The two men and one woman, judging by their aura, cultivation attainment, and Immortal Weapons and Magical Treasures, were clearly either extremely wealthy or of noble birth.
Their aura was transcendentally pure, radiant and holy, indicating they hailed from an Immortal family lineage.
Ordinary descendants of Immortal families, even with the purest bloodlines, were merely pure. Only those whose ancestors had received the grace of the Great Radiance Purification of the Immortal Dao would have bloodlines that were radiant and holy.
As for their cultivation attainment, all three were Great Luo Golden Immortals, each possessing at least two Fortunes.
Fortune was something one could encounter but not seek. For ordinary descendants of Immortal families, even if they stumbled upon some Fortune, they often couldn't afford to refine it. The Immortal Stones required to refine a great Fortune were immeasurable. If one couldn't afford to refine their own Fortune, they might even be dragged down by it.
Now, observe their attire.
Whether it was the Immortal armor robes they wore, the Immortal Weapons and Magical Treasures in their hands, the belts at their waists, the bracelets on their arms, or even the thumb rings on their fingers—all were ranked treasures.
In the Great Desolate, most people refined only ordinary Immortal Weapons and Magical Treasures that couldn't even enter a rank or grade.
Take the thousand-plus people of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm for example; they possessed only two ranked Immortal Weapons and Magical Treasures.
One was the Danqing Gourd in Patriarch Danqing's hand.
The other was the Yunxiao Sword in Qiānlíng's hand.
Refining a ranked Immortal Weapon or Magical Treasure was extremely difficult, requiring Primordial Spirit Essence. In the Great Desolate, a single Primordial Spirit Essence cost a staggering million Immortal Stones, and even then, it was often unavailable at any price.
And that was just for one Primordial Spirit Essence. One must know that forging a ranked Immortal Weapon or Magical Treasure required various other resources, all of which were exceedingly valuable.
Even so, the forged product would merely be an Immortal Weapon embryo. To become a true Immortal Weapon or Magical Treasure, it required long-term refinement.
Currently in the Great Desolate, the price of a single ranked Immortal Weapon or Magical Treasure started at six million Immortal Stones and went up from there.
Think about it.
Under Qiānlíng's leadership, Qiānniǎo and the others had ventured out over the years, earning on average only twenty to thirty thousand Immortal Stones per person per year. To own a ranked Immortal Weapon or Magical Treasure, they would need to save up at least six million Immortal Stones, requiring several hundred years of scrimping and saving without eating or drinking.
And this was considering they had the support of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm's Golden Rainbow Spirit Vein, so their daily cultivation wasn't a concern for Immortal Stones, allowing them to save what they earned. For other Immortals, the Immortal Stones they earned were barely enough to sustain themselves; how could they possibly save any?
Six million Immortal Stones was an unreachable figure for most.
And these three?
Each one's Immortal armor robes, Immortal Weapons and Magical Treasures, even their accessories, could be considered ranked treasures.
To say such people were merely wealthy or noble would be an understatement.
And indeed, that was the case.
At the very least, Qiānlíng knew that these three were not merely born into wealth and status.
Among the three:
The handsome, transcendent man had the Dao name Xuanyun.
The rather stern-looking man had the Dao name Feidu.
And the beautiful, delicate woman had the Dao name Liu Li.
All three hailed from the Lotus Secret Realm.
The Lotus Secret Realm was one of the famous and powerful secret realms within the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain.
Its power differed from that of the Golden Crow Secret Realm. The Golden Crow Secret Realm was powerful because it had a large, miscellaneous population of Immortals; anyone who paid Immortal Stones could become an Immortal of the Golden Crow Secret Realm.
The Lotus Secret Realm, however, had maintained a single lineage since ancient times. In other words, they did not recruit external Immortals, because the Lotus Secret Realm had established Lotus Sects in many mortal worlds. Any promising talent from a Lotus Sect could enter the Lotus Secret Realm to cultivate after achieving immortality.
"Sister Ling'er, Sister Qiānniǎo, it really is you! I thought I might have been mistaken."
Liu Li ran over, appearing very happy to see Qiānlíng and Qiānniǎo.
"Young Master Xuanyun, Young Master Feidu, Little Sister Liu Li."
Qiānlíng responded with a slight smile and a nod, greeting them. "We meet again."
"Ha! What a coincidence indeed."
The young master named Xuanyun, holding a white jade fan, smiled faintly. "I trust you've been well since we last parted, sisters?"
Qiānniǎo also ran over, saying joyfully, "Are you here for the auction grand assembly too?"
"Of course. How could we miss such a lively event?"
Liu Li went over and very affectionately took Qiānniǎo's hand. "Are you here for it as well?"
"Sister Liu Li, how could you forget? I love joining in the excitement the most."
"Hehe, Qiānniǎo, you're still the same, so adorable."
Liu Li asked, "But what are you all doing here?"
"What else? Looking for a place to stay. Unfortunately, we arrived too late; all the spots have been taken. We're worried about where to settle."
"Oh, really now. Why bother looking for a spot?"
Liu Li laughed. "We booked an entire garden estate long ago. Since we've run into each other, let's stay and have fun together."
"Wow? Really? Sister Liu Li, you're the best!"
Qiānniǎo excitedly kissed Liu Li on the cheek. However, Qiānlíng then said, "Liu Li, thank you for your kindness. But there are many of us; it might be inconvenient."
"Sister Ling'er, why stand on ceremony with me? Last time you helped me so much, and I never got the chance to properly thank you."
Liu Li smiled. "Besides, what's there to fear with many people? More people means more fun!"
"Fairy Qiānlíng, please don't be polite with us. The garden is very spacious. Even if there were a dozen more of you, it wouldn't be a problem at all."
Xuanyun also spoke up. "Moreover, you helped Liu Li so much last time. We still haven't formally expressed our gratitude. That's a significant favor. Do you really want us to keep owing you such a big debt?"
"Young Master Xuanyun, please don't misunderstand. That's not what I meant..."
"Oh, come now, Sister Ling'er!"
Liu Li walked over, linking arms with Qiānlíng. "Why be so formal with me? Come on, let's go! I've missed you both so much since we last parted. This time, we must drink and converse merrily, not returning until we're thoroughly drunk."
Young Master Xuanyun's mention of a 'significant favor' had truly put Qiānlíng on the spot. Coupled with Liu Li's insistent pulling, Qiānlíng didn't say anything more. Although she was naturally aloof, she wasn't one for excessive pretenses. Seeing she couldn't refuse, she simply accepted.
Thus,
Qiānlíng and Qiānniǎo led the dozen or so people from the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, following the three young masters and lady from the Lotus Secret Realm—Xuanyun, Feidu, and Liu Li—towards the garden estate where they were staying.
Of course, Gu Qingfeng was no exception.
He was currently penniless and possessed nothing. Although he had been awake for about twenty years, and his body—which had been in chaotic, severely weakened slumber for ten thousand years—could now move about energetically, that was all it could do. His essence, energy, and spirit remained very weak. He might barely manage to fly through the air, but he would tire out quickly.
Cultivate?
Forget about Gu Qingfeng not wanting to cultivate; even if he did, facing his current chaotic body, he wouldn't know where to begin.
Recover?
Gu Qingfeng also didn't know how to restore a body that seemed as if it had decayed.
He couldn't cultivate, and he didn't know how to recover.
What to do?
Nothing, really.
Gu Qingfeng felt quite content mooching off the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, eating and drinking without a care.