Song Chi had never felt ten minutes to be so long, yet now he was feeling it intensely.
Although his expression under the bionic mask didn't change, deep down he was panicking a lot.
After all, cosmic plants were extremely rare, let alone their hearts that could only be obtained by killing them.
If he failed to seize this opportunity, Song Chi didn't know when he would next encounter a qualified cosmic plant heart.
It could be decades, centuries, or even longer.
In agony, ten minutes finally passed, but the outcome of the auction wasn't immediately released. It seemed that the black market couldn't make a quick decision.
That was indeed the case.
In a sealed chamber of the secret realm, an old man was staring at the projection screen in front of him, his eyes full of indecision.
On the screen in front of him, a large number of bids were neatly listed, but these weren't the key point; his gaze was fixed on one particular bid.
"Red Energy Shield, ah. If the 'Stormy Sea Fury' could be equipped with this kind of energy shield, its defensive power would surely be greatly enhanced in the future," he muttered, his eyes then shifting to the latter part of that bid.
Three millennium Dragon Blood Fruits were extremely tempting for someone like him with not much life left.
Even if one person could only use two, the remaining fruit could be sold without fear of being stuck with it.
After nearly a minute of struggling, and only after being urged by the black market management, did he finally make a difficult decision.
In the crowd below, Song Chi's face lit up with joy.
His bidding device had received a reply.
"Congratulations, sir. You have successfully obtained the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart] with three millennium Dragon Blood Fruits. Please proceed to the backstage to complete the transaction immediately!"
After reading the entire message, his joy was even more pronounced.
In his heart, even if he indeed won the bid, it most likely would have been with the [Red Dome Shield]. Compared to a red epic component, the value of three millennium Dragon Blood Fruits was obviously far less.
Yet, in the end, he got such a huge surprise.
"It seems like the consignor of the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart] is already very old... perhaps the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart] was originally hunted for the purpose of extending life. But due to various coincidences, they couldn't prolong their life and thus had to auction it," he thought.
In his joy, his steps quickened, and he soon made his way to the backstage near the auction stage. After taking out three millennium Dragon Blood Fruits, he got what he desired—the Half-Step Fifth Rank [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart].
Feeling the increasingly noticeable tremor coming from his brow, Song Chi turned around without any hint of his inner feelings.
Outside, the last grand auction item was being presented—a red component.
Anti-Matter Eternal Motion Engine lv0
Feature: Anti-Matter Mimicry
As the heart of a Torch Warship, the emergence of this red engine naturally caused a great sensation, and the bidding in the hall was fiercely underway.
However, Song Chi was no longer interested in staying. All he wanted was to quickly return to Sky Rush Valley and test if the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart] really could restore the [Silver Apple Mother Tree] back to Fifth Rank.
He signaled to Wang Zhen, and together they squeezed through the crowd.
Because they had been very active in the auction, their departure inevitably attracted the attention of many, who surreptitiously followed behind Song Chi, gradually moving away from the crowd as well.
But when Wang Zhen summoned the 'Howling Wolf Roaring Tiger', the three thousand meter-long Zhulu Warship was like a thunderclap in the minds of all the nefariously intending Torch Ship Captains, causing them to stand frozen for a while. When they finally snapped out of it, they hurriedly dove back into the crowd.
A Zhulu Warship, so rare in Chenxing Yang Continent and the entire principality, was something only a fool would dare target.
After returning to Sky Rush Valley, Song Chi immediately went to the Underground Battleship Summoning Room and then entered the Cultivation Secret Realm with the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart] in hand.
Once inside the Cultivation Secret Realm, perhaps because there was no barrier from the secret realm itself, the response from the [Silver Apple Mother Tree] was more exaggerated than ever.
Its branches were frantically shaking, and at just a glance, Song Chi could see its deep desire.
Clearly, the [Silver Apple Mother Tree] truly wanted to devour the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart].
Feeling this, Song Chi did not hesitate and threw the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart] towards it.
Suddenly, an immense amount of the Rule of Wood surged from the trunk of the [Silver Apple Mother Tree], forming a terrifyingly fast web of laws that completely enveloped the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart].
The ground of the entire Cultivation Secret Realm trembled lightly, accompanied by dazzling light. A large amount of light burst from the trunk of the Silver Apple Mother Tree, forcing Song Chi to close his eyes instinctively.
Though he couldn't witness it with his own eyes, Song Chi could clearly sense a massive convergence of energy up ahead, with energy gathering from all around the secret realm and enveloping the [Silver Apple Mother Tree].
Clearly, the [Silver Apple Mother Tree] was attempting a breakthrough, or rather, returning to Fifth Rank, after devouring the [Desolate Ancient Tree Heart].