Chapter 2035: Dark Blood Five-Color Bell

This was an elderly demon with a dark complexion and deep wrinkles on his forehead.

With a calm expression, he walked up to the stone platform and swept his gaze around, instantly releasing a terrifying aura that caused many low-level demons to slightly change their expressions upon sensing it.

This old demon was actually a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator, seemingly only half a step away from entering the Body Integration realm.

With such astonishing cultivation, in a place like Blood Raven City, aside from Han Li and other human cultivators, few could rival him. While not necessarily second to none, those who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him were exceedingly rare.

“I am Yue Lian Tian, one of the elders of Blood Raven City. I believe many fellow Daoists here recognize me. For this auction, I have been invited by the host to serve as the overseer. I hope all fellow Daoists will give me face and abide by the auction rules. Otherwise, don’t blame me for turning ruthless. These eight fellow Daoists are the enforcers for this auction. With them present, safety is absolutely guaranteed.” The elderly demon spoke indifferently and, as his words fell, lightly clapped his hands twice.

Immediately, from the frontmost seats, eight ferocious-looking demons at the early to mid-Void Refinement stage stood up and took positions around the stone platform, their faces expressionless.

“Blood Hand Shocking Cloud!”

“Iron Soul Breaker!”

…

As the surrounding demons recognized the faces of these eight, many gasped in shock, and a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.

Clearly, these individuals held considerable reputations in Blood Raven City, and many looked at them with a mix of awe and fear.

Han Li, naturally, showed no surprise at the presence of eight Void Refinement cultivators. Instead, his gaze swept around, searching to see if the Long Family Ancestor and others had also attended the auction.

To avoid alerting any potential Demon Venerable-level demons secretly participating, Han Li refrained from using his vast spiritual sense, relying solely on his spiritual eye technique to scrutinize suspiciously dressed demons.

However, after a thorough scan, he found nothing.

“Could it be that the Spirit Race members and others haven’t come to this auction?”

Han Li felt slightly puzzled.

Since their separation, he hadn’t encountered any of the others in the city. Whether it was the Long Family Ancestor or the rest, they all seemed to have gone into hiding, each pursuing their own objectives.

At this moment, the elderly demon solemnly announced the start of the auction.

A nearby hall door opened, and a row of demon women carrying trays filed out.

Each had a graceful figure and stood behind Yue Lian Tian.

Without turning his head, the elderly demon waved his hand, and one of the women respectfully stepped forward, raising the tray in both hands.

“Top-tier demon artifact—’Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells.’ Composed of five blood demon bells, each can unleash one of five unique effects when used against enemies: soul confusion, deadly poison, slowing, blood boiling, and illusions. Starting price: five million demon stones!” The old man calmly stated as he lifted the black cloth covering the tray.

On the tray lay five silver bells, each the size of a thumb, adorned with faint black demonic patterns and linked together by a golden ring.

“What? The Dark Blood Bells? Even among top-tier demon artifacts, this treasure ranks within the top ten!”

“But this artifact can only be forged by Master Dark of Haiyun Mountain. How could it appear in a remote place like Blood Raven City?”

“Who cares? Just the appearance of this treasure makes this auction worthwhile. If such a treasure is the opener, who knows what priceless items will follow!”

The moment the Dark Blood Bells were revealed, the hall erupted in excited discussions. Most of the attendees gazed at the set of five bells with expressions of delight and greed.

Upon hearing the name of the artifact, Han Li was also taken aback.

“Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells… Why does this sound so familiar? Have I heard of it somewhere before?”

Sitting on the stone bench, Han Li fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, the bidding for this demon artifact had already begun in a frenzy of heated offers.

“Five million!”

“Six million!”

“Eight million!”

…

“Eleven million!”

Though it was merely a top-tier artifact, the bidding had already surpassed ten million in the blink of an eye, astonishing even Han Li.

From his recent understanding of the demon world’s market prices, an ordinary top-tier demon artifact typically cost around two to three million demon stones. Yet this Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells had already quintupled that, with no signs of stopping.

“Ah! Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells… Glazed Five Marvel Bells! Isn’t that one of the treasures recorded in the ‘Profound Heaven Artifact Refining Technique’?”

After a rapid mental search, Han Li finally recalled the similar-sounding name.

Years ago, when he obtained the celestial artifact-refining techniques from the Golden Jade Book, aside from the method to craft the Five Extreme Mountain, it also documented several methods to forge acquired Profound Heaven treasures. Among them was the Glazed Five Marvel Bells.

However, even though Han Li knew how to craft these treasures, the required celestial materials were unheard of and unseen, forcing him to set the idea aside with a sigh.

The effects of the Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells sounded strikingly similar to the Glazed Five Marvel Bells, which was why the name had triggered his memory.

“Is this mere coincidence, or does someone in the demon world also know the crafting method for this Profound Heaven treasure and unintentionally created a replica?”

Han Li pondered silently.

Unfortunately, although he had handed over a batch of demon artifacts to the auction house a few days prior and received an advance of nearly ten million demon stones, it was far from enough to bid for this top-tier demon artifact.

Moreover, while the artifact had unique abilities, its power was only at the top-tier demon artifact level, making it of little use to him. Even if he acquired it, it would serve at most as a reference for study.

Thus, Han Li could only suppress his curiosity and watch to see who would ultimately claim the treasure.

In the end, this renowned demon artifact was won by a mysterious demon clad in shimmering green light and wearing a silver ghost mask, who paid the staggering price of fifteen million demon stones.

This drew the covetous gazes of many high-ranking demons in attendance.

However, the masked demon, after personally delivering the demon stones and receiving the Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells from the elderly demon, showed no intention of staying. He swaggered out of the auction hall without hesitation.

Though many demons harbored ill intentions, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, none dared to follow immediately.

Only a handful of other masked demons left their seats, following the winner without any pretense.

Yue Lian Tian ignored all this. He lifted the cloth from the second woman’s tray, revealing a fist-sized, translucent blue crystal emitting an astonishing chill.

“A rare demon beast core from an Ice Gourd Beast. Suitable for crafting rare ice-attribute demon artifacts or refining special-purpose pills. Starting price: two million demon stones!” The elderly demon announced without hesitation, holding up the blue crystal.

“Two million three hundred thousand!”

“Two million five hundred thousand!”

…

Though the demon beast core couldn’t compare to the Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells in value, it was still a rare material sought by some demons. Over a dozen bidders quickly entered the fray.

In the end, it was purchased by a slender demon for slightly over four million demon stones.

As time passed, Yue Lian Tian unveiled the items on the trays one by one. After all were auctioned, a new batch of demon women brought out more treasures.

The auctioned items were similar to those in the Spirit Realm—mostly ores, materials, spirit herbs, pills, and occasionally high-quality demon artifacts.

Han Li watched quietly as item after item was claimed by other demons, his face expressionless, showing no interest in participating.

Only when the demon artifacts he had submitted fetched decent prices did a faint smile flicker across his lips.

However, none of the subsequent items matched the astronomical price of the first artifact.

The highest bid was for a pill said to slightly increase the chances of breaking through a Void Refinement bottleneck—though by only half a percent—yet it still sold for thirteen million demon stones.

“Now, we’ve reached the final phase of this auction. Heh, there are only two closing items, but I assure you, each is no less valuable than the Dark Blood Five-Colored Bells—perhaps even more so in certain aspects.” Yue Lian Tian said mysteriously.

At this, two stunningly beautiful and dignified demon women emerged from the hall door.

This time, neither carried a tray. One held a foot-long green wooden box, while the other had empty hands.

The sight piqued the interest of most attendees.

Yue Lian Tian raised his hand, summoning the wooden box from one woman. With a tap, he opened the lid, revealing a white, brick-like object inside.

“A Sacred Brick, containing several cultivation techniques left behind by the Weeping Spirit Sacred Ancestor from two million years ago. Starting price: thirty million demon stones!” The elderly demon carefully lifted the item, raising it high as he declared in a booming voice.

“What? The Weeping Spirit Sacred Ancestor? The one second only to the Three Primordial Ancestors?”

“Impossible! How could a Sacred Brick recording his techniques appear here? Such a priceless item should only be auctioned in the grandest sacred cities!”

…

The moment Yue Lian Tian finished speaking, the auction hall erupted in chaos.

Some demons were ecstatic, while others wore expressions of deep skepticism.

“Silence! Our auction house has verified this item and guarantees its authenticity. If proven fake, we will compensate tenfold the final bid. Rest assured on this matter. As for why it appears here, there are special reasons.” The elderly demon’s voice thundered through the hall, instantly quelling the uproar.