"Heh heh, I didn't expect that half of a Profound Heaven artifact would attract so many fellow Daoists competing for it. Do you all have such confidence that you'll find the Yang Banner? Aren't you afraid this won't be a blessing, but rather bring catastrophe down upon your own clans?" A hoarse woman's voice suddenly echoed across the plaza with a cold laugh.
"If that's the case, why does Fairy Gu also bother bidding for it? Just honestly hand this treasure over to us." A sharp voice replied impolitely.
"Hand it over to you? Does the Stone Goblin Clan have such an appetite to swallow this Profound Heaven artifact? Aren't you afraid of bursting your bellies!" The hoarse woman said dismissively.
"The Stone Goblin Clan may not have such an appetite, but does Fairy Gu think the Mayfly Clan is capable of claiming this treasure?" A sinister old man's voice also rang out suddenly from one of the flying houses.
"The Mayfly Clan."
Most of the Mahayana ancestors changed color upon hearing this voice.
"The Mayfly Clan is naturally a top-tier great clan on the Tianyuan Continent, but our Tianming Clan is no ordinary small clan either. If it were something else, we might yield a thing or two to your honorable clan, but as for this Profound Heaven artifact — this old woman is determined to have it today." After a long silence, the hoarse woman replied without a trace of emotion.
"Good, very good. Since none of you intends to let go, then we'll see who bids the highest. After all, this is the Helian Merchant Alliance's auction house, and wealth determines the winner. I've already reached my current price — if no one bids higher, then this half of the Heaven-Turning Banner will remain in my possession for the time being." The old man chuckled.
"1.5 billion spirit stones!"
This time, the hoarse woman called out an astonishing price without hesitation.
"1.5 billion — Fairy Gu, do you really have that many spirit stones on hand? You haven't already folded the value of your treasures into that figure, have you?" The Mayfly Clan elder said gloomily.
"What's wrong with counting treasures toward it? This old woman doesn't have many spirit stones, but I do have quite a few useless trinkets that happen to come in handy right now." The hoarse woman laughed coldly twice.
"In that case, this seat will also throw its hat in — 1.8 billion spirit stones." The Stone Goblin Clan Mahayana spoke up once again.
"1.85 billion."
"1.9 billion."
…
Such staggering prices caused the other Mahayana ancestors who had previously shown interest to furrow their brows and fall silent.
Some old monsters with considerable wealth, upon questioning themselves, realized that even if they obtained this half of a Profound Heaven artifact, they wouldn't actually be able to keep it. They could only give up reluctantly as well.
For the moment, only these three Mahayana cultivators of considerable background continued bidding without letting go.
On the stone platform, Hu Yushuang stood there smiling, looking as though she were calmly awaiting the final result.
"Senior Han, you don't want this Heaven-Turning Banner anymore?" Blood Spirit couldn't help but ask.
From the start, Han Li had only called out a bid once and hadn't spoken since, which surprised both women.
"While this treasure is certainly impressive, going to extreme lengths to bring it back might not necessarily be a good thing. After all, an incomplete Profound Heaven artifact, if brought back to our clan, wouldn't immediately bolster the strength of our human race. On the contrary, it would attract unwanted attention from those great clans. Our human and demon races don't have sufficient foundations — we should avoid being the one to stick our necks out." Han Li replied leisurely, not a trace of tension in his expression.
To him, this treasure truly seemed entirely optional.
"You're right. If our human race were to bring back such a prestigious yet utterly impractical treasure, it would be more loss than gain. What a pity this Heaven-Turning Banner isn't a complete artifact — otherwise, Senior, you could have fought for it." Blood Spirit said with some regret.
"Heh heh, if it were a complete Profound Heaven artifact, one could directly commune with an ancient true spirit and summon it to guard our human race. The human race would instantly jump up to a mid-tier power — both in population and territory, we could safely ascend a whole tier. With benefits that great, I, Han, wouldn't mind taking some risks. But as it stands now, it naturally isn't worth the trouble." Han Li offered a brief additional explanation, then fell silent.
Blood Spirit and Zhu Guo'er knew that Han Li wouldn't be making a move for this half of a Profound Heaven artifact, so their interest in the ongoing competition naturally diminished greatly.
In the end, this half of a Profound Heaven artifact was claimed by the Mayfly Clan elder for the staggering price of 2.5 billion spirit stones.
Even though the other Mahayana ancestors burned with desire, they could only watch with unwillingness as a Mahayana elder of the merchant alliance carried the Heaven-Turning Banner into the flying house where the Mayfly Clan Mahayana resided.
A full cup of tea later, the merchant alliance elder flew back out wearing a satisfied expression.
Clearly, although the Mayfly Clan Mahayana had obtained this half of a Profound Heaven artifact, he had also given up nearly all the treasures he carried on his person, forcing him to withdraw from the competition for subsequent items.
Moreover, his journey home would require extreme caution — it was unlikely to be peaceful.
At this moment, the woman on the stone platform released the restriction on a silver platter held by another woman in palace robes. She retrieved a palm-sized jade box from it, lifting it gently with one hand.
In an instant, every gaze in the plaza locked onto the jade box as they waited for the beautiful woman's introduction.
Hu Yushuang took in the expressions of everyone below, smiled faintly, and then opened her cherry lips to speak: