yuán běn yǒu diǎn hūn hūn yù shuì de lín xuān yī xià zi zhēng kāi le yǎn 。
原本有点昏昏欲睡的林轩一下子睁开了眼。
Lin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had just woken up from a drowsy state.
zhǐ jiàn bái xuě qiàn shǒu wēi fú ， yòu yī kuài tuō pán shàng de hóng bù bèi xiān le qǐ lái ， shàng miàn jǐn yǒu yī wù ， yī kē lóng yǎn dà xiǎo de hēi sè yuán zhū 。
只见白雪纤手微拂，又一块托盘上的红布被掀了起来，上面仅有一物，一颗龙眼大小的黑色圆珠。
Snow White gently brushed her hand, and another red cloth on the tray was lifted. There was only one object underneath: a black round pearl about the size of a dragon's eye.
“ zhū wèi dào yǒu xiǎng bì qīng chǔ ， yīn hún nǎi xū wú zhī wù ， bù guò jìn jiē yuán yīng qī yǐ hòu ， què néng sù zào chū xīn de shēn tǐ ， ér yǎn qián jiù shì yī yuán yīng hòu qī de guǐ dì ， zhè yàng de cún zài ， rú guǒ fàng dào yīn sī jiè miàn ， huò xǔ bù suàn shén me ， dàn zài cǐ chù ， què shì fēi cháng zhēn xī zhī wù ， hé kuàng yīn hún guǐ wù ， shén tōng tè shū ， xiǎng yào jī shā 。 bìng bù qīng sōng ， hòu qī guǐ dì de nèi dān ， nǎi bù kě duō dé de bǎo wù ， qǐ jià yì bǎi wàn jīng shí 。”
“诸位道友想必清楚，阴魂乃虚无之物，不过进阶元婴期以后，却能塑造出新的身体，而眼前就是一元婴后期的鬼帝，这样的存在，如果放到阴司界面，或许不算什么，但在此处，却是非常珍稀之物，何况阴魂鬼物，神通特殊，想要击杀。并不轻松，后期鬼帝的内丹，乃不可多得的宝物，起价一百万晶石。”
"Dear fellow cultivators, you must be familiar with the fact that yin ghosts are ethereal beings. However, after advancing to the Spirit婴 stage, they can create new bodies. The ghost emperor before us is an advanced-stage spirit婴 entity. Such existence might not be considered rare in the Netherworld Realm, but here it's extremely precious. Moreover, yin ghosts and spirits have unique abilities, making their extermination no easy task. The inner core of a late-stage ghost emperor is a rare treasure worth one million crystal stones."
lín xuān dīng zhe tuō pán zhī wù ， yǎn zhōng yǐn yǐn yǒu yì máng shǎn guò 。
林轩盯着托盘之物，眼中隐隐有异芒闪过。
Lin Xuan stared at the object on the tray, his eyes flickering with an unusual light.
zhè yì wài de chā qǔ ， què shì tā qǐ chū bìng wèi liào xiǎng dào de 。
这意外的插曲，却是他起初并未料想到的。
This unexpected turn of events was not something he had anticipated.
guǐ dì nèi dān ， bìng fēi cǐ xíng mù dì ， àn lǐ shuō 。 yīng jì xù tāo guāng yǎng huì xià qù 。
鬼帝内丹，并非此行目的，按理说。应继续韬光养晦下去。
The inner core of a ghost emperor wasn't part of his original objective. It made sense to continue keeping a low profile for now.
kě lín xuān yòu shě bù dé fàng qì ， bì yàn qí lín jiǎ jǐn chà zhè yī jiàn cái liào ér yǐ 。
可林轩又舍不得放弃，碧焰麒麟甲仅差这一件材料而已。
However, Lin Xuan couldn't bear to give up. The green flame phoenix armor was just one material short.
guò le zhè ge cūn ， kě jiù méi zhè ge diàn ， suī shuō zì jǐ rì hòu ， wèi bì jiù xún bú dào guǐ dì nèi dān 。 kě hòu qī guǐ dì ， kěn dìng shì xiǎng yě bié xiǎng dì 。
过了这个村，可就没这个店，虽说自己日后，未必就寻不到鬼帝内丹。可后期鬼帝，肯定是想也别想地。
Once in a village, always in a village. Although he might eventually find the inner core of a ghost emperor, late-stage ones were definitely out of the question.
ér cái liào yuè zhēn xī ， liàn zhì chū lái de bǎo jiǎ 。 wēi lì yě yuè dà 。
而材料越珍稀，炼制出来的宝甲。威力也越大。
The rarer the materials, the greater the power of the resulting treasure armor.
fàng qì hái shì cān yù jìng jià ， lín xuān yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī zhēng zhá 。 bù guò hěn kuài ， biǎo qíng jiù jiān dìng xià lái ， lóng tán hǔ xué yòu rú hé ， zì jǐ shén me shí hòu biàn dé zhè yàng wèi wèi wěi le ， qiě bù shuō cǐ chù yí dìng yǒu lí hé qī lǎo guài wù ， jiù suàn yǒu ， nán dào zì jǐ jiù bù gǎn mǎi dōng xī le 。
放弃还是参与竞价，林轩眼中闪过一丝挣扎。不过很快，表情就坚定下来，龙潭虎穴又如何，自己什么时候变得这样畏畏尾了，且不说此处一定有离合期老怪物，就算有，难道自己就不敢买东西了。
Lin Xuan's eyes flickered as he weighed his options. Before he could decide, another bid was heard: "I'll offer one hundred and five thousand crystal stones." An old man with white hair spoke.
dǔ yī dǔ ！
赌一赌！
But before he could finish, a loud voice interrupted from beside him: "Haha! I've been searching for the inner core of a late-stage ghost emperor for many years. No one is allowed to snatch it. This item is mine, at one hundred and twenty thousand."
duì tā lái shuō ， hòu qī guǐ dì de nèi dān 。 shì wú yǔ lún bǐ de yòu huò ， wú lùn rú hé ， lín xuān yě bù yuàn jiù zhè yàng fàng qì de 。
对他来说，后期鬼帝的内丹。是无与伦比的诱惑，无论如何，林轩也不愿就这样放弃的。
Despite the wealth of cultivators in the Cold Palace, hearing such generous bidding made everyone take a sharp intake of breath.
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， tā shēn shēn hū xī ， liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng ， mǎn shì jiān yì ， bù guò suī rán dǎ dìng le zhǔ yì ， lín xuān què bìng wèi mǎ shàng jiā rù zhēng duó 。
想到这里，他深深呼吸，脸上的表情，满是坚毅，不过虽然打定了主意，林轩却并未马上加入争夺。
The old man's tone was extremely arrogant, declaring that no one should dare compete with him for this treasure.
xiān kàn kàn qíng kuàng zài shuō ， fǎn zhèng pāi mài zhǐ yào méi yǒu jié shù ， zì jǐ suí shí dōu kě yǐ jiào jià de 。
先看看情况再说，反正拍卖只要没有结束，自己随时都可以叫价的。
"An advanced-stage spirit婴 cultivator with a ghost face birthmark on his forehead. Could it be Elder Grandmaster Leye Soul Valley?"
yì bǎi wàn jīng shí ， duì yú pǔ tōng xiū shì ， yǐ jīng shì yí gè tiān wén shù zì ， dàn néng gòu lái dào cǐ chù 。 bù lùn rén zú hái shì yāo xiū ， nǎ yí gè bù shēn jiā fēng hòu ， qí zhōng jué dà bù fèn ， hái dài biǎo yǒu zōng mén jiā zú ， yǒu mén pài duō nián jī lěi zuò wèi zhī chí ， zhè ge shù é yě jiù bù suàn shén me 。
一百万晶石，对于普通修士，已经是一个天文数字，但能够来到此处。不论人族还是妖修，哪一个不身家丰厚，其中绝大部分，还代表有宗门家族，有门派多年积累做为支持，这个数额也就不算什么。
"Indeed, it is Old Monster Gong Sun. Who else would dare to act so arrogantly?"
xiū xiān jiè bù jǐn ruò ròu qiáng shí ， ér qiě yě yǒu zhe nán yǐ xiǎng xiàng de pín fù chā jù ， shēn jiā yǔ xiū wèi chéng zhèng bǐ ， gāng gāng tà rù xiān dào de líng dòng qī dì zǐ ， qián wǎng shēn shān dà zé ， huāng mò xiá gǔ ， mào zhe shēng mìng wēi xiǎn xún zhǎo gè zhǒng líng yào bǎo wù ， měi tiān xià lái néng gòu huàn qǔ yī kuài jīng shí yǐ jīng shí fēn xìng fú mǎn zú ， kě gāo jiē xiū xiān zhě ， huī jīn rú tǔ 。 zhè pāi mài huì suí biàn yī jiàn wù pǐn de chéng jiāo jià gé 。 dōu gòu qiān bǎi míng dī jiē sàn xiū shù nián xiū liàn zhī yòng 。
修仙界不仅弱肉强食，而且也有着难以想象的贫富差距，身家与修为成正比，刚刚踏入仙道的灵动期弟子，前往深山大泽，荒漠峡谷，冒着生命危险寻找各种灵药宝物，每天下来能够换取一块晶石已经十分幸福满足，可高阶修仙者，挥金如土。这拍卖会随便一件物品的成交价格。都够千百名低阶散修数年修炼之用。
"But there are more than one powerful cultivators here."
lín xuān tàn le kǒu máo ， kàn lái zhè yī cì bù dà chū xiě xiū xiǎng jiāng bǎo wù ná dào shǒu lǐ 。
林轩叹了口毛，看来这一次不大出血休想将宝物拿到手里。
"You know nothing. Among the late-stage cultivators, there's a difference in strength. Not only does he belong to the Seven Great Sects' Leye Soul Valley, but his own abilities are formidable. Do you think just any advanced-stage spirit婴 cultivator can match him?"
guǐ dì nèi dān suī jiào wéi lěng pì ， dàn duì guǐ dào xiū shì lái shuō ， què yǒu mò dà yòng tú ， ér qiě hái néng yòng yú kuì lěi de zhì zuò ， suǒ yǐ bái xuě huà yīn wèi luò 。 lì kè jiù yǒu xiū shì jiā rù le zhēng duó 。
鬼帝内丹虽较为冷僻，但对鬼道修士来说，却有莫大用途，而且还能用于愧儡的制作，所以白雪话音未落。立刻就有修士加入了争夺。
"Really?!"
“ lǎo fū chū yì bǎi líng wǔ wàn jīng shí shuō huà de shì yī míng xū jiē bái de lǎo zhě ， kě tā huà yīn wèi luò ， ěr páng què chuán lái yī shēng duàn hē ：“ hā hā ， hòu qī guǐ dì de nèi dān ， lǎo fū yǐ xún le hǎo duō nián ， shuí yě bù xǔ qiǎng ， cǐ wù wǒ yào dìng le ， yì bǎi èr shí 。”
“老夫出一百零五万晶石说话的是一名须皆白的老者，可他话音未落，耳旁却传来一声断喝：“哈哈，后期鬼帝的内丹，老夫已寻了好多年，谁也不许抢，此物我要定了，一百二十。”
"Believe it or not, this old monster has killed more than one late-stage cultivator."
jǐn guǎn lái dào guǎng hán gōng de xiū xiān zhě ， jiē cái dà qì cū ， dàn tīng jiàn zhè me dà fāng de jiā jià fāng shì 。 hái shì rěn bú zhù dào xī le yī kǒu liáng qì 。 ér qiě duì fāng de kǒu qì ， gèng shì xiāo zhāng yǐ jí ， pāi mài huì pīn de jiù shì cái lì ， jū rán shuō chū shén me bú yào hé zì jǐ qiǎng de yán yǔ 。
尽管来到广寒宫的修仙者，皆财大气粗，但听见这么大方的加价方式。还是忍不住到吸了一口凉气。而且对方的口气，更是嚣张以极，拍卖会拼的就是财力，居然说出什么不要和自己抢的言语。
Lin Xuan's brows raised slightly. The matter with Elder Grandmaster Leye Soul Valley was indeed complicated, but he wasn't afraid of Old Monster Gong Sun.
fēn fēn cè mù ， suí hòu biàn yǒu yì lùn shēng chuán rù ěr lǐ 。
纷纷侧目，随后便有议论声传入耳里。
Before he could react, another bid came: "Haha! Brother Gong Sun truly exudes power and might. But this item is also useful for me, Mo Xuesong. Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered it to a fellow cultivator. Now, let's see who can seize the opportunity. Three hundred and twenty-five thousand crystal stones."
“ yuán yīng hòu qī xiū xiān zhě ， é tóu shàng yǒu yī guǐ liǎn tāi jì ， nán dào shì lì hún gǔ dà zhǎng lǎo 。”
“元婴后期修仙者，额头上有一鬼脸胎记，难道是厉魂谷大长老。”
After discovering Old Monster Gong Sun's identity, ghost cultivators who had intended to bid on this item retreated due to their lack of financial resources or fear of offending Leye Soul Valley.
“ bù cuò ， zhèng shì gōng sūn lǎo mó ， chú le tā ， bié rén yòu qǐ gǎn rú cǐ xiāo zhāng de
“不错，正是公孙老魔，除了他，别人又岂敢如此嚣张的
Old Monster Gong Sun looked around with a fierce expression: as expected, despite having the same strength, his status and abilities made him stand out. He seemed to be the target of much discussion.
“ duō ， zhè lǐ de hòu míng dà xiū shì yòu bù zhǐ yí gè 。”
“多，这里的后明大修士又不止一个。”
Seeing the rare treasure about to become his, Old Monster Gong Sun was surprised by the next bid: "Five hundred thousand crystal stones!"
“ nǐ dǒng shén me ， hòu qī xiū shì zhī zhōng ， yě fēn qiáng ruò ， qiě bù shuō tā bèi hòu shì qī dà mén pài zhī lì hún gǔ ， biàn shì gōng sūn lǎo mó de yī shēn shén tōng ， nǐ yǐ wéi suí biàn yī míng yuán yīng hòu qī xiū xiān zhě 。 jiù néng yǔ tā pǐ dí me ” xiǎng ， chà de yuǎn le 。 fǒu zé qī dà mén pài ， wèi hé néng gòu wēi zhèn tiān yún shí èr zhōu nà me duō nián ， qí tā zhōu fǔ ， gè dà zōng mén zhī zhōng ， ǒu ěr yě huì yǒu dà xiū shì ， kě biàn shì liǎng sān gè bǎng zài yì qǐ ， yě fēi gōng sūn lǎo mó zhī dí 。”
“你懂什么，后期修士之中，也分强弱，且不说他背后是七大门派之厉魂谷，便是公孙老魔的一身神通，你以为随便一名元婴后期修仙者。就能与他匹敌么”享，差得远了。否则七大门派，为何能够威震天云十二州那么多年，其他州府，各大宗门之中，偶尔也会有大修士，可便是两三个绑在一起，也非公孙老魔之敌。”
"Six hundred thousand!"
“ zhēn de jiǎ de ？”
“真的假的？”
"Seven hundred thousand!"
“ xìn bù xìn yóu nǐ ， fǎn zhèng jù wǒ suǒ zhī 。 zhè lǎo a guài wù zǎi guò bù zhǐ yī míng hòu qī xiū shì
“信不信由你，反正据我所知。这老啊怪物宰过不止一名后期修士
"Eight hundred thousand!"
lín xuān méi tóu wēi tiāo ， lì hún gǔ dà zhǎng lǎo ， cǐ shì hái zhēn yǒu xiē jí shǒu ， bù guò tā zì rán bú huì wèi jù shén me gōng sūn lǎo mó 。
林轩眉头微挑，厉魂谷大长老，此事还真有些棘手，不过他自然不会畏惧什么公孙老魔。
The surrounding cultivators were stunned as they watched the price climb higher and higher.
ér tā hái zài sī liáng de shí hòu ， jiù yòu yǒu yī jiào jià shēng chuán rù ěr duǒ 。“ hē hē ， gōng sūn xiōng zhēn shì hǎo bà qì ， hǎo wēi fēng ， kě cǐ wù duì mò mǒu lái shuō ， yě dà yǒu yòng tú ， fǒu zé yě bú shì bù néng ràng yǔ dào yǒu ， zhì yú xiàn zài ， zhǐ néng gè píng běn shì ， yì bǎi èr shí wǔ wàn jīng shí 。”
而他还在思量的时候，就又有一叫价声传入耳朵。“呵呵，公孙兄真是好霸气，好威风，可此物对墨某来说，也大有用途，否则也不是不能让与道友，至于现在，只能各凭本事，一百二十五万晶石。”
After a cup of tea's worth of time, the two had pushed the price to one million three hundred thousand crystal stones.
yuán běn zài dòng xī le gōng sūn lǎo mó de shēn fèn yǐ hòu ， yǒu xīn ná xià cǐ wù de guǐ xiū dōu xuǎn zé le tuì suō ， qiě bù shuō cái lì shàng zì tǎo bù rú ， jiù suàn néng gòu pīn guò duì fāng ， wèi cǐ shì dé zuì lì hún gǔ 。 yě míng xiǎn bù zhí dé 。
原本在洞悉了公孙老魔的身份以后，有心拿下此物的鬼修都选择了退缩，且不说财力上自讨不如，就算能够拼过对方，为此事得罪厉魂谷。也明显不值得。
"Master, do we still want it?" Mo'er's voice entered his ears.
gōng sūn lǎo mó huán mù sì gù ， yuán běn liǎn shàng yǐ lù chū liǎo de sè ， jiù rú yì lùn suǒ shuō ， jí biàn xiū wèi xiāng tóng ， kě lùn qǐ shēn fèn shén tōng 。 zài chǎng zhè me
公孙老魔环目四顾，原本脸上已露出了得色，就如议论所说，即便修为相同，可论起身份神通。在场这么
"Hmph. Why not? One million three hundred thousand crystal stones isn't something I can't afford. Besides, their rivalry is just for show; the inner core of a late-stage ghost emperor is indeed worth this much," Lin Xuan said in his mind to Mo'er and then out loud: "Three hundred and fifty thousand!"
yǎn kàn zhè jiàn zhēn xī de bǎo wù ， yǐ shuǎ biàn chéng le zì jǐ de náng zhōng wù ， kě jiē xià lái de nà shēng jiào jià ， què ràng tā dèng dà le yǎn zhū ， mù guāng zhōng shǎn guò fèn nù zhī huǒ ：“ mò xuě sōng ？”
眼看这件珍稀的宝物，已耍变成了自己的囊中物，可接下来的那声叫价，却让他瞪大了眼珠，目光中闪过愤怒之火：“墨雪松？”
The room fell silent.
“ bù cuò ， zhèng shì wǒ 。”
“不错，正是我。”
It was initially thought that it would be a contest between Elder Grandmaster Leye Soul Valley and the Master of Heavenly Skill. But now, an unexpected guest had entered the fray.
shuō huà zhī rén yī liǎn xiào róng ， kàn shàng qù dà yuē wǔ shí chū tóu ， sì hū bìng wèi jiāng gōng sūn lǎo mó fàng zài yǎn zhōng ， huò zhě shuō gēn běn jiù bù jù dé zuì duì fāng shì de 。
说话之人一脸笑容，看上去大约五十出头，似乎并未将公孙老魔放在眼中，或者说根本就不惧得罪对方似的。
This person's bid was huge—adding half a million crystal stones in one go.
tā yě què yǒu zī gé 。
他也确有资格。
Daring to snatch food from two tigers' mouths?
mò xuě sōng ， tiān qiǎo mén zōng zhǔ ， bù lùn shēn fèn xiū wèi ， dōu yǔ gōng sūn lǎo mó xiāng chà fǎng fú ， dān dǎ dú dòu ， huò xǔ huì xùn sè yī chóu ， dàn tā hái shàn cháng kuì lěi zhī shù ， shēn biān zì rán bù fá bāng shǒu 。
墨雪松，天巧门宗主，不论身份修为，都与公孙老魔相差仿佛，单打独斗，或许会逊色一筹，但他还擅长愧儡之术，身边自然不乏帮手。
The audacity of this person was shocking.
ér qiě kàn liǎng rén jiān de qì fēn 。 sì hū hái yǒu guò jié shì de 。
而且看两人间的气氛。似乎还有过节似的。
Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Xuan, but no one recognized him.
gōng sūn lǎo mó de yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī lǚ lì sè ：“ yì bǎi wǔ shí wàn 。”
公孙老魔的眼中闪过一缕厉色：“一百五十万。”
No, there were two pairs of eyes that did recognize him.
“ yì bǎi qī shí wàn ！”
“一百七十万！”
One belonged to Fairy Ruyan. Since arriving in the City of Xuanyuan, she wanted to see what treasures would appear at the auction.
“ yì bǎi jiǔ shí wàn 。”
“一百九十万。”
As the original owner of this mask, her recognition was natural.
“ liǎng bǎi wàn ！”
“两百万！”
The other pair came as a shock, followed by deep hatred: "We finally found him after all our efforts."
zhōu wéi de xiū shì mù dèng kǒu dāi ， jiù kàn zhe cǐ bǎo de jià gé bèi jié jié tái le qǐ lái 。
周围的修士目瞪口呆，就看着此宝的价格被节节抬了起来。
New Moon Fairy bit her lip. Lin Xuan had guessed correctly; this powerful figure from the Spirit Realm, though his power was restrained due to cosmic rules, still possessed formidable abilities that made this mask useless.
ér zhè bù guò jǐn jǐn shì kāi shǐ ， yī zhǎn chá de gōng fǎ yǐ hòu ， liǎng rén yǐ jīng jiāng cǐ bǎo de jià gé tái dào sān bǎi wàn jīng shí 。
而这不过仅仅是开始，一盏茶的功法以后，两人已经将此宝的价格抬到三百万晶石。
While New Moon could be unreasonable and domineering, she wasn't ignorant of worldly matters. Acting here would not be appropriate. Once he was in her sights, there was no escaping like last time.
“ shào yé ， wǒ men hái yào mǎi me ？。 yuè ér de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ 。
“少爷，我们还要买么？。月儿的声音传入耳朵。
Lin Xuan's spiritual sense was far superior to his peers. When New Moon looked at him, Lin Xuan felt it too and turned to meet her gaze.
“ hēng ， wèi shén me bù ， sān bǎi wàn jīng shí ， wǒ yòu bú shì ná bù chū ， hé kuàng liǎng rén suī yǒu diǎn dòu qì de wèi dào ， dàn hòu qī guǐ dì de nèi dān 。 yě què shí zhí zhè ge shù é 。” lín xuān zài shén shí zhōng duì yuè ér de shuō ， suí hòu yě kāi kǒu le ：“ sān bǎi wǔ shí wàn ！”
“哼，为什么不，三百万晶石，我又不是拿不出，何况两人虽有点斗气的味道，但后期鬼帝的内丹。也确实值这个数额。”林轩在神识中对月儿的说，随后也开口了：“三百五十万！”
Their eyes met, but Lin Xuan quickly averted his gaze.
jīng è ，，
惊愕，，
"Master, what should we do?" Mo'er's anxious voice entered his ears.
quán chǎng yī xià zi níng jìng xià lái le 。
全场一下子宁静下来了。
"There's nothing to worry about," Lin Xuan remained calm: "If this woman is here and can see through the mask, I'll have to buy nothing. Otherwise, when items like Xia Guocao appear later, she will spot me."
yuán běn shì lì hún gǔ dà zhǎng lǎo yǔ tiān qiǎo mén zōng zhǔ jiào liàng ， méi xiǎng dào shèng fù wèi fēn ， bàn lù què yòu shā chū yī wèi è kè 。
原本是厉魂谷大长老与天巧门宗主较量，没想到胜负未分，半路却又杀出一位恶客。
"Master, are you not afraid?"
zhè rén hǎo dà de shǒu bǐ 。 yī xià jiù jiā jià wǔ shí wàn jīng shí 。
这人好大的手笔。一下就加价五十万晶石。
"Fear won't help. Besides, in the mortal realm, this woman cannot fully utilize her late-stage abilities. I don't want to fight New Moon, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of her," Lin Xuan said slowly.
jū rán xiǎng cóng liǎng zhǐ lǎo hǔ de zuǐ bā lǐ duó shí ？
居然想从两只老虎的嘴巴里夺食？
His bid attracted Old Monster Gong Sun and the Master of Heavenly Skill. The other cultivators assumed the young man would be unlucky, but when Old Monster Gong Sun laughed loudly after a moment: "Friend Mo, if we continue bidding like this, it's hard to determine a winner. Why don't we both give in for now? Let's pass the item on to our fellow cultivator and part ways amicably."
zhè rén wèi miǎn yě tài dà dǎn le 。
这人未免也太大胆了。
"Agreed," the Master of Heavenly Skill hesitated but agreed. Although the inner core was useful, Mo Xuesong knew Old Monster Gong Sun wouldn't yield. It was better to accept his offer: "Very well, this item will be given to that fellow cultivator."
zhòng rén de mù kè ， dōu jí zhōng zài lín xuān de liǎn shàng ， què shuí yě bù rèn shí 。
众人的目克，都集中在林轩的脸上，却谁也不认识。
The two old monsters reached an agreement, and other cultivators were surprised. Many ghost cultivators regretted not bidding earlier; one million three hundred thousand crystal stones for a late-stage ghost emperor's inner core wasn't cheap, but the item was rare enough that its price could rise further.
bù ， yǒu liǎng dào mù guāng jiāng tā rèn chū 。
不，有两道目光将他认出。
For example, in the same auction hundreds of years ago, it had sold for five million crystal stones.
yī wèi biàn shì rú yān xiān zi ， cǐ nǚ yǐn zài àn chù 。 jì rán dào le xuān yuán chéng ， tā yě xiǎng kàn kàn pāi mài huì zhōng huì chū xiàn shén me bǎo wù 。
一位便是如嫣仙子，此女隐在暗处。既然到了轩辕城，她也想看看拍卖会中会出现什么宝物。
From this perspective, Lin Xuan had already gained an advantage. However, no one else dared to bid again; Old Monster Gong Sun and Mo Xuesong both said they would pass on the item, so getting involved wouldn't be wise. (To be continued)
Lin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had just woken up from a drowsy state.
Snow White gently brushed her hand, and another red cloth on the tray was lifted. There was only one object underneath: a black round pearl about the size of a dragon's eye.
"Dear fellow cultivators, you must be familiar with the fact that yin ghosts are ethereal beings. However, after advancing to the Spirit婴 stage, they can create new bodies. The ghost emperor before us is an advanced-stage spirit婴 entity. Such existence might not be considered rare in the Netherworld Realm, but here it's extremely precious. Moreover, yin ghosts and spirits have unique abilities, making their extermination no easy task. The inner core of a late-stage ghost emperor is a rare treasure worth one million crystal stones."
Lin Xuan stared at the object on the tray, his eyes flickering with an unusual light.
This unexpected turn of events was not something he had anticipated.
The inner core of a ghost emperor wasn't part of his original objective. It made sense to continue keeping a low profile for now.
However, Lin Xuan couldn't bear to give up. The green flame phoenix armor was just one material short.
Once in a village, always in a village. Although he might eventually find the inner core of a ghost emperor, late-stage ones were definitely out of the question.
The rarer the materials, the greater the power of the resulting treasure armor.
Lin Xuan's eyes flickered as he weighed his options. Before he could decide, another bid was heard: "I'll offer one hundred and five thousand crystal stones." An old man with white hair spoke.
But before he could finish, a loud voice interrupted from beside him: "Haha! I've been searching for the inner core of a late-stage ghost emperor for many years. No one is allowed to snatch it. This item is mine, at one hundred and twenty thousand."
Despite the wealth of cultivators in the Cold Palace, hearing such generous bidding made everyone take a sharp intake of breath.
The old man's tone was extremely arrogant, declaring that no one should dare compete with him for this treasure.
"An advanced-stage spirit婴 cultivator with a ghost face birthmark on his forehead. Could it be Elder Grandmaster Leye Soul Valley?"
"Indeed, it is Old Monster Gong Sun. Who else would dare to act so arrogantly?"
"But there are more than one powerful cultivators here."
"You know nothing. Among the late-stage cultivators, there's a difference in strength. Not only does he belong to the Seven Great Sects' Leye Soul Valley, but his own abilities are formidable. Do you think just any advanced-stage spirit婴 cultivator can match him?"
"Really?!"
"Believe it or not, this old monster has killed more than one late-stage cultivator."
Lin Xuan's brows raised slightly. The matter with Elder Grandmaster Leye Soul Valley was indeed complicated, but he wasn't afraid of Old Monster Gong Sun.
Before he could react, another bid came: "Haha! Brother Gong Sun truly exudes power and might. But this item is also useful for me, Mo Xuesong. Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered it to a fellow cultivator. Now, let's see who can seize the opportunity. Three hundred and twenty-five thousand crystal stones."
After discovering Old Monster Gong Sun's identity, ghost cultivators who had intended to bid on this item retreated due to their lack of financial resources or fear of offending Leye Soul Valley.
Old Monster Gong Sun looked around with a fierce expression: as expected, despite having the same strength, his status and abilities made him stand out. He seemed to be the target of much discussion.
Seeing the rare treasure about to become his, Old Monster Gong Sun was surprised by the next bid: "Five hundred thousand crystal stones!"
"Six hundred thousand!"
"Seven hundred thousand!"
"Eight hundred thousand!"
The surrounding cultivators were stunned as they watched the price climb higher and higher.
After a cup of tea's worth of time, the two had pushed the price to one million three hundred thousand crystal stones.
"Master, do we still want it?" Mo'er's voice entered his ears.
"Hmph. Why not? One million three hundred thousand crystal stones isn't something I can't afford. Besides, their rivalry is just for show; the inner core of a late-stage ghost emperor is indeed worth this much," Lin Xuan said in his mind to Mo'er and then out loud: "Three hundred and fifty thousand!"
The room fell silent.
It was initially thought that it would be a contest between Elder Grandmaster Leye Soul Valley and the Master of Heavenly Skill. But now, an unexpected guest had entered the fray.
This person's bid was huge—adding half a million crystal stones in one go.
Daring to snatch food from two tigers' mouths?
The audacity of this person was shocking.
Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Xuan, but no one recognized him.
No, there were two pairs of eyes that did recognize him.
One belonged to Fairy Ruyan. Since arriving in the City of Xuanyuan, she wanted to see what treasures would appear at the auction.
As the original owner of this mask, her recognition was natural.
The other pair came as a shock, followed by deep hatred: "We finally found him after all our efforts."
New Moon Fairy bit her lip. Lin Xuan had guessed correctly; this powerful figure from the Spirit Realm, though his power was restrained due to cosmic rules, still possessed formidable abilities that made this mask useless.
While New Moon could be unreasonable and domineering, she wasn't ignorant of worldly matters. Acting here would not be appropriate. Once he was in her sights, there was no escaping like last time.
Lin Xuan's spiritual sense was far superior to his peers. When New Moon looked at him, Lin Xuan felt it too and turned to meet her gaze.
Their eyes met, but Lin Xuan quickly averted his gaze.
"Master, what should we do?" Mo'er's anxious voice entered his ears.
"There's nothing to worry about," Lin Xuan remained calm: "If this woman is here and can see through the mask, I'll have to buy nothing. Otherwise, when items like Xia Guocao appear later, she will spot me."
"Master, are you not afraid?"
"Fear won't help. Besides, in the mortal realm, this woman cannot fully utilize her late-stage abilities. I don't want to fight New Moon, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of her," Lin Xuan said slowly.
His bid attracted Old Monster Gong Sun and the Master of Heavenly Skill. The other cultivators assumed the young man would be unlucky, but when Old Monster Gong Sun laughed loudly after a moment: "Friend Mo, if we continue bidding like this, it's hard to determine a winner. Why don't we both give in for now? Let's pass the item on to our fellow cultivator and part ways amicably."
"Agreed," the Master of Heavenly Skill hesitated but agreed. Although the inner core was useful, Mo Xuesong knew Old Monster Gong Sun wouldn't yield. It was better to accept his offer: "Very well, this item will be given to that fellow cultivator."
The two old monsters reached an agreement, and other cultivators were surprised. Many ghost cultivators regretted not bidding earlier; one million three hundred thousand crystal stones for a late-stage ghost emperor's inner core wasn't cheap, but the item was rare enough that its price could rise further.
For example, in the same auction hundreds of years ago, it had sold for five million crystal stones.
From this perspective, Lin Xuan had already gained an advantage. However, no one else dared to bid again; Old Monster Gong Sun and Mo Xuesong both said they would pass on the item, so getting involved wouldn't be wise. (To be continued)