Chapter 39: An Ancestor!

“He’s… An Ancestor!”

Shao Na said to her sister. It was unbelievable, but it had to be.

What was an Ancestor?

The general term ancestor simply meant someone a lot more senior than most in a family or clan. However, to cultivators, the term Ancestor had a different meaning. Aside from someone one considered senior in their own family, it also referred to top experts, those reaching Titan-Stars Stage and above!

In this world of cultivation, no matter how old one could live, strength still reigned supreme. Strength meant influence. And the top of these people, were those who had formed Titan-Star within them. To reach such cultivation, it meant that you could use your mind and body well. Well enough, so much so that people naturally respected you.

For such a person was not just strong, but also had a sharp mind!

An Ancestor!

“An Ancestor… S-sister, is this true? Are you certain?”

“Em, I’m sure, which means…”

They could not offend him. Well, they did not wish to anyway. The Spirit Weapons this Ancestor presented were of the highest quality. That umbrella surpassed the special attribute of any Heaven-Rank Spirit Weapon they knew. Weapons capable of rivaling it, were pretty much legendary Spirit Weapons belonging to the Six Imperials and Five Supremes!

This kind of weapon… Only Direct Heir Disciples, those nurtured to become the next Ancestors could use one. Not even Core Disciples from Imperial clans had such a fortune.

“W-we’re lucky…”

“Yes, and we’ve just avoided a misfortune,”

They were about to reject his offer, in favor of the three Spirit Weapons. It was good Shao Na informed him of their attention first. Fortunately, the Ancestor did not take offense. Instead, he made them realize the weight of his existence by showing them this treasure.

And such a treasure! To throw it away so casually…

Shao Na clenched her fist. If they still could not realize his intent, they had no eyes! For whatever reason, he needed the herb. Should they reject him, they would just offend a power rivaling that of the White Tiger Imperial Clan!

Then again, with such an offer… Why would they reject him?

“Elder Li, we’ve decided. Dear Sir… Senior from room number five, thank you for your generous offer. We accept,”

“…Huh?”

Not knowing what had transpired in the room, the Host Li froze. He was sure that the three Spirit Weapons would be chosen, but now… He saw it clearly, the ladies were looking at room No.5 when they said accept. Still, he waited for confirmation. When Lady Shao Na noticed his hesitation, she pointed to the umbrella. Only then, he confirmed it. Gritting his teeth, he assured himself it was none of his business. No matter how foolish it was, it was the sellers’ choice!

Hey hey, don’t you ladies blame me later!

“Then the item auctioned, Ying-Yang Purple Moonlight Flowers, goes to the Sir from Room Five, bidding two Spirit Weapons! Congratulation!”

Elder Li, despite being a veteran professional, had a rather stiff look when he announced it. The crowd had the same look. While they did feel somewhat at ease when the umbrella hovered on stage, they still believed the three Spirit Weapons held a clear advantage. Did the VIP in room 5 cast charm on these ladies? To make sure they chose his offer instead?

If that’s the case, they wanted to learn such a charm as well!

… Even more bewildered than them, was Patriarch Sha Yu.

He was so confident, that when he heard the word accept just now, he was expecting more words in the sentence. That they accept his offer… the phoenix lady’s offer. But for it to stop there…

What’s the meaning of this?

‘That’s the double slap in the face for today! Don’t tell me, this auction was made just so my face could be slapped? W-what… Huhu, who do you think I am!’

Meanwhile, his son, was already petrified from the shock.

As he was crying within, someone else nearby had a stronger shock hitting her. She felt as though a bull ramming her stomach, she could not digest it… Or rather, she was having difficulty accepting it.

“W-wait!”

As soon as she heard it, the lady from Fiery Phoenix stuttered. With the added offer, she was sure she would win. No matter how much she observed the umbrella, it did not have any outstanding look at all, different from that imposing Lightning Blade. Why would the sellers choose it? Just then, they were obviously amazed by her Little Flame’s special attribute. Was it more outstanding than her Little Flame?

Everyone turned to her room. Having disturbed the auction, she voiced out;

“I— I don’t have any more Heaven-rank Spirit Weapon, but I still have several Earth-rank! You can take them as a complement…”

“This young lady, we apologize. Had we have another of this herb, we would’ve agreed. But we only have one, and we’ve made up our mind,”

“This… can’t be, y-you’re kidding, right? The herb… I heard it can only be produced once every thousand years… I need it to save someone!”

“No, I’m truly sorry. If we could help, we would have,”

“W-what’s so special about that umbrella anyway! Ah, did that guy threaten you or something?! He knows something we don’t?!”

Desperate, the girl lashed out.

She did not feel good doing it, still, she refused to settle. Her emotion had taken the helm. While what she had said was inappropriate, it spoke of everyone’s suspicion. Why would the sellers settle with these two weapons? While the Lightning Blade was amazing, the umbrella could not stand on par with any of the three Spirit Weapons offered. Looking at it, was it even a Heaven-rank Spirit Weapon?

So, why?

Hearing the girl’s outburst, the two ladies’ faces turned ashen. This girl… does she have a death wish? Even if she was from Fiery Phoenix, that was not something you could just say to an Ancestor and got away scot-free. Shao Na had sympathy for her, but not for her words.

Worried she would implicate them as well, she turned stern.

“Young lady, do not slander us or our client! Even if you’re from Fiery Phoenix, do you think you can disregard manners?”

“I’m just saying the truth, everyone here could see! If the offer was better, then I would back off! Now tell us why!”

“The offer was indeed better, that’s the reason. There’s nothing more to discuss.”

“You!”

With such an argument taking place, Host Li had a cold sweat. He had no desire of offending any parties, but if he stayed silent, it would smear the reputation of his establishment. While he also pondered the reason the ladies took the seemingly inferior offer, it was well within their rights. As for him, a host had the responsibility to uphold the rules and order. Thus;

“The lady from room No.1, please refrain yourself!”

“Refrain? Refrain your sister!”

“…Guards,”

Seeing the young lady had lost it, he gestured for the guards to deal with it. Several guards went to the back of the stage. Soon activating the silencer formation, it muffled the swearing from the VIP room.

---

A moment later…

With the exchange finalized, there was no more sound from the No.1 VIP room. The silhouette within could be seen facing down, dejected. By her side, her two maids were consoling her, gently stroking her back.

Sighing, Patriarch Sha Yu was also in no mood to speak. Beside him, his foolish son Sha Zongyu was crying all his tears out. Apparently, he had some tears still in store. Snort coming out his nose, he complained;

“Father, father… why, why! I know you bring that weapon over. We would have won if—”

“Shut up! I’ve had enough of your selfishness! Had I offer that weapon, how could I face your ancestor? You no good son, you want me to be crippled?!”

“N-no way that’s the case, wuwuu…”

The little commotion on the second floor was muffled, so no one paid attention. Seeing the crowd was ready, Host Li started the auction for the final herb...

The Millennium Armadillo Roots.

Contrary to An Shan’s expectation, the Millennium Armadillo Roots were considered more precious than the Ying-Yang Purple Moonlight Flowers.

“All of you have waited with patience, I applaud you, dear guests. Everyone knows this herb, it’s a true treasure… And that’s not an overstatement. Hehe, it can push a Peak Heavenly Stars Stage expert, to finally take that last step into Titan-Star Stage! Now everyone, think of the possibility! The possibility!”

Host Li’s voice was full of energy, igniting the fire of desire within the audience. He knew, that the better motivated they were, the more they would be willing to offer. The better their offer, the more would be his pay!

Yet everyone there was already aware of it, and was just waiting for it. Many held back their best weapons for it. That was the reason why the two herbs before did not receive many offers despite their value. This Millennium Armadillo Roots strengthened one’s soul, to keep oneself strong to merge his Heavenly Stars into one massive Titan Star.

It was a dire and difficult process to achieve this breakthrough. To everyone present, this herb was a real treasure. It increased the chance for a Peak Heavenly Stars expert to take that final short step, becoming an Ancestor… a Titan-Star Stage Ancestor!

All major powers in Wang Nan had those they called ancestors. However, how many had real Ancestor? Not one’s grandfather or grandmother, but someone in Titan-Star Stage?

Actually, there was none!

Even the White Tiger clan’s proxy, their representative for this city, was in Peak Heavenly Stars stage. Of course, that did not count the Ancestors back in White Tiger Imperial Clan. Wang Nan city was merely a buffer zone between them and the Absolute Aegis sect, so their influence here was rather limited. Under the treaty from fifty years ago, they could not place any army here. If they broke the treaty enforced by the Alliance, the trust other Imperial Clans had for them would diminish. Even for them, such a thing must be avoided.

Regarding Wang Nan city, though it was merely a buffer zone, the city was large and prosperous. Having the link to the sea was crucial, and with it, their population only seemed to grow. With over twenty million people, Wang Nan was pretty much a city-state on its own. Yet, even for a city this large, there was no Titan-Star Ancestor!

Thus, here especially, the value of this herb went through the heavens. The pill from before was able to help Mid-Heavenly Stars expert to enter form another Heavenly Star, achieving Advance level. With that, it received a staggering 177 million offer. However, one must know that this one here was not the same, as it was on a whole new level.

This herb was crucial for the final push in their ancestor’s cultivation. There were so many Heavenly Stars experts, but how many managed to become an Ancestor? There was pretty much only one Ancestor for every hundred Heavenly Stars cultivators, even less! Several large sects around the region sent their Grand Elders over, in hope of attaining this treasure. The major powers there had no illusion, but they could imagine it. When their ancestor gained a Titan-Star, not only their reputation and authority in Wang Nan would soar…. As a member of a clan with a True Ancestor, they could stand above others!

Those in Wang Nan would have to tread carefully around them!

However, these representatives knew the hurdle. They knew their visit here could very well turn empty. Since the end of the war fifty years ago, the power in Wang Nan was divided into four. These were the so-called Four Sovereigns of Wang Nan, infamously known as the Four Drug Lords. They had so much money and influence, that even large sects around the region could not be their match!

And for this herb…

They were willing to put forth everything!

=== Chapter 39 End ==