After an intense battle, the Absolute-Zero Frozen Heart Dao Pill was sold to the Ghostlight Sovereign for three hundred and eighty billion dao stones.
The final bid had come after a fierce contest with the Scarlet Emperor, who had been unwilling to yield until the price crossed three hundred billion, and some unnamed guests who seemed to just be bidding for fun.
In the end, however, the Sovereign's determination had prevailed.
For the ruler of the Southern Region, the pill was worth every dao stone. Complete immunity to ice, coupled with absolute control over the element, was a treasure that could transform an already formidable cultivator into an even more terrifying existence.
The Ghostlight Sovereign's chamber dimmed once more, and the auction continued.
The next item was a golden pill surrounded by nine rotating halos. It was called the Ninefold Heaven-Patching Pill, an ancient medicine capable of completelu repairing damaged cultivation foundations and stabilizing realms that had become dangerously unstable.
After an intense bidding war, it was sold to the High Druidess for two hundred and sixty billion dao stones.
The leader of the Myriad Spirit Sanctuary had remained silent for much of the auction, but this pill had clearly caught her attention. Several of her sanctuary's oldest members had spent centuries struggling with damaged foundations left behind by ancient battles.
The pill offered a rare opportunity to help them.
The Scarlet Emperor had bid as high as two hundred and forty billion before finally withdrawing.
He did not appear particularly disappointed. There were still many items to come, and he had not traveled all this way merely to acquire a handful of pills.
The next treasure was presented in a black jade case.
Within it floated a crimson pill, its surface marked by intricate golden veins. Every few seconds, a miniature phantom of a phoenix appeared above it, spreading its wings before dissolving into sparks of light.
Liu Yue introduced it as the Nirvana Rebirth Emperor Pill.
Its effects were extraordinary. It could restore vitality, replenish depleted life force, and greatly accelerate recovery from injuries that would otherwise require decades of painstaking cultivation. For those whose lives had reached their natural twilight, it offered a chance to reclaim some of the vigor they had lost.
The Forge Masters and the Beast Master entered the bidding almost immediately.
"Fifty billion dao stones!" Xia Yuyue's voice rang out from their chamber.
"Sixty billion," Ximen Ming called out.
"Eighty billion!" the High Druidess countered.
"One hundred billion!" called an unfamiliar voice from another VVIP room.
The bidding continued, rising steadily as several powerful guests fought for the pill.
Eventually, the Forge Masters secured it for three hundred and twenty billion dao stones. Wang Yijian's voice followed the announcement, calm and satisfied. "A worthy acquisition."
Xia Yuyue laughed softly. "Indeed. We have a few old friends who could use something like this."
Jin Huang, who had been listening while examining the Yin-Yang Ring on his finger, tilted his head. "Food helps you recover."
Luo Ran stared at him for several seconds, then he turned toward Meng Lan. Finally, he covered his face, beginning to suspect that his life would never return to normal.
The next few items passed in a similar fashion.
An Astral Meridian Cleansing Pill, capable of purifying the meridians and removing stubborn impurities that obstructed cultivation, was sold to the Scarlet Emperor for two hundred and ten billion dao stones.
A Myriad Tribulation Ward Pill, which could form a temporary defensive barrier against devastating spiritual and elemental attacks, went to an unknown VVIP guest for one hundred and eighty billion dao stones.
When Liu Ning announced the winner, a deep voice echoed from behind the chamber's privacy formation.
"This King has little interest in the squabbles of lesser beings. However, a shield capable of withstanding the calamities of this world may yet prove amusing."
The room went silent. Several guests exchanged uneasy looks.
The speaker's words were arrogant, but there was something more unsettling about the way he spoke. His voice seemed to carry the weight of an existence that had witnessed ages rise and fall.
No one dared ask what he meant.
The next item was a Voidheart Comprehension Pill, which could help a cultivator enter a state of profound clarity and improve their chances of understanding difficult laws and concepts by inducing enlightenment.
The Ghostlight Sovereign and Scarlet Emperor both participated, but the bidding was eventually won by another mysterious guest for four hundred and twenty billion dao stones.
"We shall accept this little offering," the unknown buyer declared. "Perhaps it will remind Us of something forgotten."
The chamber fell silent once more. Jin Huang scratched his head.
"Why do those people keep talking like that? What 'King?' Who is 'We?' Are they all right in the head?"
Xiao Chen answered without looking away from the auction. "You'll understand soon enough."
"Ah." Jin Huang nodded as though that explained everything.
Luo Ran, meanwhile, was watching the prices with increasing despair. "Four hundred and twenty billion dao stones for a single pill…"
"How many people would I have to rob just to make even a fraction of that?"
Jin Huang patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Remember that these pills were made by me, and thus I'll be pocketing a lot of this money."
Luo Ran gave him a suspicious look.
Jin Huang continued, looking magnanimous. "And I am a generous Boss. What's mine is yours."
Luo Ran's expression darkened. "That doesn't change the fact that I'm useless!"
"Now, now," Jin Huang shook his head and patted Luo Ran's head, causing him to seethe with rage. "No subordinate of mine stays useless for long. Just you wait, Luo Ran."
As the auction progressed, the second segment became a spectacle unlike anything the Imperial City had seen in generations.
Ancient pills appeared one after another, each possessing properties that ordinary alchemists could scarcely imagine.
The Heavenly Soul Anchoring Pill was sold to the High Druidess for three hundred and sixty billion dao stones, after she outbid two other VVIP guests.
The pill could strengthen the connection between soul and body, making it especially valuable to cultivators whose spiritual consciousness had been damaged by ancient techniques.
The Ten Thousand Laws Resonance Pill went to the Scarlet Emperor for four hundred and fifty billion dao stones.
Its ability to assist with comprehending specifically conflicting laws made it particularly useful to someone who had cultivated multiple powerful techniques over a long period.
The Primordial Bloodline Awakening Pill was purchased by the Beast Master for two hundred and eighty billion dao stones, while the Eternal Spirit-Sea Pill, which could help restore depleted magical reserves and reinforce the stability of a cultivator's dantian, was acquired by the Ghostlight Sovereign for three hundred and ten billion dao stones.
Each purchase had a reason behind it.
The Scarlet Emperor sought treasures that could strengthen his rule and cultivation.
The Ghostlight Sovereign was selective, bidding only when an item possessed clear value to her or her people.
The High Druidess favored treasures that could preserve and strengthen the ancient beings under her protection.
The Forge Masters, meanwhile, pursued items that might benefit their own cultivation, aid their craft, or prove useful to the powerful figures who supported their sect.
The Beast Master and Beast Grandmaster seemed to only care about items that had physical effects, empowering the body or aiding in some sort of bodily evolution.
All of their wealth was immense, but even they did not spend without thought.
The mysterious guests were different.
Some remained silent for entire stretches of the auction, ignoring pills that would have driven ordinary cultivators into a frenzy. Others made a single bid, won their chosen item, and returned to silence.
Their behavior was difficult to predict. Some of them seemed to just bid for bidding's sake, just to force others to pay more for an item they didn't even want.
One of them acquired a Primordial Chaos Stabilization Pill for six hundred billion dao stones, then declared in a deep voice:
"We have seen worlds collapse for want of stability. This little pill may yet have its uses."
Another purchased a Heaven-Defying Soul Tempering Pill for five hundred and fifty billion dao stones, remarking:
"This King has no need for such a thing. But there are others who may find it useful."
No one knew whom these supposed ancient beings intended to help, and no one dared ask.
The auction continued.
High above, Xiao Chen sat comfortably in his chair, watching the proceedings with undisguised satisfaction. Every successful bid brought the Obsidian Treasury another fortune.
More importantly, the guests were gradually getting that which they desired, holding nothing back.
Some were willing to spend hundreds of billions to repair injuries. Others wanted pills that could improve their comprehension or strengthen their foundations. A few seemed interested only in treasures with unusual properties.
And yet, there was one thing Xiao Chen had noticed. Despite the astronomical prices, the mysterious VVIP guests remained remarkably selective.
They possessed wealth beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators, perhaps even trillions of dao stones apiece, but they were not easily tempted by every treasure.
They had survived too long to be impressed by rarity alone. They wanted something that could genuinely benefit them.
Something that might help them take another step forward. Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed behind his mask.
Then let us see how you respond to the next item.
He leaned back, reaching out with his mind to the beautiful attendants on stage. "Liu Yue. Liu Ning."
A communication rune beside him shimmered. "Prepare the final item of the second segment."
The sisters received the message almost immediately. Liu Yue looked toward her younger sister. "Ready?"
Liu Ning smiled. "Of course."
They stepped forward together as the servants cleared the stage. For the first time in several minutes, the auction hall began to quiet down.
Liu Yue raised her hand. "Distinguished guests, we have now reached the final item of the second segment."
A few guests exchanged glances.
Some were already calculating how much of their remaining wealth they could afford to spend. Others had withdrawn entirely, content to watch the final proceedings.
Liu Ning continued. "Unlike the previous treasures, this item is not a single pill."
She paused deliberately for her sister to say, "Nor is it a unique artifact that can belong to only one person."
The audience stirred.
"What does she mean?"
"Could it be a set of pills?"
"An entire collection?"
Liu Yue smiled. "Today, the Obsidian Treasury is pleased to present a collection of elixirs prepared from a recipe that has been lost to the ages."
With a wave of her hand, the lights shifted toward the rear of the stage.
Several attendants emerged, carrying large jade trays. Each tray contained rows of small crystal bottles, their contents glowing with a deep, luminous blue.
The bottles were arranged with remarkable care, and there were dozens of them.
Then more attendants appeared. And more. Before long, the stage was filled with trays upon trays of blue elixirs.
A low murmur spread through the hall.
The liquid inside each bottle seemed to contain countless tiny stars, swirling slowly around a luminous core. Every movement produced a faint ripple of energy that could be felt even from the furthest seats.
The moment one of the bottles were uncovered, the atmosphere changed. Cultivators throughout the hall sat upright.
Several powerful figures narrowed their eyes.
Even the VVIP guests, many of whom had remained indifferent to the preceding items, began paying close attention.
Liu Ning's smile widened. "Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Primordial Origin Essence Elixir!"
The name echoed throughout the auction hall.
Liu Yue continued. "This elixir is an almost unknown cultivation resource capable of refining and replenishing the energy within a cultivator's body. Its effects are not limited to any single realm, nor is its usefulness restricted to ordinary cultivators."
She raised one of the crystal bottles. "Even those who have reached the highest known realms may benefit from its effects."
A wave of astonishment swept through the audience.
The highest known realms. That included beings whose very existence had transcended the limitations of ordinary life.
Liu Ning nodded.
"Indeed. The Primordial Origin Essence Elixir can help replenish enormous reserves of energy, refine the purity of one's magical energy, and support cultivation even when the user's existing energy has reached an extraordinary level of density."
She paused, allowing the guests to absorb the announcement.
"For those whose cultivation has stalled, it may provide the nourishment required to continue their progress. For those who have already reached the pinnacle, it may still serve as a valuable resource for replenishment and refinement."
The implications were staggering.
Most cultivation resources became less effective as a cultivator advanced. An elixir that remained useful even to Fiendgod-level existences was a different matter entirely.
And there was another detail.
Liu Yue gestured toward the trays. "Since this is a collection of elixirs, multiple guests may successfully acquire them. Each lot will be auctioned separately, and each lot contains ten bottles. Of course, they will be limited to one lot per person!"
The hall erupted in conversation.
Ten bottles per lot. Multiple lots. That meant the guests would not need to fight over a single bottle, nor would one buyer be able to monopolize the entire collection with a single bid.
It was an opportunity for several powerful factions to obtain a supply of an extraordinarily valuable cultivation resource.
Liu Ning lifted the first tray. "The opening bid for each lot of ten bottles is one hundred billion dao stones."
A voice immediately rang out from the top floor. "Two hundred billion."
Another followed immediately. "Three hundred billion!"
The Scarlet Emperor's chamber lit up. "Four hundred billion dao stones."
The Ghostlight Sovereign entered the bidding next. "Five hundred billion."
From another chamber came a deep, ancient voice. "This King shall take one lot. Six hundred billion."
The audience erupted. The first lot had barely been offered, and the bidding was already climbing into the hundreds of billions.
Jin Huang sat upright. His eyes fixed upon the bottles. For once, he wasn't thinking about eating.
He was thinking about the extraordinary amount of energy contained within those elixirs. Something about their glow seemed familiar to him, though he couldn't quite explain why.
He glanced at Xiao Chen. "Hey."
Xiao Chen turned. "What is it?"
Jin Huang pointed at the stage. "Those elixirs… Who made them?"
Xiao Chen paused. Then, slowly, he turned his masked face toward Jin Huang. "Why do you ask?"
Jin Huang scratched his head, his expression unusually thoughtful. "Don't know. I just have this strange feeling…"
He looked back at the bottles, watching the luminous blue liquid swirl inside them.
"I feel like I've seen them before. Somewhere."
Xiao Chen's eyes glinted. Once again, he was shocked by Jin Huang, and made to wonder just what the truth about him was.
That was because... these elixirs were personally made by Lord Duotian himself before his mysterious disappearance all those years ago.
Of course, he had told Liu Yue and Liu Ning to keep that a secret at first. This was the final stretch of the second segment.
This was where he was certain to hook all of his wealthy guests. Which of them did not desire, above all else, greater heights in their cultivation?
After this, he was certain that the third segment would yield perfect results. He was going to be the biggest winner of all.