The World's First Auction, which had caused a sensation across the entire Aetheram Continent, successfully concluded.
Countless adventurers and national representatives departed in an orderly fashion.
Of course, the atmosphere among them was far from amicable.
Each person wished to be eight hundred meters away from the others.
Especially those who had bid on the Nether Alloy Armor Set, the witherstone greatsword, and the Totem of Undying.
The area within a dozen meters around them was completely empty.
Countless gazes of covetousness and greed converged on them, and in the shadows, many figures had already quietly followed them.
The only ones in a slightly better situation were the members of the Red Dragon Clan.
While the fire dragon heart was good, it wasn't worth making an enemy of Dragon Island.
That item could only be maximized on a dragon. After making a move, there might not be much good to gain, and it was very easy to be relentlessly pursued by an enraged Dragon Island.
They wouldn't do something that wasn't worth the effort.
Countless magical transmissions flew out like mad.
Above and below, countless magic nets completely locked onto those conspicuous targets, and even some adventurers who had bid on less important materials were also targeted by other adventurers.
However, their situation was still better; they just needed to not leave the Elven Kingdom for a short time.
The Elven Court was filled with a concentrated, oppressive magic, like a warehouse full of gunpowder, just a tiny spark away from igniting completely.
But the pressure of the Lv101 expert, which hung over everyone's heart at all times, was still present. No matter how overflowing with greed, they could only forcefully calm themselves and maintain control.
Today, the entire Verdan Eternal Forest was bathed in bright sunshine.
The same was true for the outer reaches of the Verdan Eternal Forest.
However, compared to the somewhat vibrant Elven Kingdom, there was barely even the sound of insects or birds in the outer regions.
Countless massive magical energies were compressed together, and within thousands of miles of sky, not even a wisp of cloud could be seen.
Garon felt suffocated; he seemed to be rejected by the whole world, like a small boat in a storm, isolated and helpless.
The hundreds of powerful Magic Dynasty mages around him could not give him any sense of security.
He knew very well that the gazes lurking in the dark were far more numerous than these people.
And among the owners of those gazes, there were not a few existences whose strength was similar to his.
But he himself, was he not one of those who coveted others?
Truth be told, the Cardinal of the Holy Law Emperor Country was truly an enemy to the world.
The existence of the Totem of Undying was too deadly.
The experts on the Aetheram Continent would never allow a formidable existence wielding the Totem of Undying to appear.
Even if they couldn't obtain it, they had to destroy it before the Totem of Undying was sent back.
Even in the new era that followed, this item was too disruptive to the balance.
Krites was well aware of his situation. The moment he left the auction, numerous Sacerdotes in white robes had already surrounded him.
"Your Eminence—"
A Sacerdotes approached, his face somewhat grim.
"We just received a message that various countries have simultaneously acted, constructing a spatial barrier outside the Verdan Eternal Forest, effectively banning all long-distance spatial teleportation arrays."
"Currently, the farthest we can teleport is to the outer regions of the Verdan Eternal Forest."
Krites was not surprised by this outcome. If he were in their shoes, he would definitely do the same.
Touching the Totem of Undying on his chest, that divine object capable of granting an extra life, now only brought him the crisis of death.
This was not something he could use; otherwise, the Holy Law Emperor Country would not let him go.
"Your Eminence, those fellows are too arrogant."
The Sacerdotes was somewhat indignant.
"How dare they seal off spatial teleportation in the outer reaches of the Verdan Eternal Forest? Should we inform the Elven Kingdom and ask them to intervene?"
"Do you think they don't know?"
Krites calmly shook his head.
The Elven Kingdom had a Lv101 expert, and they would have received news of the commotion outside immediately.
But the Elven Kingdom did not intervene, which already showed their stance.
Within the Elven Kingdom, no trouble was allowed. Once outside, whether they fought to the death was none of their concern.
Krites didn't understand why the Elven Kingdom would do this; it seemed as if they wanted to throw the entire Aetheram Continent into chaos.
Leading a new era?
Krites couldn't figure it out, and it wasn't something he needed to consider.
Now, he had only one mission.
To return the Totem of Undying to the Holy Law Emperor Country intact.
For this item, they had expended their only divine spell. If he couldn't return it, he would face death upon his return.
"Has His Holiness the Pope sent word?"
His gaze swept around. This empty street was filled with greed.
Besides the representatives from various countries, even some adventurer groups were eyeing him.
Krites couldn't help but feel a bit of mockery.
Adventurer groups, such insignificant entities, also wanted to participate in the war between nations before the new era began?
"All Cardinals and the Nine Holy Pillars are in position and ready to provide support at any time."
Hearing the Sacerdotes say this, Krites nodded slightly.
Delay would lead to complications.
Although he also wanted to wait for others to go out and fight first, however—
With a divine item like the Totem of Undying, it was hard to say if anyone would take a risk in the Elven Court.
They might not necessarily get it, but at the very least, they could destroy it.
Even if they were held accountable by the Elven Kingdom afterwards, it would merely involve sacrificing a few lives and offering some gifts to appease them.
Taking a deep breath, Krites spread out his Prayer Barrier, enveloping himself and all the Sacerdotes.
Before the lurking presences could figure out a way to break it, the Prayer Barrier shattered.
And in the instant the barrier collapsed, the figure of Cardinal Krites vanished without a trace.
In his place were Sacerdotes who looked almost identical, as if cast from the same mold.
They took off running, scattering in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, they had already stepped into the teleportation magic array and disappeared.
Countless figures streaked through space, arriving at the entrance of the magic array.
"Hmph!"
Dalo's face was grim.
Those Sacerdotes had teleported in completely different directions, to the east, west, north, and south.
Krites was hidden among them.
Dalo guessed Krites's plan: to play a trick with a diversion.
Unfortunately, he didn't believe Krites would trust some Sacerdotes with something like the Totem of Undying.
This level of diversion was truly a bit naive.
Even if they scattered and left, the inescapable net outside would still prevent them from sneaking through.
"My King, where should we search?"
A lion-kin Orc asked.
This time, at the World's First Auction, their Orc Empire had acquired many good items, but when it came to truly divine resources, they had gained absolutely nothing.
If they returned like this, the Orc Empire would not spare them, and they themselves could not stand by and watch the Orc Empire fall behind in the upcoming new era.
Dalo pondered. The Nether Alloy Armor Set could be ignored for now.
Regarding the aura of the Nether, the demons of the Gustik Holy Empire would be even more frantic than Dragon Island.
Assuming they must obtain a divine-tier resource, the witherstone greatsword and the Totem of Undying were the best choices.
A moment later, Dalo said coldly:
"Scatter and search. Send people to all directions indicated by the teleportation magic arrays."
"There's no need to snatch; just chase them and drive them out of the Verdan Eternal Forest. We have our people outside."
Watching the experts of the Orc Empire disperse, Dalo stood silently for a while, then quietly disappeared.
He couldn't leave yet.
Garon had not yet left the Elven Kingdom, and he himself possessed some very important resources.
Such as the Tears of the Siren, the Sword of the Dreadful Corpse Rider, and so on.
These items might not be divine-tier, but they were definitely enough to tempt various nations.
Now, everyone's attention was focused on the Totem of Undying, which would give many people, like Garon, an opportunity to fish in troubled waters—
He still had to wait quietly for Garon to leave with the witherstone greatsword.
As for the Totem of Undying...
At this critical juncture, almost all the ultimate experts in the world had already arrived.
Such petty tricks were meaningless. As long as someone from the Holy Law Emperor Country left the Elven Kingdom, all nations would immediately strike with deadly force.
They didn't need to distinguish who was carrying the Totem of Undying; as long as he was an entity from the Holy Law Emperor Country, killing him was the right move.
In this war, no strategy was meaningful; ultimately, it could only rely on pure hard power.
Unlike them, the members of the Red Dragon Clan left the Elven Kingdom immediately after emerging.
They had the confidence to guard the fire dragon heart.
And it proved to be true.
When Faelis swaggered out of the Elven Kingdom with the fire dragon heart, they were indeed immediately targeted by a large number of ultimate experts.
Those greedy and scorching gazes fell on him without any concealment.
But Faelis merely snorted and, along with many giant dragons, transformed into their original forms.
One Lv99 Red Dragon, twelve top-tier giant dragons above Lv80.
If this force was still not enough to make those ultimate experts retract their greed, then the seven Lv99 giant dragons approaching from the horizon, and the giant dragon quietly radiating Lv100 ultimate pressure, were completely sufficient.
Everyone's gains from the auction were clear to those outside.
The fire dragon heart wasn't their primary target; the witherstone greatsword and the Totem of Undying were.
The hidden gazes receded like a tide.
Outside the Verdan Eternal Forest, there was peace and tranquility. On the boundless plains, lush grass swayed in the wind.
No one knew how many sky-devouring beasts were hidden in this refreshing land.
"Go!"
Faelis said no more, exchanged glances with the truly ultimate giant dragon hidden in the shadows, and swiftly flew into the distance.
They left—
But they only left the immediate first combat zone.
In a mountain range near the Demi-Human Federation, they quietly landed, and the hidden giant dragon finally revealed itself.
A massive anti-magic barrier spread out, and the unconsciously diffused dragon's might caused all the magical beasts in the mountain range to collapse to the ground.
Having done all this, that unique giant dragon transformed into a dragon-kin and eagerly walked towards Faelis.
"Third Elder!"
Faelis let out a long breath, as if a huge burden had been lifted.
He carefully pulled out the sealed fire dragon heart from his spatial equipment.
"I did not fail my mission."
"Good!"
The Third Elder of the Red Dragon clapped Faelis on the shoulder, his face filled with excitement.
Then, he gently and carefully took the fire dragon heart.
The moment the sealing device was opened, an overwhelming dragon's might swept over all the dragons.
Dragons below the ultimate level immediately knelt to the ground under the pressure.
Ultimate-level dragons also felt uncomfortable, but they could at least stand normally.
Waves of intense, divine-level dragon's might swept through, and the Third Elder of the Red Dragon, with eyes full of longing, reached out, trembling, to touch the fire dragon heart.
In an instant, an undisguised divine-level life force surged into his body.
His withered hair became smooth, and the wrinkles on his face melted away like ice and snow.
Even his heart began to beat with a muffled "thump-thump" sound.
"As expected of a divine-level giant dragon's heart!"
The Third Elder of the Red Dragon took a deep breath, his face showing struggle.
His intuition told him that by consuming this heart, his life would begin to evolve.
He would be able to evolve into a truly transcendent expert.
Breaking the limitations of the Celestial Realm was within reach.
But in the end, with unprecedented willpower, he suppressed the greed in his heart.
He firmly re-fastened the seal.
"Faelis, you have rendered a great service! With this heart, Dragon Island will surely stand firm in the great era that is about to begin!"
What world origin fragments, what dragon language magic—they were not important!
As long as they obtained this heart, they could at least produce one or two Lv101 or higher giant dragons.
Only forces that could stand firm in the new era would be qualified to contend for the opening of the more distant MC Dungeon.
Dragon Island had already seized the future!
"Transport this heart back as quickly as possible!"
The Third Elder of the Red Dragon spoke, paused for a moment, then whispered into Faelis's ear:
"Put it with our Red Dragon Clan first."
Even though the fire dragon heart was certainly to be shared by Dragon Island, who touched it first also made a difference.
There was competition among the various dragon clans within Dragon Island.
The Red Dragon Clan was already very strong, and by being the first to access the fire dragon heart this time, they would surely become the strongest dragon clan in the coming changes.
Moreover, their Red Dragon Clan was already the most skilled in fire-elemental dragon language magic, so this fire dragon heart, by all accounts, was more fated for them.
Faelis nodded imperceptibly.
"Third Elder, aren't you going back?"
Upon hearing this, the Third Elder of the Red Dragon shook his head meaningfully, then pointed at the seven Lv99 ultimate giant dragons beside him.
"They will escort you back to Dragon Island, and there will be other dragons to meet you along the way. I still have other matters to attend to."
Faelis's eyes narrowed slightly.
Totem of Undying—
Dragon Island was indeed eyeing the Totem of Undying, but Faelis, who knew more, was somewhat hesitant.
"Third Elder, the Totem of Undying is in the hands of the Holy Law Emperor Country, perhaps—"
"It doesn't matter."
The Third Elder of the Red Dragon smiled proudly.
"The era is changing, and those old fogeys are about to fall. Moreover—"
"Do you really think a bunch of Heretics can summon their god?"
"Even if they did, do you think a god wouldn't be tempted by a treasure like the Totem of Undying?"
"That's a treasure that can grant even a god immunity from death once!"