The first treasure alone spoke plenty about this magnificent secret auction. The second one was stored in a silky bundle of cloth. Each string was meticulously embedded and appeared to be made from cloud, mist, or fog.
The auctioneer opened the bundle and revealed the treasure. At first, this thing lacked an impressive appearance and radiance.
It was a piece of jade that required some time for analysis - white and the size of a bowl. It didn’t look smooth or expensive at first sight. The lines on the jade seemed natural like floating clouds.
In fact, it was tough to say that it was a piece of jade and not a rock. Of course, the fact that it was second in line showed its value - above a dao lord sword technique.
The former alone could make people fight to the death. This was even more valuable.
“Some might have seen this jade before.” The auctioneer went on: “We will call it Eight Stallion Jade for now. Of course, it has another name.”
“Does it belong to Eight Stallion Dao Lord?” A big shot hasn’t seen it before.
“Hmm…” The group started pondering.
Eight Stallion was the most recent dao lord with a strange title. Rumor has it that he was a demon stallion reaching the dao.
Why eight? This was up for debate. One theory stated that the dao lord had eight bodies. Another attributed it to eight different identities. One more said that only eight cultivators in history could compare to him…
This question remained unanswered. One thing for sure was that his prestige still ran deep in Eight Desolaces due to the recency.
“I don’t know this jade.” Another crowd member murmured.
The auctioneer continued: “The jade was indeed left behind by Eight Stallion Dao Lord. Only a few know about it. For example, Cloudgrasp Elder.”
All eyes turned towards Cloudgrasp Elder from Three Thousand Dao.
Cloudgrasp cleared his throat and admitted: “Indeed. The dao lord came across it during his youth. He paused for a bit and revealed: “And it does have a different name.”
No one disputed his knowledge on this issue. The reason was very simple - Eight Stallion Dao Lord had deep ties with Three Thousand Dao. His dao protector was none other than their progenitor, Dao Sanqian.
“It does not belong to our grotto. A descendant of the dao lord is entrusting us with the item for consignment...” The auctioneer said.
“His descendant is in our sect right now.” Cloudgrasp suddenly interrupted.
Quiet discussions sprung with haste.
“So Shen Juntian is really the dao lord’s son.” A junior who came along whispered. [1]
He was another of the five conquerors and the direct disciple of Dao Sanqian. Rumor has it that his father was the previous dao lord. Any of these identities was extremely impressive.
The auctioneer didn’t mind the interruption and continued: “Eight Stallion Dao Lord had many descendants, one is indeed in your sect. However, outside of the main branch, he has descendants in Boundless Mountain according to the records, Falling Blossoms Sect…”
“Yes, yes.” Cloudgrasp acquiesced and waved his hand.
A few big shots smiled. The dao lord was known for his romantic exploits, hence his many descendants.
After he became a dao lord, others came claiming to be his children. Some were actually true, others weren’t.
For example, Falling Blossoms was an instance recognized by the dao lord himself. He had a passionate period with its sect master, resulting in a son.
This didn’t mean that the jade came from Falling Blossoms. It could be another offspring or descendant of his. The jade could be used as a proof of kinship.
“What is special about this jade?” One person asked.
“Remember, it has another name, its true name.” The auctioneer cleared his throat and then said.
“Void Jade.” A big shot responded.
“Void Jade?” The atmosphere immediately changed. Regardless of where it came from, the character “void” had a special significance.
“Yes, Void Jade.” The auctioneer said: “It was carved or created by the dao lord, he only came across it by chance during his youth. Nonetheless, it gave him a lifetime of benefits and most likely a big reason for his success.”
“Where did he find it?” Another couldn’t help but ask.
In reality, most already had a good idea of the answer but it still needed verification.
“Void Zone.” The auctioneer revealed: “This is verified after our appraisal. The jade has a void affinity and a connection to this grand dao.”
Listeners took a deep breath right away. Few cultivators in this world have heard of Void Zone. Even then, they had very little knowledge of this mythical paradise. Dao lords wanted to visit but it required luck and the right circumstances.
“So Eight Stallion Dao Lord had visited this place back then…” One participant said.
“What is the starting price?” Another became impatient.
The jade could help with dao comprehension and came from a dao lord. Alas, people didn’t care about this as much as its origin - Void Zone.
“The currency for this one won’t be jades but rather, void coins, starting with 3,000.” The auctioneer said.
“3,000 void coins to start?” The group exchanged glances.
1. Jun here means stallion ☜