Chapter 492: Azure Dragon Emperor of the Cerulean Waves

Chapter 492: Azure Dragon Emperor of the Cerulean Waves

The following morning, after staying at the Casting Star Lake Estate for ten days, Ji Xinghuo and Cang Ya finally bade farewell to Yun Huoxiao.

"We've imposed on you for so long. Thank you for your hospitality, Master," said Ji Xinghuo.

"You're the one paying; you can stay as long as you like. No need for formalities," Yun Huoxiao replied, waving his hand with a smile. He then asked, "Are you heading to the Cangming Auction?"

Ji Xinghuo nodded, "Indeed."

"Then we can travel together," Yun Huoxiao suggested with a grin.

"You're joining too, Master?"

"I attend every Cangming Auction. The Azure Dragon Emperor does a splendid job with it. The reason I've stayed on East Emperor Island for so long, reluctant to leave, is because of this auction. It gathers resources and treasures from across the Dragon Realm, making it convenient to acquire casting materials," Yun Huoxiao explained.

Realization dawned on Ji Xinghuo's face, though he didn't fully believe it.

There had to be another reason for Yun Huoxiao to stay on the island besides the auction.

"Let's go, then," Yun Huoxiao said, and with that, they set off.

Turning to Cang Ya, Yun Huoxiao said, "I don't often leave my home, and I don't have a suitable mount. Mind if I catch a ride on your dragon today?"

"It would be my honor!" Cang Ya exclaimed, flattered.

The Cloud Sea Dragon emerged from Casting Star Lake and landed before the trio. It sensed Yun Huoxiao's aura and, despite Cang Ya's mental reassurances, couldn't help but feel nervous in the presence of a Star Shepherding Saint.

Yun Huoxiao appraised the Cloud Sea Dragon with a discerning eye and praised, "This Cloud Sea Dragon is quite exceptional, a rare find even among the Sky Dragons."

With that, he leaped onto the dragon's head.

Ji Xinghuo and Cang Ya quickly followed suit.

The Cloud Sea Dragon took to the skies, soaring through the clouds towards the auction venue. Ji Xinghuo's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Master, don't you have a dragon?"

In all his time at the Casting Star Lake Estate, he had never seen Yun Huoxiao's dragon.

Logically, a Star Shepherding Saint could easily acquire a dragon, and given Yun Huoxiao's strength and casting prowess, countless True Dragon families would offer up their dragons if he expressed interest.

"I used to have an Extinction Dragon. It fought by my side through countless battles until I became a Star Shepherding Saint," Yun Huoxiao reminisced, a faraway look in his eyes, before shaking his head. "However, after I attained that level, it failed to evolve to the Slaughtering Star level, falling behind in terms of battle prowess. It was killed by an enemy in a later battle, and I never sought another dragon after that." There was a hint of sadness and nostalgia in his eyes.

Ji Xinghuo and Cang Ya exchanged a glance.

"I see," they said, understanding.

For Dragon Masters, dragons were crucial, especially in the early stages of their evolution. They borrowed strength from their dragons, giving them a significant advantage over other professions and races.

As a Dragon Master's power grew, the importance of their dragon diminished.

The Dragon Master's evolution speed far outpaced that of their dragon.

The dragon's growth couldn't keep up with its master's, especially the leap from the sixth to the seventh stage. While the Dragon Master ascended to the Star Shepherding Saint level, the vast majority of dragons failed to evolve to the Slaughtering Star level, becoming a burden instead of an asset.

If a dragon died, the linked dragon veins would cause significant damage to the Dragon Master, but the replicated abilities wouldn't disappear.

For a Star Shepherding Saint, the death of their dragon wasn't fatal.

They no longer needed a dragon.

Unless it was a Divine Dragon breed or a Slaughtering Star-level dragon, it was nearly impossible for a seventh-stage Dragon Master to find a suitable match. Emotional bonds with their previous dragons also made it difficult to accept a replacement, and they often preferred to remain alone.

In fact, some sixth-stage Dragon Masters wouldn't seek a new dragon even if theirs died.

Having a dragon was beneficial, but it wasn't a necessity.

Yun Huoxiao was in such a state, which, while uncommon among high-stage Dragon Masters, wasn't unprecedented.

His gaze suddenly landed on Ji Xinghuo, and a hint of curiosity and envy flashed in his eyes. With a soft laugh, he said, "If it were a Divine Dragon breed, I wouldn't mind becoming a Dragon Master again. But such an opportunity is incredibly rare."

Anyone from the True Dragon race would be curious about the Extinction Dragon.

Yun Huoxiao knew that Ji Xinghuo possessed the Extinction Dragon but had maintained a respectful distance, making it clear that he had no intentions towards it.

"I was just lucky," Ji Xinghuo replied humbly. "Master, do you desire a Divine Dragon breed?"

"Of course, who wouldn't?" Yun Huoxiao said, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Uh..."

Ji Xinghuo smiled awkwardly.

For those outside the Divine Dragon breed families, obtaining one was the ultimate dream, but also an impossible one.

First, Divine Dragon breeds were exceedingly rare and tightly controlled by the families. Second, even if one encountered a Divine Dragon, the chances of it recognizing them as its master were virtually zero due to genetic incompatibilities.

"Quite a few things," replied Yun Huoxiao. He listed over a dozen items, most of which were precious casting materials or rare products from the depths of the ocean that required a significant amount of time and manpower to collect and were hard to come by in the market.

There were also some exotic species on the list, intended for weapon forging.

Ji Xinghuo didn't know much about these, but Cang Ya was quite interested and engaged in a discussion with Yun Huoxiao.

The Cloud Sea Dragon flew over the Cangming City.

The weather was perfect that day. In the distance lay the vast, azure sea under a clear blue sky. The sea breeze had blown away the heat of the night, and as far as the eye could see, various mounts were flying above East Emperor Island, most of them dragons of all shapes and sizes.

It was a bustling scene in the sky.

In the lakes and rivers on the island, numerous dragons and sea beasts swam, just like their airborne counterparts, all heading in the same direction.

Moments later, a majestic structure built on the eastern shore of East Emperor Island came into view. Located just a few dozen kilometers away from the Cang Dragon Family, it was a circular lake connected to the sea, with several rivers flowing into it from the island, converging to form a bay.

Surrounding the lake, which had a diameter of over 1,500 meters, were layers of platforms rising from the lowest to the highest level, with the outermost layer reaching a height of over 300 meters.

Each layer was evenly divided into separate sections, resembling seats in a stadium.

These open-air platforms, each measuring over a hundred square meters, were furnished with simple stone chairs and adorned with some greenery, nothing more. Each platform had a prominent number displayed at the front, visible from all the others.

This was the venue for the Cangming Auction.

At that moment, in this colossal stadium-like auction venue, many people had already taken their seats on the tens of thousands of terraces.

And still, more beings were arriving in a steady stream.

From the sky to the sea, everywhere was filled with various dragons, mounts, and sea beasts. Their massive sizes prevented them from landing on the terraces, so they gathered outside, jostling for space and occasionally clashing and tearing at each other.

"What a spectacular sight!" exclaimed Ji Xinghuo.

With a casual glance, he could spot thousands of dragons.

Even after spending so much time in the True Dragon Empire, he still couldn't identify all the dragon species. An island several kilometers away had been flattened to serve as a "parking lot," and even that was packed with countless dragons and battle pets.

The Cloud Sea Dragon landed on one side of the auction venue.

Its appearance drew the attention of many, some looking at Cang Ya, intrigued by the title of the First Beauty of the Azure Wave Dragon Domain, while others admired the rare Sky Dragon breed.

However, when they spotted Yun Huoxiao atop the Cloud Sea Dragon, many faces underwent subtle changes as they recognized his identity and averted their gazes, not daring to stare.

"I'll go in first," said Yun Huoxiao, and with a flash of fire, he disappeared.

The next second, he reappeared on one of the outer terraces of the auction venue—a VIP seat with a two-digit number, offering a panoramic view of the entire place. Flying was prohibited above, and the terrace was already prepared with food and fruit, with attendants ready to serve respectfully.

These seats were exclusively reserved for Star Shepherding Saints and other esteemed guests, requiring no formalities to occupy.

Everyone else had to present their badges for inspection before entering.

Cang Ya was well prepared.

As a core member of the Cang Dragon Family, she had obtained a priority badge ahead of time. After their badges were checked, Ji Xinghuo followed her into the auction venue, their terrace offering a sufficiently high vantage point, though without attendant service.

The two sat on the stone chairs, and since there wasn't enough space for the Cloud Sea Dragon, it flew into the nearby Cang Dragon Family compound.

"Are we number 249?" Ji Xinghuo asked, holding up a white shell-shaped badge with a number etched on it, matching the terrace's number.

"Yes," Cang Ya nodded. "Just raise this plaque when you want to bid."

There was nothing technologically advanced about this badge; it was just an ordinary shell.

However, this badge, which one could easily pick up from the beach, came with a service charge of ten Ether Crystals.

And that wasn't all; there was also a background check.

To qualify for the auction, one had to possess at least ten thousand Ether Crystals in assets and pay the Cang Dragon Family three thousand Ether Crystals as a deposit. Anyone disrupting the auction would not only have their deposit confiscated but also face additional penalties afterward.

The bidding rules were simple.

Bidders raised their plaques to place a bid, with a minimum increment for each raise, and if they wanted to bid higher, they could just shout out the amount.

"Of course, our Cang Dragon Family also has those high-tech auction methods," Cang Ya explained in a low voice, "but we prefer to keep things simple. The most primitive auction rules create the most intense atmosphere and drive up the highest prices."

Just from the sale of the badges, the Cang Dragon Family would earn over six hundred thousand Ether Crystals, an astonishing sum.

Ji Xinghuo spotted some familiar faces.

Cang Beiming, Jing Qin, Yindiao Jianping, and Xingban Lan, the outsiders he had encountered in the Sea Abyss, were all core members of the True Dragon Family or exceptionally talented individuals. They had made a name for themselves in the Azure Wave Dragon Domain and were leading figures among the younger generation.

One's strength and status were reflected in the seating arrangement at the auction.

Although the front-row terraces were closer to the auction items and offered a clearer view, the higher and farther back the terrace was, the better the vantage point to overlook the entire venue and observe others, making these seats more favored by the stronger outsiders.

Those sitting on the highest terraces in the outermost layer were either exceptionally strong, incredibly wealthy, or held a high status, or perhaps all three.

Xu Kui Tianlin arrived as well.

His seat was directly across from Ji Xinghuo, over a thousand meters apart. Their eyes met for a moment before looking away.

Some people noticed the situation between the two and whispered among themselves, showing no hesitation in discussing the Xu Kui Family, reflecting the family's decline. Their relentless pursuit of the Azure Void Ring was an attempt to salvage their reputation.

However, their repeated failures only served to reinforce the perception of the Xu Kui Family's decline.

Xu Kui Tianlin heard the whispers, and though he appeared calm, the muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably, his expression as dark as deep water.

A hint of a smile played at the corners of Ji Xinghuo's mouth.

Suddenly, his expression froze.

"What are they doing here?" Ji Xinghuo spotted three familiar figures—Tacoblan, Tacob Qingwei, and Tacob Zhenhe. Fortunately, their seats were on the other side and relatively far away, so they hadn't noticed this side.

Cang Ya also saw the three and gave Ji Xinghuo a mischievous look. "Don't you want to go over and say hello?"

"No need."

Ji Xinghuo shook his head and averted his gaze.

Cang Ya covered her mouth and chuckled, no longer teasing him. However, she kept glancing at the Tacob Family's terrace, her eyes resting on Tacob Qingwei, a complex expression in her eyes, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

As the auction's start time drew near, most people had arrived.

Among the tens of thousands of outsiders present, the weakest was at the fourth level, and the majority were fifth- and sixth-level outsiders, all elites and top experts among their respective levels.

At that moment, more figures arrived one after another, either flying in or appearing directly on the VIP terraces. They had restrained their auras, but the presence they exuded was awe-inspiring. They were all Shepherding Star Saints.

There were seventh-level Dragon Masters, Dragon Warriors, Dragon Tamers, various advanced and ultimate professions, and even Dragon Emperors!

Any one of them was an extraordinarily powerful figure in the Star Realm.

Over thirty of them had arrived today!

With so many Shepherding Star Saints gathered, even though they had constrained their strength, the mere leakage of a small amount of their aura, intertwining, tangling, and colliding, created an indescribable oppressive force field that hung over the auction venue, even triggering an ether energy storm.

"Terrifying..."

Ji Xinghuo was stunned and deeply yearned for such power.

This was the power of the Shepherding Star Saints!

The realm sought after by countless beings in the galaxy and the Star Realm. Achieving this level meant completing a great achievement on the path of life evolution, transcending worldly shackles, and possessing true mighty power!

The gazes of tens of thousands of people in the venue were focused on the group of Shepherding Star Saints.

Most of them knew each other. Some were friends, greeting each other with a few words; some were enemies, glaring coldly or sneering at each other; and some Shepherding Star Saints remained silent, unperturbed by the commotion.

"This is my first time seeing so many Shepherding Star Saints," Cang Ya marveled. "In the past, there were at most four or five at the Cangming Auction."

"They must have all come for the Eclipse Variant," Ji Xinghuo said.

The Eclipse Variant was also extremely precious to Shepherding Star Saints. Not every Shepherding Star Saint possessed one.

Even with its drawbacks, the "Multiple Personalities" ability was still highly attractive.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

At that moment, a loud voice rang out across the auction venue, and everyone present stood up. In the distance, the dragons, battle pets, and various mounts fell silent and turned their attention to the center of the lake in the auction venue.

The calm lake surface rippled, forming a vortex, and a column of water rose from the center, forming a platform hundreds of meters high.

A figure took shape as water gathered on the platform—a graceful and slender figure.

The over thirty Shepherding Star Saints also stood up and took the lead in greeting the figure on the water platform, shouting in unison, "Greetings, Azure Dragon Emperor!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end