Han Li showed no expression on his face, but inwardly, he was delighted. Clearly, the value of the Golden Lightning Bamboo was far higher than he had initially anticipated.
That said, though he had mastered the art of summoning lightning, the extreme wariness the demon kings in the Abyss had shown toward the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder made him suspect that the Golden Lightning Bamboo might still conceal some deeper secrets.
Unfortunately, those demon kings had mostly used him, and even if the Golden Lightning Bamboo did hold other mysteries, they naturally wouldn’t have shared them with him.
Neither the Flying Spirit Tribe nor the current Cloud City had yielded much additional information about the Golden Lightning Bamboo or the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder in their ordinary texts. He could only temporarily halt his investigation and wait for future opportunities to uncover the truth.
As Han Li’s thoughts raced, the bidding for the Golden Lightning Bamboo had already begun.
An unknown Saint Tribe member from the third floor opened with a bid of “250 million,” instantly causing many would-be bidders to pale.
However, those with deep pockets were certainly not limited to just one.
Almost immediately, bids of 260 million and 270 million came from two other Saint Tribe members on the third floor.
One of the voices, unhurried and measured, struck Han Li as familiar. After a brief moment of thought, he recognized it—Qian Jizi, the elder of the Ancient Spirit Tribe, had also taken an interest in his Golden Lightning Bamboo.
The other bidder was the hot-tempered Lie clansman who had earlier made a fuss over the Skyfire Liquid.
With these two bids, others who had hoped to compete quickly abandoned their ambitions, left only to gaze longingly at the Golden Lightning Bamboo on the stage, swallowing their envy in silence.
For a moment, the hall fell into a hush.
“300 million spirit stones!”
The unnamed Saint Tribe member who had opened with a high bid paused briefly before announcing a figure that made Han Li’s heart skip a beat.
Qian Jizi sighed, and his room fell silent.
“310 million! Fellow Daoist Jing, is that you? This Golden Lightning Bamboo is of great importance to me, Lie. I hope you can yield it to me,” the Lie clansman said after a moment of hesitation, his tone suddenly turning unusually polite.
“Brother Lie, that’s not quite right. Since I’m willing to bid so high, the Golden Lightning Bamboo must be equally important to me, Jing. I’m afraid I cannot concede. 320 million!” The first bidder chuckled lightly, showing no intention of backing down as he raised the price again.
“Very well. Since Fellow Daoist Jing insists, I won’t stand in your way. The Golden Lightning Bamboo is yours,” the Lie clansman replied, seemingly aware of the other’s financial strength. Though inwardly frustrated, he withdrew from the competition.
“Heh heh, thank you for your generosity, Brother Lie!” The Jing clansman’s voice carried a hint of triumph—but it was abruptly cut off.
“330 million.”
A clear, melodious voice rang out from the first floor. It belonged to a woman.
Most of the audience was stunned, their eyes instinctively turning toward the source. The bidder was none other than the veiled woman who had earlier secured the Earth Nether Chariot.
Even Han Li was taken aback. After spending such an astronomical sum earlier, how could she still afford such an exorbitant bid? It was almost unbelievable.
Of course, this didn’t necessarily mean her wealth far surpassed that of an ordinary Saint Tribe member, but at this moment, her spirit stone reserves were clearly unmatched.
“340 million!” The Jing clansman’s voice turned icy.
“350 million.” The veiled woman remained composed.
The Jing clansman fell silent again, but after a pause, he spoke in a voice colder than frost: “360 million. If anyone bids even one spirit stone more, I will immediately concede.”
Yet before his words had fully faded, the veiled woman calmly countered: “370 million.”
From the third floor came the sound of the Jing clansman’s furious laughter.
“Good, very good! Since you’re willing to stake everything on this Golden Lightning Bamboo, I hope you leave Cloud City safely!”
After being repeatedly outbid by a mere Upper Tribe cultivator, this Saint Tribe member of Cloud City could no longer contain his anger, openly revealing his hostility.
But the veiled woman acted as if she hadn’t heard a word. She neither responded nor even glanced toward the third floor. Only after Xiao Buyi announced her successful bid did she calmly approach the stage, hand over the spirit stones, collect the Golden Lightning Bamboo, and return to her seat.
Her unshakable confidence gave the Jing clansman pause. After a few cold laughs, he said nothing more.
“Excellent! Now we come to the final treasure of this auction—the last featured item. Heh heh, I doubt I need to explain further. It is a bottle containing thirteen Myriad Miraculous Pills. The wonders of these pills require no elaboration. Not only are they an exceptional aid in breaking through to the Saint Tribe realm, but they also possess the miraculous ability to cleanse the marrow, refine the meridians, and enhance one’s constitution. While Myriad Miraculous Pills have appeared in past auctions, they were usually sold in batches of three or four, sometimes even just one or two. This time, the Crystal Race elders have astonishingly offered thirteen at once—a move that even took me by surprise. Were I not hosting this auction, I might have joined the bidding myself. Even if I didn’t need them, a single pill could be a tremendous boon for my disciples.” Xiao Buyi shook his head with exaggerated regret as he spoke.
He then accepted a small silver vial from a golden-masked guard and held it aloft for all to see.
As the final auction item, while the Saint Tribe members on the third floor remained inscrutable, the ordinary beings on the first and second floors were practically salivating, their eyes locked onto the vial in Xiao Buyi’s hand. Some wore solemn expressions, others barely contained their excitement, and a few looked intensely nervous.
“Enough talk. The starting bid for this bottle of Myriad Miraculous Pills is 300 million!” Xiao Buyi announced with a smile.
Hearing this, Han Li stroked his chin, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes with an impassive expression.
His thoughts were not on the pills but rather on where he might obtain the recipe for the Myriad Miraculous Pills. If the ingredients were plant-based, he could refine an endless supply himself. If the pills truly lived up to their reputation, combined with the true spirit bloodlines within him, they might just be the key to breaking through to the Body Integration stage.
Han Li silently pondered…
Much later, in a secluded chamber within his Cloud Dream Mountain abode, Han Li sat cross-legged, holding a light blue pouch in one hand and a milky-white vial in the other.
He weighed the pouch, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Inside were the top-grade spirit stones he had obtained from the Four Races Auction—enough to cover a significant portion of the super teleportation array’s cost. If Cai Liuying truly covered half the expenses, the remaining amount should be easy to gather.
His last auction experience had been in the Human Race’s Sky Abyss City, where he had vastly underestimated the wealth of other continents. But now, the spirit stone shortage for the teleportation array was no longer an issue.
Next, he only needed to visit the Broad Cold Realm to collect forging materials for the Stone Cocoon Tribe, assist Cai Liuying and Duan Tianren in retrieving the restricted items, and then he could teleport back to the Wind Yuan Continent.
However, the Broad Cold Realm also presented an excellent opportunity to break through bottlenecks. Before entering, he should cultivate his cultivation to the peak of the early Void Refining stage, allowing him to leverage the realm’s spiritual energy to smoothly advance to mid-Void Refining.
Han Li swiftly reviewed his plans, ensuring no oversights, before exhaling deeply. With a flash of spiritual light, the pouch of spirit stones vanished.
His gaze then shifted to the milky-white vial—the flawed-grade Glazed Skyfire Liquid.
Though far cheaper than the auction’s featured items, this fire liquid was tied to Qing Yuanzi’s promised Netherworld Spirit Milk, so Han Li treated it with utmost seriousness.
Xiao Buyi had insisted that despite its flaws, the liquid retained its original efficacy, albeit weakened.
Han Li, of course, wouldn’t take his word for it. He needed to verify for himself how it differed from the legendary Glazed Skyfire Liquid. Otherwise, if he returned with something useless to Qing Yuanzi, he’d be the one to suffer.
Examining the jade vial, he hesitated briefly before suddenly opening his mouth and exhaling a silver flame.
The flame circled him once before letting out a clear cry and transforming into a silver firebird.
Without delay, Han Li tossed the vial into the air and pointed at it with a finger.
With a soft *pop*, the cap flew open, and a pillar of crimson light erupted from the mouth of the vial. Within the light, a globule of red liquid slowly floated out.
Instantly, the chamber was bathed in a dazzling red glow, and a wave of scorching heat surged toward Han Li, as if he had been thrust into a blazing furnace.
At the same time, the Devouring Spirit Firebird, spotting the red liquid, let out an excited cry. Without waiting for Han Li’s command, it spread its wings and eagerly swooped toward the fiery orb.
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