Chapter 430: Flashy Entrance.
The opportunity to ascend to the third mortal coil is very rare outside the sects and cultivation families. It is not an understatement to say auctions like this are the only ones that loose cultivators will get if they can't afford to buy a slot to harvest in a secret realm.
So most of the people who came are cultivators at the peak of the second mortal coil who are very desperate and anxious. But there are some people at the early stage of the second mortal coil who came for the experience and to try their luck.
There were also people at the third mortal coil who came for the more valuable things being auctioned. After all, the auction isn't only for people at the second mortal coil.
Most importantly, the auction is also used as a gathering and exchange opportunity for cultivators. People could exchange what they have for what they didn't have. So many people attend these kinds of auctions.
The auction was to start a week after the inter-sect competition. So Arthur and Elder Storm Hawk had to wait for a while before they could attend the auction.
They were not the only ones who were waiting, though. Many people had come earlier for the preparation auction, where the Milton family sold off the free slots to the secret realm that they had to the loose cultivators.
So many people were already waiting anxiously for the upcoming auction before Arthur and Elder Storm Hawk arrived. Elder Storm Hawk didn't want them to draw attention from these people, so she used a cloaking spell on them.
The cloaking spell created an energy shield that blocked light and their figures. In the case of Elder Storm Hawk, her element was that of lightning, so the shield was a thick wall of lightning around them.
This action drew more attention than if they had walked into the city without a cloaking spell. After all, there was no way that two lightning-clad figures wouldn't draw attention.
But the attention they drew didn't compare to the kind of attention that they would have drawn if people knew their identity. Right now, people only looked at them and looked away. No one scrambled or panicked because no one knew their identity.
After the flashy entrance, the two of them laid low. They disappeared from sight and didn't appear until the day of the auction.
By then news had arrived and spread about the events of this year's harvesting. Many people now know that a talented disciple of the Blood Skull sect got a special inheritance in the secret realm, which led to a fight.
The news wasn't certain about how many people had died during the ensuing battle. Some said that only five elders at the peak of the third mortal coil had died. Some said the number of people that died was 18, and others said that every elder from every sect and family had been killed.
Elder Storm Hawk didn't believe the last rumor. She said, "Unless something unexpected happened, every one of those 18 elders had died and no one else. Those two are eager, but they won't kill more than they should, and they won't let anyone that they should kill go."
Arthur shook his head in pity and said, "So 18 powerful people died, including 15 from the four sects. That's quite a loss."
Elder Storm Hawk smirked and said, "Serves them right. They have forgotten why we are so terrifying and have become cocky. Now they will learn that even if it was someone from their sect that got the inheritance, they shouldn't have fought us and should have shared what they gained without a fight."
Arthur was slightly worried. He said, "Will this lead to bigger repercussions, like a fight between the sects?"
She snorted and said, "It won't happen."
Then she explained her reasons. "You see, something like this happens all the time. It is a cycle that always ends in nothing."
"Old elders of the sects witness the power of the Blood Skull sect and learn to fall in line. But after a while, these old people die or transcend to the fourth mortal coil and are replaced with new blood."
"These young elders are inexperienced and don't know why the Blood Skull sect is terrifying. They have heard a lot of stories, but they are not convinced and slowly become disgruntled with how much the Blood Skull sect takes from everyone."
"Eventually there is an event that serves as the spark to light the flame of conflict between us and them. This time, that event is you gaining the inheritance."
"The young elders jump at the opportunity and choose to fight. Their decision to fight leads to their death, which serves to teach the young elders that replace them that the people of the Blood Skull sect are terrifying."
"Their deaths won't lead to a war between sects because there are still the old elders above who remember that the Blood Skull sect is terrifying. So the pace continues for a while until the new young elders become old and are replaced."
"In conclusion, there won't be a fight between sects, and this kind of situation will repeat itself in the future. So you don't have anything to worry about."
Then she locked her lips and said, "Even if there is a war between sects, it will be very welcomed. I for one wouldn't mind it."
Arthur rolled his eyes and said, "I'm sure you won't."
She shook her head and said, "Laugh all you want. Not everyone is like you, who can easily control his violent impulses. You have the wood to balance the violent influence of lightning on you. But I am not so lucky."
Her eyes glowed an eerie blue color as she said, "I want to destroy everything all the time. It is taking all of my mental restraints not to shred you to pieces with lightning right now."
His skin tingled a little bit, and he felt slight danger from her. This made him stop joking and become solemn.