Chapter 0859: Dark Cloud Conclave
Li Luo and the rest spent a day in Western City and then set off on the second day. Under the lead of Li Feng and two of his powerful Dukes, they headed towards the Dark Domain that was thousands of miles away. The vast Dark Domain of the Western Region was located between the borders of the two Heavenly Emperor forces. In order to avoid any direct conflicts, the two giant forces had demarcated this area as a neutral buffer zone. Neither side had ever intervened with the affairs here. They would only look into it when there were any movements from the Dark Domain. As a result, there were many rogue cultivators that had gathered around here. Many cities and small powers were born as a result. Out of these, the biggest city was known as the Dark Cloud Conclave. It was controlled by a force known as the Dark Cloud Hall, which was led by a fourth-grade Duke that was considered one of the most powerful in this region.
Of course, a fourth-grade Duke was nothing worth mentioning when compared to a huge force like the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li.
As such, the Dark Cloud Conclave did not make any noise or chase them away when the four Dragon Vessels carrying Li Luo and the rest arrived in the vicinity of their the city. They simply turned a blind eye to the vessels hovering near them.
Riding the Dragon Vessel at the front, Li Feng smiled at Li Luo and the rest as he said, "The Dark Cloud Conclave is the closest city to the Dark Domain of the Western Region. There are many rogue cultivators gathered here. As there's still some time before the seal of the Dark Domain is lifted, you guys may want to check out Dark Cloud Square. There are many unique treasures traded over there, and something special occasionally pops up."
Li Fengyi was very excited when she heard these words. Looking at her, Li Luo and the others couldn't turn down the opportunity, so they got off the vessel and went straight into the city.
It turned out that there were actually guards at the entrance. Originally, anyone who entered the city would have to pay an entrance fee. However, Li Luo and the rest walked in smoothly without facing any obstructions. Clearly, the guards had been alerted of their arrival beforehand. "Haha. Brother Li Feng, what brings you to the Dark Cloud Conclave today? This place pales in comparison to Western City." As soon as they stepped into the city, a clear laughter came from the front. When Li Luo looked up, he saw a huge group of people coming towards them with a middle-aged man dressed in black in the middle. He appeared rather dominating as he walked towards them, with a faint feeling of ferocity hidden within his expression.
"Hall Master Liang Xiong, the Dark Cloud Conclave is doing better and better." Li Feng smiled lightly as he watched the guy approach them.
"Let me introduce him. This is Liang Xiong, the Hall Master of the Dark Cloud Hall."
At this moment, the burly Liang Xiong turned his attention towards Li Luo and the rest. Despite their young looks, Liang Xiong could tell from Li Feng's attitude that these four were nobles from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li.
However, he did not probe any further. He simply displayed a friendlier smile on his ferocious-looking face.
Li Luo and the rest did not put on airs. They put their hands together and greeted him. Following this, Liang Xiong led the way and brought them around the city while he chatted with Li Feng. Finally, they arrived at Dark Cloud Square.
The place was lively and bustling with people.
When Li Luo and the rest took a quick glance around, they saw that Dark Cloud Square was separated into different zones by light curtains drawn from light beads floating in the air. Each area was filled with the silhouettes of many.
These were all miniature auction houses, with people coming on stage repeatedly to display their treasures for auction.
Although the venue was a bit lacking, the atmosphere was extremely lively.
This piqued the interest of Li Luo and the rest. It was no surprise that the Dark Cloud Conclave was one of the busiest and most developed cities in this region.
As they were casually shopping around, only Li Fengyi participated in some of the auctions. Li Luo and the rest were not interested, as they had seen many treasures before. Ordinary items simply did not attract their attention. However, an idea flashed across Li Luo's mind as he witnessed the dozens of items on auction. "Hall Master Liang Xiong, may I check if they have Dragon Fang Essence on auction here?" Li Luo asked.
He was still thinking of the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation that he was cultivating. Essences were exceptionally rare and expensive. He was just wondering if he would get lucky over here.
Liang Xiong thought about it for a moment before he replied with a smile, "That's an extraordinary item you just described, Little Brother Li Luo. Dragon Fang Essences are extremely rare and seldom appear here. Besides, with each drop being worth tens of millions of skygold, most people would not find it safe to auction one here."
Hearing this, Li Luo appeared a little disappointed.
"But..."
Liang Xiong's tone changed suddenly before he continued, "We do have dragon fangs on auction here. You may be able to extract Dragon Fang Essence from dragon fangs. Besides, dragon fangs are much cheaper than Dragon Fang Essence that has already been extracted."
Li Luo was taken aback when he heard those words. He immediately grew very interested and asked, "Can you bring me over to take a look?"
Dragon Fang Essence had always been extracted from dragon fangs. If he wasn't able to get any Dragon Fang Essence, it would be good to get his hands on dragon fangs at least.
Most importantly, they were cheaper!
Liang Xiong nodded as he replied, "Sure, Little Brother Li Luo. Just a reminder though, you may not always succeed in extracting Dragon Fang Essence from dragon fangs. In fact, failure to do so is quite common."
After he finished his sentence, he led the way. A few minutes later, he turned into a well-lit area and passed instructions to someone at the side. Soon, a person appeared on the stage.
"Hello, everyone. I am auctioning five dragon fangs today. With their ability to cause dragonfear and unparallelled sharpness, these fangs can be used to craft treasured artifacts. Furthermore, they can be added to pills and medicinal ingredients. Most importantly, refining a dragon fang might result in a Dragon Fang Essence. A drop of it is worth thirty million skygold. This item is definitely worth your money," a lean man shouted on the stage before he took out five long, jade boxes. When the boxes were opened, five dragon fangs with some mottled marks emerged. There seemed to be a cold air flowing around them, as well an inexplicable sharpness.
"Each dragon fang's starting price is three million skygold."
When he finished his sentence, the crowd started whispering to each other. However, there were not many who bidded. After all, only the first two of the three advantages listed were common. It was not worth such a high price, as they were only acting as supplementary materials. The last part did seem very attractive, but the crowd present knew very well that it was not always that one could extract Dragon Fang Essence from the dragon fangs.
If they spent fifteen million skygold on these five dragon fangs just to fail in the extraction process, they would be left with nothing of value.
Li Luo waited for a while and noticed that no bid was made. However, he did not question if this was specially arranged by Liang Xiong. Instead, he turned over to Li Fengyi and asked with a smile, "Second Sister, my pocket is shy of the sum. May I borrow some money?"
To be honest, he had only been at the Dragon's Fang Lineage for a few months. With all his resources spent on cultivation, it was really challenging for him to fork out more than ten million skygold right now. When Li Fengyi heard his request, she replied, "Do you want to buy all five dragon fangs? For cultivating the Duke Art of the Dragon's Fang Lineage? No problem, just treat these as a gift from your Second Sister."
As the only daughter in the family, Li Jinpan really doted on Li Fengyi. When it came to wealth, not even Li Jingtao could match up to her.
Before Li Luo could say anything more, she shouted out, "Three million skygold each, I'll take all five dragon fangs."
The guy on the stage was elated to hear this. Although this was only his starting bid, it was still a blessing for him to sell all of his goods.
"Deal!" he shouted back loudly, about to announce the conclusion of the auction.
However, surprises always occurred at the last minute.
A slow voice with an unconcealable, domineering air sounded out at this moment, interrupting the auctioneer who was about to yell the result.
"Four million skygold each. Who dares to fight with me over what I fancy today?"
Li Luo was stunned by this sudden development. Li Fengyi, however, was pissed off. She turned around to see where the voice had come from, and she saw a group of imposing figures cut through the crowd and make their way to the front of the auction table.
Li Fengyi's eyes froze immediately when she saw the leading figure in the group.
"Zhao Jingyu, do you have nothing better to do?"