amaotonovel Chapter 1010 Star Sea Trading Company
Chapter 1010 Star Sea Trading Company
Time flies, and millions of years have passed in the blink of an eye.
In the central part of the Crimson Sea, the Star Sea Continent lies like a piece of warm, lustrous jade embedded in the vast expanse of blue waves. This is one of the few sixth-level True Immortal continents within the Crimson Sea, its vastness more than twice that of the Obsidian Continent. Surrounding the entire continent is a faintly visible seven-colored light curtain, a seventh-level protective array that even seventh-level True Immortals would fear—the "Zhou Tian Star Sea Array."
However, since this great formation was set up, it has mostly remained like a beautiful ornament, quietly floating in the void, allowing countless illusory immortals, celestial immortals, and true immortals to enter and leave the continent like a tide, without ever making any unusual moves, as if silently guarding the peace of this land.
Unlike the strict isolation of the Obsidian Continent—where all beings except the Obsidian Immortal Clan must undergo rigorous screening before entering or leaving, and are easily turned away if they are not careful—the Star Sea Continent is much more tolerant. As long as one is not a sworn enemy of the Star Sea Trading Company, the rulers of the Star Sea Continent, regardless of race or cultivation level, everyone can freely enter and leave. The constant flow of cultivators keeps this continent brimming with vitality.
Xinghai Trading Company is the number one trading company in Chilihai, and also one of the top ten forces in Chilihai, with some even saying it ranks among the top five.
The Star Sea Merchant Guild is teeming with powerful figures and experts. There are more than one sixth-grade True Immortal whose name can be called out. Legend has it that there is even a seventh-grade True Immortal guarding the mysterious lair of the Star Sea Merchant Guild.
At the heart of the Star Sea Continent lies the Star Sea Immortal City.
Compared to the Cloud Dragon Immortal City founded by True Immortal Cloud Dragon, it is utterly insignificant and not even in the same league.
Its city walls are forged from a mixture of Chaos Star Sand and Nine Abyss Immortal Gold, a first-grade True Immortal level natural treasure. They are as high as 100,000 light-years and stretch for tens of millions of light-years. The star patterns engraved on the city walls flow day and night, emitting a faint starlight. Even True Immortal Ancestors would not dare to act recklessly here.
This is the largest city on the Starsea Continent, and also the official headquarters of the Starsea Trading Company. Every day, cultivators come and go in an endless stream, making it a lively and bustling place.
In the heart of Xinghai Immortal City, the headquarters of Xinghai Trading Company stands magnificently. The entire complex is constructed from Taixu Xuanyu, a second-grade True Immortal level celestial treasure. Under the sunlight, it reflects a warm, jade-like light. Star bells hang between the eaves and brackets, and when a gentle breeze blows, they emit a clear, melodious sound, cleansing the dust and noise from the air.
Above the main gate, a huge plaque bears the four ancient characters "Xinghai Trading Company". The calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, and it faintly contains the Daoist essence of a seventh-grade True Immortal. Cultivators below the third grade True Immortal risk having their souls sink into it and be destroyed if they look at it too much, which shows the unfathomable strength of Xinghai Trading Company.
"Whoosh..."
A streak of blood-red light, like a crimson meteor, ripped through the sky with a sharp, piercing sound, tearing through the clouds and instantly landing at the entrance of the Star Sea Trading Company headquarters, stirring up a faint ripple of energy.
The blood-red light faded, revealing a figure—an old man in a long red robe, his hair and beard both grayish-white, yet meticulously combed, without a trace of disorder. His face was gaunt, his cheekbones slightly high, his eyes indifferent as an ancient well, undisturbed by any ripples. His entire aura was cold and aloof, as if he were untouched by worldly affairs, exuding a sense of detachment that kept people at a distance. This caused the surrounding cultivators to instinctively stop in their tracks, afraid to approach, lest they disturb this silent, cold aura.
The old man stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the cultivators entering and leaving the trading house. Without pausing, he lifted his foot and walked unhurriedly into the trading house. His steps seemed slow, yet each step was precisely placed in the gaps between the crowds, without touching anyone, as if he were isolated from the surrounding hustle and bustle, living in a completely different world. Before long, he climbed the steps and arrived at the second floor of the trading house.
The items displayed here are all celestial-level rare treasures, and the people coming and going are mostly celestial beings, with the occasional first-rank true immortal stopping here.
Not long after, a beautiful maid with a graceful figure walked briskly over from the second floor. She wore a purple palace dress with delicate silver star patterns embroidered on the hem, and her movements were as if she were walking on starlight. She exuded a faint aura of a sixth-rank celestial being, and her demeanor was elegant and well-trained.
Gazing at the old man's gaunt figure, she hesitated for a moment, but gritted her teeth and quickened her pace to catch up. She stopped three steps away from him, bowed slightly, and spoke in a gentle and respectful voice: "Senior, I am Ziyao, a three-star maid of the Star Sea Merchant Guild. May I ask if you have come today to select treasures or if you have any other instructions?"
As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, not daring to meet the old man's indifferent gaze. She felt an invisible barrier surrounding him, making her subconsciously lower her breath, afraid of disturbing the silence. The silver star patterns on her palace dress seemed to dim slightly against the backdrop of the old man's cold aura, as if frozen by that chill.
Upon hearing this, the old man did not stop walking. He merely glanced casually at the maid Ziyao. His gaze was like that of ice tempered for ten thousand years, icy and piercing. In just a moment, Ziyao felt as if her soul had been suddenly frozen, and a chill ran through her limbs. She subconsciously shivered, and even her breathing became slightly labored.
She forced herself to maintain her bowed posture, her fingertips slightly curled, suppressing the discomfort in her heart—as a three-star maid at Xinghai Trading Company, she naturally knew that some customers had extraordinary temperaments that could not be easily guessed. She could only deal with them carefully, otherwise she might lose her job or even bring disaster upon herself.
"I have come here to consign a treasure for auction." The old man's voice was like the clinking of jade stones, clear and cold yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, perfectly complementing his aura.
Zi Yao composed herself and replied in a steady voice, "May I ask what you wish to consign for auction, senior? I will register it now..."
Before she could finish speaking, the old man interrupted her, his cold gaze falling on Zi Yao. Though there was no anger in his eyes, she felt a strange pressure: "Call your steward out."
He paused, then added, his tone calm yet undeniably firm: "This treasure of mine is not something a three-star maid like you can decide."
As soon as he finished speaking, the air on the second floor seemed to freeze. The celestial beings who were selecting treasures all turned their heads at the sound, their gazes shifting between the old man and Zi Yao—the only item that could be auctioned off that even a three-star maid could not handle was a true immortal-level heavenly treasure.
Even though Xinghai Trading Company is the number one trading company in Chilihai, it doesn't always have True Immortal-level rare and precious materials available for auction. Every time they appear, it's enough to cause quite a stir.
Zi Yao's heart skipped a beat, and she dared not hesitate any longer. She quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, senior, please wait a moment. I will go and contact the steward right away!"
As she spoke, Zi Yao quickly took out a light blue jade slip for communication from the brocade pouch at her waist. Her divine sense instantly immersed itself in it, and her fingertips rapidly tapped on the jade slip, conveying the situation concisely and clearly to the manager in charge of auction affairs at Xinghai Trading Company.
She stood respectfully to the side, not daring to breathe, her eyes stealing glances at the old man in the red robe's back. She felt that the cold aura around him was growing stronger, as if even the surrounding light was being absorbed.
Not long after, a light footstep was heard from the third floor of the shop, and a person hurried down from the third floor.
He wore a purple robe with intricate cloud patterns embroidered on the hem. He was slightly plump and had a gentle smile that he had cultivated over the years, but there was a hint of scrutiny hidden in his eyes.
A faint aura of true immortal power swirled around him. Though not intense, it was calm and profound. This was none other than Mo Feng, one of the managers of the Star Sea Merchant Guild.
Looking at the red-robed old man not far away, Steward Mo Feng was slightly taken aback—the old man's aura was so restrained that he couldn't even discern his true strength.
"Just who is this person? When did such a powerful figure appear in the Crimson Sea?"
For someone to be able to completely conceal the true nature of a late-stage second-rank True Immortal, they must be at least a third-rank True Immortal.
Even within their Xinghai Trading Company, they couldn't find thirty such powerful individuals. Each one was a distinguished guest of their company, requiring them to be treated with utmost respect.
He quickly composed himself, his smile growing even more respectful. He strode forward and bowed to the red-robed elder, saying, "Junior Mo Feng greets Senior. May I ask how you should address me?"
"I am Yu Yuan."
The old man uttered four words in a calm voice, his tone still cold and devoid of emotion.
"So it's Senior Yu." Mo Feng quickly replied, lowering his posture even further. "May I ask what Senior Yu wishes to consign for auction?"
Yu Yuan remained silent, merely glancing calmly around. Although some cultivators in the front hall deliberately avoided the area, many eyes still lingered, clearly showing their keen interest in the conversation.
Upon seeing this, Mo Feng immediately realized his mistake and quickly smiled, "It was my oversight. Senior Yu, please come upstairs. I have prepared a quiet room for you to discuss this further."
After saying that, he turned to the side and made a "please" gesture, gesturing with his eyes towards the stairs leading to the third floor.
Yu Yuan nodded slightly and walked towards the stairs. Mo Feng quickly followed behind, his smile never faltering, while he secretly pondered the origins of this mysterious senior and the treasure he intended to auction.
Zi Yao stood there until the two figures disappeared around the corner on the second floor, then she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the fine sweat from her forehead. She felt that those short moments had been more exhausting than dealing with ten celestial guests. Seeing that the excitement was over, the surrounding cultivators gradually withdrew their gazes, but the whispers among them quietly increased as they speculated about what kind of treasure this mysterious Senior Yu was going to auction.
About ten breaths later, led by Mo Feng, Yu Yuan stepped into a quiet room.
The quiet room was small, but extremely elegantly furnished. The walls were made of dark-patterned black stone, which could block the detection of a True Immortal's divine sense and ensure the privacy of the conversation; the floor was covered with a soft cloud brocade carpet, which made no sound when stepped on; near the window was a tea table made of a second-grade True Immortal level natural treasure - Purple Extreme Divine Wood, the wood was dark in color, with a faint purple light flowing around it, and on the table was a set of ice-patterned jade tea set, which was crystal clear, and next to it was a censer of calming incense, the wisps of green smoke swirling up and emitting a light fragrance that dispelled the restlessness in the surroundings.
Mo Feng gestured for Yu Yuan to sit down, then whispered a few instructions to the maid waiting outside the door. A short while later, a maid in a plain-colored long dress entered lightly carrying a tea tray, offering two cups of steaming immortal tea. The tea was amber in color and emitted a refreshing fragrance, brewed with true immortal-grade leaves. After setting down the teacups, the maid bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind her.
With only the two of them remaining in the room, Mo Feng picked up his teacup, gave Yu Yuan a perfunctory toast, and then placed it back on the table. His face still held a gentle smile, but his tone was more serious than before: "Senior Yu, you can speak freely here. May I ask what you wish to consign for auction?"
Yu Yuan sat upright in his chair, his posture as straight as a pine tree. He did not touch the cup of immortal tea, but slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward. A crimson light shone in his palm, and the outline of a token could be vaguely seen in the light. Although it was not fully revealed, it already exuded an ancient and magnificent Daoist charm.
"The Vermilion Bird Immortal Decree, one of the Four Symbols Immortal Decrees."
Yu Yuan's voice was calm, yet it was like a thunderclap that exploded in the quiet room, making Mo Feng's eardrums buzz.
"The Vermilion Bird Immortal Decree? Senior Yu, what you're talking about... could it be the Four Symbols Immortal Decree passed down by the Seventh-Rank True Immortal, the Four Symbols True Immortal, before his fall?"
......