Covering the Sky: I, a mortal, ascended to the throne step by step.

Chapter 61 The Discussion of 75 Dragon Transformations

Outside Tianxuan Stone Archway.

The streets were deserted.

The bloodshed of last night has been dispersed by the morning breeze.

However, cultivators within a hundred feet radius still took a detour, and no one dared to linger near the stone archway for even a moment.

Li Xian left the courtyard and headed east along the long street.

His purple-gold eyes dimmed, making him appear no different from an ordinary person.

However, along the way, the quality of the magical artifacts sold by street vendors, the flow of vital energy within pedestrians' bodies, and even the hidden veins of the earth beneath the stone bricks along the roadside were all on full display.

It works even better than I expected.

Li Xian withdrew his gaze from the meridians of a passing cultivator without stopping.

The Heavenly Demon Palace is just three streets ahead.

The black tower gleamed coldly in the morning light, with a fist-sized demonic eye hanging from its spire—a replica of the Heavenly Eye of the Demon Emperor's Palace.

It turned around and around, as if scrutinizing everyone who approached.

Li Xian announced her name.

Before half a cup of tea was finished, Yao Yuekong came out from the side door to greet him.

Today, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Palace changed his attire—a purple-gold python robe, with jade buckles at his waist, and he looked radiant.

"Brother Li!"

Yao Yuekong took two steps forward, his eagerness unlike that of a demon, more like that of a gambler who had just won the lottery.

"You've come at the right time; I was just about to send someone to invite you."

He looked around, lowered his voice, but his excitement was barely concealed:

"The Ancient Insect God Source King - filmed last night."

"How many?"

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand."

Yao Yuekong held up three fingers, then five, and finally just spread her hands out:

"750,000 jin of pure raw material. Transaction price."

He licked his lips, looking as if he was savoring the taste.

"In the end, only the Palace of Illusion and the Sect of Eternal Calamity remained locked in a fierce bidding war."

"That old bastard from the Myriad Tribulations Sect has lived for 2,300 years. His manhood is almost gone. He was shouting up the price with bloodshot eyes. Li Yishui from the Illusionary Annihilation Palace was also risking his life... In the end, the leader of the Myriad Tribulations Sect personally made the decision, and the hammer fell at 750,000."

Li Xian was not surprised.

The value of the Ancient Insect God King itself might only be 400,000 to 500,000 catties of source.

But he cut out the remnant of the elixir of immortality in human form, and slammed the words "life extension" into the hearts of every old monster present.

Fear is the best catalyst.

When a group of elderly people nearing the end of their lives scramble to buy longevity treasures on the same night, the price only goes in one direction—up.

"I won't accept the commission this time," Yao Yuekong patted his chest. "Not a single penny."

Li Xian glanced at him.

Yao Yuekong's smile was sincere, her blue eyes gleaming.

"Just trying to make friends. If you have any good stuff to sell in the future, just send it to the Heavenly Demon Treasure Palace—I'll give you a 5% discount, which is lower than the price I give to the major holy lands."

No commission?

Li Xian understood.

750,000 jin of Yuan's auction items.

Even if we take a 10% commission as per the standard rate, that's still 75,000 jin of raw materials.

Yao Yuekong could refuse to accept the money without hesitation because he didn't rely on it to make any money at all.

The Ancient Insect God Source King was the final item in the auction.

The moment it appeared on the auction register.

This had already brought the entire auction to its peak in popularity.

Other items in the same auction—those originally lukewarm elixirs, magical artifacts, and source stones—saw their prices rise by at least 20-30% in front of a group of old monsters whose hearts were racing with excitement.

Moreover, the news that "the Heavenly Demon Palace auctioned off the Ancient Insect God Source King" is enough to give him a golden reputation in the Northern Region for free.

Gain fame, attract peers, and create momentum.

Three birds with one stone.

Yao Yue lost 75,000 jin of Yuan in commission, but gained pricing power in the entire Northern Holy City's longevity market.

"Well done."

Li Xian made a comment.

Yao Yuekong was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Brother Li is a knowledgeable person, and it's easy to talk to you."

The two entered a side hall of the palace.

The tea has been served.

Yao Yuekong personally poured the tea, his attentiveness and enthusiasm bordering on excessive.

"Let's get down to business." Li Xian picked up his teacup but didn't drink. "The Dragon Transformation Pool."

Yao Yuekong put down the teapot, his smile vanished, and he said seriously:

"Brother Li, do you really intend to use it?"

"Um."

"IMHO."

Yao Yuekong raised a finger:

"The Dragon Transformation Pool is a natural training ground nurtured by the earth veins of the Holy City. The pool itself is free—but the cost of activating the earth vein array is a real, hard expense."

He counted on his fingers:

"Based on your current cultivation level of the second level of the Dao Palace—"

"Using the Hualongchi Pass, the total budget is approximately 150,000 to 200,000 catties of pure source."

"Of these, the site fee for activating the grand formation is 150,000, which is a fixed amount and cannot be discounted. Your own fuel consumption for breaking through the barrier is not high, at most 10,000 to 30,000 catties of source energy."

He paused, then added, "But I must remind Brother Li of something."

"explain."

"If it's just a minor realm like breaking through to the third level of the Dao Palace—it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

Yao Yue shrugged, her attitude quite honest:

"The biggest advantage of the Dragon Transformation Pool is the 'Nine Transformations of Dragon Transformation' and the ability to break through the Four Extremes, which are major secret realms."

"You are currently at the second level of the Dao Palace, three minor realms away from the Four Extremes."

"Each advancement costs 150,000 for the pool opening fee, and three advancements would amount to 450,000 just for the venue. This isn't cultivation; it's burning away one's life force."

He offered an alternative:

"Find a quiet room with a spiritual vein, prepare 30,000 to 50,000 catties of source energy, and inscribe source energy arrays. This will be more than enough for minor realm breakthroughs within the Dao Palace."

"It's only worth spending this money when you encounter a bottleneck or want to pursue the perfect foundation."

Li Xian listened calmly.

He put down his teacup.

"I'm not here to break through the Dao Palace."

Yao Yuekong blinked.

"Then what are you doing at the Dragon Transformation Pool?"

Li Xian did not answer.

He took out a small white jade cauldron from the sea of ​​suffering and opened its lid.

A chilling aura surged forth, and a cold mist spread across the tabletop.

Inside the cauldron, the source of ice and snow enveloped the broken humanoid root of the elixir of immortality.

The silvery-white "feet" trembled slightly in the cold air, and a faint trace of life seeped out.

Yao Yuekong's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You want to use the Dragon Transformation Pool... to nourish the herbs?"

Li Xian closed the lid of the cauldron.

"The earth veins and Daoist energy of the Dragon Transformation Pool have a catalytic effect on the resurrection of the humanoid immortality elixir. Three earth veins converge at the bottom of the pool, naturally containing dragon energy. What this herb needs is not a medicinal field, but the essence of dragon energy."

Yao Yuekong opened her mouth, then closed it again.

He remained silent for a full ten breaths.

"Brother Li, did you plan this out from the beginning?"

"What?"

"When you won the jade gambling," Yao Yuekong's eyes flickered, "you already knew you would cut out this medicinal herb, and you also knew it needed dragon energy to grow. That's why you—"

Li Xian stood up.

When can we use the slots for the Dragon Transformation Pool?

Yao Yuekong stared at him for three breaths, then suddenly laughed.

His smile held three parts admiration, three parts apprehension, and four parts the instinctive excitement of a businessman sensing huge profits.

"This afternoon," he said, "I'll take you there myself."

Li Xian nodded and turned to walk out.

As I reached the door, Yao Yuekong's voice came from behind me.

"Brother Li."

"Um?"

"You black gourd—"

"For holding wine."

The door closed.

Yao Yuekong stared blankly at the air for a moment, then picked up her teacup, took a sip, and muttered to herself:

"I don't believe you for a second."

……

afternoon.

The northeast corner of the holy city.

The place where the earth's veins meet.

An ancient stone platform stands amidst a cluster of rocks.

The stone platform has a depression in the center forming a pool, the bottom of which is dry and covered with cracks with dragon patterns.

Three unseen ley lines converge deep at the bottom of the pool, and the faint sound of a dragon's roar can be heard.

Dragon Transformation Pool.

Li Xian stands alone by the pond.

His golden eyes swept over every crack in the pool.

The direction of the earth's veins, the points where the dragon's energy converges, and the places where the Daoist aura is strongest—all of these can be seen clearly.

It suits me better than I expected.

He took out a small white jade cauldron from the sea of ​​suffering, his gaze falling on the core area where the three veins converged at the bottom of the pool.

There.

The dragon's energy is at its strongest.

In his palm, the silver-white "foot" inside the cauldron was slowly curling its toes at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

It was as if it sensed something.