Blue Mist Elder pt.1

(This is the last chapter for today, as promised several chapters upon return.)

Blue Mist Elder

Lately, everything had been going wrong. Sitting in my office, I pondered when things started to go downhill. Perhaps kidnapping Li Meiying and planning to sacrifice her was my biggest mistake. Her unique body could make her an extraordinary cultivator, and I had spent my entire life struggling to reach my current heights. When I discovered her potential, a rage of injustice consumed me. How could she be so naturally gifted?

From there, everything spiraled. The idiot who helped me kidnap her wanted to confess after we lost her, so I had to eliminate him. In my attempts to find the girl, I made countless enemies. Although I had my share of adversaries before, my rage and greed led me to offend several other elders. The only bright spot on the horizon was the upcoming auction in three weeks. There's usually something interesting to buy, though we won't know what items will be available until a week before the event. While we organize it, the submissions for items to sell are still unknown.

As I sat at my desk, lost in melancholic thoughts, I suddenly felt a massive wave of spiritual energy wash over me, making my hair stand, even in places the sun doesn't shine. Holy shit, that was a powerful and brazen scan. Judging by the energy, the opponent was much stronger than me, and I was one of the strongest elders in the outer circle. This was definitely not a local—it felt like someone had marched up to a fortress and kicked the gates down just to call the guard.

Despite the fear gnawing at my insides, I had a responsibility to the outer circle, and I had to face this unexpected guest. Within five seconds, I stood before a short, stocky man clad in simple clothes. Alongside me were two other elders, also among the most powerful in the outer circle.

Trying to gauge our guest's strength, my eyes widened in shock, and judging by the looks on my fellow elders' faces, they were just as stunned. Before us stood a golem, a golem whose power exceeded mine. For context, if this was a golem with this strench then the person who sent it was likely at least on par with our sect leader, if not stronger. Sweat poured down my back. Who had sent this creature, and why had it come here?

"Honored guest, may I ask what we did to deserve your presence?" I inquired as politely as possible.

"Who is in charge here?" The golem asked dismissively, regarding us as if we were insignificant insects.

"I am, sir. You may call me Blue Mist Elder" I said nervously. As I spoke, I discreetly broke an artifact, sending an urgent signal for backup, hoping to buy some time.

The golem glanced at me and said "Don't fidget. If I wanted you or your sect gone, you wouldn't be here now" the golem said, turning to the other elders. "Tell everyone that I'm here peacefully and have come to visit someone. As long as no one interferes, there will be no problems. Now, get out of here." He then turned back to me. "You stay; there's something I need you to show me."

The other elders vanished almost instantly. At least the golem didn't seem aggressive. I wondered who he was here to visit and why. Once we were alone, he continued, "Relax. I'm here with peaceful intentions. I have a nephew in your sect I need to visit." He then described a somewhat random outer disciple from a remote area, someone who had joined our sect by paying with stones and purchasing a mountain.

I summoned a cloud, and we flew towards the mountain where the disciple lived. As we approached, the golem turned to me, tossed something in my direction, and said "Wait here." He then jumped off the cloud.

I looked in disbelief at the celestium crystal the size of my thumb phalanx. Holy crap, I could only buy something like this after saving up for a few years, and he just gave it to me for the inconvenience. I'd be willing to wait here for half a year if needed with such payment. I landed nearby, close to the mountain, and began to cultivate, staying alert enough to avoid angering this powerful being.

A few minutes later, an elder from the inner circle, likely following us after my signal, approached. I explained that someone had come to visit a relative and shouldn't cause any problems as long as we didn't provoke him. I firmly requested that everyone leave, clearly indicating that the visitor preferred peace and quiet. Given his status, he could have easily demanded an audience with the sect leader.

A couple of hours later, the golem reappeared and approached me. "You oversee the auction in the outer circle that's happening soon?" he asked.

My eyes lit up as the golem mentioned the auction. If he was asking about it, then he was either looking to sell or buy something, and it was bound to be interesting.

"Yes, sir" I replied.

With a wave of his hand, he produced an object. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

My mouth went dry. Holy crap, it's an old large energy storage module! We only have three of these in the entire sect. They're incredibly rare, and they're no longer made, at least not around here.

"That's a old large energy storage module, and it's already charged," I said, my voice almost trembling.

"Would you dare accept it if I wanted to put this up for auction?" he inquired, his gaze piercing.

Inside, I was practically boiling over with excitement. If this item were to be auctioned off at my event, it would be monumental.

"Are you broken?" the golem asked, snapping me out of my daze.

"No, no, no, I'm fine. Yes, I would be honored to feature this as the highlight of the upcoming auction" I stammered, my hands itching to touch the object, knowing how rare and powerful it was. Our sect used these, but the zones where they were stored were strictly off-limits, even to me.

"Excellent. Here" he said, pulling out three more pyramid modules. My mind reeled—four pyramids! Just owning these could establish a sect in our area.

"I want 90% of the sale price. If a good barter is offered, I will return the equivalent value of your share. I advise hiring security; greed can lead to poor decisions" he warned.

Even 10% of the sale price would be an enormous amount of spirit stones. I was going to be rich beyond belief. But I needed to handle this carefully with the sect leader.

"There's a catch" he added, making me tense.

"I'm listening" I said nervously, already counting my potential profits.

"Nothing complicated. I want you to send invitations to various sects, informing them that these pyramids will be for sale, to maximize the profit. And make sure the Red Forest Mountain Palace is included" he instructed.

My tension eased. Sending invitations was no problem at all; in fact, it was advantageous. I was already thinking about whom to invite, my thoughts racing.

"Absolutely, I can do that" I assured him. "Sending out the invitations will not be an issue. In fact, it will only enhance the auction's prestige."

The golem nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Make sure the invitations are sent promptly. The more sects that know about the auction, the higher the bids will be."

"Understood. I'll get right on it" I said, eager to start organizing the auction of a lifetime.