The white-haired Dou Emperor elder in the arena looked toward Xiao Xuan's private room, his eyes flickering. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.
Xiao Xuan's bid had undoubtedly stunned the entire venue. Even after a long while, no one else called out a price.
Seeing this, Zhuge Jing parted her red lips and brought down the hammer, finalizing the auction.
After Xiao Xuan obtained the Ice Spirit Cold Saliva, the auction was far from over.
The auction continued as Zhuge Jing raised a hand, signaling for the people below to quiet down.
Under the watchful gaze of countless heated eyes, Zhuge Jing lightly clapped her jade-like hands three times.
As the clapping rang out, several stern-faced elders dressed in black slowly emerged from beneath the auction stage. The elder in the center carried a small red box in his hands.
As these elders moved, a powerful ripple of Dou Qi faintly swept outward. The atmosphere instantly became stifling, and everyone fell silent.
Such a heavily guarded display surprised Xiao Xuan. What could possibly require such caution?
One had to know that these elders were all above the Dou Emperor level.
In this barren land, a Dou Emperor was already powerful enough to rule over all.
"Everyone must know what the grand finale of this Sky Cloud Pavilion auction is.
"I believe many of those present came specifically for this item."
Zhuge Jing looked toward the fervent gazes directed at her from the auction hall. Her eyes lingered briefly in several directions before she signaled for the elder holding the box behind her to step forward.
The elder walked up to Zhuge Jing with the box in hand and respectfully presented it to her.
Zhuge Jing held the box before her chest, supporting its base with her left hand while her right hand rested over the lid.
The box opened beneath countless expectant gazes. The instant it did, radiant light burst forth, dazzling and brilliant.
The light lasted for a moment before gradually fading, revealing a thumb-sized pill with a faint emerald-green hue.
Dense pill patterns covered its surface. Gathered together, they vaguely formed the image of a ferocious emerald-green beast roaring toward the heavens.
"This..."
Xiao Xuan's body suddenly tensed. He shot to his feet, staring fixedly at the item in the box. Only after a moment did he draw a deep breath and say in a trembling voice,
"Bodhi Pill!"
A Bodhi Pill... This was something that truly depended on fortune. It was not something that could be refined merely because a medicine master's rank was high enough.
Without a Bodhi Seed, the fruit of the Bodhi Tree that appeared only once every thousand years, refining a Bodhi Pill was nothing but wishful thinking.
I really cannot look down on the powers of this continent simply because I was born into an Ancient Emperor Clan.
A Bodhi Pill was refined from the seeds borne by the Bodhi Tree, along with various medicinal ingredients. It had only one function: increasing the chance of a Dou Zun breaking through to become a Dou Saint!
The Bodhi Pill was an Eighth-Rank Pill, yet judging by the pill patterns upon it, it was nearly comparable to a Ninth-Grade Elixir.
Even an Eighth-Rank medicine master would face an extremely high chance of failure when refining such a thing.
Unless the medicine master possessed an extraordinary flame—a Heavenly Flame—refining it would be extraordinarily difficult.
Zhuge Jing was very satisfied by the shock the Bodhi Pill had brought to everyone present. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescents as she announced loudly,
"Honored guests, this... is the legendary Bodhi Pill!"
As she spoke, Zhuge Jing raised the jade box high overhead.
At the same time, her gaze fell upon the round pill within the jade box, and a trace of surprise quietly flashed through her eyes.
This was the first time she had seen a Bodhi Pill so clearly.
Zhuge Jing did not think there was anything improper about the higher-ups deciding to auction off such a Supreme Treasure as the Bodhi Pill.
Though the Bodhi Pill was precious, one still needed to be alive to enjoy it.
Although Sky Cloud Pavilion possessed immense wealth and influence, it was still far inferior to the truly first-rate powers.
After all, its influence was limited to monetary transactions. It might be the wealthiest in the Northern Region, but that did not mean it was the strongest in the Northern Region.
Once word leaked out, Sky Cloud Pavilion would face nothing but a devastating blow.
In the end, both its people and wealth would be lost.
Boom!
The moment the Bodhi Pill appeared, even the people inside the auction hall could not help stirring restlessly, while chaos broke out beneath the auction stage.
Even Xiao Xuan's eyes burned with desire. He was determined to obtain this pill.
Even if he had no use for it himself, others did. A Dou Saint was a pillar of strength even within an Ancient Emperor Clan.
Under the temptation of the Bodhi Pill, even Dou Zun experts could not help being moved, much less these people below the stage.
Zhuge Jing's pretty face did not change much in the face of such a situation. Clearly, she had anticipated it long ago.
Without drawing attention, she nodded toward the black-clothed elders behind her.
After receiving her signal, the elders behind Zhuge Jing slightly curled their claw-like hands, and their eyes instantly turned cold as ice.
Bang!
Amid the commotion, waves of vast auras immediately swept forth, blanketing the entire venue. The strength of Dou Emperor experts was revealed without reservation.
Xiao Xuan quietly waited as he watched these fools courting death.
"I hope everyone will abide by the auction house's rules. As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order. If anyone accidentally violates the auction house's rules, then Zhuge Jing can only apologize in advance."
Zhuge Jing's gaze slowly swept across the people below. After meeting her eyes, some people harboring ulterior motives could not help lowering their heads slightly. Trying to rob something from Sky Cloud Pavilion's auction house truly was wishful thinking.
Not to mention the several Dou Emperor experts stationed above, who alone were enough to make them afraid to act rashly.
Looking at the silent auction hall, Xiao Xuan could not help silently praising Zhuge Jing's methods.
This woman was not as easy to deal with as she appeared. On the surface, she looked like a delicate young woman, yet she remained calm and composed in such a grand setting. Such bearing was no less than that of any man.
"Good! Since everyone understands the auction house's rules, I will not waste any more words. I now announce that the auction for the Bodhi Pill officially begins!"
As Zhuge Jing's words fell, the enormous auction hall instantly erupted once more. Countless gazes fixed tightly upon her. It was clear that they were all waiting for her opening price.
After pausing briefly, Zhuge Jing continued,
"Bodhi Pill, opening bid: thirty million gold coins!"
Although Xiao Xuan knew that the Bodhi Pill would not sell for cheaply, the moment he heard Zhuge Jing's price, the corner of his eye still twitched violently.
Thirty million gold coins... Not even a Heavenly Rank Dou Technique or cultivation method could fetch such a price. Yet that was merely the opening bid for the Bodhi Pill. Once people started competing for it...
Xiao Xuan found it difficult to imagine where the final price of the Bodhi Pill would end up.
"Thirty-five million."
The sudden voice in the auction hall stunned many people. Who was it that had raised the bid by five million gold coins in one go?
Everyone followed the voice with their gazes, only to find that the bidder was none other than the white-haired elder.
The white-haired elder ignored their stares. He looked directly at the Bodhi Pill, his eyes filled with determination.
It turned out that he had not withdrawn from the competition for the Ice Spirit Cold Saliva because he lacked money. He had merely been conserving his strength for the final auction!
Who will the Bodhi Pill ultimately fall to? It is still too early to say.
The true battle between dragons and tigers had only now begun!
Before you continue