Chapter 330: Clashing with the Commerce Guild

One incense stick's time later, Fu Ji Yuan Qi once again stood on the auction stage:

"Fellow Daoists, my apologies. The fellow Daoist who just bid one billion upper-grade spirit stones, two top-grade spirit veins, and one Earth Core Crystal did not gather the items in time.

He told us that his friend could not bring the items to the auction in time, because the Earth Core Crystal had already been used up.

I said before that I allow everyone time to gather auction resources, but that does not mean one may deceive my Myriad Realms Auction. Men, take away the one who bid recklessly."

Two cultivators swiftly rushed into the crowd, restrained a thin, small-framed man, and led him out of the auction venue.

A wave of uproar rose from the crowd; some seasoned veterans vaguely guessed what was going on.

Fu Ji Yuan Qi said loudly: "Since the first price was a false one, the bid for the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus now returns to the subsequent price…"

As Fu Ji Yuan Qi's words fell, the enormous bid screen displayed the price reported by Jia Baihe:

"Five hundred million upper-grade spirit stones, one Spirit-Communicating Blue-Faced Fruit, three drops of Hundred-Million-Year Sea Marrow, one hundred catties of Seabed Green Crystal…"

Jia Baihe did not mind; her divine sense swept into the ring Ding Huan had given her, and indeed those items were inside.

Just at this moment, Ding Huan's voice suddenly reached her ear:

"Immediately say that because the previous price was beaten down, you have also lost interest in the transaction."

Jia Baihe was stunned; she did not understand why Ding Huan wanted her to speak this way.

Out of absolute trust in Ding Huan, she immediately said: "Because my price was beaten down just now, I have also lost interest in this transaction."

Once these words came out, the entire auction hall grew even noisier and more clamorous.

Fu Ji Yuan Qi's voice turned cold: "If everyone treats my Myriad Realms Auction as child's play, my Myriad Realms Auction would not have survived to this day. I ask once more—are you certain the price you reported cannot be fulfilled now?"

What Jia Baihe had just said was that she had no interest in the transaction, but in Fu Ji Yuan Qi's mouth it became that she could not fulfill it.

Jia Baihe received Ding Huan's transmitted message once more, and said coldly: "The Myriad Realms Commerce Guild has quite a reputation; I have naturally heard of it.

No matter how great the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild's reputation, it cannot deceive a cultivator like me who has come to the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild to participate in the auction. Tens of thousands of cultivators here have traveled billions of miles precisely because they trust the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild.

Does the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild intend to take our trust and use it as a resource for deception?"

These words Jia Baihe absolutely could not have said on her own—they were all taught to her by Ding Huan.

"How has my Myriad Realms Commerce Guild deceived you?" Fu Ji Yuan Qi's voice was very cold, his emotions very calm.

According to the result of their deliberation, they would first seize Jia Baihe.

Because the items Jia Baihe had bid with had all been used to trade for the Immortal Quasi-Lotus, she certainly could not produce them a second time.

Even if she could produce the Hundred-Million-Year Sea Marrow, she could not possibly produce another Spirit-Communicating Blue-Faced Fruit.

Stepping back further, even if Jia Baihe produced the Hundred-Million-Year Sea Marrow and the Spirit-Communicating Blue-Faced Fruit, she could not produce another hundred catties of Seabed Green Crystal.

The probability of simultaneously producing two sets of such treasures was tiny—almost impossible.

Therefore they had calculated that Jia Baihe would be unable to produce at least one item, or perhaps all of them.

If Jia Baihe could not produce the items yet had reported a price, they could justifiably seize her for reckless bidding. Being seized at an auction for reckless bidding was, by any account, normal enforcement.

Besides, there was a precedent right in front of them—wasn't the fellow who bid the Earth Core Crystal just seized by the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild?

Once they seized Jia Baihe, the person who came in later would have to trade with their auction house to get her back.

In that case, their auction house would recover the Immortal Quasi-Lotus without spending a single spirit stone. As for the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus, there was no need to hand it over.

"You seized the person who bid earlier—how do I know you weren't simply after his items, yet unwilling to give him the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus?

Now you've seized him, and want to use the same method against me? Heh—this is the style of your Myriad Realms Commerce Guild?"

Jia Baihe mimicked the meaning Ding Huan had taught her, and laughed coldly.

Fu Ji Yuan Qi said angrily: "My Myriad Realms Commerce Guild has stood in the Endless Universe for tens of thousands of years, and not a single incident of cheating a customer has ever occurred. If you cannot produce the items and instead slander my Myriad Realms Commerce Guild here, then I'm sorry."

"Who says I cannot produce the items? A transaction is fine—let's do it openly right here, in front of everyone, so all can see the transaction. I certainly don't want to clearly have the items, yet be accused of not having them and be seized."

Jia Baihe finished speaking and raised a ring:

"My items are right here in this ring—where are yours? Or do you still intend to seize me and take my items?"

The ring had a restriction placed on it; no one knew whether there were items inside.

Fu Ji Yuan Qi raised his hand, and a woman carrying a tray walked toward Jia Baihe. A jade box was placed on her tray, sealed by a restriction.

Jia Baihe received Ding Huan's transmitted message: "When that woman reaches you, transact immediately. Remember to remove the restriction on the ring before the transaction."

"Fellow Daoist, may we proceed with the transaction now?" The woman walked up to Jia Baihe and said with a smile.

"Of course. My ring has no restriction—everyone can clearly see what's inside." Jia Baihe finished speaking, placed the ring on the tray, and at the same time took the jade box.

In just one sentence, tens of thousands of divine senses fell upon Jia Baihe's ring.

The ring was not merely without a restriction—inside, five hundred million upper-grade spirit stones, one Spirit-Communicating Blue-Faced Fruit, three drops of Hundred-Million-Year Sea Marrow, and one hundred catties of Seabed Green Crystal were arranged clearly and unmistakably.

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator's divine sense could sweep over and see them; the aura of the Hundred-Million-Year Sea Marrow could also be detected.

Jia Baihe kept Ding Huan's words firmly in mind: the moment she got the jade box, she activated a transmission talisman and sent the jade box away.

The moment Ding Huan received the transmission talisman, he opened the jade box.

He had no time to admire the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus suffused with immortal-mortal Dao rhythm aura. He swiftly sent the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus into his iron pot space, then took out a lower-grade spirit stone and tossed it into the jade box.

After doing all this, Ding Huan finally began to carefully examine the jade box.

Fu Ji Yuan Qi's expression shifted slightly; he knew he had been played by Jia Baihe.

It was not that the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus transaction had suffered a loss—it was that the one suffering the loss was not the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus but the Immortal Quasi-Lotus.

Once the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus was traded away, the Immortal Quasi-Lotus could only be taken by force.

The gloomy-faced man in Box 107 was also utterly astonished; he had not expected that after Ding Huan produced one set of bid items for him, he still had another set on him.

His wealth was simply even greater than his own.

"Congratulations to this friend on obtaining the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus. Next up for auction is a half-immortal artifact—the Nurturing Immortal Cauldron. This is an alchemy cauldron; for alchemists, it is absolutely a supreme treasure…"

Ding Huan could not be bothered to listen to Fu Ji Yuan Qi's rambling; his divine sense had just fallen upon the bottom of the jade box.

Not only that, he activated an image-recording crystal ball—regardless of whether it would be useful, keeping evidence on one's person was never a bad thing.

Before long, the lower-grade spirit stone he had placed in the jade box was transmitted away.

Ding Huan sneered. Anyone who wanted to take advantage of him, Ding Huan, could only be deluding themselves.

Behind the auction hall, Jin Lingzi and the others stared at a low-grade spirit stone in front of them, their faces extremely ugly.

Clearly, their trick had been seen through — not only seen through, but a low-grade spirit stone had been sent back to mock them.

"How dare he! To think he can toy with my Myriad Realms Commerce Guild. If we don't kill this man, where will my Myriad Realms Commerce Guild's face be put?" Peng Sa slammed the table and roared furiously.

Jin Lingzi looked at Peng Sa with disdain: "Elder Peng, is this toying with the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild?

It was you who carved the teleportation restriction into the bottom of the Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus. Now that the other party saw through it, they sent back a low-grade spirit stone.

If this matter gets out, the reputation of my Myriad Realms Commerce Guild will probably be utterly destroyed by you."

It was the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild that sold the thing to the other party in the first place, and then tried to use a petty trick like a teleportation array pattern to send the thing back, only to be seen through.

Fu Ji Yuan Qi's plan was originally very good, but Peng Sa just had to be greedy for that Nine-Colored Immortal-Mortal Lotus. In the end, not only did he fail to get the thing, he might also damage the reputation of the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild.

For the remaining items, Ding Huan did not participate in the auction, until the auction ended.

Ding Huan and Jia Baihe rendezvoused outside the auction hall. The two had not yet reached the Rest Inn when Ding Huan's divine sense swept up that someone was tailing them.

It wasn't one person tailing them, but a whole group.

"Baihe, let's not go to the Rest Inn. Let's go to the plaza outside first." Ding Huan turned and headed out of the Void Flying City.

This Void Flying City was someone else's territory. Even if the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild's reputation was good, Ding Huan did not dare linger here any longer.

Moreover, judging from the process of Ding Huan's covert clash with the Myriad Realms Commerce Guild, this Myriad Realms Commerce Guild was probably also a place that sold its own head — all name and no substance.

"Brother Jia, aren't you going to the Rest Inn? And this big brother here, I still don't know how to address you." Ding Huan and Jia Baihe had just taken a few steps when Fan Jiandan followed them up.

Ding Huan glanced at Fan Jiandan and thought to himself that he was truly naive.

He had actually thought this woman was a sweet, innocent little fool.

He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to this Fan Jiandan.

"Ding Huan, are we leaving here right now?" Jia Baihe asked.

Ding Huan shook his head:

"Right now, who knows how many divine senses are locked on us — even on you, a pile of marks has been planted. So we can't leave now. Let's stop at the plaza for a while. I need to find a weapon to refine…"

"Ah, I helped you buy a spear. Take a look." Jia Baihe finished speaking and took out a ring, handing it to Ding Huan.

Ding Huan's divine sense fell on the ring, and he immediately said in pleasant surprise: "What a fine spear. Dao Friend Baihe, thank you."

This spear carried an overbearing, murderous aura of charging forward without retreat. If he had had this spear when dealing with Lou Xihe back then, he probably wouldn't have been injured so critically.

The only downside was that this spear's baleful aura was too heavy, and it was saturated with a bloodthirsty air.

"Big Brother Ding, this is the Startling Night Spear. The biggest feature of this spear is that it backlashes its master. I heard that almost all of this spear's previous owners died from its backlash."

What surprised Ding Huan was that Fan Jiandan did not leave because of his cold attitude, but instead took the initiative to introduce the origins of the Startling Night Spear.

Ding Huan looked at Fan Jiandan and said flatly: "Dao Friend Fan, although Dao Friend Baihe and I do have some spirit stones on us, it's not a lot. If you're choosing a target, you'd best pick someone else."

Fan Jiandan was stunned, then asked Ding Huan in confusion: "Big Brother Ding, I don't quite understand what you mean."

Ding Huan sneered: "The aura of slaughter on you is very heavy. You've killed quite a few fat sheep that had set their eyes on you these past few days, haven't you?"

Ding Huan finally understood now why this Fan Jiandan kept acting like a fool, deliberately hinting here and there that she was rich. This woman was completely luring fat sheep to rob her, so she could rob them back and get rich.