Chapter 84: The Auction (Part Eight)

Dao Sansheng felt a bit flustered under that gaze, never expecting that, out of so many people, it would be him who was chosen, and that his selection would even be read aloud before everyone.

The auction was to continue. Linna withdrew her gaze and looked at those on the stage. The others holding the jade plaques dared not utter a sound.

"I will read on your behalf. The rest of you, just hold your plaques," she announced. "Ancient treasures, magical artifacts, cultivation methods…"

After reading through all of them, Linna finally stopped and approached the black-robed Nascent Soul cultivators.

The box was slowly opened, and the hearts of all present raced. Inside the box lay an immaculate jade talisman cushioned on white silk. The talisman glimmered with a mysterious energy, causing ripples to appear in the surrounding space.

"The stability of space here is truly poor," Lin Zhi thought, recalling the elders’ admonition: to avoid making a move unless necessary, lest large-scale collapse occur and the family’s resources be damaged.

Seeing the box opened and the jade talisman affecting the surrounding space, Lin Zhi realized that activating it would likely cause a vast swath of space to collapse, taking months to repair. He promptly voiced the elders’ warning.

The black-robed Nascent Soul cultivator, upon noticing the spatial fluctuation, quickly closed the box, nearly affecting his two companions, but managed to restrain himself in time.

He stared intently at the box in his hands, his face full of greed—clearly wanting to claim it for himself—but as he thought of the president’s methods, he regained his composure.

"This is the Space Talisman, originating from the Upper Realm. I’m sure you were all awed the moment it was opened. Now, we come to the bidding. This is a priceless treasure, but our chamber of commerce will not set a reserve price. Please bid as you wish; after bids are placed, the gavel will fall upon the count of three."

"I bid three million supreme spirit stones," announced a man who had remained silent in the main hall until now.

"Five million supreme spirit stones! Friend, your bid is far too low. With this, one could ascend directly!"

The voice came from a private box in the corner on the third floor—a participant who had not bid on anything until now.

"Five million supreme spirit stones once, five million supreme spirit stones twice," Linna began the countdown, but someone else interrupted.

"Ten million supreme spirit stones," came yet another voice from someone who hadn’t bid a single item all evening.

"It seems word has already leaked," Zifanchen commented to his two brothers in their third-floor box. "All these old monsters who never appear in public have come out of seclusion at the same time. No wonder there are so many unfamiliar faces at today’s auction. Besides the great sects and noble families, the VIP rooms are filled with strangers."

"Big brother, your eye is as keen as ever. I hadn’t noticed," said the third brother, "but we might still have a chance. I bet this was put out by the new emissary."

The second brother gave the third a look as if he were a fool. "Anyone with sense knows this was brought down by the new emissary. Did you need to state the obvious?"

"I bid eleven million supreme spirit stones."
"Twelve million."
"Thirteen million."
…
The bidding rose relentlessly, not stopping until someone shouted, "Twenty million supreme spirit stones!"

On the first floor, a masked man with long hair, dressed in simple gray and white coarse clothes, his hands clasped behind his back, raised the bid to twenty-two million supreme spirit stones.

"Twenty million, once. Twenty million, twice. Twenty million—" Linna hadn't finished when the Zifan brothers in their third-floor box called out, "Twenty-three million supreme spirit stones."

The hall was filled with gasps; this was no ordinary purchase—it was the kind to bankrupt a family.

"Thirty million supreme spirit stones," declared the man who had made the opening bid in the hall, raising the stakes again.

"Fine, keep it for me a while, I’ll take it from you shortly," came a raspy voice from a third-floor box directed at the man in the hall—a naked threat.

"To threaten me to my face? How reckless," the man responded coldly.

As his words fell, the array that had just been stable in one of the third-floor boxes abruptly failed. Only a head of white hair, a perfectly intact blue brocade robe, and a simple, ancient greatsword—naturally formed from a single stone—remained on the floor.

"Wu Yibo, the rogue cultivator, rumored to have reached the peak of Nascent Soul for over a century, often wielded a massive sword—this ancient treasure, found during his flight from pursuers, was refined and in turn used to slay those who hunted him, earning his renown in a single battle."

"He was killed instantly, his clothes unscathed—what terrifying power!"

Within their private box, Lin Zhi sat with eyes tightly shut, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, lying quietly on the ground.

"The emissary made his move. Did you see it clearly?" Zifanchen asked his brothers, staring at the fractured void.

Both shook their heads. "Too powerful. I only felt a faint ripple in space. When I looked, he was already dead. I saw nothing. Incredible, truly incredible."

"Cough, cough…" Lin Zhi, lying on the ground, coughed a few times before standing and gazing warily at the space he himself had just shattered.

Moments before, he had instantaneously shifted behind his opponent and struck with his palm. The surrounding space splintered, and as he retreated, he fell into a spatial rift, his body shredded, nearly suffocating. He barely managed to escape with another instant shift, his heart still pounding with fear. He resolved not to battle anyone for at least twenty years.

"Thirty million supreme spirit stones, once. Thirty million, twice. Thirty million, thrice—sold!"

The gavel fell. The deal was sealed at last.

Everyone was still reeling from the scene: a Nascent Soul master instantly slain on the third floor with a single, invisible strike—an event more miraculous than legend. No one realized the countdown had ended.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on winning the Space Jade Talisman. The auction is now closing; those who have not yet collected their items, please do so backstage. Thank you."

With a bow, Linna departed.

"Young Master Dao Sansheng, your Gathered Spirit Pill."

Fox Charm cast a sharp look at Dao Sansheng, deliberately emphasizing his name.

Taking his prize, Dao Sansheng prepared to leave.

The man from the main hall, who had placed the final bid, was followed by more than a dozen people as he walked toward the backstage.

Inside Dao Sansheng’s sea of consciousness, chaos reigned—he had not yet fully recovered. After a while, a black vortex appeared, in which a planet slowly emerged. On this planet was a stretch of land that felt intimately familiar; the Soul Disc was seated upon its grass.

Then another blue planet appeared; as more details came into view, it matched exactly the landscape depicted on the scroll he had acquired at the auction. Only then did the vision pause.