A quarter of an hour later.
Outside the grand entrance of the Cangyu Auction House.
Two eighth-order Void Ancestor powerhouses guarded the entrance, with one, appearing to be the captain, possessing the strength of a first-order Ancestor Realm.
This indicated the extremely high caliber of the Cangyu Auction House!
However, these powerhouses, though able to dominate in the outside world, were utterly insignificant in Cangyu City, belonging to the Cangyu County King's Mansion.
As Ye Xuan and his entourage approached, the Ancestor Realm expert sensed the cultivation levels of Ye Xuan and the Tongbei Ape Monkey, and his heart grew considerably more serious.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the Cangyu Auction House!"
The first-order Ancestor Realm expert, with a slight bow, dared not show any carelessness. After all, such beings were certainly not to be offended by a mere gatekeeper captain. It was precisely because of his caution that he had attained his captaincy, a highly coveted position.
"Someone, come here."
"Escort these esteemed guests to the auction hall!"
Immediately, this first-order Ancestor Realm expert summoned a graceful and slender young lady to attend to them.
"My lords, please follow me!"
Although she was a young lady, her aura already indicated a sixth-order Void Ancestor. Clearly, these attendants were also quite powerful, further demonstrating how much importance the Cangyu County King's Mansion placed on the Cangyu Auction House.
Before long, Ye Xuan and his group were led into a private room, after which the attendants carefully retreated, not forgetting to close the door behind them.
Evidently, the training and demeanor of these guides were exceptionally high!
"Tsk tsk, the design is quite satisfactory," Yu Hongyu commented as she surveyed the private room. Mo Xuanyou and Dongfang Qingkong glanced at their junior sister, muttering inwardly, 'Just satisfactory? This should be considered extremely luxurious, right?'
"Master, you must be tired."
"Allow me to give you a shoulder massage~" Bing Xiaoxue said softly and sweetly, her lips curving into a smile, as she began to massage Ye Xuan's shoulders.
Seeing her fifth senior sister's actions, Yu Hongyu's eyes twinkled, and she chirped, "Hehe, Master, let me help you with your legs."
With that, Yu Hongyu began to massage with proper form.
If the powerhouses of the Demonic Sect were to witness this scene, their eyes might just fall out of their sockets, especially Yu Hongyu's father, the Sect Master of the Demonic Sect, who would undoubtedly explode with rage on the spot.
To think that he himself had never received such treatment!
Mo Xuanyou and Dongfang Qingkong exchanged glances, and watching the solicitousness of their two junior sisters, it would be a lie to say they weren't envious.
Amidst this enjoyment, the auction began.
An auctioneer appeared on the auction stage. This person was precisely the manager of the auction house and a confidant of the Cangyu County King, a sixth-order Dao Ancestor. As he appeared on stage, his aura was fully unleashed, and the clamorous auction hall immediately fell silent.
After all, in an era where immortals seldom appeared, a sixth-order Dao Ancestor was already an immensely powerful existence!
"Excellent!"
"We welcome everyone to attend this auction."
The confidant of the Cangyu County King, with a smile on his face, declared, "For this auction, our County King has specially prepared a generous array of auction items for all of you."
"I believe you have all heard that the grand finale of this auction will feature high-grade immortal artifacts, the Youming Lingzhu and the Liuli Bingxuan Yi, both crafted by an ancestor of the Purple Thunder Palace!"
"Their power is undeniable; I need not elaborate."
After a brief warm-up, the auctioneer got down to business. "Now, we shall commence bidding for the first auction item!"
"A spiritual herb of fifty thousand years!"
"The starting bid is 1000 top-grade Emperor Crystals, with a minimum increment of 100 crystals per bid!"
A stir swept through the auction hall. Good heavens, starting with a fifty-thousand-year spiritual herb; this was no small feat.
"1000 crystals!"
"1100 crystals!"
"1300 crystals!!"
The bidders immediately began to drive up the prices, the fervor escalating uncontrollably. Soon, the bidding for the fifty-thousand-year spiritual herb surpassed 3000 top-grade Emperor Crystals, as all present were representatives of major factions and wealthy patrons.
These top-grade Emperor Crystals were merely pocket change to them.
Ultimately, the fifty-thousand-year spiritual herb was purchased by an elder for 5000 top-grade Emperor Crystals.
"Very well, next, we proceed to the second auction item..."
"The remains of a Hell Demon Spider!"
As the red silk cloth concealing the item was pulled back, the next thing to appear was the corpse of a Hell Demon Spider, over ten zhang in size. It was not in its adult form but rather a juvenile. Nevertheless, the aura it exuded was incredibly chilling.
Huh!?
The appearance of the Hell Demon Spider's remains sent a jolt through everyone, their gazes fixed upon the auction stage.
"Goodness, the residual aura alone is comparable to a fifth-order Dao Ancestor!"
"It's hard to imagine that this Hell Demon Spider was at least a seventh-order Dao Ancestor in life!"
"Tsk tsk, who would have thought the Cangyu Auction House could procure such an item!"
At this, various private boxes showed renewed interest. However, few were inclined to bid, as although the Hell Demon Spider's remains were powerful, they were quite useless to them. Furthermore, Hell Demon Spiders were notorious for their venom.
The risk of backlash was extremely high if one was not careful!
"Master, is that... a Hell Demon Spider!?" Mo Xuanyou asked, looking at the remains on the stage, his mind recalling his mistress's pet, which was none other than the Five-Colored Hell Demon Spider Emperor.
"Ding! Host has triggered a random quest: Bid for the Seven-Colored Hell Demon Spider Emperor's remains. Reward: 8000 Haotian Coins, 10,000 mid-grade Immortal Crystals!"
Oh?
As the system's voice echoed in his ear, Ye Xuan looked back at the auction stage, his eyes gleaming. "Seven-Colored Hell Demon Spider Emperor's remains, what a treasure!"
It was indeed a Seven-Colored Hell Demon Spider!
No wonder its residual aura was so potent.
"Very well, the starting bid for this skeleton is 100 low-grade Immortal Crystals, with a minimum increment of 10 crystals per bid!"
"100 crystals, I want it!"
Without hesitation, Ye Xuan spoke out to bid. He had to obtain these remains, for with them, Little Cai's bloodline would surely be activated to that of a Seven-Colored Hell Demon Spider Emperor.
"Hehe, 200 Immortal Crystals!"
"300 Immortal Crystals!"
It was evident that despite the potent venom, this Hell Demon Spider was a rare item, and naturally, many were eager to bid. Soon, the bidding had reached 500 Immortal Crystals.
In the private box, the Tongbei Ape Monkey and Mo Xuanyou and the others fixed their gaze on Ye Xuan, for they knew that once he made a move, he would not easily desist.
As expected.
"1000 low-grade Immortal Crystals."
Huh!?
As anticipated, upon hearing this, all eyes immediately turned towards Ye Xuan's private box. Good heavens, the bid had jumped directly from 500 low-grade Immortal Crystals to 1000.
"Oh~"
The auctioneer on stage also looked towards Ye Xuan's direction with surprise. 1000 low-grade Immortal Crystals was already a considerable sum.
Although the private boxes wanted to bid, this Hell Demon Spider was clearly not worth their further investment. With a decisive hammer blow from the auctioneer, "Very well, congratulations to this gentleman, who has won the Hell Demon Spider's remains for 1000 low-grade Immortal Crystals!"
Upon hearing the auctioneer, Ye Xuan glanced at the hall. He wondered what their reactions would be if these people knew that the remains before them were those of a Seven-Colored Hell Demon Spider Emperor.