Chapter 2556: Undercover Spy
The other students watched in silence. Shao Qingfeng’s brow furrowed. He had already guessed the woman’s identity, but such a person should not be in such a place.
Luo Zang, Mu Mu, and even the troublesome Jiang Xiaodao, looked at the woman with respect.
Seruzen stared at the graceful figure in front of him. She seemed rather familiar.
The woman's eyes swept the crowd, briefly pausing on Seruzen's withered arm. She then looked at Lu Yin before looking away and silently making her way to a corner.
He Shu immediately moved to follow her.
"I desire solitude," she stated in a cold voice.
He Shu froze in his tracks and suppressed the burning desire that blazed in his eyes. "Understood."
He remained stationary, and proceeded to disregard both the woman and the gathered crowd. His gaze grew distant, like that of a statue.
With so many people gathered, there was no way for them to not attract attention. Some people chose to stay, but others did not dare stick around.
After two hours, the cliffside started to rumble.
Everyone turned to see the passage that had appeared. Lu Yin had witnessed the same scene before; this was the entrance to where the secret auction would be held.
The few people who had not been invited to the auction but who had stumbled upon the gathering exchanged exhilarated glances. It was clear that they had chanced upon something extraordinary. The gathered crowd had clearly been invited, which indicated that this particular secret auction would not be able to compare to the regular ones. This seemed much closer to the auction that had been disrupted.
Despite knowing that they would be unable to actively participate in an auction of such a level, simply observing was still an opportunity, as they would witness something truly special.
He Shu was the first to reach the entrance. He bowed and gestured for the white-clad woman to enter.
Everyone else held back, their eyes all fixed on the woman.
A smile appeared on Lu Yin's lips. The woman was none other than Bai Qian. While her cultivation level was only that of an Enlighter, her status was blatantly something completely outrageous. This was quite interesting.
Of all of the people who had left Earth, Bai Xue had lost the ambition to seek greater strength, and instead welcomed a peaceful retirement in Seed Garden. Zhang Dingtian was solely focused on avenging the Liu family, and spent this time honing his cultivation. Xu San remained at Ancestor Lingtong's side, enjoying the associated power and authority. Only Seruzen and Bai Qian had continued to move forward. Seruzen was regarded very highly by the people of the Arboreal Realm due to the innate gift he had acquired from his wood transformation. As for Bai Qian, she enjoyed a status on par with He Ran's in the Transcendent Universe.
When it came to pure cultivation level, Bai Qian was second only to Lu Yin himself.
Zhang Dingtian’s persistence and dedication to cultivating might fool people, but the reality was that he was unable to catch up to Bai Qian. The woman’s cultivation had risen to nearly match that of the Ten Arbiters.
At the moment, Liu Tianmu, Ling Gong, Wen Sansi, and other former Ten Arbiters were also Enlighters, as none of them had yet advanced to the Envoy realm. Bai Qian was also an Enlighter, which placed her firmly among the most talented cultivators of their generation.
Bai Qian entered the passage first, followed closely by He Shu. After the two of them had entered, the other people started to stream in as well.
It appeared that everyone was aware of Bai Qian's identity.
Lu Yin and Luo Lao'er joined the entering crowd. After following the passage, they arrived in a place that appeared very similar to where the previous secret auction had been held. The walls of the mountain did little for privacy, as it was easy to determine who was bidding from their voices.
Roughly fifteen to twenty students had received invitations, while another ten or so had stumbled upon the small gathering and found themselves attending the auction. All together, there were only about thirty individuals present for the secret auction, which meant that the spacious venue appeared rather desolate.
As everyone settled into their seats, the void twisted, and a beautiful woman gracefully emerged. She wore a pale yellow dress, and greeted the guests with a sweet smile, "Welcome to this secret auction, esteemed senior brothers and sisters."
"Tu Shuangshuang?" exclaimed Jiang Xiaodao.
Shao Qingfeng was similarly startled; was this woman the one who had organized this auction?
Mu Mu, He Shu, and the others leaned forward to get a closer look, all surprised by the woman’s appearance.
Lu Yin felt rather puzzled. "Who is this Tu Shuangshuang?"
He did not recognize the woman. Of course, he had noticed the woman had been hidden within the mountain even before the auction had begun, even though no one else had been able to detect her presence.
Luo Lao'er explained, "The Cyclic Universe has their Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages. Tu Shuangshuang is one of the Hua Gate’s most elite disciples. The Hua Gate is subordinate to one of the Nine Sages, Sage Hua. Despite this woman’s young age, she’s already become a third revolution Demi-Immortal. She’s been a student in the Central School for quite some time, and rumors have claimed that she’s in seclusion."
"You didn't know that she's the one behind this auction?" Lu Yin asked.
Luo Lao'er shook his head. "The voice of the person who spoke to me sounded male, so who would have thought it belonged to her? Brother-in-law, Tu Shuangshuang is far more formidable than she seems. Supposedly, she is the only one of Sage Hua’s disciples who’s completely mastered the Heavens Harmony technique. Her status within the Hua Gate rivals is comparable to Little Lian in the Nine Lotus Gate. On top of that, she has good relationships with Shao Qingfeng, Jiang Xiaodao, and many others."
Lu Yin nodded. His main concern was the Zenith Mountain that the woman seemed to possess. Tu Shuangshuang’s cultivation was only equivalent to that of a three-tribulation Envoy, which was utterly incomparable to Lu Yin’s own strength.
Still, there was no denying that having a powerful master could have a tremendous impact. Even if this woman's talent was not a match for that of the Ten Arbiters, her cultivation far surpassed theirs. This was a perfect demonstration of the significance of background.
"Everyone here should know of me. It’s true, I am the one responsible for arranging this auction. Alas, cultivation demands significant amounts of resources, and I find myself lacking said abundance. Nevertheless, I have scraped together an array of interesting items that I wish to share with my fellow brothers and sisters, while hopefully reaping a few benefits in the process," Tu Shuangshuang stated, her smile radiating warmth. Her yellow attire gave her a delicate charm that clashed with the backdrop of the dim interior of the mountain, and her voice was melodious and sweet.
Jiang Xiaodao called out, "Sister Shuangshuang, if you need money, just tell me! I can help."
Tu Shuangshuang answered with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Xiaodao, but I prefer to make my own way.
“Alright, let's officially begin this auction. I believe all of my brothers and sisters here should already be aware of the subhuman that appeared during the most recent auction. That subhuman was able to enter the Sixverse Academy because of a specific mountain. The first item on our list for today is that same mountain."
As the woman spoke, she brought a mountain out from her cosmic ring. She set it on the ground with a loud thud that echoed throughout the mountain chamber.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. Yes, this was a Zenith Mountain. The feeling from it was unmistakable.
The Zenith Mountain that Lu Yin possessed had once been the Fifth Mainland’s Sky Pillar from the Daosource Sect era. His own Zenith Mountain was nothing more than a fragment of the original Sky Pillar, but which Sky Pillar had the Zenith Mountain he was looking at come from? On top of that, how had it been split off from the whole?
The Sky Pillars had been created by the Origin Progenitor, and not even Corpse God was capable of destroying them. No one knew how Zenith Mountain had been broken off the rest of the Fifth Mainland’s Sky Pillar. It might be possible to gain answers from this new Zenith Mountain.
"Sister Shuangshuang, are you telling us that this mountain can contain living creatures?" Jiang Xiaodao asked in astonishment.
Tu Shuangshuang smiled. "Brother Xiaodao, if you don't believe me, you can enter it and take a look for yourself. Truthfully, today's auction will not be held in our current location, but inside this mountain."
Everyone stared at the mountain in shock, though none of them volunteered to be the first to enter. After years of cultivating, all of the students were extremely wary.
"It seems that my brothers and sisters have some concerns. In that case, I’ll go on first," Tu Shuangshuang said with a smile before quickly entering the mountain.
Shao Qingfeng stood. "There's nothing to worry about. We have all known Shuangshuang for decades. It’s only natural to trust her for such a small matter."
He then also leaped into the mountain.
Jiang Xiaodao rolled his eyes. "Show off."
He also entered.
One by one, the various attendees entered the mountain.
Lu Yin also entered, taking Luo Lao'er with him.
He Shu glanced over at Bai Qian.
She stood and took a step forward, entering the mountain.
He Shu immediately followed right behind.
Those who were not invited exchanged looks and gritted their teeth, "The important figures have all gone in, what are we afraid of?"
"We should broaden our horizons. It wasn't easy for us to come across such an opportunity, we can't miss it," someone said.
"Let's go."
One by one, more and more people entered, until finally, only the mountain remained within the auction venue.
At the same time, a completely different scene played out inside the mountain.
All of the students looked around in astonishment. "It truly can change size, and the stone it’s made of seems to be exceptionally tough."
Lu Yin scanned the area. The scenery was completely unremarkable, as it just looked like a mountain. However, since this was the same as Zenith Mountain, this mountain could most likely consume resources to create a protective barrier that could prevent people from entering, though also prevent people from leaving.
Literally as soon as Lu Yin thought of such a thing, a barrier covered the sky.
The appearance of the barrier startled him, as he saw his suspicions were true.
"Shuangshuang, what is this?" He Shu asked from where he stood beside Bai Qian.
Tu Shuangshuang smiled, her hands clasped behind her back. "This mountain is the first item up for auction. Naturally, it’s important to allow my brothers and sisters understand its functions clearly. Please observe; this barrier is one of the mountain’s features. It can withstand external attacks, while the mountain itself is capable of holding billions of people."
The crowd gasped in awe.
Luo Zang raised a hand and struck the barrier with a palm strike, but only some ripples spread across the barrier. There was no sign of it breaking.
He attacked again, but still failed to break through. He started to grow uneasy, and his expression fell. "Let us out first."
Tu Shuangshuang looked confused by the request. "Why do you want to leave so quickly?"
Shao Qingfeng and the others stared at Tu Shuangshuang.
Tu Shuangshuang's smile grew mischievous. "I was originally wanting to simply capture all of the students, so imagine my surprise when a big fish swam right into my net.”
As she spoke, she turned to stare at Bai Qian.
He Shu's eyes narrowed, and he instantly attacked Tu Shuangshuang. Jiang Xiaodao and the others had not yet realized the meaning behind the woman’s words.
Lu Yin arched a brow. Something was not right.
He Shu used the Third Hand of Stone Gate Eight Hands, but the attack passed right through Tu Shuangshuang's body, and he struck nothing but air.
The expressions on everyone’s faces drastically changed.
Shao Qingfeng blurted, "Wood transformation innate gift!"
He then leaped up to join Luo Zang, He Shu, Mu Mu, and the rest. They all attacked the barrier that surrounded the mountain. It was clear to them all that there was something very wrong. Tu Shuangshuang was trying to capture them!
Despite their cooperation, the attacks showed no effect on the barrier.
They heard Tu Shuangshuang's voice from beyond the barrier, "This barrier can endure an attack from an Immortal. Brothers and sisters, there is no need for you to tire yourselves."
"Tu Shuangshuang, what are you doing? These actions will make trouble for Sage Hua!" Shao Qingfeng shouted sternly.
Tu Shuangshuang merely chuckled. "What does this have to do with him?"
"Don't forget that you are part of the Hua Gate!" Jiang Xiaodao yelled. He was still unable to believe that Tu Shuangshuang would trick them. There was no logical reason for Tu Shuangshuang to attack them.
Tu Shuangshuang simply smiled. "Yes, I am part of the Hua Gate, but I’m not Sage Hua’s disciple. I'm not so important. Besides, my master has many more disciples.
“Anyways, time is running out, brothers and sisters, so we should be on our way."
Shao Qingfeng and Jiang Xiaodao brought out power vessels, and He Shu equipped a blue energy converter that he took from his cosmic ring. The intensity of their attacks approached the strength of a peak Envoy, but it was still not enough to break the barrier.
Luo Lao'er's face grew pale. How had he gotten himself into yet another catastrophe? Where were all of these problems coming from? On top of that, what was wrong with Tu Shuangshuang?
Lu Yin looked up at the barrier. He had already been planning to leave the Singularity Universe, but not in such a manner. It was very likely that Tu Shuangshuang was a spy for Aeternus, and if he was taken by such a person, it would mean confronting an Aeternal powerhouse. Lu Yin was not confident that he had the strength to deal with such an encounter.
It was clear that the Sixverse Association's predictions were proving valid; Aeternus had indeed targeted the Sixverse Academy. The previous auction had been postponed so that not all of Aeternus’s spies would be captured, though Yi Ren's cover had been blown during the visit to the Voidchaos Territory.
Unfortunately, he had not been the only spy.
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