Although
Communicating with Long Yuyin remained a struggle.
Right now, she was standing off to the side like a block of wood, making no effort whatsoever to engage with anyone. Her face was stone-cold, radiating an unmistakable "keep your distance" vibe. Who even knew what she was thinking?
At least the current Long Yuyin had reined herself in considerably. She was no longer as insufferable as before.
After the auction had been running for about half an hour, they broke for a round of settlements. The tally showed Gu Bei had spent roughly one hundred and seventy to eighty thousand spirit stones. Of course, he still had plenty remaining. He stuffed everything he'd purchased along with all his leftover spirit stones into a space ring and quietly handed it off to Nie Li.
Hearing Qin Yue's words, curiosity surged through the crowd. What exactly was this mysterious thing she was describing?
Even
A treasure from the primordial age—just that title alone was enough to draw countless stares.
The disciples from the other three great Divine Sects were craning their necks in anticipation as well.
"Miss Qin Yue, bring it out already!"
Clearly satisfied with the effect, Qin Yue offered a faint smile. "Since everyone is so curious about the item about to go up for bid, let us bring out the treasure!"
Two young women slowly carried forward a platter draped in crimson silk.
The careful presentation piqued even Nie Li's curiosity. What exactly was this relic from the primordial age?
Qin Yue's face held a delicate, sweet smile as she lifted the silk. Beneath it lay something shaped like a scroll. She picked it up and slowly unfurled it. "To this day, we have been unable to determine exactly what this is. We only know that it is far from ordinary."
Everyone strained their eyes to look at what Qin Yue held. It was not a scroll—it was a painting. Across it stretched unbroken mountain ranges, evoking a sense of vast, far-reaching emptiness. A river wound through the landscape, and at the top, four characters in ancient, powerful calligraphy read: Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains.
Just from gazing upon those four characters, everyone felt as though struck by a thunderclap—a powerful wave of awe crashed through them. Those four characters contained some kind of tremendous will.
This was no ordinary treasure.
That was the first thought that flashed through every mind.
The most stunned of all was Nie Li. The others couldn't possibly know what this treasure really did—they had merely seen the image and felt the shock. But Nie Li knew its true purpose!
According to the records within the Book of Time-Space Demon Spirit, this was a work of art left behind by a supremely powerful being of the primordial age, infused with their life's will. After completing the Scroll of Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, that being had exhausted all their energy and perished. Its purpose went far, far beyond merely aiding cultivation!
If all you did was carry it on your person and absorb the aura it emanated for cultivation, that would be a criminal waste. What seeped from it was nothing but a mere wisp of Heavenly Dao power!
A treasure of this magnitude, showing up here and put on the auction block—Nie Li vaguely sensed something was off. But there was absolutely no way he was letting this go. If he could unlock all the functions of this Scroll of Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, it could become a weapon against the Sacred Emperor!
The Sacred Emperor held dominion over everything, sealing away infinite space-time. To break that seal single-handedly, one would need extraordinary means.
The Scroll of Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains absolutely could not fall into someone else's hands.
"Gu Bei, buy this Scroll of Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains at any cost!" Nie Li transmitted to Gu Bei via soul voice. "I'll cover the money!"
"Done!" Gu Bei nodded. Even though he had no idea what the scroll actually did, he knew it was far from simple—and that was enough.
Money was there to be spent, wasn't it?
Gu Bei was raring to go!
Qin Yue looked out at the crowd with a smile. "I'm sure everyone has realized this is no ordinary item. Under normal circumstances, something like this would never appear at an auction. But here's the dilemma—if you don't know its function, carrying it around is little more than looking at a pretty picture. Even the Divine Sect executive who consigned it doesn't know what it does!"
The crowd exchanged glances.
It was true. Everyone understood that this object undoubtedly contained boundless power. But the Divine Sect executive who had put it up for sale hadn't managed to figure out the mysteries of this Scroll of Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains either—what hope did they have? As the grand finale piece, its price would naturally be steep. If they shelled out an enormous sum only to end up with something useless, that would be an incredible loss!