"Two hundred and fifty thousand."
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Wu Bai raised his hand again.
Fan Ling gritted his teeth, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger.
But considering that the items coming later were the true priority, he could only sit back down.
Still, after being bested twice by the same person, Fan Ling had added another name to his must-kill list.
A dead man's possessions would not run away anyway, so there was no need to keep bidding.
Wu Bai did not care about any of this. As long as he secured that Fragment Map today, nothing else was a problem.
"...Then this Treasure Map belongs to this honored guest."
As those calm eyes turned toward him, the auctioneer brought down his hammer.
Seeing this, Wu Bai closed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Teacher, should we leave early?"
"I'd like to keep watching and see whether what happens next really matches what you told me."
"Mm."
Since his teacher had said so, Wu Bai was in no hurry.
After the people from the Blood Sect won the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill for over 1.3 million gold coins, the auction hall slowly quieted again.
"Earth core fire ganoderma. A treasure of this caliber surely needs no further explanation from this old man, haha. The starting bid is seven hundred thousand gold coins. Please begin..."
Listening to the steadily climbing bids, Wu Bai opened his eyes slightly.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
The price, which had yet to reach a million, was instantly raised to 1.5 million, plunging the hall into silence once more.
Fan Ling shot a cold glance at this fool who had no idea how close he was to death, then sneered.
Go on, buy it. The more you buy, the better. Otherwise, Father might hesitate to act.
"One million six hundred thousand!"
"Two million!"
Seeing someone competing with him, Wu Bai immediately raised the price to two million.
Sure enough, a few breaths later, the auction hammer fell, and Wu Bai pocketed the earth core fire ganoderma.
With obvious relish, Yellow Springs Demon Saint told Wu Bai that Xiao Yan's expression looked rather ugly right now.
"You brat... You've buried that youngster under so many gold coins that he can't even lift his head."
"Who can he blame for being broke? Hehe."
Wu Bai chuckled inwardly. It was not as though Xiao Yan's name had been written on it. Everyone was competing fairly. Was he supposed to give it to Xiao Yan for free just because he had no money?
Dream on...
When the Heavenly Snake Mansion finally secured the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, the auction at last came to an end.
Wu Bai chatted with his teacher while settling the bill for his "spoils" with the Eight Gates staff.
"Sir."
Taking the VIP card Wu Bai handed over, the steward shifted slightly aside and began calculating the bill.
"Sir, the two Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills you auctioned sold for 2.5 million gold coins. After deducting the ten-percent commission, you have 2.25 million gold coins remaining. You also purchased the Flying Dou Technique, Thunder Bat Sky Wings, that incomplete Treasure Map, and one earth core fire ganoderma for 4.25 million gold coins. That leaves another two million gold coins for you to pay."
"Mm."
Wu Bai checked everything, nodded lightly, and took out his multicolored gold coin card.
As the steward swiped the gold coin card through a special device right before him, Wu Bai also saw its exact remaining balance.
One million and five thousand gold coins.
"Sir, you must be an Alchemist. Our sect master-"
"Your sect master isn't qualified."
Leaving those words behind, Wu Bai walked straight out, leaving the steward frozen in place.
A mere Dou Emperor wanted to recruit him, a Tier 6 Alchemist? He must have drunk too much counterfeit liquor.
On his way out, Wu Bai cast a contemptuous glance toward a nearby corner.
"Did he spot us?"
"Possibly... That fellow has very keen perception. I can't see through him. His soul power is strong, so he's most likely an Alchemist too, and not a low-tier one."
"What should we do, then? Are we just going to give up?"
Xiao Yan was reluctant, but if this meant provoking a high-tier Alchemist, he really could not make up his mind.
"Let's wait and see. That Fan Ling seems to have his sights on him too. We'll see whether there's a chance for us to intervene."
Carrying two pitchers of water upstairs, Wu Bai placed the Fragment Map on the table and began meditating, patiently waiting for the final result.
Could he only resurrect one person?
Was there a limit to the number at all?
Time trickled past. Yellow Springs Demon Saint enveloped the entire room in his soul power, giving no one a chance to detect anything.
In the pitch-black night, an illusory figure drifted out of the Fragment Map. Within just a few breaths, the figure rapidly became solid.
"Huh?"
Seemingly realizing something, the figure gave a startled exclamation.
He turned his head and saw a figure beside the young man seated on the bed, smiling and nodding at him.
"You must be Purifying Lotus Demon Saint, yes? I am Yellow Springs, a senior of yours."
"Senior Yellow Springs? Could you be Yellow Springs Demon Saint?"
Purifying Lotus Demon Saint was somewhat dazed, his face filled with shock and surprise.
If I remember correctly, didn't I die?
Yellow Springs Demon Saint, his venerable senior, had died many years before he had. How had both of them come back to life, and even managed to meet?
"Mm. You probably have many questions right now. There's no rush. We can take our time."
"First, let me introduce you. This is my disciple, and the person most responsible for bringing us both back to life: Wu Bai. You can just call him Little Bai."
Meanwhile, Wu Bai had already climbed off the bed and respectfully bowed to the newly resurrected Purifying Lotus Demon Saint as a junior paying his respects.
"This junior, Wu Bai, greets Senior Purifying Lotus Demon Saint."
"Ah? There's no need to stand on ceremony, hehe."
Purifying Lotus Demon Saint paused, then gave a gentle smile.
Seeing Purifying Lotus Demon Saint's bewilderment, master and disciple exchanged a glance.
Yellow Springs Demon Saint gave him a detailed explanation.
Purifying Lotus Demon Saint was still a little confused at first, but once Yellow Springs Demon Saint mentioned events from their era, their conversation grew increasingly animated.
Wu Bai listened with keen interest from the side. Everything they discussed had happened long ago, and it included many secrets unknown to the world...
After several hours of free-flowing conversation, Purifying Lotus Demon Saint finally understood what was going on.
Sensing carefully, he really did detect a connection between himself and this young man, which amazed him.
Yellow Springs Demon Saint also glanced at Wu Bai. What he saw surprised him as well. "Little Bai, the rate at which your soul gathers spiritual energy has increased considerably."
"Huh?"
Wu Bai blinked, then looked toward Purifying Lotus Demon Saint. "That should be because I resurrected Senior Purifying Lotus Demon Saint. Teacher, at my current rate, about how long will it take me to advance to a spirit realm soul?"
"About two or three months. By then, we'll have heaven realm souls too. Hahaha..."
Whenever he thought of the special connection between them, Yellow Springs Demon Saint could not help laughing aloud.
Looking at the young man, Purifying Lotus Demon Saint seemed to think of something. He turned his head, his expression wavering between astonishment and uncertainty. "Brother Yellow Springs, if Little Bai advances to an emperor realm soul, wouldn't we..."
"I don't know either, but I think there's a very good chance it'll be just as you imagine."
Now Purifying Lotus Demon Saint finally understood why Brother Yellow Springs had actually taken this child as his Personal Disciple.
Before you continue