The first iron cage contained a person lying on the ground. This person looked no different from ordinary humans, but strangely, their limbs seemed to be degenerated and limp. They moved not with their hands and feet, but like a snake, slithering around the cage.
Suddenly, this person raised half of their body, revealing a pale face and pupils like those of a wild beast. The strange person opened their mouth wide, stretching it to the extreme, also like a snake. Hissing sounds came from their mouth, and a blood-red forked tongue shot out, slamming against the cage with a dull thud.
Immediately, several thick iron bars on the cage were dented inward, demonstrating considerable offensive power.
The second cage held a monster covered in white fur, with unusually large hands and feet, and a jet-black tail dragging behind it, clanging against the iron cage as it swung.
The third cage contained a thin man, covered in a layer of emerald mist. As he moved, six arms could be seen growing from his abdomen, and strangely, his palms were not human hands, but bone spurs like those of an insect. Crackling sounds constantly emanated from his mouth.
"Hmph! Be quiet."
The half-demon man grunted, producing three black-red wooden tablets in his hand. As blood-colored light flashed on them, the three humanoid monsters in the cages howled miserably.
"Everyone, take a good look. These are third and fourth-tier demon slaves, each worth sixty thousand spirit stones."
Demon slaves!
Zhang Ling frowned slightly. So-called demon slaves were actually monsters controlled by cultivators using secret methods, deprived of their free will. They could be considered undead servants. The three wooden tablets in the half-demon's hand seemed to be the soul-sealing tablets for these three demon slaves.
Demon slaves were often created by controlling living people with sinister curses. They had no free will, just walking corpses. Anyone holding the demon slave's soul tablet could control them. Looking at the three humanoid monsters in the cages, they were clearly humans before. He didn't expect to see such monsters at the auction.
However, after a moment's thought, Zhang Ling regained his composure.
The human-controlled demon beasts and insects were the same principle, and there were even cultivators among humans who directly refined other cultivators into such monsters.
The cultivation world was extremely cruel, whether among humans, demon beasts, or these half-demons. The law of the jungle prevailed, and only the strong could control their own destiny.
After about half an hour, today's auction ended.
The few finale items that appeared later did not interest him, but Zhang Ling did not leave. Instead, he sat in the room, quietly closing his eyes to rest.
He was not in a hurry. This was only the first auction. There would be a second and third auction to follow.
During the few days between the auctions, this stone building would not be closed. Some treasures would be sold every day, and the stone building would also serve as a place for cultivators to trade goods.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Ling would go outside every few hours to take a look, checking if other rooms had items he needed.
During this time, he also collected some useful items, such as twenty or thirty high-level talismans, including three or four fourth-tier talismans, each worth tens of thousands of spirit stones. Although these high-level talismans were expensive, they were very useful in battle.
In addition, he also collected a piece of Celestial Star Stone, which, combined with what he had collected before, was enough to refine Celestial Star Sand. However, there was still no news about the most important Yao Stone.
Next, Zhang Ling focused on collecting Yao Stone, but there was no news about it, whether in the shops located on the square or among the items sold individually in the stone building.
...
One afternoon, he came out of the stone building and listlessly wandered around the square, but without any gain. Zhang Ling sighed and walked towards the small shop where he was staying, intending to rest before attending the second auction.
Several days had passed, and the second auction was tomorrow.
Unconsciously, he walked to the small shop opened by the Cloud Peak Elder and headed towards the backyard, but a voice sounded in his ear.
"Fellow Daoist is back. Did you not find the spiritual object you needed?"
Zhang Ling turned his head and saw the Cloud Peak Elder sitting behind the counter, drinking in silence. He had been preoccupied with his thoughts and had not noticed this person, but now the man was looking at him with a smile.
Zhang Ling smiled awkwardly and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Yun. I indeed didn't find the spiritual object I needed." He cupped his fist as a greeting and was about to leave when he heard the Cloud Peak Elder chuckle.
"Oh? I wonder what spiritual object you need. Perhaps I know some information."
This person had been here for about a hundred years and might be able to find out information he didn't know. Zhang Ling's mind turned, and he asked, "I need a type of earth-attribute treasure refining material, Yao Stone. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yun has heard of it."
"Yao Stone," the Cloud Peak Elder muttered upon hearing these two words. After a moment of contemplation, a flash of inspiration appeared in his eyes, and he blurted out a question.
"Are you talking about the mountain essence that can condense the power of earth and stone? This material is very special and extremely difficult to find. Could it be that Fellow Daoist wants to refine some special treasure?" Zhang Ling did not reply, but simply nodded slightly.
Seeing Zhang Ling's expression, the Cloud Peak Elder slapped his forehead and said:
"Haha, this old man was being presumptuous. Fellow Daoist needs this special material. Perhaps there is a place where you can find information about it."
"Oh? Fellow Daoist Yun has information about this? Please enlighten me."
"Although I don't know the specific information about this material, there is a Flying Rain Pavilion in this city that you can try your luck at."
Flying Rain Pavilion? Zhang Ling frowned. He had never heard of this place. Seeming to see his confusion, the Cloud Peak Elder tilted his head back and took another gulp of wine from his gourd.
"You may not have heard of the Flying Rain Pavilion, but you must have heard of its other name, Snow Moon Tower."
"Is that the Snow Moon Tower that specializes in selling information in the outside world?"
"That's right. The Flying Rain Pavilion is a branch of the Snow Moon Tower here. This kind of place is often the most well-informed, especially when it comes to searching for special items."
When he was in the outside world, Zhang Ling had posted a search for Yao Stone at the Snow Moon Tower, but there had been no news for several years. He didn't expect there to be a branch of this force here.
Zhang Ling didn't have much hope, but he still smiled at the Cloud Peak Elder and said thank you. "Thank you for informing me, Fellow Daoist." As he was about to turn and leave, he heard the Cloud Peak Elder call out to him again.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, please wait. I have something to discuss with you. I wonder if Brother Wang has the time."
"What is it?" The man's sudden call made Zhang Ling feel puzzled, and he couldn't help but ask.
