Chapter 260: The Auction Begins
A sinister, chilling laugh echoed through the auction venue, laced with intense killing intent that made many people's faces pale. However, after delivering his threatening words, the scar-faced man from the Fengyun Dynasty only cast a menacing smile at Lin Langtian and then calmly returned to his seat. The other Fengyun Dynasty members followed suit, sitting as though nothing had happened.
Lin Langtian narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth, but he remained still and composed. At his side, Jinwu was as calm as ever, and Su Kui and his group, trusting Lin Langtian completely after the last few days, showed no trace of worry.
"That scar-faced man is named Meng Lie. He's as fierce as a beast," Su Kui whispered to Lin Langtian. "The other leader of the Fengyun Dynasty is Feng Cang, cunning as a snake. With their ruthless tactics, the Fengyun Dynasty is quite feared here in the Ancient Battlefield."
Lin Langtian nodded slightly, his face showing little reaction. Su Kui felt grateful yet again for encountering Lin Langtian, or else he and his sister would have had a hard time escaping the Fengyun Dynasty's reach.
As Lin Langtian and his group spoke quietly, Feng Cang, seated at the front, folded his fingers together and gazed ahead. "Is everything prepared?" he asked coolly.
"Relax," Meng Lie replied with a grin. "The Great Qian and Great Zhao Dynasties are on their way. By the time the auction is over, they'll have arrived in Myriad City."
At this, Feng Cang nodded, his half-closed eyes flashing with a venomous glint. "No matter what, that kid won't make it out of here alive," Meng Lie muttered with a vicious smile.
With both sides seated and quietly preparing, the arena's previously tense atmosphere finally began to ease, though anyone in the know recognized it as only the calm before a storm. Fengyun Dynasty's hidden intentions were clear to the three other super dynasties and several top-tier high-ranking dynasties; they knew Fengyun Dynasty was merely biding its time, waiting for its allies to arrive for a decisive confrontation. When the Great Qian and Great Zhao forces reached the city, the true battle would commence, and the entire Ancient Battlefield could be thrown into chaos.
As the hours passed, more people flooded into the auction venue until it was packed to capacity, with row upon row of onlookers stretching into the distance. By noon, a figure stepped onto the central platform in the middle of the arena. It was a middle-aged man in gray robes, his expression as still as a lake, unaffected by the countless piercing gazes fixed upon him.
Lin Langtian's attention immediately focused on this man, his eyes flashing with a trace of caution. He sensed a very powerful, subtle energy from him.
"That's Song Tai," Su Kui explained quietly, "the elder appointed by the super sect to oversee Myriad City."
Lin Langtian nodded. Myriad City's status as a major stronghold came from having a super sect's elder guarding it. He couldn't help but wonder how he'd fare against someone of Song Tai's advanced Nirvana Stage level.
"Most of you are here for the Myriad City auction, so there's no need for me to explain the rules," Song Tai's voice boomed from the stage, his tone steady as his gaze swept across the crowd. "There aren't many items up for auction today, but each has been carefully selected and is quite rare. I trust many of you will find something of interest."
With a wave of Song Tai's sleeve, dozens of dazzling lights shot out, floating in the air over the auction stage. Immediately, everyone's eyes fixed on the floating lights, which exuded a palpable aura of power, each item looking remarkable even from a distance. And at the highest point, a purple orb no larger than a person's head pulsed with light. It emitted waves of energy that made countless onlookers' hearts race.
The purple orb hovering at the top of the stage was unmistakably a heaven-grade treasure.
In its shimmering, haloed glow, it drew every gaze, inspiring awe and desire in equal measure. Even Lin Langtian felt his heart stir. Other than the mysterious Golden Spirit Mirror, he had no treasures that could match the power of a heaven-grade artifact.
On stage, Song Tai calmly observed the crowd's reaction, his expression unchanging. After a moment, he reached out, and one of the floating lights shot down, landing in his hand. As the light faded, it revealed a three-foot-long sword with a glint of blue steel.
"The first item is a ground-grade artifact: the Lingfeng Sword. This blade is one of the finest among ground-grade treasures. Its edge is so sharp that even a warrior with a Three-Essence Nirvana body wouldn't dare touch it barehanded," Song Tai announced, holding the sword aloft.
"The opening bid is 300,000 Nirvana pills."
"320,000!"
"350,000!"
"400,000!"
The bids flew across the arena, and the Lingfeng Sword was eventually sold to a dynasty for nearly 500,000 Nirvana pills. The subsequent auction items were also powerful ground-grade artifacts, both offensive and defensive, all high-quality.
One such treasure, called the Earthfire Stone, fetched a hefty 800,000 Nirvana pills, eliciting gasps from the audience. As the items grew rarer, the energy in the auction house rose to a fever pitch. Lin Langtian, however, showed no interest in the ground-grade artifacts, his gaze remaining steady as he quietly awaited something more to his liking.
Finally, his eyes lit up as the next item was introduced.
"The upcoming auction item is a bit unique," Song Tai announced. "It's not an artifact or a pill but a rare tree known as the Qingmu Origin Tree…"
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