The auction started with a broken jade found in Clear River Town. Despite its rough condition, people still bid for it.
The atmosphere inside the auction house quickly turned intense as people threw out their bids and fought over the items.
Among everyone present, the one who decided to show off was Nie Li. It started with the broken jade, then he went on to buy almost everything the Hong Yue Auction House brought out.
It was a one-man show. Nie Li outbid everyone who wished to purchase the items.
Chen Linlin also managed to buy some of the items, but it was clear that she was just doing it for fun, judging by the items she bought at heavily inflated prices.
But since she was having fun, Xue Hui didn't stop her. After all, those items were fairly cheap, at least according to someone whose personal assets were comparable to those of a major family.
"Xue Hui, you're not interested in buying anything? You've been quiet for some time now." Xiao Ning'er inquired. She was wondering why Xue Hui seemed uninterested in joining the bidding.
In response, Xue Hui simply shook his head.
"Nope, nothing caught my interest. All those items they brought out were pretty useless. I couldn't be bothered bidding on them."
Xue Hui's answer made Xiao Ning'er sputter and look around in panic.
Xue Hui hadn't lowered his voice when he said those words, so everyone could easily hear him.
Xiao Ning'er looked toward the platform where Hong Loulan continued calling for bids. Despite maintaining her lovely appearance, there was a noticeable twitch in her eyebrow.
Luckily, Hong Loulan didn't take Xue Hui's remarks too seriously. She ignored him and continued doing her job.
A bead of sweat trailed down Xiao Ning'er's forehead. Moments like this made her wonder if Xue Hui and Xiao Julin were blood-related.
The two shared similar traits, such as being overly tactless.
As the auction continued, things became more heated the moment Hong Loulan brought out several bottles of elixirs, some made by the Alchemist Association.
Yue Feng managed to secure a couple of bottles thanks to Yue Ling providing him with money.
Apparently, the girls had earned quite a lot during their journey to the Holy Orchid City Ruins.
Next came the elixirs from the Divine Medicine Pavilion. The battle for these elixirs was just as intense as it had been for those made by the Alchemist Association.
People were throwing around absurd amounts of money just to obtain a few bottles. The sight of so many people desperately fighting over cultivation resources made the trio of girls and Xiao Ning'er feel grateful toward Xue Hui and Chen Linlin.
Unlike most people, they had never struggled to obtain cultivation resources thanks to the two of them.
Once all the bottles of elixirs had been auctioned off, Hong Loulan made an intriguing remark about the unrivaled treasure the Hong Yue Auction House had obtained while exploring the Dark Ruins.
An item covered in cloth was presented to the audience and placed atop the podium.
At that moment, several people from the wealthiest families entered the auction house and took their seats in the VIP section.
None of the treasures auctioned earlier had been important enough to attract these people's attention, so they had skipped them and waited for the unveiling of the unrivaled treasure before joining the auction.
Some of the people Xue Hui recognized were Uncle Chen Fe, Ye Xiu, the Sacred Family's Main Affairs Elder Shen Ming, representatives from the six noble families, Yang Xin of the Alchemist Association, Shu Mao of the Divine Medicine Pavilion, and Xiao Ning'er's uncle, Xiao Yi.
Xue Hui's eyes settled on Xiao Yi. The moment that man entered the room and saw Xiao Ning'er, he sent her a venomous glare. It was subtle, but not enough to escape Xue Hui's keen senses.
"So, who is that person, Ning'er? He keeps looking at you," Xue Hui asked, wanting to know that person's relationship with her.
Xiao Ning'er wore a complicated expression while looking at Xiao Yi. It was obvious that they didn't have a good relationship.
Leaning closer so she could whisper, she said, "That's my first uncle, Xiao Yi. He's the rule-enforcing elder of our family."
Her tone was noticeably stiff.
Xue Hui held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Let me guess. You're not on good terms with him."
She bit her lower lip and nodded.
"Yeah. Uncle Yi is the one who's adamant about pushing me to marry into the Sacred Family. And with all the rumors surrounding our relationship, he's become even more vocal and forceful about it. He keeps pressuring the family to hasten the wedding instead of waiting another two years, as both families originally agreed."
"In short, he's a selfish bastard?"
Xiao Ning'er's eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth to suppress the laughter threatening to escape.
While it was true that Xiao Ning'er hated Xiao Yi because of her engagement, she had still retained a little respect for him since he was an important elder of her family.
But that little respect vanished after she learned about the Sacred Family's betrayal.
Xiao Ning'er loathed the Sacred Family for colluding with the Dark Guild, and she hated Xiao Yi for actively pushing the marriage between her and Shen Fe.
"Don't worry, Ning'er. Once the tournament is over, he'll learn why messing with my Ning'er is a huge mistake."
Xiao Ning'er's face turned crimson after hearing such a bold declaration.
She leaned even closer and buried her face against his shoulder, letting out a cute muffled noise that made Xue Hui chuckle.
With all the VIPs settled into their seats, Hong Loulan began hyping up the audience with the origin of the unrivaled treasure they were about to auction.
People gasped in shock when they heard that the Hong Yue Family had dared to enter the depths of the Dark Ruins in search of treasure. Everyone knew how dangerous that place was. Even a Legend-rank expert needed to exercise caution before venturing inside.
Pulling away the cloth, Hong Loulan unveiled an object that looked like a worn black jade pot emitting an indescribable aura.
The sight immediately drew everyone's interest.
"As you can all tell, this pot emits an unfamiliar aura that even our Patriarch doesn't recognize. What our Patriarch can confirm, however, is that this pot can strengthen a demon spirit simply by cultivating near it. Its value has already risen significantly because of that ability alone. There is also an engraving on the bottom that reads 'Nightmare,' so we have named this item the Nightmare Demon Pot."
Xue Hui's expression changed.
He leaned forward for a better look at the Nightmare Demon Pot.
While many people couldn't identify the aura it emitted, Xue Hui could tell that it contained the power of law.
If he recalled correctly, one of the known uses of the Nightmare Demon Pot was to merge ten weaker demon spirits into a stronger one.
Xue Hui's knowledge of the Nightmare Demon Pot was limited, as it had only been briefly mentioned in Emperor Shen Jiao Dao's memoir.
Still, the fact that such a legendary treasure had been discovered in an old ruin within a tiny world piqued his interest.
Why were the Nightmare Demon Pot and the other unrivaled treasures in Xue Hui's possession all hidden within a tiny world?
He already suspected that this tiny world held some ancient secret waiting to be uncovered.
"Now that you've all seen how unique the Nightmare Demon Pot is and felt its aura, I think it's time to start the bidding."
Smiling, Hong Loulan raised her arm into the air, signaling the start of the auction.
"Without further ado, let's begin with a starting price of eight million demon spirit coins."
One after another, people began shouting out their bids.
"Ten million demon spirit coins!"
"Twelve million demon spirit coins!"
"Thirteen million demon spirit coins!"
The price of the Nightmare Demon Pot rose rapidly, causing the excitement in the room to intensify.
"Thirty million demon spirit coins!"
"Thirty-five million demon spirit coins!"
"Forty million demon spirit coins!"
Once the price reached thirty million, many people began withdrawing from the bidding, content to watch as representatives from the three major families, the six noble families, the Alchemist Association, and the Divine Medicine Pavilion fought over the treasure.
Eventually, even the six noble families dropped out when the price hit sixty million.
This was followed by the representatives of the three major families when the bidding reached eighty million.
At that point, only the Alchemist Association and the Divine Medicine Pavilion remained.
Xue Hui's eyes landed on Yang Xin, the representative of the Alchemist Association. She was a gorgeous woman with a seductive figure, and her appearance alone was enough to make many men fall head over heels for her.
While many people only knew Yang Xin for her beauty, she had risen to power through her own abilities.
At such a young age, she had become the second most influential person in the Alchemist Association, surpassed only by Gu Yan, its president.
A single word from Yang Xin was enough to mobilize the full power of the Alchemist Association.
Once the bidding reached the hundred-million mark, Shu Mao, who had begun sweating profusely, withdrew from the competition.
Just when everyone thought the Nightmare Demon Pot was about to fall into Yang Xin's hands, a mysterious cloaked figure suddenly joined the bidding, resulting in an intense battle between the two.
Xue Hui raised an eyebrow.
For that person to participate in a bidding war that had already surpassed one hundred million demon spirit coins, they must have deposited at least that amount with the Hong Yue Auction House beforehand.
That was a staggering sum for someone with an unknown identity.
It immediately made Xue Hui suspicious of the person's background.
Other than the three major families, no family would willingly spend that much money on a single Nightmare Demon Pot.
After all, it was still a treasure with largely unknown uses. That amount of wealth was enough to nurture numerous younger generations.
Furthermore, few families would dare offend the Alchemist Association, since everyone in Glory City still relied on them for medicine.
Xue Hui hummed thoughtfully before deciding that the mysterious figure was far too suspicious.
Using the Communication Soul Technique, he sent a telepathic message to Chen Fe, asking him to investigate the mysterious person's identity.
Chen Fe agreed and stated that he would send people to follow the individual.
"One hundred twenty million demon spirit coins!" Yang Xin shouted firmly, her determination evident in her unwavering tone.
The mysterious figure finally backed down.
Seeing this, Yang Xin let out a sigh of relief.
The Nightmare Demon Pot was something she had been reluctant to buy at such a high price, but since Nie Li had specifically instructed her to acquire it no matter the cost, she had no choice but to continue.
With no further bids, Hong Loulan concluded that the auction was over and was about to announce Yang Xin's victory when a nonchalant voice echoed through the auction house, shocking everyone.
"One hundred and twenty-five million demon spirit coins!"
Xue Hui placed the bid, laughing softly when he saw the horrified look on Yang Xin's face.
'Fuck! I knew that prick was interested in the Nightmare Demon Pot as well.'
Nie Li cursed inwardly, already developing a headache just from looking at Xue Hui.
End of Chapter 65
.
.
.
If you like my story, and want to support me, you can read advance chapter to my patreon.com/AxelDeAxist