I nearly knelt getting my daughter to go to school. The little rascal was resisting every step of the way.
…………
Li Nuo held a rather favorable impression of Yang Kai. It wasn't simply because he had given her an approachable feeling the first time they met, but because of that night's secret transmission.
Li Nuo had recognized it the moment it happened — the one who had secretly sent her that voice transmission was Yang Kai!
So she had long since classified him as one of her own. Now that she saw Yang Kai placing a bid, she hesitated not at all, intending to settle the matter swiftly and lock in the price.
At the same time, she was kicking herself. If she had known Yang Kai was interested in this item, there would have been no need to put it up for auction at all — she could have simply gifted it to him. But even as things stood, it didn't matter. Once this was over, she would just return all the Holy Crystals to him. She couldn't let one of her own take a loss.
Various thoughts raced through her mind as her mouth kept the chant going: "Sixty million, going once—"
"Seventy million!" A new bid rang out before she could finish.
Li Nuo looked up in surprise toward the side and was taken aback to discover that the bidder was none other than Grand Elder Gongsun Liang. Her delicate brows furrowed.
In Private Chamber Five of the Jiazi tier, Yang Kai also raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. But it passed quickly, and he called out a new price: "One hundred million!"
"Hsss…" The warriors in the main hall were shaken once more.
In past auctions, it was rare for any single item to exceed a hundred million. Yet today at the Tongtian Auction House, all three of the final items had crossed that threshold, with the Void King Pill having reached a staggering one billion.
Now this unknown artifact-forging material had also broken the hundred-million barrier — and this was only the beginning.
For a moment, everyone's spirits surged. A showdown between two Void King realm powerhouses — whether in strength or in wealth — was an electrifying spectacle, and no one intended to miss it.
No sooner had Yang Kai's voice faded than Gongsun Liang spoke without so much as a change in expression: "Two hundred million!"
Everyone's jaw dropped, their hearts hammering.
Gongsun Liang had only competed for two items today, yet each time his bidding style was this brazen and unrestrained, as though he didn't regard his opponent in the slightest.
This was no longer a normal auction. This was crushing someone with raw wealth.
Realizing this, many in the crowd wore expressions of deep contemplation, wondering just how the VIP in Private Chamber Five of the Jiazi tier had offended the Grand Elder to provoke this kind of treatment — the same ruthless approach he had used against the Second Young Master.
"Heh heh. The Grand Elder's wealth is truly formidable — I'm impressed," Yang Kai's voice drifted out from his private chamber, calm and unhurried. He made no effort to lower his voice, so his words carried clearly through the entire hall.
"This friend flatters me. A mere two hundred million Holy Crystals — would someone of your standing truly care about that? At our level, Holy Crystals are practically useless." Gongsun Liang's reply was flat and cool.
"The Grand Elder speaks truly," Yang Kai agreed readily. "In that case, then…"
His voice paused for a beat, and every warrior in the hall leaned sideways and craned their ears, straining to catch what came next.
"Five hundred million!"
The hall erupted once more. Every pair of eyes went wide as they stared blankly in every direction, as though they had heard something utterly inconceivable.
The Grand Elder's bidding had been savage enough, but this man was even more savage! Who on earth was he, to so openly and brazenly defy the Grand Elder? Did he not even know how to write the word "death"?
On the elevated platform, Li Nuo's beautiful eyes were filled with anxiety, secretly cursing herself for ever putting this last item up for auction. Now look what had happened — she had provoked a confrontation between that man and the Grand Elder. She had no idea how this was going to end. If this was handled poorly, it would be a catastrophe. Even as worry gnawed at her, she quietly sent a voice transmission to Aunt Chun, hidden in the shadows, instructing her to stand by and act as needed.
From Private Chamber One of the Jiazi tier, Gongsun Liang's voice drifted out at a leisurely pace: "Friend, are you certain you want to bid five hundred million?"
Yang Kai chuckled lightly. "What? The Grand Elder was willing to spend a billion Holy Crystals on a Void King Pill that's essentially useless — and you find it improper for me to spend five hundred million on this forging material?"
Gongsun Liang let out a cold snarl.
Yang Kai referring to himself with such authority in his presence had put him in a thoroughly foul mood. Coupled with the fact that Yang Kai had shown no face whatsoever when he'd sent Jiang Changfeng to extend an invitation last time, his tone turned frigid: "Not improper at all. I simply worry that while your bids come so freely, you may find yourself unable to pay when the time comes."