"Three hundred and thirty million gold coins from Senior Huang Xianyu." Xuan Xi looked at the cultivators in the VIP rooms. "Is there anyone else who wants this flower? Two hundred years is a long time, and it's not certain we'll get it again, especially since its appearance is random and unpredictable."
"Three hundred and sixty million gold coins."
Huang Xianyu raised her eyebrows after Wang Jishan placed his bid, and she knew that he was doing it on Wang Fuxi's orders. 'This is troublesome! If that woman wants the fruit, the price will skyrocket, and I won't be able to keep up with her.'
"Sister, you don't need to bid too high, and we will follow Wang Jishan's price." Huang Xiaotian spoke from behind.
Huang Xianyu nodded slightly and looked towards the Wang Clan's VIP room, and she saw Wang Jishan coming out from inside. "I'm sorry, Xianyu. My sister wanted that fruit because she lost to Long Yin two hundred years ago, so she didn't want to miss this opportunity to get it."
"I know." Huang Xianyu replied briefly, but she didn't immediately bid again and waited for the other bidders.
"Three hundred and thirty million gold coins from Senior Wang Jishan! Are there any other bidders?"
"Three hundred and ninety million gold coins."
Huang Xianyu and Wang Jishan looked at the VIP room in front of them, where Xue Jing and Xue Lan were. "Patriarch Wang and Xianyu, it's not just you two who need the fruit. I also need it, so let's compete fairly."
"Hahaha." Wang Jishan laughed at that. "It's rare for you to bid on an item in an auction, Xue Jing. Alright, we'll compete for that fruit, and we'll find out the winner later."
Huang Xianyu didn't say anything and nodded to Xue Jing, who was already standing on her balcony. 'The competition for this fruit has become more challenging now that she has joined the bidding, and I am unsure about the details of her financial capabilities.'
"Three hundred and ninety million gold coins from Senior Xue Jing! Are there any other bidders?" Xuan Yi was in no rush because the guests in the VIP rooms hadn't all bid yet, and she knew for sure that they wanted the fruit. "Are there any other bidders?"
"Four hundred and twenty million gold coins."
Wang Jishan, Huang Xianyu, and Xue Jing turned to the VIP room of the Liu Clan, where they saw Liu Xun and Liu Xing walking out from inside.
Liu Xun cupped his hands towards the three people. "Please forgive me for interrupting the fun of the three of you, but I also want that fruit, so I will join you in bidding for it."
"Hahaha." Feng Xiaofang laughed as he brought his wife, Yan Huoling, out to the balcony. "Since you guys bid on the fruit, I will also join in the bidding. I bid four hundred and fifty million gold coins for the fruit."
Yan Huoling let out a soft sigh as the price of the fruit continued to climb, and it was sure to become too expensive in the future. She didn't say anything to her husband, and instead, she looked at Feng Shen's VIP room. 'Is that kid not interested in that fruit? Could it be that he doesn't have gold coins to fight over that fruit? He has two elements, and he hasn't cultivated for long, so both elements must still be low.'
"Four hundred and fifty million gold coins from Senior Feng Xiaofang." Xuan Xi announced this while looking at the crowd, eagerly anticipating the next bidder. "Are—"
"Four hundred and eighty million gold coins!"
All the cultivators present at the auction venue looked at the old man, who walked in from outside. Their expressions showed hostility towards him, especially because he was the vice leader of the Xie Clan, Xie Jun.
Xuan Xi was also shocked by Xie Jun's arrival, and she contacted her father, who was standing backstage. However, Old Xuan instructed her to continue the auction because their auction house was not bound by rules, and all cultivators, whether righteous or heretic, were allowed to participate in their auction events.
Xuan Xi inwardly sighed. "Four hundred and eighty million gold coins from Senior Xie Jun. Are there any other bidders?"
"Heh." Xie Jun snorted at the righteous cultivators who seemed eager to attack him. He pointed his index finger at them one by one and challenged them. "If you guys want to kill me, all of you can join forces and attack me together. However, I won't stand idly by, and I will leave this place by killing a few of you. Without Long Yin and Wang Fuxi, all of you are nothing compared to me."
The righteous cultivators were furious after listening to Xie Jun's words, but none of them moved to attack him, including Xue Jing. Since ancient times, the auction area has been open to anyone, whether righteous or heretic cultivators, and that tradition has been maintained for a long time, so they chose to restrain themselves and not attack him.
"Coward." Xie Jun snorted and sat down in the lower area without caring about the righteous cultivators' gazes on him.
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"Is he the leader of the Xie Clan?" Tang Xiao's clone asked Feng Shen, reading Xie Jun's data before his eyes.
Feng Shen shook his head. "Xie Jun is the vice leader of the Xie Clan, but his strength is not inferior to Xie Shun's. Xie Shun never shows himself in public, but he should be around here right now, and he's watching this auction from behind."
"Hmm?" Xiao Ai displayed the map for Tang Xiao's clone, where she saw dozens of red dots surrounding the auction house. He frowned deeply when he saw the name Xue Shun on one of them. 'Senior Feng, that man is on the roof of this auction house right now, and he seems to be using a special artifact to hide his aura and presence, so the people in this place are unaware of his presence.'
Feng Shen turned to Tang Xiao's clone directly. 'Are you sure of that?'
'Yes.' Tang Xiao's clone nodded at him. 'Besides Xie Shun, there are dozens of members of the Xie Clan around this auction house, and they seem to be waiting for something. However, I can't be sure of their purpose, and it might have something to do with one of the items in this auction.'
Feng Shen had long guessed that Tang Xiao's clone possessed many things that other cultivators didn't have, especially when he sent Xue Bai elsewhere before he had formed a contract with her. Since he wasn't a nosy or jealous person, he chose not to inquire about his secrets. 'If that's true, this auction will be dangerous, and I think we should leave this place now before things get messy.'
'It's okay, we don't need to leave this place, and I have a way for us to leave here safely after the auction is over.' Feng Shen observed Tang Xiao's clone's expression thoughtfully, but he only replied with a casual smile. 'Senior Feng, I want to buy the Origin Elemental Flower, but I don't want the people present here to know about it, so I need your help in bidding for it.'
Feng Shen wasn't surprised that Tang Xiao's clone wanted to obtain the Origin Elemental Flower, as he also desired it; however, he felt the price was already too high and not worth the benefit.
Tang Xiao's clone handed over the storage ring Xiao Ai had given him earlier to Feng Shen, but he had already moved most of the gold coins into his storage ring without anyone's knowledge because he possessed the void element. 'Senior Feng, you don't need to use your gold coins to pay for the items I want to buy, and you can use everything in here to pay for them later.'
Feng Shen accepted the storage ring and inspected its contents, which nearly made him fall off his chair. He stared at Tang Xiao's clone in shock, but he simply smiled and had no intention of explaining its source. 'You are truly insane, kid! You can support dozens of third-grade clans with this many gold coins! Even the Sun Clan doesn't have this many gold coins, let alone your Tang Clan.'
'If you knew my gold coin stock, you would definitely die of shock, Senior Feng.' Tang Xiao's clone laughed in his mind as he spoke. 'Senior Feng, please bid on the flower now.'
'Alright.' Feng Shen walked out to the balcony and made a bid for the Origin Elemental Flower. "Five hundred and ten million gold coins for the flower."
Huang Xianyu, Xue Jing, Wang Jishan, Liu Xun, and Liu Xing were surprised to hear Feng Shen bid on the Origin Elemental Flower, as Feng Xiaofang had also bid on it previously.
Feng Xiaofang and Yan Huoling were equally surprised by Feng Shen's decision, but he quickly explained to them via voice transmission that Tang Xiao's clone wanted to obtain the Origin Elemental Flower, mainly because his element levels were still low.
Feng Xiaofang and Yan Huoling nodded in understanding as they replied to Feng Shen via voice transmission, and they decided to give up on getting the Origin Elemental Flower.
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Xie Jun looked at Feng Shen with a murderous look, but he knew that he and the Xie Clan members would not be able to stop him from escaping. "Five hundred and forty million gold coins for the flower."
- To Be Continued -