The fourth auction item, a delicate pagoda-like gadget, glinting in colorful light was brought out by sect elder Yang. Around it, splendid magical flashes swayed like a dragon.
"Colorful pagoda. Eighty thousand."
More influential than the previous three spirit tools, it ignited the atmosphere in the pavilion when appearing. Many cultivation clans joined its auction.
"A hundred thousand."
"A hundred and fifty thousand."
"Two hundred thusand."
The auction bustled because of the cultivation clans' bidding.
Some found an excuse to pick a fight with their rivals, their screams rocking the pavilion.
As the bid went, the atmosphere became fiercer and killing intent sparkled. The clans would combat with each other without the ban of fight.
The area enjoyed multiple cultivation clans, their feuds germinating a long time ago.
The auction of the Ghost Black Market gathered them and provided a good platform. Although they could not fight themselves, the bidders could battle against prices. But the precondition was that they must be wealthy.
"Three hundred thousand." A grey-haired man made up his mind to shout his price.
"You wanna your clan to extinct?" A sneer came from the private room of the Blood-thirst Palace on the second floor. Threatening, the words scared and trembled the old man.
"No, I give it up." The old man hurried to abandon the pagoda in case of enraging the Blood-thirst Palace and bringing disaster to his family.
"You're sensible."
The following auction items were all spirit tools.
As rounds of auction proceeded and climaxes rose one after another, pieces of terrible spirit tools frightened the bidders into roars.
A black iron staff was sent to the podium.
"Iron staff. Base price, ten thousand. Bid starts." Fatigued, sect elder Yang yawned and said with a tiring voice.
Uh?
When the staff emerged, eyes-closed Ye Chen resting in a corner opened eyes wide in a sudden, because his true fire flickered.
Treasure!
His eyes sparkled.
Black all over its body, the iron staff was rusty and bumpy with some damages. Ye Chen glanced at it, but found nothing special.
Other cultivators looked the staff up and down with their eyes widened as Ye Chen did.
"What's it?" Someone flicked a confusing look at sect elder Yang.
"It's told. Iron staff." Sect elder Yang glimpsed at the cultivator, "Of course, you can see it as a stove poker."
Everyone present twitched their mouths in surprise.
"It's not paid attention to. Not treasure!"
"It looks so ugly."
"I won't take it even if I can afford it."
"Nobody wants it?"Sect elder Yang cast a look at the cultivators below and intended to collect the staff when no one responded.
"Wait." A voice arose from the corner, "I want it."
Um?
An unexpected answer captured everyone's attention.
The speaker was Ye Chen. He would not let go of a treasure triggering his true fire to flicker.
"Sect elder, I bid it for ten thousand spirit stones."
"Are you silly? Ten thousand spirit stones for an old iron staff?" Xiong'er swore at him.
"Cheap!"
"Crap."
Their conversation amused other cultivators including the elders.
"If no one increases the price, the staff will belong to the little friend."
"Wait." A voice interrupted sect elder Yang, "Eleven thousand. The Zhengyang Sect will take this iron staff."
Um?
As astonishments filled the pavilion, everybody looked at the place where the voice arose. The bidder was the sec elder Wu Changqing from the Zheyang Sect. Arrogant, he seemed to tell others that the staff must be his.
Ye Chen scrunched up his eyes in the corner and raised the price, "Twelve thousand."
All the people were astounded.
"Who's the boy?"
"Dare to compete with the Zhengyang Sect, just for a black iron staff."
"He's insane."
Wu Changqing chuckled in the noises, "Boy, do you know whom you compete with?"
"Sect elder, you intimate me?" Ye Chen looked up at the private room on the second floor.
"Very well. You're so brave." Wu Chanqing satirized, "Nobody dared to snatch something from our sect. I accompany you to bid. Twenty thousand spirit stones."
"Twenty-one thousand." Ye Chen answered.
"Thirty thousand."
"Thirty-one thousand." Ye Chen smiled coldly and prepared to bid for the staff even at the cost of his entire wealth. He did so not only for the iron staff but also for his heartless banishment.