Dong!
The deep toll of a bell descended heavily from the auction house's vaulted ceiling, rolling over the faint hubbub throughout the hall.
Its resonance seemed to carry a peculiar rhythm, instantly drawing the previously relaxed atmosphere taut.
Countless figures unconsciously straightened their backs, their gazes turning as one toward the white-jade circular platform below, fires of anticipation and greed kindling in their eyes.
Who among those who scraped a living on White Dragon Hill did not know the weight the Nine Summers Auction House carried?
Every day, deep among the hills, they fought Spirit Beasts, treacherous terrain, and even their fellow humans. Most of the worthwhile spoils they earned with blood, sweat, and sometimes their lives ultimately flowed here.
A high-grade Spirit Artifact that suited its wielder, a practical Spirit Art scroll, or a pill that could save a life at a critical moment could decide whether an adventuring party survived the next day.
For many who licked blood from the edges of their blades, this auction platform sometimes mattered more to their survival than the threshold of the City Lord's Mansion.
A rather portly middle-aged man in a brocade robe slowly walked to the center of the platform, his face wreathed in a smooth, rounded smile like that of the Laughing Buddha.
He first bowed with clasped hands to the stands on every side. His manner was humble, but his voice rang out clearly.
"Hehe, sorry for the wait, everyone. I am Bi Sheng, privileged to serve as chief auctioneer at the Nine Summers Merchant Guild's auction house here in White Dragon City."
"Without further ado, allow me to thank all our friends here today on behalf of the Nine Summers Merchant Guild for honoring us with your presence!"
The auctioneer who introduced himself as Bi Sheng clearly knew his trade. His opening remarks were extremely brief, without the slightest dragging of mud or trailing of water.
Once he finished bowing, his smile remained unchanged as he lightly clapped his hands.
"In that case, let us... begin!"
A sword case appeared on the stone stand before him.
The case stood open, revealing the Three-Foot Green Edge within.
With a starting price of one million five hundred thousand Spirit Coins, bids rang out one after another, and the atmosphere rapidly heated up.
The auction proceeded in an orderly fashion, but unfortunately, nothing interested Mu Chen's group. Even Tang Qian'er, with Mu Chen's help, already had a full repertoire of Divine Arts.
Time passed amid calls of bids and the falls of the hammer.
The auction gradually approached its end, yet the atmosphere in the hall showed no sign of waning. Instead, it grew increasingly heated.
Everyone knew the custom at auctions: the later it got, the more precious the treasures tended to be.
On the auction platform, Bi Sheng was all smiles. He cast an unobtrusive glance at the major factions seated up front, then slowly took something from his sleeve.
Every gaze in the hall converged on him at once.
Cradled in Bi Sheng's hands was a jade pillar barely two inches long!
The jade had a warm luster, but its color was not uniform. Milky-white wisps of cloud seemed to flow within it.
Soaring white dragons had been painstakingly carved into the pillar. Those dragon forms seemed anything but lifeless. The craftsmanship bordered on the divine, every scale distinct and every whisker vivid as they coiled around the pillar, imbued with a lively majesty that suggested they might break free of the jade and take flight!
Even more startling, where the heads of those entwined white dragons gathered, an extremely indistinct phantom of a seated figure seemed faintly visible amid the hazy light and shadow!
Though his features could not be made out, he naturally exuded the bearing of a still, unfathomable pool and a towering mountain, detached from the mortal world.
Humm-
No sooner had the White Dragon Jade Pillar appeared in Bi Sheng's hands than it began trembling of its own accord without warning, emitting a clear, ringing hum!
An oppressive Supreme aura spread outward!
After an introduction, everyone learned that it was connected to the White Dragon Supreme. Countless people shot to their feet, their eyes instantly turning crimson with bloodshot veins.
The White Dragon Supreme!
What terrifying power that name held here on White Dragon Hill, in the northwestern reaches of the Northern Heavens Continent!
Hundreds of years ago, he had truly been one of the powerhouses standing at the continent's pinnacle, turning his palm to summon clouds and overturning it to bring rain. His illustrious name still lived on in many ancient tales.
His fall had been one of the reasons White Dragon Hill became an ancient battlefield and a sacred destination for adventurers.
Today, this suddenly revealed White Dragon Jade Pillar and its unmistakable Supreme pressure once again ignited everyone's fervor!
Mad passion and utter greed instantly devoured the reason of the vast majority of those present.
The legacy left behind by a Supreme powerhouse was enough to drive them mad.
Even Mu Chen sat up straight. He cared nothing for the White Dragon Supreme's inheritance, but he cared a great deal about the White Dragon Supreme's homeland!
"Now," Bi Sheng said solemnly, holding up the jade pillar as his voice rang out, "the auction for this item will begin."
"Starting bid: three million Spirit Coins!"
"Three million five hundred thousand!"
Almost as soon as Bi Sheng finished speaking, a somewhat frivolous voice, carrying an unmistakable determination to win, sounded from the front rows on the left side of the auction hall.
The bidder was a young man in luxurious white robes, seemingly in his early twenties. With a woman tucked against either side, he was plainly a spoiled wastrel.
Several guards with formidable auras surrounded him, while an old man in black robes with a sinister face sat behind him to one side, his eyes closed.
He was Bai Dong, the son of White Dragon City's city lord.
"Five million."
Mu Chen's sudden bid brought the bidding to a brief halt.
Many people froze, then looked toward the voice.
This Black-Clothed Youth was a complete stranger, no famous figure from White Dragon City or any known faction nearby. Yet he dared bid against Bai Dong, and he had brought three such stunning beauties with him...
Bai Dong, the wastrel in white, naturally turned to look as well.
First, he gave Mu Chen a casual glance, his eyes carrying their customary contempt and impatience.
But the next instant, when his gaze swept over the three women beside Mu Chen, his slightly puffy eyes abruptly widened, and a scorching flame seemed to leap to life deep within his pupils!
The three women had utterly different temperaments, yet every one of them was an incomparable beauty.
Bai Dong prided himself on having known countless women. In White Dragon City and even the surrounding cities, there were few women with any beauty whom he had not sullied. Yet when had he ever seen three such peerless beauties at once, each with her own distinctive charm?
And from the look of things, all three were closely involved with this boy in black?
A wicked fire mingling intense desire, jealousy, and possessiveness instantly surged into Bai Dong's head.
"Exquisite... truly exquisite..." he murmured, scarcely bothering to conceal the lust and greed in his gaze!
Sensing that nauseating stare, Luo Li frowned slightly, a clear trace of disgust and coldness flashing through her glass-like eyes.
Wen Qingxuan simply sneered, her gaze sharp as a blade as she stared straight back without courtesy. The contempt and killing intent in her eyes sent a chill through even the guards beside Bai Dong.
Tang Qian'er also noticed that ill-intentioned gaze and instinctively edged closer to Mu Chen.
In response, Mu Chen merely raised his hand slowly. The motion seemed unhurried, even somewhat casual.
But before anyone could react, including the black-robed old man beside Bai Dong who had kept his eyes closed all this time!
A translucent hand formed purely from spiritual energy condensed to the utmost had already appeared out of thin air three feet above Bai Dong's head!
The spiritual-energy hand gently closed downward, crushing him and his guards to death on the spot.
A grind of spiritual energy annihilated them completely, and he took their Storage Vessels in passing.
The auction hall fell deathly silent.
Bai Dong... the son of White Dragon City's city lord... was gone?
Sweeping his mind over White Dragon City, he crushed its city lord to death as well while he was at it.
White Dragon City had its roots in the Dragon Demon Palace, a sworn enemy of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. Killing him suited him just fine.
With everything done, Mu Chen turned his gaze back to the auction platform. "My bid is five million Spirit Coins."
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