Chapter 2240: Border Wilderness Deity
For demigods and deities, wealth had become insignificant. As long as it could improve their cultivation, spending any amount of divine stones was worthwhile.
An Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus was a treasure worth their intervention.
"Thirty thousand divine stones."
"Thirty-one thousand divine stones."
"Thirty-five thousand divine stones."
...
Dozens of cultivators participated in the bidding.
Over a dozen Great Saints below the Thousand Questions Realm were present, including Xu, Luo Shengtian, Wujiang, and Feng Hou, all calling out prices. However, they represented the deities behind them; on their own, they could not possibly possess such immense wealth.
A deity who shook the Hell Realm appeared in the auction hall as a divine thought body and called out, "Fifty thousand divine stones."
Many cultivators recognized his identity and wisely withdrew from the bidding.
Yet, eight wealthy cultivators still competed with him. Among them, five were true deities' divine thought bodies; fifty thousand divine stones could not intimidate them.
"Fifty-one thousand divine stones."
"Fifty-three thousand divine stones."
...
Zhang Ruochen carefully observed that Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus and said, "Go and bid for me."
Blood Butcher was stunned and said, "The Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus is too expensive; only deities can use it. For an Immortal Realm Great Saint, a ten-thousand-year-old Divine Illumination Lotus is sufficient, and it's thousands of times cheaper."
"Other Immortal Realm Great Saints use ten-thousand-year-old Divine Illumination Lotuses because they can't afford higher grades. If you had an Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus, would you want to use it?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Blood Butcher's spirits soared, and a blazing, fiery light shone in his eyes. He said, "Senior Brother, are you hinting that if we win the bid for the Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus, I might have a chance to use it later?"
"You're thinking too naively, but it's not impossible. First, go and win the bid for me," Zhang Ruochen said.
Blood Butcher was overjoyed, but then he thought of something and grimaced, saying, "Senior Brother, why don't you bid yourself? Earlier, to help you win the Divine Travel Pill, I already offended a large number of cultivators."
Zhang Ruochen patted Blood Butcher on the shoulder and said, "You might not have a chance to use the Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus. But I also have a hundred-thousand-year-old Divine Illumination Lotus lying around. If there's no better candidate, I plan to give it to an Immortal Realm Great Saint of the Blood Absolute Clan to use."
"Junior Brother I am the best candidate. Senior Brother, rest assured, leave the bidding to me."
Blood Butcher straightened his posture, walked to the edge of the ring-shaped world, and asked, "What price should I call out?"
Zhang Ruochen used his spiritual power to transmit a price to him.
Upon hearing it, Blood Butcher's body swayed in shock. He licked his lips and shouted, "One hundred thousand divine stones."
As his voice rang out, the ring-shaped world auction hall fell silent again.
Just moments ago, the price of the Divine Illumination Lotus was still below sixty thousand divine stones. Even the deities were only adding a thousand divine stones at a time. Suddenly, such a sky-high price was called out, stunning even the few deities participating in the bidding.
After a brief silence, an uproar erupted.
"It's Blood Butcher again. He's making another move."
"Could it be that Star Sea World hired him as a shill for this Divine Illumination Lotus bid?"
"Blood Butcher is too bold. He dares to challenge the deities."
"If he really is a shill for Star Sea World and openly swindles the deities present, he won't have a good ending."
"The price of one hundred thousand divine stones is too high. No deity will fall for it. Even if they have plenty of divine stones, they won't just give them away to Star Sea World."
...
Hearing the discussions among the Hell Realm cultivators, Blood Butcher's face turned ugly. He quickly explained, "Bidding for treasures depends on one's wealth. How can there be talk of shills? I believe the Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus is priceless. Not just one hundred thousand divine stones, even two hundred thousand divine stones would be worth it."
Originally, a deity was very eager to obtain the Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus and wanted to raise the bid.
But upon hearing Blood Butcher mention "two hundred thousand divine stones," they immediately abandoned the idea. If they continued to compete and won, it would be fine, but if they lost, they would become a laughingstock among the deities.
Moreover, the lingering effect of Blood Butcher's fierce bidding for the Divine Travel Pill still intimidated even the deities.
"Calling out one hundred thousand divine stones without even blinking. Have the juniors become this wealthy?"
"He is the son of Blood Yao Divine Lord."
"Blood Yao Divine Lord has already passed his first Eon Calamity. The Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus wouldn't be of much use to him. How could he spend one hundred thousand divine stones here?"
"Could he really be a shill arranged by Star Sea World?"
The few deities present communicated secretly, unanimously believing that Star Sea World had deliberately arranged this troublemaking junior to fleece them like fat sheep.
No one raised the bid, and Zhang Ruochen won the Eon-rank Divine Illumination Lotus for one hundred thousand divine stones.
Next, the treasures brought to the auction stage were all top-tier rarities, with prices almost all above one thousand divine stones.
There were emperor-grade pills, Great Saint-level puppet slaves, void realms...
Zhang Ruochen did not bid on any of them. Either he already possessed such items, or they were temporarily useless.
As the auction neared its end, amidst widespread anticipation, the final auction item arrived.
A divine corpse.
Two bronze coffins were personally brought to the auction stage by Sanjin Great Saint and Qiluo Great Saint.
As they set them down, the floating island where the auction stage was located trembled violently, sinking a large section under the weight.
The bronze coffins were inscribed with divine patterns and formations, sealing the divine power inside to prevent leakage.
Yet, even so, strange fluctuations emanated from within the coffins, causing the heavenly and earthly rules of that space to become slightly chaotic. The Saint Kings and some Immortal Realm Great Saints present felt a sense of unease.
"A freshly fallen divine corpse is indeed very different from one that has been dead for many years," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Zhang Ruochen had seen many divine corpses.
In the Underworld, the one taken away by Dead Zen Ancestor.
In the Blood God Sect, the remains of the Blood God.
In the Northern Domain, the divine python skeleton unearthed from underground.
Also, the Blood Phoenix divine corpse on the second gradient of the Endless Abyss.
...
But all of them had fallen over a hundred thousand years ago. The divine power within the corpses had diminished significantly. Their value and divine might were only a tenth, or even a hundredth, of what they were at the moment of death.
Blood Butcher whispered, "Why are there two bronze coffins? Could there be two divine corpses? And divine corpses should be enormous. Can such small bronze coffins hold them?"
"Those two bronze coffins are space treasures. There's another world inside," Zhang Ruochen said.
Blood Butcher muttered, "So that's how it is."
The curiosity of all cultivators was piqued.
Qiluo Great Saint announced loudly, "This divine corpse was killed by the Shura clan's Sword God Feng Chen at the edge of the Hell Realm's starry sky. He slew a Border Wilderness Deity with a single sword strike, cutting its divine body in two. The two bronze coffins contain the upper and lower halves respectively."
Sanjin Great Saint was the first to open the left bronze coffin.
"Rustle."
Brilliant, dazzling divine light burst forth from the coffin, illuminating the entire ring-shaped world and the headquarters of Star Sea World in a cyan-purple hue.
Above the cultivators, cyan and purple divine clouds appeared, churning endlessly.
The powerful divine nature of the corpse caused many cultivators to tremble.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was fixed inside the coffin. Through layers of spatial mist, he saw half of a body covered in purple armor, with sharp claws, resembling a giant scorpion.
Even with only the upper half, the divine corpse was over three thousand miles long, heavier and larger than the planet they were on.
"This deity's armor must have extraordinary defensive power, yet such a massive body was cut in half with one sword. To kill it, the sword must have contained profound meaning."
Zhang Ruochen carefully observed the clean cut at the waist of the divine corpse, and a strange sensation arose in his mind.
This feeling came and went in a flash.
Indescribable, uncatchable.
When he continued to examine the cut, he could no longer find that strange sensation.
For a cultivator at the Great Saint level, any perception could not arise without reason; there must be a cause.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned serious, and he asked Blood Butcher, "What is the Border Wilderness Starry Sky? And which faction does the Border Wilderness Deity belong to?"
Blood Butcher said, "I've never been to the Border Wilderness Starry Sky. I've only heard that it's very far from the Hell Realm, a place only deities can reach. No wonder Feng Chen Sword God is the outstanding hero of the Shura clan from the last millennium. Ascending to the Shura Star Pillar Realm less than a thousand years ago, he already has the power to kill a deity."
A flash of inspiration struck Zhang Ruochen's mind. He envisioned a peerless sword light in the universe, cutting a giant scorpion thousands of miles long in half.
Could that strange sensation just now have come not from the divine corpse, but from the sword wound on it?
Zhang Ruochen's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared at the divine corpse in the bronze coffin. He thought to himself, perhaps if I win the bid for this divine corpse and study it up close, I might get closer to the truth.
Qiluo Great Saint said, "This divine corpse, when alive, was not a false god but a true deity. However, the divine source and most of the divine soul have been removed."
Although everyone knew that Feng Chen Sword God would have taken the divine source and soul, sighs of disappointment still echoed through the hall upon hearing this news.
Without the divine source and soul, the value of the divine corpse was greatly diminished.
Especially for deities, it held little appeal.
However, the massive amount of divine blood, divine bones, divine marrow, and armor in the corpse could be used to cultivate a large number of Saint-level cultivators. It was a strategic resource that major factions had to compete for.
Qilou Great Saint said, "The divine corpse was cut in two, so it will be auctioned in two parts. Now, bidding for the upper half begins. Starting price: one hundred thousand divine stones. Each bid must increase by at least one thousand divine stones."
"One hundred ten thousand divine stones."
"One hundred twenty thousand."
...
"One hundred fifty thousand."
The value of the Dark Sun Divine Wheel lay in its ability to greatly enhance the power of a single combat unit.
But a divine corpse could elevate the overall strength of a faction, nurturing a large number of outstanding young talents, usable for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.
Both were foundational treasures.
Luo Shengtian called out, "Two hundred thousand divine stones."
"Two hundred ten thousand divine stones," said Dao Yu Huang.
A Shura clan Great Saint at the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Realm said, "Two hundred twenty thousand divine stones."
"Two hundred thirty thousand divine stones."
...
The divine corpse was most valuable to the Undying Blood Clan, Rakshasa Clan, and Shura Clan. Once the price exceeded two hundred thousand divine stones, bidders from the Middle Three Clans and Upper Three Clans automatically withdrew.
From the Lower Three Clans, over a hundred super-large factions backed by deities fiercely competed. Soon, the price of the divine corpse exceeded three hundred thousand divine stones.
By this point, most bidders had backed off.
Only a few cultivators like Luo Shengtian and Dao Yu Huang remained in the bidding. However, they too showed thoughtful expressions, each bid cautious.
After the price exceeded three hundred thousand divine stones, Zhang Ruochen gave up on bidding.
The reason they could push the price this high was their great demand, with many cultivators under their command needing resources to sustain them.
In other words, they had to buy.
Although Zhang Ruochen's Qiankun Realm also had many cultivators, their numbers were less than one ten-thousandth of these factions. Very few had the potential to become Saints, so there was no need to buy a divine corpse.
Moreover, the significance of a divine corpse for improving human cultivators' cultivation was far less than for the Rakshasa and Undying Blood clans.
"Half a divine corpse already exceeds the Dark Sun Divine Wheel, and without the divine source and most of the soul. A freshly fallen deity should be worth a Supreme Sacred Artifact," Zhang Ruochen assessed in his mind.
After intense competition, the upper half of the divine corpse was won by Luo Shengtian for four hundred thousand divine stones.
The Tianluo Divine Kingdom was the foremost of the seven Rakshasa divine kingdoms. In terms of wealth, no Undying Blood clan tribe could compare.
"Damn it, four hundred thousand divine stones for half a divine corpse!"
Dao Yu Huang was extremely unwilling after losing the bid. He had wanted to continue raising the price, but received a divine message from a deity in his clan and had to stop.
"Don't be so angry. There's still the other half," said an Undying Blood clan cultivator beside him.
Dao Yu Huang snorted, "Everyone knows that the most precious and mysterious treasures of a divine corpse are concentrated in the head and abdomen, both in the upper half. Even if we buy the lower half, it's just a batch of divine blood and bones. Divine blood and bones can be bought anywhere; why bid here?"
Despite saying this, Dao Yu Huang decided to continue bidding for the lower half. After all, it was the corpse of a recently fallen deity. Bringing it back might yield surprises.
The second bronze coffin was opened.
The lower half of the divine corpse was over two thousand miles long, covered in huge spikes, emitting a cyan glow.
"Starting price: one hundred thousand divine stones. Each bid must increase by at least one thousand divine stones."
"Bidding begins."
This time, the intensity of competition was far less than for the upper half.
All cultivators could see that this was more like the tail of the giant scorpion divine corpse, its value incomparable.
"One hundred ten thousand divine stones."
"One hundred twenty thousand divine stones."
"One hundred twenty-five thousand divine stones."
...
When the price reached one hundred fifty thousand divine stones, most bidders had withdrawn.
"One hundred sixty thousand divine stones."
After Dao Yu Huang called out this price, the remaining bidders all hesitated, pondering whether to back out.
Zhang Ruochen said to Blood Butcher, "Call out one hundred eighty thousand divine stones. Cut off their hopes completely so they stop hesitating."
Blood Butcher was startled and said, "Senior Brother, why are you buying a divine corpse?"
"Why ask so many questions?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Blood Butcher's face showed a bitter expression, and he said miserably, "Dao Yu Huang is clearly determined to get the divine corpse. Earlier, when bidding for the Divine Travel Pill, I already offended him. If I snatch this divine corpse from him too, he will really kill me."
"You are a divine son. Why fear him?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Blood Butcher shook his head vigorously and said in a pleading tone, "He is at the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Realm, and I just reached the Immortal Realm. Besides, you don't know, Dao Yu Huang holds grudges. Those who offend him end up badly."
"The divine corpse is over two thousand miles long, containing rivers and seas of fresh divine blood. Do you want to drink it?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Of course, of course I do."
Blood Butcher's mind raced, and he changed his tone, saying, "Senior Brother, rest assured. Leave the bidding to me. What is mere Dao Yu Huang? Why fear him?"
...
The Qingming Festival has arrived, and it's time to sweep the tombs of Xumi Saint Monk, Lie Shen, and Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. So, Xiao Yu is here to ask for monthly votes and recommendation votes again!
It's been a long time since I last asked. Time to rise from the dead.