Chapter 268: Why He Is the Real Protagonist?

Heh!

Su Ming leaned against the chair back, a slight smile curling his mouth.

The masked man on the stage was playing his tricks quite flamboyantly.

What kind of auction is this?

This is clearly a CPU.

"Two... twenty‑one thousand points!"

Finally, a slightly nervous voice came from the corner.

Shen Dai Qianhe stood up.

The red‑and‑white priestess outfit was especially glaring in the dim Theatre.

It looked like a battle flag about to collapse.

She stared fixedly at that icy‑blue heart, her eyes filled with a desperate, all‑or‑nothing resolve.

Sakura Country is now an open‑air pressure cooker, with a sea of Corpse Oil flames outside.

If they can seize this Heart Core and gain the extreme cold power…

It will surely improve the situation a bit.

Perhaps even, it could give her a foothold to directly converse with those great demons!

She must fight for it!

"Oh?"

In the front row, Yu Zao Qian's hand that waved the fan paused slightly.

Three heads on her neck turned simultaneously, six narrow fox eyes flicked in unison, locking onto Shen Dai Qianhe over there.

That gaze.

It was like looking at a stray dog baring its teeth, fighting for rotten flesh.

Both absurd and funny.

"Interesting."

"Mere humans, daring to pick up chopsticks at my table?"

Yu Zao Qian giggled coquettishly, the beautiful head in the middle lifting slightly, her tone airy.

"Twenty‑two thousand."

She said it lightly, without any pressure!

Shen Dai Qianhe's complexion turned sour, but after a moment's hesitation she spoke again.

"Twenty‑three thousand!"

"Twenty‑four thousand."

Yu Zao Qian even stopped looking at her, bowing her head to admire her blood‑stained nails indifferently.

"Twenty‑five thousand!!"

Shen Dai Qianhe kept persisting, her voice trembling.

"Twenty‑six thousand."

"Twenty‑seven thousand!!!"

In the huge Theatre, only these two voices—one high, one low—alternated in a tug‑of‑war.

Each price increase erected a wall in the hearts of the strong in Sakura Country on site and the countless Audience of Sakura Country in the live stream.

This is Dimensional Reduction Strike.

A completely unequal slaughter!

One side is playing a game.

The other side is gambling with its life!

Finally.

"Pfft."

The bewitchingly seductive three‑headed fox suddenly halted its bidding.

She laughed, her blossoms trembling wildly, and a surge of waves roared before her.

"Ahahaha, you really scared the baby to death."

Yu Zao Qian covered her red lips with a folding fan, her eyes flickering.

"All for such a junk, making yourself look so messy..."

"Since you want it so much..."

"Then I, your lady, will grant it to you; take it back and worship it."

After speaking, she leaned back against the chair, not even glancing at the Heart Core again.

The earlier bidding was just a post‑meal digestion game for her.

"Got... got it?!"

Shen Dai Qianhe swallowed, feeling a bit weak all over.

The pressure was too great!

Meanwhile, in paid live streams worldwide, the barrage of comments surged instantly, the chat boiling over.

"Shen Dai Qianhe is beautiful and kind‑hearted; if I could marry such a wife, this life would truly be worth it!"

"Who peed yellow, waking the upstairs! Priestess lady, majestic!"

"Wuwuwu, this is for us! She burns herself to illuminate us, saving us from fire and water!"

"Right! Everyone must work together; good days are surely waiting ahead!"

"We are the strongest!"

C‑position on the scene.

Su Ming watched the sky‑filled self‑praising barrage and couldn't help letting out a light laugh.

"Idiot."

"Being sold and still counting the money for others—this IQ tax is paid in full."

He had seen it clearly just now.

In that old fox's final gaze, where was any regret or anger?

It was clearly glee at a dead man's misfortune!

"Spent the whole family fortune, not only failed to buy a life‑saving medicine, but ended up buying a timed bomb that would possess oneself…"

"The key is, this was a kill‑pig scheme colluded by the seller and the underlings."

"These people truly don't know what… is a halftime champagne?"

……

The first auction item settled.

The atmosphere on site didn't become lively from the sale; instead it grew even more chilling.

Shen Dai Qianhe, clutching that icy blue heart, felt a cold surge rush straight to the Heavenly Spirit Cover.

It's not just the effect of the prop!

Her intuition told her that the fox's final smile…

Was off.

But it's like a near‑dying desert wanderer spotting a cup of poison wine.

Knowing it's poisonous.

Still has to raise his head and drink it!

"I have no choice!"

The auction continues.

"Second item up!"

On stage, Zuo Jin gave the crowd no time to catch their breath.

He flipped back the red cloth covering the second tray.

A grotesquely shaped armor woven from countless black bone spikes was exposed under the lights.

【Name】: Black Bone Thorn Armor

【Quality】: Epic

【Effect 1】: Retribution! Defense is astonishingly high, and it carries a counter‑damage effect!

【Effect 2】: Unyielding after a hundred battles! Greatly boosts willpower!

【Effect 3】: Flesh‑and‑skin agony! The wearer must constantly endure the piercing pain of thorns, which intensifies when hit!

【Karma Overview】: Constructed from the spines of a hundred slain warriors!

"Tsk."

Su Ming glanced at it once, then disdainfully looked away.

The gear is usable, but the design just isn't to his liking.

And it harms the enemy by a thousand while self‑damage is eight hundred; even a dog wouldn't wear it.

How desperate must one be to spend money on such suffering?

Besides, the defense and mental will are greatly increased…

Can this broken bone be as useful as his Dragon Scale?

Combined with Xiao Heizi, that's the ultimate max‑style full form!

Not interested, next.

"This item, called Black Bone Thorn Armor, is also an Epic‑grade artifact that greatly boosts mental will and defense, and includes counter‑damage!"

"Opening bid: ten thousand points!"

The venue fell into dead silence.

For a moment, no one placed a bid.

Just a second before it went unsold.

"I'll bid ten thousand!"

In the Xiao Yinghua camp, a bald strongman gritted his teeth and snapped up the item for ten thousand points.

What if it really works as advertised?!

Moreover, if it were any pricier, he couldn't afford it!

Now being able to participate counts as blending in, gaining some attention!

……

"Alas!"

On stage, Zuo Jin let out a heavy sigh.

That sense of disappointment could spill out even through a mask.

His gaze passed over the big demons in the front row who were picking their teeth and chatting idly.

It landed directly on the spot with the best position and the most flamboyant posture.

But it never rested on the man who never raised a card.

That spot was too eye‑catching.

Especially the person sitting above, who was still crossing his legs, was scanning the surroundings with a look as if watching a monkey show.

That carefree relaxed feeling clashed with the tense, fearful air around.

This made him, the one who controlled the scene…

feel an inexplicable offense.

Here, how could any human not be seized by desire?

How could anyone not be ruled by fear?

When the big fish doesn't bite the hook, it makes the host who set up the scheme feel uneasy!

"It seems…"

Zuo Jin's voice grew somewhat plaintive, like a wronged woman in a secluded boudoir.

"Tonight's appetizer is really a bit unpresentable."

"Even our esteemed guests… can't muster any interest."

Hm?!

As the words fell, the whole theater's atmosphere grew a few shades more subtle.

This move is called Praise Kill, also called Set Fire.

Put Su Ming on the fire to roast!

Facing Zuo Jin's gaze, several terrifying auras instantly locked onto him.

Yu Zao Qian stopped the hand that was fanning.

Da Tian Gou set down the wine cup.

Even the paper-figure yin‑yang master who had been keeping his eyes closed and meditating tilted his head slightly.

Over a dozen gazes filled with scrutiny, malice and bloodlust swept together toward the center spot.

If it were someone with a weaker mental constitution, they'd be scared enough to wet their pants on the spot.

And in the corner.

Shen Dai Qianhe and the other strong ones from Sakura Country at this moment only felt their cheeks burning hot with pain.

Shame!

Utter shame!

Where is this?

This is the core interior of Sakura Country!

Who are they?

They are the country's last hope, the saviors who risked their lives to charge in!

But now?

At this auction that could affect their nation's fate.

The big demon who was hosting didn't even glance at them.

Instead, like a sycophant, he turned his attention to a foreign passerby?

What they fought tooth and nail for, to that person, was a trifle.

The opportunity they treasured as a gem, to that person, was boring.

Isn't this a bit too NTR!?

"Baka…"

Liu Sheng Jian Ying's hand gripping the sword hilt trembled.

Feeling his dignity was insulted!

"This is clearly our home stage…"

"Why… why is the protagonist still him?!"