Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 324: Soul-Guiding Grass

Some people, unwilling to give up, still tried to approach him for a deal but were all rejected.

The auction continued unaffected. Item after item found new owners, but none of them were pills with effects similar to the Xinming Fruit.

"The next item! The Soul-Guiding Grass!"

Gao Yi's enthusiastic voice immediately caught Qin Sang's attention. Earlier, he had exercised restraint, passing up other treasures and enduring the pain of parting with them. He had only purchased a Fallen Phoenix Vine of comparable quality to the Earth Fire Tung Wood, all to conserve spirit stones for the Soul-Guiding Grass auction.

Finally, the moment had arrived. The Soul-Guiding Grass was here!

Swish!

With a dramatic gesture, Gao Yi unveiled the red cloth, revealing three jade boxes lined neatly on the tray.

Each box contained a fully uprooted spiritual herb—the Soul-Guiding Grass.

The Soul-Guiding Grass was entirely dark black, with three leaves branching out from the root. Unlike most plants, however, the leaves intertwined like vines, twisting together to form a bud-like shape at the top—a truly peculiar sight.

During its growth, the Soul-Guiding Grass underwent four distinct color changes: white, green, dark green, and black. The black hue signified full maturity.

As soon as the Soul-Guiding Grass was revealed, the hall erupted in astonishment, punctuated by exclamations and gasps of surprise.

Some attendees even shot to their feet, staring intently at the tray with eyes full of fervor.

Many cultivators, who had previously squandered their spirit stones extravagantly, now sighed in regret.

Seeing this reaction, Qin Sang felt a sudden pang of anxiety. It seemed he had underestimated the allure of the Soul-Guiding Grass to demonic cultivators.

Each leaf of the Soul-Guiding Grass could be used to refine a Heavenly Corpse Talisman. With three leaves per plant, a single stalk could yield three talismans, although there was a risk of failure in the refinement process. However, Qin Sang had studied the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art extensively and was confident he could refine at least two talismans.

Judging by the crowd's intense interest, the competition for the Soul-Guiding Grass would undoubtedly be fierce. Qin Sang realized he had little chance of securing all three plants.

He resolved to focus on winning the first one, regardless of the cost, and then assess his chances for the other two.

With his resources, winning the first plant was almost guaranteed, albeit at a price far exceeding his expectations.

Still, if he could obtain at least two living corpses, it would be well worth the expense.

"Three fully matured Soul-Guiding Grass plants—an excellent aid for cultivating the arts of many demonic and fringe paths," Gao Yi announced with a faint smile, his voice echoing through the hall. "It seems everyone is aware of their value, so I will keep the introduction brief."

He then declared the starting conditions with a flourish.

"The owner of the Soul-Guiding Grass insists that all three plants be auctioned together. They would rather let the auction fail than separate them. The starting price is one talisman astra with at least seventy percent of its original power remaining. Offensive talisman astras will be given priority!"

All three plants would be auctioned as a single lot! No spirit stones, no artifacts, no pills—only talisman astras would be accepted.

This stipulation was like a bucket of cold water, instantly quelling the fiery atmosphere. The hall fell silent, and the cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.

Among so many Foundation Building cultivators, how many could boast ownership of a talisman astra?

And even among those few, how many had one with over seventy percent of its power intact? The requirements were simply too stringent.

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An elderly voice suddenly broke the silence. "I am willing to offer seven thousand low-grade spirit stones in exchange for a talisman astra to bid for the Soul-Guiding Grass. Would any Daoist be willing to part with theirs?"

Seven thousand low-grade spirit stones could buy two top-grade artifacts—a fair price for a talisman astra. But no one would sell one so easily.

"Seven thousand spirit stones for a talisman astra? Daoist, you must be dreaming. I’ll offer seven thousand and five hundred!" another voice countered almost immediately.

"Eight thousand!" someone else called out.

...

The price of spirit stones had been raised to nine thousand, leaving only a handful of people capable of continuing the competition.

Unfortunately, the hall echoed with the same few voices, and no one else responded. It was evident that a mere sum of spirit stones was insufficient to tempt those in possession of talisman astras.

"Two top-grade artifacts, plus two thousand spirit stones! Is anyone willing to trade?"

At last, someone offered additional items for exchange. There was a tone of gritted determination in his voice, clearly indicating his reluctance. He had likely put forth the artifacts he regularly used, which must have pained him greatly.

Qin Sang had participated in the bidding but soon realized that this approach was futile. Instead, he carefully observed the crowd in the hall.

Gao Yi stood on the high platform, smiling as he watched the eager bids below.

Many cultivators beneath the stage were using sound transmissions to communicate with him. Qin Sang could easily guess their intent—nothing more than trying to persuade him to auction the Soul-Guiding Grass separately or negotiate alternative conditions.

However, their efforts seemed to be in vain, as evident from the collective sighs of disappointment.

Eventually, Qin Sang noticed a few individuals who particularly caught his attention.

A woman dressed in red.

A Daoist Master wearing a dark cyan robe, without any facial concealment artifacts.

A lean young man clad in battle armor.

A youth who appeared to be in his teens, with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

...

They all shared one common trait—their auras were exceptionally obscure, beyond Qin Sang’s ability to perceive. He speculated that they were most likely late-stage Foundation Building experts.

These individuals were also fixated on the Soul-Guiding Grass, yet they remained silent, seemingly weighing whether trading a talisman astra for it was worthwhile. The ongoing bidding war did not stir their interest in the slightest.

A strong sense of foreboding arose within Qin Sang.

The auction house of Yinshan Stronghold had a significant reputation, attracting many experts. It was not surprising that some of them possessed talisman astras.

For such individuals, spirit stones and even top-grade artifacts were not necessities; only equally rare treasures could pique their interest.

Even if Qin Sang were to offer all his spirit stones, artifacts, and his nearly shattered silver knife talisman astra, he would at best end up in a deadlock.

Beyond these, the only other valuable items he possessed were two thousand-year-old spiritual herbs.

If he was unwilling to part with those herbs and the price continued to rise, he would be the first to give up, as his financial resources were undoubtedly inferior to those of his competitors.