"Zero Wing received a Golden Invitation?"
"They really did come with five people — it's true!"
The various powers eavesdropping in the main hall were mildly surprised. Every time the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion held an internal auction, only fifty Golden Invitations were issued, representing the Pavilion's recognition of those fifty factions' strength.
As for the number of people Zero Wing had sent, the various powers didn't particularly care. Most factions that received Golden Invitations rarely sent five people — being able to send two or three was already considered good. So over time, any faction attending the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's internal auctions stopped paying attention to how many people the other side brought. After all, everyone knew full well which factions were capable of receiving a Golden Invitation, and even if five people came together, it could simply be that two factions were well-acquainted and decided to attend as a group.
However, compared to the fact that Zero Wing was a Golden VIP of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, what truly shocked people was that the Star Navigation Group wanted to kick Zero Wing out.
"So what if they have a Golden Invitation?" Lu Xingluo's bodyguard glared at Yuan Tiexin and said dismissively.
Although he was Lu Xingluo's bodyguard, he was also a powerhouse in the Divine Realm and knew a fair amount of intelligence about it.
Their Star Navigation Group had previously pressured the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion into not inviting War Soul Unyielding. Had War Soul Unyielding been invited, they too would have been Golden VIPs — but War Soul Unyielding still didn't come.
Now they were talking about some Zero Wing Guild that nobody had ever really heard of.
"Oh really?" Yuan Tiexin said with a trace of irritation. "All guests invited by our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion — as long as they haven't committed any wrongdoing — won't be asked to leave just because of a few words from you, even if they're Bronze or Silver VIPs. If you have nothing else, please wait quietly in the lounge. The auction is about to begin."
Not inviting someone to the auction and actually escorting someone out during the auction were two completely different matters. If the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion did something like that, how could they ever do business once word got out?
Although the high-grade energy in the Star Navigation Group's hands was indeed tempting, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion wasn't about to cooperate only with them. After all, they weren't the only major conglomerate that could obtain high-grade energy.
"You!" Lu Xingluo's bodyguard flew into a rage. He hadn't expected the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to be so dismissive. He was about to make a move when he noticed two bodyguards behind Yuan Tiexin — whose aura was no weaker than his own — had locked onto him. He then turned and left.
The other factions watched with their mouths agape.
They hadn't expected the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to be so dismissive of the Star Navigation Group.
However, the ultra-first-class guilds and super guilds present weren't surprised. The Star Navigation Group did wield considerable influence, but the major conglomerates backing the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion were no less impressive. The only thing that made the Star Navigation Group somewhat special was that they held a large supply of high-grade energy, which gave the various conglomerates some reason to show them face.
After all, this era was also an era of energy — it was needed in every aspect of life.
It was precisely because of this that the Star Navigation Group had always acted so overbearingly. Everyone was already used to it. In minor matters they might yield from time to time, but on anything of real importance, no conglomerate would give them face — let alone the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
"Uncle Yuan, you were really something! I bet when we get back, the Guild Master will definitely come looking for you," Ziqiong said with a giggle.
"You, girl." Yuan Tiexin gave Ziqiong a sidelong glance, then looked toward the rest area where Shi Feng was. "But this Zero Wing Guild really brings trouble wherever it goes — even daring to stick its nose into the Star Navigation Group and War Soul Unyielding's business."
The Star Navigation Group and War Soul Unyielding were locked in a bitter struggle in the Dark Night Empire. One side was destined to fall, and the chances of War Soul Unyielding losing were extremely high. Falling out of the ranks of ultra-first-class guilds wasn't impossible either — after all, War Soul Unyielding had built its entire development around the Dark Night Empire. Losing it would cripple them.
Meanwhile, in the private meeting room, Lu Xingluo's bodyguard quickly reported the matter to him.
"Chairman, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was completely dismissive of us. Should we have the higher-ups put some pressure on them?" the tall bodyguard asked.
"No need. There's no point in causing friction with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion over something so trivial. So War Soul Unyielding is attending this auction — with their current resources, competing against us would be nothing but a futile effort." Lu Xingluo shook his head. Unlike his bodyguard, he understood full well the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's strength. If things truly soured, it would likely be them who ended up in trouble. After all, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion controlled far too many resources in the Divine Realm, and the scope of their influence was something few could rival in the entire game.
"What about the Zero Wing Guild?" the bodyguard asked again.
"Just a little insect. When we get back, contact the Dark Soul people and have them handle it." Lu Xingluo snorted lightly. He didn't even put War Soul Unyielding in his eyes, let alone a guild like Zero Wing that had only just risen to prominence. He didn't care about them, but if even a bug dared to challenge him, he'd still crush it.
"Yes, sir!" The bodyguard couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
If Zero Wing had accepted their goodwill back then, they could have at least received a million Credit Points. Now, with Dark Soul making a move, the entire guild would likely vanish from the Divine Realm altogether.
Back in the main lounge, the incident between the Star Navigation Group and Zero Wing had livened up what was originally a rather dull atmosphere.
After a brief round of discussion, the auction finally began. Everyone filed into the auction venue that the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had prepared in advance.
Compared to auction venues in the Divine Realm, the one the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had set up was nothing impressive — it could only accommodate two to three thousand people at most, nowhere near the tens of thousands that Divine Realm venues could hold. But not a single person present looked down on this auction, because everyone who had received an invitation was at minimum comparable to a first-class guild. Second-class and third-class guilds didn't even qualify for an invitation.
Moreover, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's internal auction offered an enormous variety of items. This being the very first internal auction in the Divine Realm, over two thousand items were put up for bidding — every single one something that couldn't be purchased in normal gameplay. Among them, over a hundred and fifty were classified as headline lots. Those headline lots went without saying — even the lowest starting bid was a full two thousand gold coins, let alone where the final price might end up.
Once the bidding wars started, even first-class guilds would feel the sting.
But every item up for auction was worth its price, otherwise the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion wouldn't have put them up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's internal auction. As always, the highest bidder wins. Magic Crystals and gold coins from the Divine Realm are the primary means of payment, with Credit Points as secondary." Yuan Tiexin stood on the elevated platform and made his introduction. "Without further ado, the auction officially begins! Please bring out the first item for today!"
The moment Yuan Tiexin finished speaking, a thick, ancient tome appeared on the virtual display screen. The large characters inscribed upon its cover gleamed with a brilliant luster. From the displayed footage, it was clear that the book's appearance had stirred the ambient mana into a frenzy — it was definitely no ordinary object. Every person in the hall was instantly captivated.
"The Book of the Undying!" Shi Feng stared at the virtual image on the platform, his heart jolting. "How did this book end up here?"