Chapter 537: Crazy Bidding

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and nodded reluctantly.

Even without using his soul force, he could sense countless angry gazes fixed firmly on him.

There were only ten items total—you bought so many yourself; of course it stirs up others' resentment toward the rich.

You think having elixirs makes you special, huh?

Xiao Yan feared that if he provoked public outrage, it would be disastrous.

When Xiao Yan stopped bidding on the seventh and eighth items, the public resentment eased slightly—luckily, neither item suited him well.

"With all this spending, do you even have enough for that item?" Xiao Yixian asked softly; she still knew how many elixirs Xiao Yan had cultivated, and such lavish consumption of elixirs meant the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Remnant Map would be fiercely contested.

You must understand that low-tier Heavenly Rank fighting skills, cultivation techniques, and even weapons are nothing more than Dou Zun-level items, but the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame is a Dou Saint-level treasure—it is the third-ranked Heavenly Flame, with power that pierces through heaven and earth; legend has it that it can burn the skies and boil the seas, purifying all things in the world with effortless ease.

【8】 Heavenly Rank Low Grade Dou Techniques, cultivation methods, and weapons were merely Dou Zun-level items, but the Pure Lotus Demon Flame was a Dou Sheng-level entity—the third-ranked Strange Flame, its power reaching heaven and earth, said to burn the sky and boil the seas, purifying all things in the world effortlessly.

Moreover, from Hun Xu Zi's words, Xiao Yan learned that among the entire Dou Qi Continent, only one of the top three Strange Flames existed—there was not even a theoretical possibility of a second appearing.

Strange Flames were born under extremely harsh conditions, yet a second could not be ruled out entirely—only the probability was extremely low. But the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, the Swallowing Flame, and the number-one unnamed Strange Flame could never produce a second, not even in their juvenile stage—there was zero chance, absolutely zero.

One could imagine just how precious this residual map truly was.

And this was only a residual map!

Xiao Yan often felt he owed Xiao Yixian and Hai Bodong, especially Hai Bodong—he had once planned to forcibly seize it, and guilt gnawed at his heart.

With the successful transaction of the seventh and eighth items, the atmosphere inside the hall grew much hotter; beneath many black cloaks, intense gazes burned, locked firmly on Baoshan Elder at the hall's center.

Because the grand finale wasn't the last item—it was the second-to-last; meaning among ten auction items, the grand finale was the ninth!

That is, the next item.

"Next, we begin auctioning the second-to-last item of this transaction—our grand finale treasure."

No sooner had Baoshan Elder finished speaking than he paused; upon hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others sat up straight, and Cai Lin's beautiful eyes turned icy as she scanned the surroundings warily.

People die for wealth, birds die for food—even here, in the Ancient Treasure Pavilion, something might happen, for she knew Xiao Yan had already gathered the other three maps—he only needed this one!

If anyone learned Xiao Yan had collected all four Pure Lotus Demon Flame Residual Maps, even the three host factions would move against him.

The Pure Lotus Demon Flame! Its allure was enough to drive a Dou Sheng mad!

Baoshan Elder, face glowing with excitement, raised his head and smiled at the hall; under all eyes, he clenched his hand—and an ancient, yellowed parchment appeared in his grasp.

Seeing the residual map appear, the Earth Sub Flame within Xiao Yan's Nascent Soul stirred slightly, flickering with a hint of hostile energy.

The Swallowing Flame was the best proof—Xiao Yan didn't even need to look; he knew this was unquestionably the final remaining fragment.

"Heh, this is merely a residual map—no special energy radiates from it. But after our research, we reached a final conclusion: this map is connected to the legendary Pure Lotus Demon Flame." Baoshan Elder lifted the ancient parchment in his hand, and as he spoke the final word, nearly every gaze in the hall converged upon the ancient residual map.

Upon hearing this, many in attendance drew sharp, rapid breaths.

Since the Emperor An Era, over thousands of years of Dou Qi Continent history, only one cultivator had ever been recorded as controlling the Pure Lotus Demon Flame—the legendary Pure Lotus Demon Saint, considered the strongest on the continent at the time.

He was among the few super-strong cultivators who were not from a Dou Emperor Family and possessed no Dou Di Bloodline, yet still reigned supreme in the world.

Merely the name "Pure Lotus Demon Saint" was enough to crown the Pure Lotus Demon Flame with countless halos.

Even a mere incomplete map drew countless seekers.

Of course, as a Ten Heavenly Elder of the Soul Palace, a Dragon Prince of the Gu Clan, and a Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan knew more than outsiders—that all Dou Emperor Families had long been watching the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.

Others had to rely on residual maps to guess locations; those Dou Emperor Families directly monitored the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Hence Xiao Yan suspected the three host factions of the Ancient Treasure Pavilion were tied to Dou Emperor Families—because each Dou Emperor Family possessed only one residual map, and according to Hun Tian Di, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame was nearly ready to emerge; the Dou Emperor Family likely knew they had no time left, realized the map was useless, and thus decided to sell it.

What they didn't know was that someone here had already gathered three.

"I hope collecting this map isn't just to tell me its location—if so, I've been cheated." Xiao Yan had no trouble learning where the Pure Lotus Demon Flame would descend—the Soul Palace had long kept powerful watchers on it.

But Xiao Yan always felt this residual map wasn't so simple—if it were merely a treasure map, there'd be no reason for other Dou Emperor Families to lock onto the Demon Fire Space's birth location so easily.

"Heh, the owner of this residual map seeks elixirs. Starting bid: an Eight Grade Pill with Six-Colored Pill Thunder. Each raise must be at least one Two-Colored Pill Thunder elixir."

The instant Baoshan Elder finished speaking, a Dou Zun immediately bid: "One Eight Grade Pill with Six-Colored Pill Thunder."

"Hmph, get out of the way—one Eight Grade Pill with Seven-Colored Pill Thunder."

This man didn't even bother adding to the base bid—he jumped straight to double.

Normally, two Six-Colored Pill Thunder elixirs equaled one Seven-Colored Pill Thunder elixir, though higher-grade elixirs were more sought-after and thus more valuable.

The mysterious Dou Zun had barely finished his bid when another voice rang out: "One Seven-Colored Pill Thunder elixir plus one Five-Colored."

Only three seconds of silence followed.

"One Seven-Colored Pill Thunder elixir plus two Five-Colored."

"One Seven-Colored plus one Six-Colored!"

Within mere minutes, bid after bid rang out, and the atmosphere suddenly grew scorching hot.

But soon, many stopped raising their bids, for everyone knew this was only a residual map—the Dou Qi Continent was vast; gathering the remaining fragments would require immense Qi Circulation!

Moreover, if this map truly held great power, why would its owner even put it up for auction? Not even a Ji Pin Dan Yao would be traded for it! If anyone truly could use this map to locate the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, such losses would be negligible.

"Two Seven-Colored." Seeing the bidding slow, Xiao Yan finally spoke slowly—highest bidder wins, not fastest shouter—what's all the shouting for?

Seeing Xiao Yan bid again, many turned to look; for those who didn't intend to bid on the residual map, this big spender had piqued their interest.

"Heh, the rich guy finally moved."

Half a second after Xiao Yan's bid, the black-robed man who had just sold Xiao Yan a Heavenly Rank Dou Technique shouted: "Two Seven-Colored Pill Thunder elixirs, plus one Two-Colored."

Hearing the raise, Xiao Yan slowly shook his head: "You're too slow—I haven't finished. Two Seven-Colored Pill Thunder elixirs are Chengzun Spirit Pills. If you're offering ordinary Healing Pills, you'll need three."

Sssss!! Upon hearing "Chengzun Spirit Pills," the eyes of many Dou Zun powerhouses flashed with greed!

Chengzun Spirit Pills were the Dou Zun-tier equivalent of Dou Wang Pills and Imperial Ultimate Pills—elixirs that enhance power were always the most sought-after and valuable, more precious than elixirs of the same grade, and far harder to refine.

"Seven-Colored Pill Thunder" merely rated an elixir's grade—but different types carried different values. In auction halls like this, when trading in elixirs, the lowest standard type was assumed unless specified otherwise.

When refining elixirs, Xiao Yan naturally chose the most valuable ones—he was most skilled at refining Chengzun Spirit Pills, so he had refined many.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the elders in the hall confirmed without doubt that he was an Alchemist—only Alchemists carried other types of elixirs; others treated elixirs as currency, exchanging them beforehand for the cheapest possible options.

"Three Seven-Colored Pill Thunder elixirs, plus one Two-Colored."

Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly, not bothering to incrementally raise like the others: "Two Chengzun Spirit Pills with Seven-Colored Pill Thunder, plus one Eight-Colored Pill Thunder—also a Chengzun Spirit Pill."

"I'm damned—he can even refine a Chengzun Spirit Pill that draws Eight-Color Pill Thunder!!"

"This guy's raising the bid by multiples upon multiples!"

"He's so rich!"

A Chengzun Spirit Pill that draws Eight-Color Pill Thunder can elevate a Six Star Dou Zun by one star—it's naturally far more precious.

But clearly, Xiao Yan's bid hadn't calmed down the bidders determined to win.

A slightly impatient voice suddenly roared, as if betting everything: "Three Seven-Colored Pill Thunder Elixirs, plus five Eight-Color Pill Thunder Eight Grade Pills!"

At this bid, the hall erupted in gasps—five Eight-Color?!!

This is all-in!

"Who is this guy? Five Eight-Color Pill Thunder Elixirs—he must be an Alchemist too!"

"Not necessarily. Look over there—those three are a group. The one who just bid is probably the leader. Three of them—could it be those three?"

"Who?"

"Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts. Their leader, Sky Scorpion Elder, is a supreme expert who's reached Nine-Turn Dou Zun."

Xiao Yan naturally couldn't hear these words; even he was stunned by this bid. Just a Residual Map—and they're bidding this high?

"Then no more delays—state your bottom line. Three Seven-Colored, two Eight-Colored, plus—one Chengzun Spirit Pill that draws Nine Color Pill Thunder!" Xiao Yan said gravely.

This was all-in too—it was everything he had on him right now.

Xiao Yan didn't lack Medicinal Materials—he lacked time. He had only five months to refine Elixirs, and producing so many high-grade Eight Grade Pills already proved the terror of his Pill Alchemy.

But within the Yan Alliance, he alone could refine Eight Grade Pills. He was ultimately alone, unable to produce more than one Chengzun Spirit Pill drawing Nine Color Pill Thunder.

He wouldn't dawdle with these people anymore—he went all-in!

"My god! Nine Color!!"

"Damn—who is this guy? Whoever can refine a Chengzun Spirit Pill drawing Nine Color Pill Thunder can't be unknown!"

"Could it be a Pill Giant from Dan Tower?!"

"Possible. Only a Pill Giant could possess such power. The allure of the Flame for Alchemists is indeed immense."

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's bid, even Baoshan Elder's gaze sharpened in surprise. He swept his Soul Force over Xiao Yan, trying to discern his true identity—meeting such an Alchemist was already a stroke of fortune.

Who on the Dou Qi Continent doesn't need Elixirs?! And if Xiao Yan can refine a Pill drawing Nine Color Pill Thunder, it means he has a strong chance of entering the legendary realm of the Nine-Treasure Pill Alchemist!

But clearly, everyone present could not pierce Xiao Yan's Soul Shield—they couldn't glimpse his true identity.

"This must be everything he's got."

"Probably. He's even put up a Nine Color Pill Thunder Elixir. Even a Pill Giant would need tremendous energy and time to refine one."

Xiao Yan looked toward the black-robed figure. Both black-robed men stared at the central figure. Under Xiao Yan's gaze, the central black-robed man slowly rose, bowed to Baoshan Elder, then spoke in a low, almost frenzied voice: "Five Eight-Color Pill Thunder Eight Grade Pills, plus one Nine Color—Ancient Pill Elixir that has reached Dan Beast quality!"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Ancient Pill Beast!"

Upon hearing this bid, even Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with surprise—it was an Ancient Pill Elixir that had already evolved into a Dan Beast!!

Acquiring a Dan Beast doesn't require perfection during refinement to grant the Elixir sufficient Spirit—it can evolve gradually after refinement through certain methods.

Pill Elixirs passed down from ancient times have mostly already evolved—they're no different from ordinary demonic beasts.

Hearing this, everyone in the hall felt the man was insane. He was putting this up for Transaction—for just a Residual Map???

Xiao Yan's expression turned utterly grim. He did possess a Nine Color Pill Thunder Dan Beast—Xiao Yixian had even named the round little thing Tuan Tuan, leaving it in Zao Hua Gu to guard the Medicinal Forest.

Xiao Yan would never trade Tuan Tuan. Not only was Tuan Tuan more than just an Elixir—if nurtured properly, once it broke through its limits and reached the Nine-Treasure Pill level, Tuan Tuan would become a Sage Emperor!

A Sage Emperor! A true Sage Emperor!

Who could have imagined that the Yan Alliance's closest link to a Sage Emperor wasn't Xiao Yan, nor Xiao Yixian or Cai Lin—but an Elixir?

So Xiao Yan would never trade it.

Upon hearing this bid, Baoshan Elder froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up with wild joy. After a long silence, seeing Xiao Yan remain silent, he understood—it was over.

(End of Chapter)