. "The Soul Lantern, though a treasure, brings a Dao calamity. We will lower the starting price. The starting price is one hundred and fifty high-grade Spiritual Stones. Each bid increase is fifty Spiritual Stones!"

  The lowered price, from what was likely once far above it to one hundred and fifty, was a clear indication of how much the cultivators feared the soul backlash. Silence was the only answer. No one dared to raise a hand.

  One hundred and fifty high-grade Spiritual Stones was an incredibly cheap price for an artifact housing a thousand souls, but the risk was too immense. Even the Five Element cultivator who had previously threatened Zhi Xuan for the Hell Black Iron now held back. They were unwilling to trade their Dao for a moment of power.

  Elder Hui sighed, knowing this Soul Lantern would return to the clan’s antique warehouse and wait for decades more. Suddenly, a cold and indifferent voice broke the oppressive silence—a voice coming from the dark corner in the back row.

  "Two hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones." Zhi Xuan, without hesitation, raised his hand. His low and calm voice, channeled with controlled spiritual essence, made all eyes turn toward him once again.

  Lin Mu, beside him, gasped, his shock surpassing the fear he had felt earlier. After hearing all the risks explained by Elder Hui, he did not expect his Senior to bid for a disaster that could destroy the Dao.

  From the curtains above, Yan Xu and Nian Qin looked down to see Zhi Xuan. They both smiled thinly and looked at each other afterward, knowing that their previous agreement was being written with a cultivator who either did not fear for his life or was simply too foolish to bear the burden of the Soul Lantern.

  "He is taking the Soul Lantern," Yan Xu murmured. "Truly a reckless cultivator. If he can survive the backlash of those thousand souls, his spiritual foundation must surely surpass the Five Element realm."

  Nian Qin’s ancient golden eyes flashed. "He is taking an extreme risk. But the Azure Dragon Blood in his hands is a strong guarantee. We only need to ensure those small rats do not disturb him. Immediately send a message to the Shi Clan, Yan Xu. That man is now under the protection of the Heavenly Lotus Sect. Let him move without hindrance toward the Demon Fire Abyss."

  Zhi Xuan ignored the shocked reactions around him and the faint gazes from the silver dragon curtains above. To him, the bid was a necessity, a logical step toward strengthening his Devil Dao. A thousand wandering souls were the perfect raw core for the Ancient Nirvana Puppet experiments, and the threat of soul backlash was minor compared to the risk if the cultivators around him knew he carried the Kun Peng Fetus.

  The old woman Auctioneer, initially hopeless, now smiled brightly. "Two hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones! Does anyone dare to challenge this calamity? No one? Two hundred..."

  She paused her words, waiting for a moment. The hushed silence showed that no one in the Minor Auction hall dared to gamble their Dao and cultivation foundation for that cursed lantern.

  "Sold!" the Auctioneer cried, the bronze gavel hitting the table with a sharp sound. "To the Fellow Daoist from the back row!"

  Zhi Xuan, expressionless, waved his hand. The storage bag containing the Spiritual Stones shot onto the stage, and within breaths, the Soul Lantern, which looked like a mortal clay object, floated back to Zhi Xuan, enveloped in the seals made by Elder Hui. Zhi Xuan stored it inside his storage bag, far from the sandalwood box containing the Azure Dragon Blood.

  "A thousand souls," Zhi Xuan murmured within his sea of consciousness, feeling a subtle surge from the Devil Seed that was now calm at the bottom. He knew the Devil Seed was rejoicing, but he would not let it control that joy.

  Lin Mu, who had just recovered from his shock, looked at his Senior with a mixture of fear and deep wonder. He now saw clearly: Zhi Xuan was a figure who did not fear risk but rather preyed upon it for the benefit of his Dao.

  "Is he mad? I do not even want to be near him," whispered one of the cultivators in the front row, glancing back to look at Zhi Xuan. "It will kill him within a week, just watch."

  "You are right, no one will dare to go near him after knowing this," whispered another cultivator beside him, feeling horrified by Elder Hui’s demonstration earlier. "He is either a fool or truly intent on dying."

  "What a pity, he looked like a strong Consciousness Transformation expert," said a female cultivator, shaking her head weakly as if she already knew the end for the holder of the Soul Lantern. "However, he will only die a miserable death under the lantern he carries now."

  Zhi Xuan ignored the whispers and the pitying looks cast his way. In the eyes of the cultivators there, he was a Daoist who had signed his own death warrant, trading his Dao foundation for a momentary power of darkness. He did not care. True strength lay in the management of risk, not its avoidance.

  "Enough," Zhi Xuan murmured to Lin Mu. The Minor Auction was over. He had obtained the Hell Black Iron and the Soul Lantern—two essential materials to strengthen his physical body and his Devil Dao.

  He rose from his seat, his movements calm and noiseless. Lin Mu, who had now learned to move with better silence, immediately followed one step behind. They walked through the dim corridor, leaving the Minor Auction hall which was still filled with horrified whispers about the Soul Lantern.

  "Senior, where are we going?" Lin Mu asked, his voice once again a careful whisper, breaking the long silence. "The Demon Fire Abyss is in the South of the Zhao State, and the Heaven Mirror Lake is in the North. Those two directions are opposite."

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, a thin smirk appearing at the corner of his lips. He cast a quick glance at Lin Mu, his eyes radiating cold calculation.

  "The Demon Fire Abyss is the task offered by the Heavenly Lotus Sect," Zhi Xuan replied. "That is a bound risk. But the Heaven Mirror Lake is your personal Destiny. We will settle your business first, as was my promise when I first took you with me."

  Zhi Xuan intentionally did not mention the Azure Dragon Blood, as he wanted to test first whether Lin Mu was truly serious about the awakening of his Golden Dragon Bloodline, and what would happen afterward regarding his loyalty and whether he was worthy of being taken as a Junior who would not be a burden.

  Lin Mu started. A strange warmth passed through his chest, an almost forgotten emotion—the feeling of being valued. Since the cruelty of the Shi Clan, he had been nothing but a fugitive, his Destiny trampled upon. He never expected this senior, filled with madness, to place his personal Destiny above the interests of a great sect.

  He bowed slightly, his heart filled with a burning determination. In the dimly lit corridor, he steeled himself. The journey to the Heaven Mirror Lake was his first step toward redeeming the shame of his own lineage and taking revenge against the Shi Clan that had oppressed him.

  "There is no need to bow to me," Zhi Xuan interrupted, raising his hand as he walked, his voice cold and calm. "You are no longer named Lin Mu the Auction Cleaner, but Ao Sheng, the Sacred Dragon."

  Those words, spoken in a flat tone by Zhi Xuan, shook Lin Mu to the roots of his soul. Lin Mu was a name that had been associated with the mockery of the Shi Clan, a name implying his existence was merely firewood that was easily burned, unimportant, and worthless. That name had become a spiritual shackle holding back the dignity of the Golden Dragon Bloodline. Lin Mu gasped, nearly tripping over his own steps. He looked up, staring at Zhi Xuan’s graceful back.

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  "Ao Sheng," Lin Mu whispered, repeating the name on his tongue. Ao was an ancient surname pointing to the Dragon Lineage he knew, while Sheng meant sacred, showing that his Dragon bloodline was no ordinary Dragon. A name that challenged the Heavens, a declaration of Destiny.

  Lin Mu felt the suppressed Dragon blood within him fluctuate wildly, responding to the new name. Hot spiritual tears welled in his eyes, but he blinked them away, holding them back. On the path of the Dao, tears were a mortal weakness. His severed horns emitted a faint vibration as if acknowledging the surge of determination within him.

  Zhi Xuan did not turn around, but he felt a subtle vibration in Lin Mu’s Divine Wheel, a deep surge of emotion that transcended fear and respect. It was the surge of Destiny—the response of the Golden Dragon Bloodline to a name that reaffirmed its dignity. Zhi Xuan only smiled coldly, stepping out of the auction gate.

  The two guards Zhi Xuan had previously bribed nodded vaguely after receiving a message from above. That a black-haired man with sapphire eyes was protected by the Heavenly Lotus Sect and would not be harassed by the Shi Clan, even though they were a bit hesitant when they saw Lin Mu being brought by Zhi Xuan.

  Zhi Xuan replied with a vague nod, walking out of the auction gate with Lin Mu, who was now Ao Sheng after receiving the name from Zhi Xuan, which awakened his determination from his oppressed blood and the confidence to step forward further. They returned to the main street, and Zhi Xuan stopped walking to look around for a moment.

  WHUSH!

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand and brought out the Seven Star Boat. The boat immediately enlarged, emitting a fine powder of falling stars. Ao Sheng, who had never seen a flying artifact or even flown before, was stunned. He was merely a simple youth who had never touched an artifact other than the wooden box containing the small key to the Family Tomb, and now before him hovered an artifact that looked incredibly luxurious.

  Zhi Xuan, without turning, already felt the pure shock from Ao Sheng. He snorted softly, as if this were the most ordinary sight in the world. He had been like this too when he first saw the Soul Fire of the First Ember hunters decades ago.

  "The Seven Star Boat," Zhi Xuan said calmly, as if explaining a toy to a simple youth. "You must rotate your Divine Wheel well. You are a Dragon, and a Dragon does not need to be taught how to fly. They will fly on their own. Now I will let you know what it feels like to be in the air."

  Zhi Xuan leapt onto the deck of the Seven Star Boat with a light and graceful movement. His black robe fluttered for a moment due to the spiritual wind created by the artifact, and the Snow Phoenix Jade in his hair shone softly under the lantern light of the Zhao State. He stood at the bow of the boat, his slender yet dominating silhouette radiating an indescribable aura of arrogance.

  Ao Sheng jolted from his daydream. He looked at the luxurious boat radiating a starry aura and then at his senior’s back. His heart, which had just been filled with warmth due to the acceptance of his Destiny, now trembled with excitement and awkwardness. He had never ridden a flying artifact, and he did not know how to rotate his Divine Wheel properly.

  He took a deep breath, rotating his Divine Wheel—the spiritual disc that was the core of his cultivation. He channeled his spiritual essence, trying to mimic Zhi Xuan’s graceful movement, and leapt. However, his jump was awkward and too strong, driven by the surge of his newly awakened Dragon blood.

  THUD!

  He landed on the deck of the boat with a loud sound, his knees hitting the hard starry wood surface. A sharp pain flashed through, but he endured it. Ao Sheng immediately rose, standing stiffly behind Zhi Xuan, his face flushed with embarrassment. Zhi Xuan did not turn around. He only snorted, a cold dry laugh echoing in the air, as if he were mocking Ao Sheng’s foolishness.

  "On the Plains, every step toward the Dao is always awkward at first," Zhi Xuan murmured, his tone indifferent, but there was a hint of unintentional tolerance in his voice. "Consider this as the tempering of your Dao. You are a Dragon, not a mortal. Now, hold on tight. The journey to the North will take a little longer."

  Without waiting for Ao Sheng’s reply, Zhi Xuan flicked his finger toward the Seven Star Boat. The hull of the boat immediately glowed brightly as it was filled with a familiar essence, and the deck of the boat lifted from the ground, tearing through the night air with a smooth whistling sound, yet like riding a very fast Dragon.

  WHUSSHHHH!

  The boat shot upward, piercing through the layers of the Zhao State’s spiritual mist. The cold and sharp night wind immediately hit Ao Sheng’s face, making him close his eyes for a moment. He felt a terrifying surge of speed, a speed far beyond the ability of a Divine Wheel realm cultivator to move on the ground. When Ao Sheng finally dared to open his eyes, they were already above the roof of the Shi Clan Auction’s jade tower. The Zhao State, which had previously looked grand and vast, now appeared like a carpet embroidered with lantern light below them.

  Ao Sheng stood stiffly on the deck, rotating his Divine Wheel to balance the spiritual energy in his feet, trying to stabilize himself from the dizzying speed. He stared at Zhi Xuan’s back—a figure who remained still and stable at the bow of the boat, as if they were merely enjoying a cup of tea at the Seven Clouds Pavilion. Then he shifted his gaze upward, seeing the stars that felt close to him.

  "A flying Dragon," Ao Sheng murmured, his eyes sparkling with hope as he looked at the stars. "Senior is right, one day I will fly on my own with my own strength!"

  Ao Sheng held his breath, letting the intoxicating spiritual wind cleanse the remaining dust of cultivation and despair from his soul. He absorbed every sensation, every small vibration from the hovering Seven Star Boat. He realized that in the face of the majesty of the Heavens, the embarrassment of the awkward landing earlier was merely a meaningless ripple.

  Zhi Xuan, standing tall at the bow, closed his sapphire eyes. He channeled purified spiritual essence into the Seven Star Boat, letting the artifact fly at full speed. In his Sea of Consciousness, he examined the sealed sandalwood box, feeling the fluctuations of the Azure Dragon Blood inside. That blood, despite the difference in bloodline, was pure Dragon essence that would be an invaluable catalyst.

  "I will give him this Dragon Blood after the seal on his Bloodline is lifted," Zhi Xuan murmured in his thoughts, a cold calculation. Giving it now would only be a waste. The blood must purify after his path of revenge begins.

  He then turned to the tightly wrapped Soul Lantern. Even through the layers of Elder Hui’s seals, he could feel the subtle whispers of the thousand hungry souls. It was a darkness that promised cruelty and power, a tool that would accelerate his strengthening, but would also create a conflict with his need to kill.

  If he killed a cultivator, their soul would not be destroyed but would instead become bound to the Wandering Souls within the Soul Lantern, and every added soul would cause a powerful backlash. However, forming the Heavenly-Blood Body Law required bloodshed, and it was impossible for him not to kill as long as he walked the Path of Cultivation.

  "Killing will subject me to a backlash as the souls increase," Zhi Xuan murmured again in his mind, smiling coldly and only hissing flatly. "The Heavenly-Blood Body Law will not wait for the stability of this Soul Lantern."

  He let the question float in his sea of consciousness, a Dao challenge he had to solve on this long journey. The solution was to blend the cruelty of a Devil with the calculation of a Daoist. He could not sacrifice his physical growth for an artifact, but he also could not let a perfect soul vessel go to waste.

  "Heavenly Devouring Chalice," Zhi Xuan murmured again, looking at the Heavenly Devouring Chalice, the blood-red jar that carried the Extreme Yang essence from the time of the Great Emperor’s Tomb. "I do not yet understand the use of this Chalice; having too many artifacts makes it impossible for me to use them one by one."

  Zhi Xuan sighed softly; this was a problem that felt pleasant even though it was a problem. The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, the Thunder Sword, the Devouring Chalice, and the Soul Lantern, along with two destinies—the Kun Peng Fetus and the youth with the Golden Dragon blood behind him. How foolish of the Shi Clan not to utilize Ao Sheng, instead oppressing him and severing his blood for the Clan's interests.

  "Great Saint," Zhi Xuan called out in his Sea of Consciousness, feeling amused yet feeling that the people from that Clan were all fools. "The Ancient Zhu Clan and the Ancient Hua Clan at least would not be as stupid as the Shi Clan, which is not even an Ancient Clan. I wonder why they oppressed the Golden Dragon blood? They could have instead utilized him and given him trust so he would grow strong and become a valuable asset for the Clan."

  "The Shi Clan is a scrap of mortal ambition, not a determiner of Destiny," Ruo Xianxue replied. "They oppressed the Golden Dragon Bloodline out of their own fear. They fear a majesty they cannot control and chose to cut the sprout rather than nourish it. Their power lies in sect intrigue and oppression, not in the understanding of the Dao. They are farmers who uproot the most precious seed because they fear the tree will grow too large to overshadow their house."

  "You are right," Zhi Xuan murmured, but his spiritual shoulders shook slightly and he could not hold back a loud laugh in his Sea of Consciousness. "How foolish they are. They do not know that the Dragon they oppressed will soon rise again with the grudge of oppression."

  Zhi Xuan closed his sapphire eyes, channeling spiritual essence to maintain the speed of the Seven Star Boat. He felt a cold smile etched on his lips. Ao Sheng was an important piece on the chessboard of his Destiny. He had not only gained a follower but also a Golden Dragon Bloodline that would function as a balancer for the Primordial Kun Peng power. How foolish of the Shi Clan to think that a clan dominated by water snake blood could control the dignity of a Dragon.

  "Ao Sheng," Zhi Xuan called, his eyes still closed yet his tone cold and calm. "How did you end up in the hands of the Shi Clan? Were your parents killed by them?"