Chapter 353: Seizing the Opportunity to Bid

Holy Son and Jin Peng were scolded by Ye Liuyun in front of everyone, but they dared not retort; they also could not discern Ye Liuyun's background.

The other onlookers, hearing Ye Liuyun refer to himself as "this seat," silently guessed which well‑connected master he might be. Even Pei Yong of Lie Yun Ge wore a more cautious expression.

Holy Son wore a gloomy face, forced himself not to flare up, and kept shouting the price: "4.1 billion!"

As soon as his words fell, Ye Liuyun immediately followed: "5 billion!"

"Wow! This guy's too rich! Every time the increment is a billion or twenty billion—who could match him!" the crowd below chattered.

Holy Son's complexion grew increasingly sour. He shouted toward Ye Liuyun: "Sir, are you intent on causing trouble all the way?"

"Sigh!" a sigh came from Ye Liuyun's private booth. "You fool, do you even know what trouble is? Raising a price you can't afford is real trouble! I can afford it; I'll shout whatever amount I want!"

"Fine! You want to cause trouble, huh? Let's see how much you can put up! I'll bid 6 billion mid‑grade Crystal Stone!" Holy Son shouted.

"70 billion mid‑grade Crystal Stone!" Ye Liuyun calmly added.

"80 billion mid‑grade Crystal Stone!" Holy Son immediately echoed.

He had already made up his mind; even if he couldn't afford it, he would join the ruckus, drive the price up, and vent his anger on Ye Liuyun. As for the Twin Ghost Hand Lotus, he would have to wait until it left and then find a way to snatch it back.

"Holy Son!" Jin Peng and the others called out, trying to stop him, but he had already shouted.

The crowd below was stunned!

"When did the auction start adding increments of a billion each?"

"These people must be insanely rich!"

As the host, Xu Dongyun was now thrilled; the price had already doubled his expectation. It seemed that some trouble‑making might not be a bad thing!

Just as the crowd expected Ye Liuyun to keep raising the bid, his private booth fell silent.

"Huh, why isn't he raising any more?" someone even asked aloud.

Holy Son had also been hoping Ye Liuyun would raise the price, but when the silence persisted, he panicked!

He had only brought 5 billion; even if everyone pooled together, the most they could reach was 6 billion. That's why Jin Peng and the others tried to block him. An 8 billion mid‑grade Crystal Stone would probably require adding their Storage Rings and weapons just to scrape together enough.

Seeing the silence, Holy Son deliberately taunted him, trying to provoke a raise: "Aren't you trying to out‑spend me? Then raise! If you're broke, stop pretending!"

"Since you like it so much, I'll give it to you! A treasure bought at double price will feel great when you use it! Hahaha!" Ye Liuyun burst into laughter in his booth.

At that moment the onlookers realized Ye Liuyun had been toying with the Holy Son!

After Xu Dongyun double‑checked several times and received no bids, he ordered a servant to deliver the item to Holy Son.

But Holy Son slumped onto his seat, and Jin Peng and the others were dumbfounded!

Jin Peng hurriedly argued with host Xu Dongyun: "He's clearly causing trouble on purpose! Holy Son only shouted that price because he was provoked; this bid shouldn't count!"

"So it's a bunch of penniless wretches! Trouble? Only those who can't pay cause trouble, right? Or do you think Tianyu Lou is your family's business, so you can do whatever you want?" Ye Liuyun's mocking voice rang out.

The crowd inside found it entertaining. A broke guy shouting random prices had appeared! Now we'll see how Tianyu Lou handles it!

Xu Dongyun's expression also darkened. Someone daring to shout random bids at his own auction—what a scandal!

Although Ye Liuyun was the instigator, he's rich and willful—he can bid however he likes. But you little guys, even without money, rush to shout bids; that's where you're wrong!

So he immediately sent several Stewards over to restrain Holy Son and the others, searched all their Storage Rings, and still couldn't gather an 8 billion mid‑grade Crystal Stone.

With no other choice, Xu Dongyun re‑auctioned the Twin Ghost Hand Lotus, but Ye Liuyun snapped it up for a flat 3.5 billion.

Later, Holy Son voluntarily compensated Tianyu Lou with an additional 5.5 billion, covering its loss.

But that was only restitution, not punishment. They were all detained; if their families didn't pay Tianyu Lou's branch within ten days, their cultivation would be stripped. The penalty was set at 16 billion mid‑grade Crystal Stone!

After Xu Dongyun announced the outcome, Ye Liuyun's booming laughter echoed through the venue, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

"Who on earth is this guy? He's scamming people mercilessly!"

In the subsequent auction, Ge Lao Shou had little money left, so Ye Liuyun let him leave to avoid further trouble. He then seized the chance to buy treasures such as Moonlight Stone, Raging Cloud Fire Crystal, and Heart of the Ocean.

Everyone realized this guy was truly wealthy, having spent nearly 20 billion. Moreover, his bids always jumped by a billion or twenty billion in one go, and no one dared to follow, fearing they'd be ripped off.

"Next up for auction is the True Dragon's Reverse Scale from a dragon's chest. Each true dragon has only one such scale, and even a Heavenly Gang Realm strongman cannot shatter it. The starting price is 3 billion mid‑grade Crystal Stone, with each increment at 30 million mid‑grade Crystal Stone. The bidding now begins."

Xu Dongyun introduced the True Dragon Reverse Scale on stage. Long Ximeng straightened up, glanced from afar, then returned to her seat.

Ye Liuyun could see she liked the item, but she held back and didn't ask him to help purchase it.

"3.5 billion!" a Sea Demon shouted outright.

At the same time, Ye Liuyun also shouted, "6 billion!"

The scene boiled over again.

"It doubled outright! That guy is upping the bid again!"

"Surely he's from a major faction; otherwise how could he be this rich!"

The Sea Demon hadn't expected to clash with Ye Liuyun. Yet they were after the True Dragon Reverse Scale and wouldn't give up easily. It threatened, "Kid, this is what our Sea Tribe's Sea Emperor Palace wants; you dare to snatch it?"

"No nonsense! If you have money, bid; if not, get out of the way!" Ye Liuyun gave him no courtesy.

"Wow, this guy really gives no one's face!"

"Now it's a real spectacle; the Sea Emperor Palace isn't short on money either—let's see how high the price will soar!"

Everyone got excited, hoping the Sea Emperor Palace would bid. The atmosphere grew lively.

"8 billion!" the Monster Beast shouted.

The crowd again looked toward Ye Liuyun's booth, speculating how much he would bid.

Some said 9 billion, others said 10 billion.

But Ye Liuyun bluntly said, "15 billion!"

"Hooray!" the onlookers were nearly going crazy!

"Landlord! So rich!"

Several Sea Tribe Monster Beasts were also stunned! They'd never seen such high bids before. They wanted to keep raising, but feared Ye Liuyun would trap them. If they stayed silent, they worried Ye Liuyun truly had the money to buy it.

The Monster Beasts gathered to discuss. Finally, another beast halted the bidding: "Let him buy it; he'll never take it away anyway. Now contact the palace master and send experts to encircle the county."

"Fine!" the other Monster Beasts agreed. They abandoned the bidding, and the item returned to Ye Liuyun.