When the next day arrived, Western City became even more lively.
After a full day of spreading, the news regarding the mysterious token from the Ancient Heavenly Palace had completely circulated. Countless factions gathered here. Although the truly powerful experts had yet to reveal themselves, just the appearance of those famous geniuses of Skylaw Continent was enough to cause a sensation.
In truth, everyone understood that a treasure connected to the secrets of the Ancient Heavenly Palace would definitely already be targeted by many powerful factions.
Logically speaking, ordinary people had no ability to compete for it, but everyone harbored a trace of luck. What if fortune really did fall onto their heads?
That was an enormous opportunity. Perhaps they could rise because of it and become a renowned figure of Skylaw Continent, commanding the winds and clouds, admired by tens of thousands. Therefore, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, they would not give up.
The auction venue for the treasures of the Ancient Heavenly Palace was located at the largest auction hall in the center of Western City. This place had originally already fallen into ruin, but because of this event, it once again regained vitality.
"You all can just attend this auction yourselves. If there is anything you want, feel free to act," Liu Bai said with a faint smile as he looked at Jiu You and the others in the manor.
With his current status, there was indeed no need for him to personally appear for everything. It was enough to let Jiu You and the others handle it.
Naturally, Jiu You and the others had no objections.
Besides them, Mu Chen's group of three would also attend. Liu Bai was rather curious whether this auction would end up like those in novels, with some unexpected incident occurring.
The Western City Auction Hall had three floors in total. The lowest floor was the ordinary area. The higher one went, the better the view became, and the more luxurious and comfortable the arrangements were, allowing a full overlook of the entire venue.
However, the third floor was not somewhere ordinary people could enter.
Of course, such rules were meaningless to Jiu You and the others. After all, based on their earlier act of directly extorting the Fourth Prince of the Great Xia Empire, no one in Western City currently dared provoke them.
"Which faction is responsible for organizing this auction?" Jiu You asked as she looked at the crowd below.
Upon hearing this, Tan Qiu immediately replied, "The auction is being managed by a local faction, and they are not particularly strong. After all, none of the major powers in the city wanted another faction's people to host the auction, fearing underhanded schemes. So they jointly selected this local faction, allowing everyone to feel more at ease."
After hearing this, Mu Chen and Ling Xi quietly sighed in relief.
They had also accumulated some Sovereign Spiritual Liquid. If they could obtain some items that directly enhanced their combat strength, it would provide more assurance for their upcoming journey into the Ancient Heavenly Palace.
As time passed, many imposing groups also entered the venue one after another. These people all directly ascended to the third floor, allowing Jiu You and the others to recognize their identities.
The Great Xia Empire, Hidden Dragon Pavilion, Sword Immortal Sect, and Heaven's Edge Tower.
It could be said that all the top factions that had arrived previously were now present.
The auction quickly began.
There were not many items, only four in total, but every single one had come from the Ancient Heavenly Palace.
The very first item, the quasi saint artifact Breaking Sea Pearl, immediately caused quite a stir.
Everyone had mentally prepared themselves, knowing that the treasures of the Ancient Heavenly Palace would certainly be extraordinary, but no one expected the opening item to already be this explosive, directly starting with a quasi saint artifact.
However, Jiu You and the others showed little interest. Only the playful little girls Mo Ling and Lin Jing called out bids twice, merely satisfying their desire to participate in the auction.
In the end, the Breaking Sea Pearl was purchased by Xia Hong of the Great Xia Empire for twenty million Sovereign Spiritual Liquid.
Even Jiu You could not help but glance sideways at this price, while Mu Chen beside her inhaled sharply.
"Twenty million Sovereign Spiritual Liquid? That price is way too outrageous!" Mu Chen could not help but exclaim softly after the auctioneer struck the final hammer.
Even if he and Ling Xi emptied all their savings together, they still would not be able to gather even half that amount. It seemed this auction trip would end in vain for them.
Seeing his expression, Lin Jing beside him boldly patted her flat chest and said, "Do not worry. If you really find something you want, just bid for it. If your Sovereign Spiritual Liquid is not enough, I can lend you some!"
Mu Chen's expression relaxed slightly. He had almost forgotten that there was a super rich little princess beside him. As the little princess of the Martial Realm, she should not lack Sovereign Spiritual Liquid.
Of course, that was assuming she remembered to bring her money pouch when she ran away from home.
The mission Liu Bai had assigned Jiu You and the others this time was the mysterious token that would appear at the end.
That was the military talisman of the Spirit Slaughter Guards. At their peak, the Spirit Slaughter Guards were capable of killing Earth Sovereigns and were one of the Second Hall Master's strongest armies.
Although this item was no longer very useful in Liu Bai's hands, Nine Nether Palace still had battle array masters who could be cultivated. Its value was definitely far higher than an ordinary quasi saint artifact.
Very soon, the second auction item was brought up. It was an ancient bronze scroll, and the bronze scroll itself was visibly damaged.
"Everyone, this scroll is known as the Nine Dragon Immortal Slaying Array. Rumor has it that this array is of Grandmaster grade…" the middle aged auctioneer hurriedly introduced when he saw the crowd's lack of interest.
"Grandmaster grade?"
The moment these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted into an uproar. Even those who were not Spiritual Array Masters revealed shocked expressions.
A Grandmaster grade spiritual array? Was that not something capable of rivaling an Earth Sovereign?
Everyone knew that a Spiritual Array Scholar stood at the same level as an Earth Sovereign, and naturally, a Grandmaster grade spiritual array possessed Earth Sovereign level power.
An array diagram of such grade was something even the top factions of Skylaw Continent did not possess, yet now it had appeared here?
At this moment, among everyone on the third floor, Mu Chen reacted the most strongly.
That was because his elder sister Ling Xi was already a powerful Spiritual Array Grand master who had half stepped into the Scholar realm. The reason she had not crossed that final step was precisely because she lacked a Grandmaster level spiritual array.
Unlike the original storyline, Ling Xi in this life had never returned to the Buddha Ancient Clan, so naturally she never met Qing Yanjing.
Although this prevented her from being imprisoned by the Buddha Ancient Clan, it also meant she could not obtain powerful arrays from Qing Yanjing to study, causing her strength to remain unable to advance.
Now that a Grandmaster array had suddenly appeared before them, it was no wonder Mu Chen was so excited.
"Big Sister Ling Xi…" Mu Chen turned his head and looked excitedly at the quiet girl beside him.
However, Ling Xi raised her hand to stop him and calmly said, "Do not rush. Continue listening to what he says."
Even Jiu You had been tempted by the words "Grandmaster Spiritual Array." If it truly was a Grandmaster Spiritual Array, then it would be worth purchasing. Presumably Liu Bai would like it as well.
After hearing Ling Xi's words, everyone immediately understood that this array diagram was probably not that simple. Mu Chen carefully sensed it for a moment, and immediately frowned.
"This Spiritual Energy fluctuation does not seem like a Grandmaster Spiritual Array…"
There was no lack of sharp eyed individuals present, and someone immediately voiced the question.
The host's expression became somewhat awkward. He gave a dry laugh and said, "Indeed, if it were the complete version of the Nine Dragons Immortal Slaying Array, then it would truly be a Grandmaster grade array diagram."
"However, the one in our possession is somewhat incomplete. Even so, if this array can be successfully deployed, even a Ninth Grade Sovereign peak expert would likely be left in a miserable state. Therefore, its value is in no way inferior to a Quasi Saint Artifact!"
Well, although he tried his best to explain, it still drew boos from the audience below. Most people shook their heads. They were not Spiritual Array Masters, so they clearly had no interest in spending a huge amount of money on a damaged array.
Seeing this, the host could only helplessly announce, "Then let us begin the auction for the second item, the Nine Dragons Immortal Slaying Array. Starting price, five million Sovereign Spiritual Liquid."
Well, although he claimed that this damaged array was comparable to a Quasi Saint Artifact, the starting price already explained everything.
An incomplete array. Jiu You lost interest, but Mu Chen and Ling Xi clearly did not think the same way. Since both of them were Spiritual Array Grandmasters, this incomplete version of the Nine Dragons Immortal Slaying Array still held considerable appeal for them.
Of course, people like Mu Chen were few in number. Most shared the same thoughts as Jiu You, so after the host finished speaking, the entire auction hall fell into silence.
Just as everyone thought that this item might fail to sell, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Six million Sovereign Spiritual Liquid!"
Everyone immediately followed the voice and looked over, only to see Mu Chen and the others on the third floor.
Well, to be precise, everyone's attention first landed on Jiu You, while Mu Chen, who had actually made the bid, was directly ignored.
That was reality!
In the seating areas of the other top factions on the third floor, after seeing Jiu You, they all smiled faintly before withdrawing their gazes. Only Xia Hong narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly thinking about something.
In the end, however, he still chose not to speak and remained silent.
There was no helping it. Although he wanted to cause some trouble for them, when he thought about their overbearing personalities, if he lost face again, then it truly would not be worth it.
"Just wait. Let you all act proud for a few more days…" Xia Hong thought resentfully.
The matter from before had already been reported back. Although it was humiliating and might leave an impression of incompetence in his royal father's mind, the matter had already happened. Even if he wanted to conceal it, it would be impossible.
Since that was the case, it was better to inform the Xia Emperor early so preparations could be made in advance. Then those feathered beasts could be taught a painful lesson!
Seeing that no one competed after his bid, Mu Chen finally let out a long sigh of relief.
There was no helping it. Six million Sovereign Spiritual Liquid had already emptied the savings of both him and Ling Xi. If anyone else had continued bidding, he would have no choice but to shamelessly borrow from Lin Jing.
However, judging from everyone's reactions, the reason they had all given up was not only because the incomplete Nine Dragons Immortal Slaying Array lacked appeal, but also because they were wary of Jiu You and the others.
Thus, after successfully obtaining the array diagram, Mu Chen specifically cupped his fists toward Jiu You in thanks.
Jiu You naturally did not care much about it.
However, she had become somewhat curious about Mu Chen and Ling Xi.
Previously, she had heard Liu Bai mention that the pair's talent in Spiritual Arrays was no weaker than his own. Originally, Jiu You had not believed it. After all, with the monstrous talent Liu Bai had displayed, how could a second such existence appear in the Great Thousand World!
This Nine Dragons Immortal Slaying Array just so happened to provide a chance to test them and see how long it would take them to master it. If things were truly as Liu Bai had said, then these siblings could no longer be regarded as ordinary people in the future.
This was not snobbery. Only by displaying genuine value could one earn the right to be taken seriously. That was the rule of the Great Thousand World.
Next came the third auction item. It was equally extraordinary, a Divine Ability scroll, though it too was incomplete.
Even incomplete, a Divine Ability was still a Divine Ability. It was far more powerful than Divine Arts, so unlike the Nine Dragons Immortal Slaying Array, many people were interested in it.
Jiu You was also interested and tried bidding several times.
However, because there were too many bidders, the price of the Divine Ability quickly rose to an astonishing level. Considering the amount of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid they possessed, Jiu You ultimately chose to give up.
As for Mu Chen and Ling Xi, after purchasing the Nine Dragons Immortal Slaying Array, they had already become paupers. So even if they had thoughts about it, they could only watch helplessly.
There was even less need to mention Lin Jing. From beginning to end, the girl was merely watching the excitement unfold.
Whether it was a Quasi Saint Artifact, an incomplete array, or an incomplete Divine Ability, none of them held any attraction for her. If she wanted such things, she could obtain treasures a thousand or ten thousand times more precious whenever she wished.
In the end, the incomplete Divine Ability was purchased by Miss Qin Ya of the Heaven Edge Tower for eighteen million Sovereign Spiritual Liquid.
There was no helping it. Heaven Edge Tower had built itself upon selling intelligence, making it far wealthier than the other top factions.
After all, everyone's true objective was the mysterious token at the end, so no one was willing to spend too much Sovereign Spiritual Liquid on the previous three items, lest their competitiveness later become insufficient.
On the auction platform, the host looked at the burning gazes from all around as his expression gradually turned solemn. He personally lifted the silver tray, and as Spiritual Light surged, the object within was slowly revealed.
A somewhat mottled golden token lay quietly within the silver tray. Upon the token were two ancient characters, somewhat blurry yet faintly discernible. Upon closer inspection, they formed the word "Second."
Although they were not directly connected to the Ancient Heavenly Palace like Mandala, this did not mean those top factions knew nothing about it.
After so many years of investigation, the organizational structure of the Ancient Heavenly Palace was no longer much of a secret.
Many people already knew that this mysterious token bearing the "Second" inscription came from the Second Hall. That was precisely why they were willing to pay such a great price to obtain it.
Because it represented initiative. It represented the countless secret treasures hidden within the Ancient Heavenly Palace.
The resources and opportunities within the Ancient Heavenly Palace were simply too vast. Any top faction that obtained them might soar to greatness in a single leap, inherit its orthodoxy, and become the new overlord of the Skylaw Continent. At the same time, they would rise to become a true super faction within the Great Thousand World!
Therefore, anything that could grant them the initiative within the Ancient Heavenly Palace was incomparably precious and absolutely had to be fought over!
...
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