"Oh, so there is more to the story than meets the eye. Brother Yue, please elaborate for us." A demon wreathed in black qi spoke up after hearing the explanation, a look of sudden understanding crossing his face.
This demon was also a Late-stage Void Refinement cultivator, and he seemed to hold a status even slightly higher than Yue Liantian. The moment he spoke, the other demons participating in the auction promptly fell silent.
The entire auction hall returned to a hush in an instant.
"Since Brother Jinjiao is asking, naturally I will explain in full detail and hold nothing back," the elderly demon said, clasping his fists toward the demon named Jinjiao with a composed air. "The reason this Holy Brick has appeared in our city is twofold. First, the owner did not wish for this item to cause too great a stir, which might bring some unfavorable impact upon himself. Second, this Holy Brick is actually somewhat incomplete — the two sets of cultivation techniques recorded within both lack critical incantations, and furthermore, they are not the primary divine abilities that Lord Qiiling himself cultivated in his day. Otherwise, how could such a holy artifact be entrusted to old me to conduct the auction?"
"Ah, I see. Lord Qiiling held such a distinguished status in his time. Even if the techniques within the Holy Brick are incomplete, comprehending even a fraction of the divine abilities within would be enough to surpass all others of the same cultivation stage. In terms of value, it truly does exceed that Dark Blood Five-Colored Bell," Jinjiao mused, appearing to have had all his doubts thoroughly resolved.
Far from being disappointed, the other demons who overheard this exchange only fixed their gazes upon the crystalline brick with even greater fervor.
Although the incomplete nature of the techniques seemed to slash its value by seventy or eighty percent, this very fact only served to confirm the artifact's authenticity.
"But I wonder whether Elder Yue could tell us the names of those two sets of techniques. That way, we would know whether they are suitable for us?" A sharp, shrill voice suddenly echoed through the hall from overhead, yet the speaker's exact location could not be pinpointed at all — clearly, some sort of secret technique was in use.
"My apologies, but that is something I cannot reveal," the elderly demon replied, shaking his head. "When the owner brought this Holy Brick forward for auction, one of the conditions was that the names of the techniques must not be disclosed beforehand. Very well, everything I can say has been said — the auction now begins!"
"Forty million! This Holy Brick — this seat wants it, no matter what."
A voice like rolling thunder boomed from one corner of the arena, belonging to a towering, giant-like demon over thirty feet tall, its face green with fangs jutting from its mouth.
"Forty million to take away such a holy artifact? Brother Shi, aren't you being a bit too naïvely optimistic? I bid fifty million!" A single-horned demon with a face full of bushy whiskers sneered coldly.
"Sixty million!" Jinjiao's face darkened as he bid without a moment's hesitation.
"Sixty-five million demon stones!"
"Sixty-eight million!"
…
Urgent bids rang out from other corners of the hall in rapid succession.
In short order, the wealthiest high-ranking demons in the auction were all making their moves one after another.
Han Li naturally held some interest in the techniques of a Mahayona-stage powerhouse. Unfortunately, these techniques had been left behind by a Demon Ancestor, and were furthermore incomplete — otherwise, he might truly have been moved to entertain some other thoughts.
"Eighty million demon stones!"
A frigid voice slowly rang out. At the same time, a wave of bizarre cold energy swept through the entire hall like a howling gale.
The moment every demon came into contact with that aura, those at lower cultivation levels found their bodies instantly going rigid, as though they had been plunged into a world of ice and snow. Even those at the Void Refinement stage could not help but shudder involuntarily.
"It's the Demon Lord!"
The Void Refinement demons made that judgment almost in the same instant, and several of them cried out in shock.
Upon hearing this, the remaining demons were seized with alarm, and every pair of eyes swiveled toward the source of the frigid aura in a flash.
There, at one of the entrances along the edge of the hall, a silver-eyed elder in a gray robe had appeared at some point, standing with an expressionless face, his nose like a hawk's beak, a faint aura of blood radiating from his body.
"The City Lord?"
"Senior Bing?"
…
The moment they clearly made out the silver-eyed elder's features, the entire auction hall erupted into commotion once more. The high-ranking demons who recognized the old man's identity were struck completely dumb with shock.
"City Lord, what are you doing here—" Yue Liantian was equally stunned and hurriedly called out a bow from afar.
"What, is this old me not allowed to attend this auction?" the silver-eyed elder remarked lightly, with an air of casual indifference.
"I would not dare suggest such a thing. The City Lord's willingness to attend the auction is this subordinate's honor! I was simply unaware beforehand and taken somewhat by surprise." Yue Liantian's heart clenched, and he hastened to explain.
"In that case, since this old me currently holds the highest bid, then this Holy Brick should belong to me, shouldn't it?" the Blood Crow City Lord said noncommittally.
"Of course. If no one bids higher than the City Lord, then the Holy Brick will belong to Your Lordship. I wonder whether any other fellow Daoists are still willing to place a bid?" Yue Liantian nodded repeatedly, raising the crystalline brick high and calling out in a loud voice.
The elderly demon's voice echoed throughout the hall, yet the entire auction was utterly silent.
Those high-ranking demons who had previously looked ready to fight to the bitter end now had eyes still blazing toward the crystalline brick as though flames might pour from them, yet every last one of them kept their mouth tightly shut, not daring to utter a single word.
This was hardly surprising.
Setting aside Bing Qianren's status as the local master, his terrifying cultivation at the mid-stage Demon Lord realm alone was more than enough to cow every demon present into submission.