A shooting star soared through the sky. The burning flames could be seen clearly at where Shen Lian was standing. The wheezing sound it gave off as it broke through the air, the aerolite in the middle was being annihilated gradually, the shocking enormous energy that it produced, and these were all noticeable to Shen Lian.

　　However, it all happened in a flash. Though, the brilliance it left behind would be a memory of a lifetime to those who had set eyes on it.

　　Shen Lian watched as the shooting star disappeared from his sight. “If eight people like that set their mind on something, it would be hard for anyone in this world to stop them. Moreover, they would definitely get their hands on the content of the Taishang Detection Technique, even if the people of the main branch refused to give it up to them,” Shen Lian whispered.

　　Zhao Xiaoyu was not surprised by Shen Lian’s amazing observation because that was who he was.

　　“Indeed, it was not difficult to procure the cultivation incantation for the Taishang Detection Technique. It was difficult because the Shangdong Eight Celestials wanted the Taishang Detection Technique written by the Taishang Daoist Master. It was alleged that the deepest truth of the universe was written on it, and it allowed for mortals to push beyond the limits of spiritual beings and to attain the ultimate wisdom,” she replied slowly.

　　The deities were merely freed from the cycle of life, aging, sickness, and death. However, they would still fall if they received a critical injury. However, if one had become an impressive being like a Daoist Master or a Buddha, with their ultimate wisdom, it would not be possible to injure them with just any form of power. At that stage, they could properly be said to have jumped out of life and death. That was a realm unknown to most, and it was not something that could be understood by the spiritual beings in the world.

　　In fact, no one could say for sure that a spiritual being could reach that stage through cultivation.

　　This was so as most had managed to get close to it, but could never reach it.

　　“If the “Taishang Detection Technique” written by the Taishang Daoist Master is indeed that powerful, then the main branch of the Taishang Daoist sect would not be something that could be overcome by the Shangdong Eight Celestials,” Shen Lian smiled.

　　“There are elements of exaggeration when it comes to rumors. Moreover, the essence of it would not be so easily discoverable by just anyone. However, the original “Taishang Detection Technique” was indeed written by the Taishang Daoist Master, and there was definitely some sort of shocking secret within it. This was why the Sect Master refused the Shangdong Eight Celestials’ request,” Zhao Xiaoyu replied gently.

　　“If they came from the same origin, why would he refuse their request?” Shen Lian was confused.

　　“This I wouldn’t know. I only know that in the end, both sides were not on good terms. That was when the main branch of the Taishang Daoist Sect shifted to Yuan Continent, and the Shangdong Eight Celestials’ orthodoxies were segregated from that of Taishang Daoist Sect. At the same time, the Eight Celestials of Shangdong had gone missing too. Perhaps they had transcended beyond the mortal world and could not return to this side of the world anymore. Another theory claimed that they were sent into the reincarnation cycle again,” Zhao Xiaoyu spoke.

　　The clouds and smoke rolled over, as though they were planning to crash into Shen Lian’s forehead. He extended his hand to catch them, and they were caught in an intangible net. No matter how they tried to change, they could not free themselves from it.

　　At last, Shen Lian pinched gently and the clouds and smoke slipped past from the gaps in his fingers. They merged with the sea of clouds and it was impossible to tell them from each other.

　　“What an interesting story, and it sounded real too. However, the sun is about to rise. Xiaoyu, do you mind accompanying me and watch the sunrise in silence?” Shen Lian spoke.

　　Shen Lian was not aware of the incident between Taishang Daoist Sect and Eight Celestials of Shangdong. However, there were plenty of secrets unknown to Shen Lian. It would be dull if he were to know everything in the world.

　　The life of a Daoist was long, and these interesting incidents were what kept a Daoist’s life interesting.

　　However, Shen Lian wanted to just look at the sunrise. He did not want to put too much thought into the incident between Taishang Daoist Sect and Shangdong Eight Celestials. He knew that Zhao Xiaoyu had always been a wise person; even if it was just a story, there would definitely be something behind it. However, Shen Lian refused to guess or to ponder on it now.

　　The moon was clear, and the sky was dull. At that moment, Shen Lian was completely one with the world and had forgotten about his own existence. He felt the vastness of the universe, and the emotions he felt from being placed amidst the vast world were indescribable with words.

　　The strong cold wind blew at his feather coat, and standing next to the elegant youth was a beautiful fairy. It was a beautiful scene at the edge of the sea of clouds, and no one would disturb such a beautiful sight.

　　As the heavenly wind blew past, the clouds expanded at the edge of the sea of clouds. Zhao Xiaoyu had never paid attention to such majestic scene before, and she was touched by it.

　　Only then, she realized that there were a lot of other feelings that she could experience beyond the way of Dao. It was not happiness that came from her desires being fulfilled, but it was the vibration at the depth of her soul. Just as how a caterpillar had opened its eyes and saw the beautiful world; it could not wait to grow its wings and to turn into a butterfly after breaking through the cocoon. It wanted to see the world for itself, the world that it was so attached to.

　　A pink hint of ray emerged as expected, and it gradually widened. The natural grandeur gave rise to satisfaction from the depth of one’s heart. The redness darkened. In the quiet night, the hint of red ray was akin to a carp that was lying right across the sky, and it changed the sky completely. A red ball of fire emerged amidst the ray, and at that brief moment, the golden rays dispersed the misty clouds. All of the clouds that formed part of the celestial market were dyed gold.

　　They stood on the pink clouds; at the height of life, they seemed to be detached from the suffering of the mortal secular world and were isolated from the noise of the mortal world.

　　The surrounding clouds took on a longish shape, and they surrounded them as though they were dancing around.

　　The sky was bright, and everything seemed fresh and hopeful.

　　“Since we are here in this world, don’t you think that we should try to enjoy beautiful sceneries like this?” Shen Lian spoke.

　　His words were plain, and yet they conveyed his love for life. Shen Lian had died once and was resurrected in this body. He appreciated everything in life, and this was why he would not let himself be shackled to anything. He would never wrong himself.

　　Zhao Xiaoyu saw the half of Shen Lian’s face that was being shone upon by the golden ray, and she found him extremely real.

　　In the palace, there was a mirror outside of Xuantong Demon King’s beaded curtain. It was floating in the air and had a perimeter of two feet. It was outlined by the darkest shade of purplish blue. It seemed to be a jade, or maybe not. There was a white stone protruding in the middle of it, and it was completely translucent. It seemed to be a crystal, or maybe it was not.

　　There were golden rays spilling from the mirror. Shen Lian and Zhao Xiaoyu stood in the middle of it.

　　The mirror was known as Zhaohai Mirror. It could show anything that was within a hundred mile radius. Unless the subject was the likes of holy deities, otherwise it would be hard to notice.

　　Jingting Tongzi stood guard outside of the curtain. “Dear King, why are you peeping on them?” He asked hesitantly.

　　“Zhao Xiaoyu is the saintess of the Nine Lotus Secret Order, and she has quite a lot of secrets. Though, I did not expect her to know this person. She is good at scheming, so we must watch out. I don’t want anything to go wrong during the Treasure Auction,” Xuantong Demon King spoke.

　　“This Mister Qingxia seemed to be a reasonable person. So long as we don’t offend him, he probably would not get in our way. Moreover, you are only organizing this Treasure Auction to strengthen your reputation anyway,” Jingting Tongzi replied.

　　“I have a bad feeling lately, and it would seem that misfortune is about to befall me soon. The Treasure Auction was not just to strengthen my reputation, but I’m looking for a few treasures that could help me to overcome this misfortune as well. There are a lot of capable people in the Treasure Auction this time around. If anyone were to create trouble with their supernatural powers, it would be very troublesome indeed,” Xuantong whispered.

　　“Worse comes to worst, you can just use me as your sword again. It’s about time that they see how powerful you are,” Jingting Tongzi laughed.

　　“Zhenren Xiangshan said that my murderous intent is too strong, and he told me to restrain it. Unless absolutely necessary, I would not engage in a battle,” Xuantong Demon King replied.

　　Jingting Tongzi stopped talking the moment he saw the Mister Qingxia in the mirror looked up and smiled. With a wave of his hand, a light flew out and the surface of Zhaohai Mirror was covered in frost. It was white, and nothing could be seen anymore. It fell from the sky.

　　Jingting Tongzi quickly walked towards the mirror and caught it. Even though he used to be the Jiejian Stone and should be cold and rock hard, he could not help but shiver after catching the Zhaohai Mirror.

　　“He even cultivated the Ice Light. Where did he find the extreme Yin Qi of Devilry?” Xuantong Demo King spoke.

　　Jingting Tongzi’s hands were covered in frost and they were glued to the Zhaohai Mirror. They were inseparable. He tried to use his sword Qi to shatter the layer of ice. “This is Ice Light? So he is from Qing Xuan?” He yelped in surprise after hearing what Xuantong Demon King had said.

　　“Forget about this,” Xuantong Demon King instructed.

　　Jingting Tongzi maintained his silence and engaged the sword Qi within him to dispel the cold aura. Moreover, he was trying to draw a connection between Shen Lian’s appearance and his true identity. If he did not conceal it on purpose, judging from his background, he could only be either Chen Jianmei or the chief of Qing Xuan.

　　However, Chen Jianmei came and gone with his sword Qi and it was easy to recognize him. Hence, Mister Qingxia could only be the Zhenren Shen of Qing Xuan.

　　Even though Xuantong Demon King was renowned in Eastern Sea, but that was nothing as compared to the chief of Qing Xuan.

　　Qing Xuan was a great sect that had ten thousand years of history. Despite that it was going downhill previously, it was still a reputable Celestial sect. Moreover, recently Qing Xuan seemed to be doing well, and Zhenren Shen’s effort was particularly notable.

　　Jingting Tongzi did not expect someone as important as him would hide his identity and graced the celestial market with his presence.

　　Despite that Wu Qingzi had come from Taishang Daoist Sect, he was merely a true disciple. This was incomparable to Shen Zhenren’s status.

　　Despite that cultivators prioritized cultivation, but it was not the sole decisive factor when it came to one’s status. What was scarier was the rumor that Zhenren Shen had been cultivating for less than fifty years, and to think that he was so close to being the likes of holy deities.

　　Little did Jingting Tongzi know that Shen Lian had been cultivating for less than thirty years, and his actual age was merely around forty years old! Even amongst the mortals, he would be considered as being in his prime.

　　The cultivators in Qing Xuan were all aware of this. Their admiration for Shen Lian these few years were genuine. Regardless, Shen Lian would only face his death in at least seven or eight hundred years. Moreover, no one in Qing Xuan thought that Shen Lian could not break through the state of whim.

　　To them, it was only a matter of time before Shen Lian attained immortality.

　　Shen Lian put an end to the peeping of Zhaohai Mirror, and that had piqued Zhao Xiaoyu’s curiosity. “Who was peeping at us?” She queried.

　　Shen Lian gave it some thoughts and replied, “It should be Xuantong Demon King, but there was no reason for her to do so.”

　　Shen Lian knew that Xuantong Demon King was aware of his true identity, but the Demon King would not be so impolite.

　　“Then it would be me then. After all, I’m a witch from a cult, and even the Demon King could not rest easy with me around,” Zhao Xiaoyu replied.

　　“This shows how powerful you are too, no?” Shen Lian walked forward slowly.

　　Zhao Xiaoyu trod with small steps, and she followed behind Shen Lian unhurriedly. “Actually, there is something about her that made me jealous. She received pointers from Lu Jiuyuan and did not have to make unnecessary mistakes,” Zhao Xiaoyu spoke.

　　“To think that you would say something like that, you really are different as compared to before.”

　　Both of them chattered away as they disappeared into the sea of clouds.

　　Time flew, and the real Treasure Auction was around the corner.