Meng Lan took a step closer to Xiao Chen, gazing out over the guests and the stage. "An Infernal Dragon is a demonic beast of the Chaos Tier, which corresponds to a cultivation level of the Empyrean Realm."
"That means that it is an existence that only the Sect Master of the Vermillion Gate Sect can possibly contend with. It's no wonder the price has already climbed that high."
Jin Huang nodded as though he was paying attention, but he truly wasn't. He swallowed a handful of grapes and then reached for some cheese, an idea taking shape in his mind.
Luo Ran was the truly interested party, and asked, "I've never heard of the Chaos Tier, or the Empyrean Realm."
Meng Lan turned her attention away from the ongoing bidding war and gave Luo Ran a small smile. "Every being has been assigned a system of power. For us, magic cultivation levels denote our power."
"Body Strengthening is the first realm or tier for us, and demonic beasts start at the Earth Tier. Each tier corresponds to a realm of cultivation."
"Earth Tier corresponds to Body Strengthening, Sky Tier to the Energy Gathering Realm, Cloud Tier to the Spirit Spring Realm, Heaven Tier to the Sea Expansion Realm, Immortal Tier to the Mana Core Realm, Chaos Tier to the Empyrean Realm, and beyond that we have the God Tier, which corresponds to the Void God Realm."
Luo Ran was wholly invested, mouth open and eyes unblinking. "Void Gods... God Tier... Do those even exist?"
Giggling, which was entirely unlike her, Meng Lan stepped closer and explained while Xiao Chen looked away from the auction for the first time since it started. He wanted to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Jin Huang had gotten a skewer, and was loading it with cheese, grapes, olives and various other food items, a bright glint in his eyes and hunger on his lips.
"Void Gods are practically extinct, but a few still exist. They have long transcended mortality and left their worlds behind, venturing further out into the Netherworld to seek a new height of power."
"The only ones we know of are ancient beings who call themselves Fiendgods. Some of them are even demons."
Luo Ran gasped, "Demons!? Then... they broke through the Vermillion Gate? Will they come to seek revenge?"
Meng Lan covered her mouth and laughed, shaking her head as she clapped a hand down on Luo Ran's arm. "Haha! No, no! They ascended long, long ago. Long before the existence of the Great Chasm. They have no interest in mortal affairs."
Luo Ran let out a breath of relief.
"Wanna hear a little secret?" Meng Lan surreptitiously asked as she made sure Xiao Chen wasn't looking.
"Sure," Luo Ran nodded, watching with interest as Meng Lan leaned closer to his ear and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"There are a total of three Fiendgods currently in attendance," she whispered.
Seeing Luo Ran struggle to remain quiet, she smiled gleefully before putting a finger on her lips.
Suddenly, the sound of a stick hitting a platter startled them, and they turned to see Jin Huang staring in confusion... and mild disgust... at Meng Lan.
Seeing a muscled and heavily scarred giant of a woman acting this way, especially after getting used to her stoicism, was deeply unsettling.
"But... I thought they were uninterested..." Luo Ran gulped as he whispered back.
"Indeed. They are entirely uninterested in mortal affairs. It makes you wonder just what kind of items my Master procured that would attract even them, doesn't it?"
Luo Ran nodded earnestly, having no choice but to admit that she was right. He wanted nothing more than to know what such amazing figures could possibly want with this auction.
Sitting up, he returned his focus to the ongoing auction as Meng Lan smiled and returned to her place by Xiao Chen's side.
When she returned, the masked man gave her a sideways glance but said nothing.
Below, the war for the Infernal Dragon's Reverse Scale had finally ended. It sold for a grand total of five hundred and eighty-eight million gold coins to someone in one of the private rooms.
Xiao Chen explained that it was the room rented by the Forge Masters, Xia Yuyue and Wang Yijian.
Naturally, as the foremost masters of forging, their wealth was terrifyingly formidable.
However, though they had won the item in the end, they had been locked in battle with the Beast Master and Grandmaster of the Magic Beast Society.
Also, another one of the private rooms had entered the bidding war with a bid of five hundred million, making quite an impression on those present.
There were a lot of people, especially among those on the top floor, that had not bid at all. Even so, no one thought it was because they did not have the means.
Regardless of how amazing it was, not everyone would want the reverse scale. For example, someone like the Scarlet Emperor could acquire one with just a bit of effort.
As the auction continued, those individuals would surely make their debuts, and shock all those present.
As for those who were quivering at the final price of the reverse scale, they decided to enjoy the entertainment of the auction instead of hoping to win an item.
Perhaps they would bid up until they no longer had the means to. That seemed like a fun idea. They were too broke to do anything else.
Others did not even intend to bid. They just wanted to see their items be purchased, after which they would wait for the funds to be collected by the Obsidian Treasury before collecting their money and leaving.
Shortly after the reverse scale was sold, another item was brought out. Liu Ning gestured to it as all eyes followed her movements.
A small chest had been brought out, golden and bejeweled. As it silently opened, azure colored aura spilled out of it and filled the stage. Not a single person's eyes were devoid of that blue light, and they were all taken aback by it.
Those that recognized this aura were dumbfounded, and even those that didn't were far from unaffected.
A formless power crept over them, adding pressure to their minds and souls- their very existences. A fundamental truth was before them, and it caused an inexplicable suppression.
At the same time, it also seemed to resonate with some deeper part of the self.
Within the chest, despite the bright blue colors, a colorless shard of something like clear glass could be seen. At random intervals, its edges would appear to be entirely different shades and colors.
Yet, the glow was an unchanging, solid blue.
"Our next item..." Liu Ning started, "... is the Dao Shard of a Sacred Realm, extracted from the very heart of the realm before its collapse!"
Her words caused a massive uproar. The entirety of the Obsidian Treasury seemed to shake, and even those places where no sound could be heard were also quivering.
The private rooms up above were silent, but the tension could still be felt coming from them. Surely, this item would be coveted by even the most esteemed of guests.
"Although Dao Shards' natures are unpredictable, they all offer incredible insight into fundamental laws and concepts! Any one of them can greatly impact your cultivation!"
"Those illusory truths that evade you may just be uncovered by refining this Dao Shard!"
Liu Yue continued, "The starting bid for this Dao Shard... is twelve million gold coins! Once again, there is a five hundred thousand gold limit to the bidding!"
"Twenty million!"
"Thirty million!"
"Fifty-five million gold coins!"
Once again, the bidding war commenced. Xiao Chen pulled up and chair and stared out at the people with a pleased smirk.
"This is only the second item..." He laughed, utterly pleased with himself.
Jin Huang yawned as he tossed aside his skewers. He had already cleared the tables of all the food and was now bored.
Luo Ran had taken to standing beside Meng Lan, and the latter was explaining all sorts of things to him. Currently, she was talking about the Dao Shard.
"So... it's like a cultivation resource?" Luo Ran asked thoughtfully.
"Exactly. Although it is a part of something that was once alive, it can better be described as something like a specialized tool for cultivation."
"A sacred realm's heart is a culmination of laws and concepts, which make up a unique 'dao.' That dao is what enables the existence of the sacred realm. Although the dao itself may be useless to most people, those laws and concepts definitely won't."
"For example, if someone was trying to learn about how to manipulate space, wind, water- or literally anything abundant within that particular sacred realm, then using the Dao Shard could practically guarantee that they'd comprehend it."
Luo Ran pondered for a moment before he gasped, "That's actually amazing! Meng Lan, your knowledge and intelligence astound me! Teach me more, please!"
And so, as the auction raged on, Xiao Chen relished in the feeling of slowly getting richer and Jin Huang sighed as though his world were ending, Luo Ran and Meng Lan chatted away.