Chapter 340: Saint Lord-Rank Auction
Several old monks had skin the color of pale gold, with faint halos behind their heads. They entered a VIP private room and disappeared from sight.
"Could these old monks have cultivated a Golden Body?" The divine bell tolled slowly, and the Heavenly Demon Treasure Pavilion fell silent. The auction was about to begin.
At this time, fewer people were coming and going. Almost all the important figures and major powers who were supposed to arrive had gathered; there was no need to wait any longer.
At the very front stood a yellow diamond dragon platform, sparkling and translucent, flowing with golden radiance, magnificent beyond compare, entirely carved from yellow diamond.
An old man with white hair stepped onto the dragon platform and announced the start of the auction.
Sixteen young maidens stood on either side of the dragon platform. They were from the Heavenly Demon Palace and were naturally all demon spirits. Graceful and lithe, their bodies veiled in pink gauze, they were responsible for presenting the auction items.
Initially, a few small items were sold, the highest transaction price being no more than two thousand jin of Source. Everything proceeded without incident.
"The fourth auction item: an ancient Primordial jade. Starting bid: one thousand jin of Source," the white-haired old man on the yellow diamond dragon platform announced.
A demon spirit maiden, her lotus steps swaying, her hair tossing, carried a red sandalwood tray onto the yellow diamond dragon platform. On the tray lay an ancient jade, its luster warm and smooth, its grain delicate.
Ye Fan's heart pounded violently. This jade was too familiar—it was definitely the Emperor Jade!
It was a fragment of the jade left behind by Emperor Wu Shi. He had never expected to see it here, being auctioned off with a starting bid of only a thousand jin of Source. This was an absolute joke.
If anyone knew its origin, not to mention a thousand jin of Source, even a hundred thousand jin would trigger a mad scramble.
"What's so special about this jade?" someone in the auction hall asked.
"This jade possesses a certain Dao resonance, suspected to be the pendant of a great figure from ancient times," the white-haired old man introduced.
Everyone observed carefully, but in the end, they all shook their heads. No one placed a bid.
On the ancient jade was a blurred imprint, exactly one of the nine dragon veins, but only a corner of it, not the entire dragon body.
"This jade broke in a wonderful way, revealing only a corner of a mountain range. Even if someone had seen Purple Mountain and the nine dragon veins, they wouldn't recognize it," Ye Fan thought excitedly.
Now, the inheritance of Emperor Wu Shi had shaken the world. If it were recognized, it would cause an enormous upheaval.
At this moment, Ye Fan's emotions were extremely agitated, more unsettled than when he had cut out a peerless rare treasure.
"One thousand jin of Source," he announced his bid.
"Two thousand jin of Source," a voice suddenly came from another VIP private room, directly opposing him.
Ye Fan recognized the voice—it was the brocade-clad young master who had come with Wu Ziming. He immediately frowned.
"Three thousand jin of Source."
"Four thousand jin of Source," the brocade-clad man continued to raise the price.
Li Heishui was puzzled. "It's just a broken piece of jade. What are you buying it for?"
This jade was of great importance. Ye Fan couldn't explain, or it would bring a catastrophic disaster.
He had to obtain it, but he also didn't want to be taken advantage of. He smiled and said, "It's an ancient jade from over a hundred thousand years ago. I want to collect it for amusement. Since they want it too, let them have it. Five thousand jin of Source. If they exceed this price, they can take it."
"Six..." the other side started to say a six, but in the end, they didn't call it out.
In the end, Ye Fan purchased the ancient jade for five thousand jin of Source. Although he spent a few thousand more, it was absolutely worth it.
To enter and exit Purple Mountain, this ancient jade was indispensable. It was the only key left by Emperor Wu Shi. If anyone knew, it would lead to mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with blood flowing so deep it could float pestles.
It could open Emperor Wu Shi's inheritance. Ye Fan was determined to obtain the Beginningless Scripture.
Many great figures were in the Heavenly Demon Treasure Pavilion, but no one paid attention to these initial small items. They were all waiting for the ancient divine medicine, completely unaware that they had just missed an earth-shattering ancient jade.
And fortunately so, or there would have been a world-shaking battle here!
"Wu Ziming and his people deliberately raised the price to target us," Li Heishui said, very dissatisfied.
Ye Fan was in a great mood and didn't mind. "We'll settle accounts with them at the Holy Land Source Stone Gambling Hall another day."
Finally, the main event arrived. A young demon spirit maiden carefully carried a silk scroll and presented it on the yellow diamond dragon platform.
"The handwritten notes left behind by a Great Power after his passing. Starting bid: thirty thousand jin of Source," the white-haired old man announced loudly.
"Boom!"
The auction hall immediately erupted. Many people were excited. Numerous Supreme Elders from various great sects made their moves, bidding for this item.
"Forty thousand jin of Source!"
"Fifty thousand jin of Source!"
"This old man bids seventy thousand jin of Source!"
"Eighty thousand jin of Source!"
...
The scene was quite explosive. A group of old men were bidding competitively. Many young people could only watch with envy, unable to participate at all.
"These old geezers are like they've taken aphrodisiacs—their eyes are bloodshot!" Li Heishui laughed.
"Don't talk nonsense. In this place, someone might be able to intercept divine sense transmissions," Ye Fan warned.
In the end, the handwritten notes of the deceased Great Power were sold for a sky-high price of one hundred and twenty thousand jin of Source, truly astonishing.
On the yellow diamond dragon platform, the white-haired old man announced, "Next, we will auction an ancient rare treasure."
The auction hall immediately fell silent, so quiet that a falling needle could be heard.
The sixteen demon spirit maidens were all quite skilled in cultivation, but at this moment, they were drenched in sweat, panting softly, weak and frail.
Together, they carried in a broken large bell, about a meter tall, old and lusterless, unremarkable, like a common bell seen among the people.
Everyone was startled. These maidens were all in the Dao Palace Secret Realm, yet they struggled so much, fully demonstrating the bell's weight.
The white-haired old man from the Heavenly Demon Palace stepped forward, personally took it, and brought the dim, lightless bell onto the yellow diamond dragon platform, placing it at the highest point for all to see.
"It's broken, already damaged."
The crowd buzzed with noise. One side of the bell was completely missing. Strictly speaking, this was half a bell.
"What use is a broken bell?" someone asked loudly, puzzled.
"Everyone, do not underestimate it. This is an ancient rare treasure," the white-haired old man said solemnly.
"What exactly is it?"
The white-haired old man said, "This item was discovered by someone in an abandoned ancient mine. It has existed for an extremely long time, at least fifty thousand years of history."
"There are many ancient objects in the world. Age alone doesn't make something precious. Does it have any origin?" an elder asked.
"This is no ordinary bell. It is a weapon forged by an ancient great figure whose foot was about to step into the realm of ancient sages."
As soon as the white-haired old man finished speaking, the auction hall erupted in chaos. Many elders were excited and began bidding.
"Seventy thousand jin of Source!"
"Eighty thousand jin of Source!"
"One hundred thousand jin of Source!"
...
At this moment, even the Holy Lands participated in the bidding.
This bell was already damaged and could not be repaired, but it still retained some residual laws, worthy of study by great figures.
The scene was extremely heated. Some old men kept raising the price loudly, all from super major powers.
"These old geezers, after taking aphrodisiacs, they've now been injected with chicken blood!" Li Heishui muttered.
Ye Fan laughed. "Your grandfather is also participating."
Li Heishui: "..."
In the end, the transaction price for this broken bell reached an astonishing one hundred and eighty thousand jin of Source. It was mind-boggling to imagine how expensive it would have been if intact.
"Now, we auction the final rare treasure, which can be called peerless, for it is impossible to find a second one."
The white-haired old man sighed, personally walked down from the yellow diamond dragon platform, and carried a pure white jade cauldron onto the high platform.
The jade cauldron was only a foot tall, with a lid on top, tightly sealed.
"I think everyone already knows what it is. That's right, it's an ancient divine medicine, cut from stone by a young friend!"
The auction hall was in an uproar, hard to calm. Many people stood up. This auction was held precisely for this divine medicine.
Of course, many had only come to see it, because they couldn't possibly afford it. It would inevitably fetch a sky-high price, most likely falling into the hands of the Holy Lands. No one could compete with them.
The white-haired old man opened the white jade cauldron and took out the divine medicine. Although it was sealed in ice Source, a faint fragrance still wafted out, refreshing the mind and spirit.
The pale blue roots and stems sparkled with crystalline light. The milky white medicinal "feet" were no different from human feet, only much smaller.
"Too much time has passed. No one even knows the name of this human-shaped divine medicine. In today's world, traveling through the great wilderness, it would be difficult to find another such human-shaped divine medicine. Its reserve price is one hundred and fifty thousand jin of Source!"
"Hiss"
Everyone drew in cold air. This divine medicine was indeed a peerless rare treasure, but it was too incomplete. Its true value would definitely not exceed one hundred and fifty thousand jin of Source.
Yet the reserve price was set directly at this level. It was obvious that the final transaction price would be outrageous.
After a brief silence, many people called out high prices.
"One hundred and sixty thousand jin of Source!"
"One hundred and eighty thousand jin of Source!"
"Two hundred thousand jin of Source!"
...
Even the Third Great Bandit, Xu Tianxiong, stood up and called out a sky-high price.
Seeing this, a group of old men sat back down, because they knew they had absolutely no chance. This was a contest among Saint Lord-rank figures.
Sure enough, the Holy Lands began to bid. Some Saint Lords had personally come to the scene, sitting in VIP private rooms.
"Those old baldies have also made their move," Li Heishui said, overjoyed. The several old monks with halos behind their heads directly pushed the price to two hundred and fifty thousand jin of Source.
And the mysterious great figures from the Central Province, wearing dragon crowns, added fifty thousand jin of Source in one breath!
"Hiss"
Ye Fan drew in cold air. "It seems these people really want to enter Purple Mountain. They're making preparations, buying life-saving divine medicine in advance!"
Li Heishui said, "Why don't we take advantage of so many great figures being present and auction off that dog-bitten fruit right away?"
Ye Fan nodded. "Right. As soon as the divine medicine is sold, we'll have the Heavenly Demon Treasure Pavilion auction off the fruit with the canine teeth marks."
"Hahaha... I can't wait to see which Saint Lord buys it and what expression he'll have."