Chapter 505

Chapter 505: The Main Event

"The tomb of Dao Lord Canglan. Starting bid: eight hundred thousand divine stones. Each subsequent bid must increase by at least ten thousand divine stones."

Lu Chengfeng held up a golden book and jade slip, saying, "Possessing this guarantees safe passage through the array to enter Dao Lord Canglan’s tomb without obstruction, with a one hundred percent success rate."

"Distinguished guests, you may commence bidding."

The Dao Sovereigns showed little enthusiasm.

"Dao Lord Canglan… seems to have existed several million years ago," questioned a Third Tribulation Dao Lord.

"He was a Seven Tribulations Dao Lord."

Someone who seemed familiar with Dao Lord Canglan’s reputation provided this explanation.

"Eight hundred thousand divine stones!"

boomed the voice of a Dao Lord.

"Eight hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Eight hundred and sixty thousand…"

…

The first round concluded, with a Four Tribulations Dao Lord winning the information on Dao Lord Canglan’s tomb for nine hundred thousand divine stones.

"Our congratulations, Esteemed Senior."

Lu Chengfeng looked towards the Dao Lord who secured the jade slip and said, "Once the auction concludes, please proceed to the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion to claim the jade slip."

"Next, we move to the second auction item."

"This item records the location where an Eight Tribulations Dao Lord passed away! Starting bid: one million two hundred thousand divine stones!"

"One million three hundred thousand!"

Before the echo of the starting bid faded, an offer was already voiced.

"Two million!"

declared the Head of the Luo Family.

This price prompted many to withdraw; two million divine stones for the resting place of an Eight Tribulations Dao Lord was simply too costly.

"Our congratulations, Brother Luo."

The heads of the Qin Family, Shangguan Family, and Hong Family extended their felicitations.

Xuan Du Ancient Immortal maintained a placid expression.

His gaze imperceptibly swept across the various Dao Sovereigns. Upon settling on the purple-haired woman, however, a tremor shook him. Astonishment flickered in his eyes.

"She actually came!" The shock surged within Xuan Du Ancient Immortal. Though her true features were masked, that aura – it was etched into his soul, unforgettable for eternity.

The purple-haired woman seemed to sense his scrutiny. She turned her head slightly, casting a glance his way. Her eyes remained utterly calm, devoid of emotion. She looked for only an instant before quietly turning away.

She had recognized Xuan Du Ancient Immortal.

But she remained unmoved.

She had never planned to conceal her face, and even if someone recognized her, it was of no importance.

Time gradually passed.

In the blink of an eye, eight jade slips had already been auctioned off.

"Esteemed seniors," Lu Chengfeng smiled, "the jade slip to be auctioned now contains a Great Dao World belonging to a One Tribulation Dao Sovereign. The starting bid is twenty million divine stones, with each increase requiring at least one million!"

"A Dao Sovereign?"

The many Dao Lords’ eyes lit up, and a Nine Tribulations Dao Lord chuckled, "Friend, could you inform me which Origin Dao this Great Dao World’s Dao fruit belongs to?"

Lu Chengfeng did not conceal it. "The thunderous path!"

"Twenty million!"

Someone immediately called out the price.

Clearly, this was a Nine Tribulations Dao Lord whose primary cultivation path was the Origin Dao of Thunder. If he could enter this Great Dao World and refine the Dao Sovereign’s Dao fruit, there was a high chance he could advance to Dao Sovereign.

"Twenty-five million!"

"Thirty million!"

The price climbed higher and higher.

"Master," Formless Demon Lord felt his heart burning, "this truly is the most profitable deal!"

Ye Xu, however, remained perfectly composed, showing no sign of delight.

The eighth and ninth jade slips had also been acquired through his installment payment. Otherwise, how could he possibly have afforded the complete information on the Dao Sovereign for forty million Hongmeng points?

Five days had passed, and just the loan interest for the All Laws Sect Ruins had already reached twenty-five million.

The main event was the All Laws Sect Ruins!

"Forty million!"

Finally, the eighth jade slip was sold for forty million.

Lu Chengfeng was thoroughly satisfied.

"As for the ninth jade slip," Lu Chengfeng kept the audience in suspense, "I expect you are all quite interested."

"What is this?"

Everyone displayed curiosity.

"Techniques!"

Lu Chengfeng smiled mysteriously. "Dao Sovereign techniques capable of enabling cultivation into an eighty-one-layered Great Dao World in one fell swoop."

Whoosh!

His words entirely ignited the crowd’s enthusiasm.

Forging an eighty-one-layered Great Dao World signified a mid-to-high level within the Dao Sovereign realm itself. Most Dao Sovereigns present hadn’t reached such a level.

"Master," Dao Lord Long Yuan said, "this is a genuine treasure."

Dao Sovereign Penglai was also stirred with desire.

Seeing everyone’s appetites whetted, Lu Chengfeng smiled and declared, "The ninth jade slip opens at fifty million divine stones! Each bid increment must be no less than one million!"

"Sixty million!"

Dao Sovereign Penglai called out firmly.

Whoosh!

The expressions in the crowd shifted minutely. From the start of the auction until now, Dao Sovereign Penglai was the first Dao Sovereign to participate in the bidding, opening with an astronomical sum straight away.

"Daoist friend Penglai, you are already a Two Tribulations Dao Sovereign. Could it be you still covet a single technique?" Another voice floated from the haze, unnervingly soft, neither distinctly male nor female, "Might you yield this item to me?"

"Sixty-one million."

"This artifact is something I must attain."

Dao Sovereign Penglai snorted coldly. The technique he cultivated could only forge sixty-eight Great Dao Worlds, far beneath the potential revealed in the ninth jade slip.

It must be understood.

Cultivators of the same realm possessed varying degrees of strength.

Their power largely depended on the number of Great Dao Worlds they commanded.

More Great Dao Worlds meant they mastered more Origin Daos, allowing them to mobilize vastly greater power.

Of course, there were those who specialized solely in one method.

But cultivators who meticulously refined a single method and brought it to its absolute limit were exceedingly rare.

"Seventy million!"

Dao Sovereign Penglai made his second bid.

Back at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, he had contemplated spending one hundred million divine stones to purchase news of Dao Sovereign Ziyang’s demise alone. Seventy million divine stones? Barely pocket change.

"Ninety million!"

A third Dao Sovereign joined the bidding war.

Dao Lord Long Yuan clicked his tongue in silent awe. With such wealth, advancing to Nine Tribulations Dao Lord within a century would be guaranteed.

"One hundred million!"

Dao Sovereign Penglai did not hesitate in the slightest.

"You fiendishly determined one!"

The Dao Sovereign with the soft voice let out a cold, displeased snort.

In the auction hall, no further bids emerged.

One hundred million divine stones was exorbitantly expensive.

After all, what the jade slip contained wasn’t the actual technique, but information about a technique. While promising nearly a one hundred percent success rate, there was no guarantee against unexpected deviations along the way.

The tenth jade slip was even more critical.

"Master," whispered Dao Lord Long Yuan, visibly perplexed, "Spending one hundred million divine stones here… how will you compete for the final jade slip?"

"Compete? Hah!"

Dao Sovereign Penglai scoffed with cold amusement. "Uncountable eyes lurk in the shadows watching this auction. Even if your old master had the money to buy it, he wouldn’t have the means to use it."

"I’m just here to watch the spectacle unfold, heh heh…"

"See that one over there?"

Dao Sovereign Penglai gestured subtly towards the purple-haired woman.

Dao Lord Long Yuan nodded hurriedly.

The purple-haired woman stood out like a solitary candle flame in absolute darkness, impossible for anyone to overlook.

"That is a Four Tribulations Dao Sovereign."

Dao Sovereign Penglai’s expression turned grave as he sighed, "And that’s only the visible Four Tribulations Dao Sovereign. There might even be Five Tribulations Dao Sovereigns hidden deeper in the shadows."

Dao Lord Long Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Could anyone truly dare seize the jade slip on the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s own ground?"

"Whether they dare or not, your old master cannot say,"

Dao Sovereign Penglai replied impassively. "But rest assured, hidden knives aimed at hindering others are inevitable."

"Esteemed Seniors, our time draws near its conclusion."

Lu Chengfeng’s smile remained warm and bright. "The item soon to be auctioned is the tenth jade slip."

Hearing these words,

the entire assembly instinctively straightened, senses sharpening.

The climax of the auction was finally arriving.

Lu Chengfeng solemnly raised the golden book and jade slip, announcing, "This is the tenth jade slip."

In that instant,

a flood of Divine Senses surged towards Lu Chengfeng.

Yet, their Divine Senses found the golden book and jade slip utterly impenetrable. Instead, a sense of trepidation seized them, as if they were being observed by invisible eyes. An overwhelming, terrifying pressure, like the collapse of a celestial river, engulfed them.

"It’s the power of the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion…"

Horror seized their minds, and they swiftly reeled in their Divine Senses.

Lu Chengfeng appeared completely unperturbed, his expression relaxed. "The tenth jade slip opens at one billion, eighty million divine stones! Each bid increment must be no less than ten million divine stones!"

"Let us commence!"