"Alright, I'll go with you. Gong Ye won't let us off so easily. Since that's the case, we can't leave him a way out either." A flash of killing intent crossed Song Wanníng's eyes. She discussed it with Liu Lanyi, made some preparations, then followed her to search for that item.
As for Mei Huan, she didn't come along. After obtaining pills, she needed time to cultivate and digest them. She stayed behind in the cave. If fate allowed, they'd meet again someday.
Meanwhile, Song Wanníng's clone remained with the serpent clan, monitoring the situation between them and Bai Yao Palace, relaying everything to her real body.
That way she could keep track of Gong Ye's moves and avoid clashing with him.
Song Wanníng also told her Master the news that she'd found her Martial Uncle. When Leng Qingzhu heard it, she was overjoyed and immediately wanted to come meet them.
But considering how dangerous Gong Ye was, Song Wanníng turned her down.
In the end, the three agreed to finish their current business, then head straight to the southern region to reunite.
…
The beast region was vast, much larger in area than the southern region.
There were cities scattered across the land, but most beast cultivators still lived in forests and caves. On the road, Song Wanníng and Liu Lanyi ran into quite a few beast cultivators, but nothing serious happened. That was, until the day they passed a city and overheard that an auction was about to be held.
The word "auction" instantly caught their attention.
Liu Lanyi was especially interested. Now that she'd awakened her White Tiger bloodline, beast clan treasures held great value for her.
The problem was…
She remembered her empty pockets and fell silent. She'd only just ascended, and hadn't had a chance to earn any money. Luckily, she'd still had plenty of spirit stones from the lower realm. Without those, she'd be unable to take even a single step.
But this was an auction, and they needed beast stones to participate.
They had almost none. They probably couldn't even buy the right to enter the market.
To fix that, they stayed in the city. Liu Lanyi focused on refining formation plates to sell, while Song Wanníng made pills to put up for sale. By the time the auction began, the two of them had already gathered a sizable pile of beast stones, and their names had spread throughout the city.
In the beast clans, those who could refine pills and craft formation plates were powerful figures that no one wanted to offend.
The auction house even delivered an invitation to them personally, offering them a private room. They didn't bother refusing. After tidying themselves up, they went straight to the venue. Just like human auctions, the beast cultivators disguised themselves to hide their real identities.
From their private room, Song Wanníng and Liu Lanyi looked down at the main hall, which was already packed. Across from them, more private rooms lit up as others arrived.
Then the main doors opened, and a group strode in without a single disguise, their arrogance plain for all to see.
"Hiss, that's the Peacock Clan!"
"Could it be there's some kind of supreme treasure in this auction? Even the Peacock Clan showed up!"
"Of course. The Peacock Clan loves collecting treasures. Wherever they appear, a treasure's about to surface. Maybe we'll see it with our own eyes this time!"
The Peacock Clan was one of the most powerful beast clans. Their signature divine ability, the Five-Colored Divine Light, was terrifying. It could seize treasures straight from its target and even absorb incoming attacks. With that ability, they were practically invincible. Anyone who fought them ended up suffering miserably. Over time, their clan only grew stronger. Few beast cultivators dared provoke them.
Song Wanníng had heard of their reputation, and she was curious about that Five-Colored Divine Light. Her gaze landed on the woman leading the group.
At that moment, the woman suddenly looked up, as if sensing her eyes. Her expression twisted instantly. Anger and annoyance surged in her eyes, and when she looked at Song Wanníng, it was with sharp judgment.
Song Wanníng met her gaze coolly, then looked away, uninterested in wasting more attention.
But the Peacock Clan woman kept staring at their room, her expression unreadable.
"Miss, what's wrong?"
A beast cultivator at her side frowned and leaned closer.
"Go find out who's inside that private room."
Hua Kongque gestured toward Song Wanníng's room, her eyes filled with hostility.
The beast cultivator nodded and quickly left.
By the time Hua Kongque entered her private room, the subordinate was already back with a report.
"The auction house says they're newcomers. One's good at alchemy, the other at refining formation plates. That's why they were specially invited."
"Oh?" Hua Kongque raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"So they're actually a bit talented." She'd thought they were just pretty faces, but apparently they had some skill.
"Go tell them to join our Peacock Clan." Her tone carried the condescension of someone bestowing a gift. After all, joining the Peacock Clan was every beast cultivator's dream. There was no way those two would refuse.
"This…" The subordinate hesitated.
"They might already have families. I doubt they'll agree. And we don't know a thing about them. Bringing strangers back like this might…" He clearly didn't approve, unease written on his face.
Hua Kongque's expression darkened instantly. Her gaze cut into him like a blade. "So what if they have families? None of them are better than the Peacock Clan. If they know what's good for them, they'll understand how rare this chance is! I'm telling you, this matter's already decided. No one can question me. Just do it!"
She was the Patriarch's daughter, the future head of the Peacock Clan. How could she let these idiots doubt her orders?
If it weren't for the public setting, she'd have already punished him.
"Yes, I'll do it right away!"
The beast cultivator dared not argue further. He lowered his head and left the room, his heart burning with humiliation. He was stronger than her, yet he had to run errands like a servant, all because she was the Patriarch's only daughter.
Everyone said she'd rule the Peacock Clan one day. He didn't dare oppose her.
Even so…
He sighed. With her personality, if the clan really fell into her hands, it would spell disaster. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt. By the time he reached Song Wanníng's door, his attitude had soured. He banged on it hard, not bothering with courtesy. If it weren't for the protective barrier, he would've barged right in.
The sudden knocks rang with hostility. Song Wanníng and Liu Lanyi exchanged puzzled looks.
At that point, she hadn't even thought of the Peacock Clan. After all, it had only been a glance. How spoiled would someone have to be to pick a fight over that?