After hearing Jiu You's words, Liu Bai quickly withdrew his gaze, though he was still quite interested in the so-called Celestial Fox Sect she mentioned.
According to the original text, the founding ancestor of the Celestial Fox Sect was a beautiful woman skilled in seductive arts. Back when Martial Ancestor Lin Dong first arrived, she had even set her eyes on him, but unfortunately for her, the Martial Ancestor's willpower was firm—he never fell for her tricks.
"The Celestial Fox Sect cultivates the Great Celestial Fox Art. It's said to be inherited from an ancient fox-demon lineage. Not only do they practice until they're neither fully human nor fully fox, but every last one of them is fickle by nature. They especially like handsome men like you."
Jiu You shot him a sidelong glance—don't think she didn't notice his eyes nearly popping out earlier, practically burying themselves in that woman's chest.
"Can I help it if I'm handsome? Besides, someone as morally upright as me—how could I possibly be swayed by just anyone's charm?"
Liu Bai puffed out his chest with a righteously proud expression.
Unfortunately, the only response he received was two cold snorts from Jiu You.
Soon, the two found seats near the front of the auction hall.
These seats were carved from jade and lined with soft fur. Sitting upon them, one could faintly sense wisps of spiritual energy seep into the body. Clearly, neither the jade nor the fur was ordinary.
"As expected of the greatest auction house on the Merchant Continent—even the seats are extravagant."
Liu Bai stroked the soft fur and couldn't help but sigh.
Jiu You didn't find his lack of worldly experience embarrassing. Instead, she resumed sharing information about the surrounding crowd.
"Everyone seated here today has considerable background. Still, not many pose a threat to us. That sickly-looking young man is one. The guard behind him should be a Fifth-Grade Sovereign."
"As for the young man himself, he seems to be about the same as you—someone who has just broken through to First-Grade Sovereign. He also doesn't look like he's good at fighting."
Hearing this, the corner of Liu Bai's mouth curled upward. He sent a voice transmission.
"So what you're saying is… these people are all ones we can afford to provoke?"
Seeing his expression, Jiu You instantly understood what he was thinking. She simply nodded lightly and didn't stop him.
Liu Bai became even more pleased.
As time passed, the atmosphere of the venue reached its peak. Finally, a pillar of light erupted from the center of the auction stage, and faintly, the tolling of a mystical bell seemed to echo.
Everyone's gaze turned over.
Within the pillar of light, a woman wearing a palace gown slowly appeared. Though her beauty did not compare to Jiu You's unrivaled charm, she was still a rare beauty. Combined with her pure and restrained aura, many found it hard to look away.
Even the sickly young master surrounded by beauties abandoned the woman beside him. His eyes flashed a wolfish green light, sharp and predatory.
"This routine again…" Jiu You muttered beneath her breath, her gaze full of disdain.
"This is perfectly normal. Beautiful women help empty these men's wallets faster. It makes them bid without thinking—that is the whole purpose of an auction, isn't it?"
"If I were the owner behind this auction house, I'd arrange the same thing."
Liu Bai said with a smile.
But his gaze reflected only casual appreciation. After all, everyone likes beautiful things. As for being seduced by cheap tricks? Honestly speaking, with someone like Jiu You beside him, Liu Bai felt his resistance toward women had increased immensely.
Unless someone surpassed Jiu You in either beauty or figure, it was nearly impossible to sway him.
And although there were people in the Great Thousand World on Jiu You's level, those who could surpass her… were exceedingly rare.
With the auctioneer appearing, the crowd quieted. Beauty aside, treasures were equally captivating.
"Honored guests, today's auction will now begin. There are a total of thirty-five items for bidding. Now, please welcome the first item…"
Although the woman looked enchanting, she did not use any seductive abilities. She simply and efficiently announced the start of the auction.
Soon, the first item was brought forth—a crimson long spear.
Even though a protective halo of light sealed the spear, Liu Bai could still feel the violent destructive aura emanating from it.
"The Flame Dragon War Spear—Lower-Grade Divine Artifact. Within it resides the soul of a Flame Dragon. When used, the Flame Dragon descends, capable of shattering dawn and destroying heavens."
The woman swayed her hips as she
introduced it.
"Starting bid: two thousand Sovereign Spiritual Liquids!"
Many gasps echoed through the hall—none expected a Divine Artifact to be the very first item.
Clearly, most of these people had not studied the auction list beforehand. Those who came only to watch the excitement naturally weren't the main contenders. The true bidders had already prepared, especially the several individuals whose target was this Flame Dragon War Spear. Their confidence showed as bidding immediately began.
"Two thousand three hundred!"
"Two thousand five hundred!"
"…"
Within barely a minute, the price shot up from two thousand to three thousand Sovereign Spiritual Liquids.
By now, few dared to shout further. After all, three thousand Sovereign Spiritual Liquids was no trivial sum. Even a Fifth-Grade Sovereign would need nearly half a year of nonstop refinement to accumulate that much.
Unless someone specifically came for this spear or possessed near-limitless resources—no one would willingly exceed such a price for a Lower-Grade Divine Artifact.
In the end, the Flame Dragon War Spear was sold for three thousand three hundred Sovereign Spiritual Liquids to a burly middle-aged man.
Judging by his eager and ecstatic expression, this had clearly been his objective from the start. Now that he had succeeded, he could barely sit still.
"The second auction item…"
A fist-sized ice-blue orb appeared on the stage.
"The Flowing Moon Pearl—Lower-Grade Divine Artifact. Contains boundless moonlight. Once activated, moonlight shields the body. Even a Third-Grade Sovereign would struggle to break it. Not only does it possess powerful defense, it can also channel moonlight for offense. Additionally, wearing it greatly benefits cultivation. A versatile Divine Artifact. Starting bid: two thousand five hundred Sovereign Spiritual Liquids!"
Even Liu Bai's eyes brightened—this Flowing Moon Pearl was indeed excellent.
"Two thousand six hundred!"
"Two thousand seven hundred!"
"…"
After a moment of thought, Liu Bai spoke:
"Three thousand Sovereign Spiritual Liquids."
Jiu You glanced at him but said nothing. She did not know exactly how much Sovereign Spiritual Liquid Liu Bai possessed, but judging by his behavior, he clearly had more than enough.
Furthermore, the Flowing Moon Pearl was indeed a useful artifact. Despite Liu Bai's strong combat power, his origin was too humble. He possessed almost no powerful Divine Artifacts.
If he were to follow her back to the Great Heavenlaw Domain, this would become a weakness. Better to acquire one now.
However, many were interested in the Flowing Moon Pearl. Liu Bai's first bid was immediately crushed.
Naturally, Liu Bai didn't mind. This was an auction—whoever offers the highest price wins.
After two more bids, the Flowing Moon Pearl's price rapidly climbed to four thousand.
Auctions always carried inflated prices, and the Flowing Moon Pearl's cost was now approaching that of a mid-grade Divine Artifact.
Once the price reached four thousand Sovereign Spiritual Liquids, very few dared continue. Many reluctantly gave up and instead watched with excitement as the final two bidders competed.
"Four thousand one hundred Sovereign Spiritual Liquids."
Liu Bai's expression remained calm, his tone unchanging.
And the one competing with him was none other than that same sickly-looking young master from earlier…
At this moment, upon hearing that Liu Bai had actually pressed past him, the young master's face instantly turned dark as iron. What made it worse was the constant instigation from the four women of the Celestial Fox Sect, fanning the flames of his temper with every word.
"This young master bids four thousand five hundred! Boy, if you have the ability, keep going!"
The sickly young master abruptly stood up, his wolf-like eyes glaring at Liu Bai with savage intent.
But the moment his gaze fell onto Jiu You sitting beside Liu Bai, a faint light flickered deep within his eyes. When he saw how close the two were sitting, the fire in his gaze blazed even hotter.
"Mu Lao… mark them."
He offered no further explanation, but his intention was already crystal clear.
The black-robed shadow behind him gave a nearly imperceptible nod and then resumed complete stillness.
"You're done for—he's marked you now…" Jiu You said with clear schadenfreude.
"He's already holding a grudge?" Liu Bai put on a very shocked expression. "It's just normal bidding. He gets humiliated this easily? Why would they let such a lunatic walk around freely…"
Thinking back to the flock of seductive women around the man, Liu Bai became even more convinced the man had ulterior motives.
Jiu You shook her head.
"It seems you still haven't adapted to the rules of the Great Thousand World. You don't need deep hatred to kill someone. Sometimes just a single sentence is enough to bring about a fatal disaster."
Liu Bai only smiled without replying, though his thoughts were his own.
A Fifth-Grade Sovereign Realm expert… with Jiu You's current strength, she should be able to hold him off, right?
Unlike Mu Chen in the original work, he didn't have some princess of the Martial Realm to appear and save him at the critical moment. Here, everything depended on the two of them alone.
The auction continued. Treasures of immense value were brought forth one after another—artifacts, Divine Arts, Divine Pills—everything one could imagine.
Soon, the item Liu Bai had been waiting for was finally brought out: the Heaven River Divine Sand.
It appeared as nothing more than a dull, earth-colored grain of sand, wrapped in a faint yellow divine glow. It didn't look impressive, yet the entire auction hall felt an oppressive heaviness weighing down upon their hearts.
"Heaven River Divine Sand. It is said that a single grain carries the weight of a mountain and possesses limitless growth. It is an ultimate material for forging earth-attribute divine artifacts, and also a supreme catalyst for cultivating earth-attribute divine abilities or refining a Celestial Body. Starting price: one thousand five hundred drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid."
No matter how outstanding the introduction, the Divine Sand was still merely a raw material. Its price naturally wouldn't exceed that of a finished artifact. But for someone like Liu Bai who urgently needed it, it was priceless. How high the price would go depended solely on the people present.
"One thousand seven hundred!"
"One thousand eight hundred!"
"Two thousand!"
Before long, most of the bidding voices faded. In the end, only Liu Bai and two others remained.
But once the price exceeded two thousand, the other two began hesitating…
Ultimately, Liu Bai won the Heaven River Divine Sand for two thousand three hundred drops of Sovereign Spiritual Liquid. The entire process went smoothly—shockingly so. Even the sickly young master didn't show up to deliberately sabotage the bidding.
This surprised Liu Bai greatly.
How is this not like other novels at all? If you all cooperate this well, how am I supposed to show off later?
"How boring…"
Hearing this, Jiu You was utterly speechless.
This man definitely has something wrong with his head… who hopes someone comes to cause trouble for them?
"Jiu You, do you still remember the auction list we saw at the entrance? Are there any other good items coming up?" Liu Bai turned to ask her.
"It's my first time attending such a top-tier auction. If I only walk away with two little trinkets like this, I'll feel unsatisfied…"
"Two items? Didn't you only purchase the Heaven River Divine Sand? What second item?" Jiu You asked, confused.
"Oh, the previous one is just being 'temporarily stored' with someone else. I'll pick it up once we're outside the city." Liu Bai replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jiu You froze, then immediately understood. And that understanding only made her more speechless.
"You really… You seriously plan to rob them afterward? And you still dare call yourself a good person?"
"No, no, no! This is not robbery. They'll definitely be the ones who strike first. I'll just be… defending myself. Even if I kill them, I'll still be in the right. As for the spoils—those are my legitimate trophies…"
Jiu You frowned slightly.
"You're that confident you can deal with him?"
Liu Bai shrugged.
"As long as you can hold off that Fifth-Grade Sovereign by his side, I'll handle the rest."
"You really have too much confidence in me. I can't kill a Fifth-Grade Sovereign." Jiu You rolled her eyes.
But she said can't kill, not can't stop—which made Liu Bai relax immediately.
"No worries. You've still got me…"
....
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