Before long, the sound of bells and gongs resonated from nearby, spreading far and wide.

Zhao Sheng looked out the window at the sound, his gaze falling on a luxurious palace across the street, up in the sky.

This palace was a full ten li in size, entirely forged from an exotic spirit gold that shone as brightly as the stars, its surface enveloped in a magnificent celestial glow.

On either side of the palace's grand entrance stood a lineup of human-shaped puppets, exuding a formidable aura, subtly not inferior to Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

Above the palace's main entrance hung a massive plaque, with the flamboyant words "Qi Hai Palace" inscribed upon it, emanating an overwhelming sense of extravagance, clearly showcasing the confidence of the person who wrote it.

At this moment, beams of tunneling light shot out from various parts of the city, landing in front of the palace; as the light dissipated, numerous cultivators of formidable presence appeared, entering one after another.

Most of these cultivators possessed impressive cultivation, with Golden Core Realm individuals being a common sight, and Nascent Soul Realm cultivators occasionally making an appearance.

However, Zhao Sheng did not cast a single glance at them; his gaze directly ascended to the top floor of the palace, where a tall figure was swiftly descending, heading straight for the private room where Zhao Sheng and his group were situated.

In the blink of an eye, a distinguished-looking golden-robed Taoist entered, landing a few steps away from the group.

The golden-robed Taoist, full of smiles, solemnly bowed and said, "This junior Jin Zheng, pays respects to Master Zhao and Taoist Dai."

Before Zhao Sheng could speak, Dai Yiping seized the opportunity to challenge, sneering, "Ha, Brother Jin, why such a late arrival? You've kept the Master and me waiting for quite a while!"

Unfazed, the golden-robed Taoist chuckled, "I heard that Master Zhao made a personal visit, so I specially brought a few auction items and also prepared a list of our palace's auction inventory. That's the reason for the slight delay. I beg both of you for understanding."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng was internally moved, but outwardly maintained a calm expression and said, "As the ancients say, distant guests are still guests! There's no reason to make our guests stand while they speak. Taoist Jin, please sit down!"

"Thank you, Master Zhao, for your magnanimity!" The golden-robed Taoist responded with a smile, stepping forward to sit comfortably across the table.

"Here is the auction catalog, please have a look, Master Zhao." The golden-robed Taoist produced a Jade Scroll, handing it over to Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng, mildly surprised, accepted the Jade Scroll, chuckling softly, "What if this humble house has its eye on a few auction items and doesn't desire to compete with others in the bidding. How would your Qi Hai Palace handle that?"

His question was casually posed, yet unexpectedly, Jin Zheng answered, "Does the Master have treasures in mind? If so, I will withdraw those items immediately and personally deliver them to the Master."

"Hmm, aren't you afraid of breaking protocol because of this?" Zhao Sheng raised an eyebrow, asking with interest.

The golden-robed Taoist promptly replied, "Not at all! Today, even if the Palace Master himself were here, he would make the same choice."

"Hmm, your Palace Master's methods are indeed masterful."

As the conversation continued, Zhao Sheng had already sent his Divine Thought into the Jade Scroll, his expression slightly shifting.

The Jade Scroll listed over ten thousand auction items, with vivid three-dimensional projections, including origin, starting prices, and so forth, all clearly laid out.

However, the order of auction wasn't specified, which was understandable for the sake of clandestine operations.

Zhao Sheng quickly perused all the auction items, then set down the Jade Scroll, fluently stating the names of seven or eight auction items, his implication clear.

The golden-robed Taoist, having listened, didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately producing a Jade Token into which he transmitted a message with his Divine Thought.

In no time, a human-shaped puppet flew out from the palace and into the private room, its chest plates splitting open to reveal a Storage Bag.

The golden-robed Taoist retrieved the Storage Bag, casually sliding it to Zhao Sheng across the table.

A flash of Divine Light flickered between Zhao Sheng's brows, and his Divine Thought penetrated the Storage Bag, where all the auction items he had just mentioned were indeed present, with a cubic Pocket World Jade placed at the forefront.

"Very good!" Zhao Sheng praised and then declared, "I agree to your Qi Hai Palace's request to establish a branch in Jinghai City."

Dai Yiping, seeing the Master agree so readily, was immediately anxious but didn't dare disturb the Master's mood, opting to silently brood alongside.

"The Master's generosity is truly admirable! This junior is deeply impressed. Here are a few small gifts, hoping the senior will kindly accept them with a smile."

The golden-robed Taoist, delighted by the words, hurriedly retrieved several Space Jade Boxes from his sleeve, opening them one by one right then and there.

The first Jade Box contained a disk-sized colorless crystalline structure, from which invisible spatial ripples emanated, with a peculiar pitch-black finger bone wrapped at its center, linked to a partially severed greenish armor plate.

Upon its appearance, a series of faint roars filled the private room, each laden with boundless fury, yet more so with despair...

The roars echoed, eliciting varied expressions from each person present.

Zhao Sheng remained composed, completely unaffected. Dai Yiping furrowed his brow but quickly regained composure.

Only Zhang Fengxian's face changed, showing a hint of pain.

Clap!

Zhao Sheng casually closed the Jade Box, his gaze slowly turning towards the golden-robed Taoist.

Jin Zheng's expression tensed, and he immediately offered a wry smile, "This junior was too presumptuous, nearly forgetting there's a Golden Core Realm junior here."

Zhao Sheng, with an indifferent expression, spoke, "This item is exactly to my Heart Intent. Tell me, what is this item? From which territory does it originate?"

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