ISWI Chapter 770-771

Chapter 770: Thunderbolt Great Saint Wen Tailai!

The Peacock Clan Leader furrowed his brows deeply. Ye Chen had remained silent throughout the bidding, never once calling out. Without their occasional raises, the auction would have ended long ago.

What was going on? Did Ye Chen not want it?

The Myriad Woods Spiritual Root was indeed somewhat useless for young prodigies like him, whose cave heavens lacked deep foundations. But with his current depleted state—desperately needing nourishment and reinforcement—how could he afford to be picky? Shouldn't he snatch everything to stuff into his realm?

Another stretch of silence followed. No further bids emerged. Just as everyone assumed, the Myriad Woods Spiritual Root's fate was sealed.

At the final moment, the Peacock King gritted his teeth and raised his hand once more. But the instant the words left his mouth, regret flooded him—a pang of heartache. Though they had negotiated the auction house down to a mere ten percent fee—far below the usual thirty.

Without Ye Chen catching it, shooting himself would cost him seven hundred thousand just in fees. A bloody loss.

Yet amid his regret, Ye Chen's voice—rich with pleasure and ease—finally rang from the box. "Ten million top-grade spirit stones!"

The Peacock Clan Leader exhaled in relief. And realization dawned.

Ye Chen had been occupied placing the Spiritual Qi Origin Essence earlier. He must have successfully integrated it—feeling its benefits firsthand. Only now turning attention back to bidding.

The three War God Clan Half-Saints caught the odd note in his voice, too. They exchanged knowing smiles.

Let you enjoy it for now. Soon, everything will come back to us.

…

"Twenty million…"

"Thirty million…"

…

"Fifty million!"

Ye Chen's entry rocketed the price to fifty million—tenfold premium achieved. The Myriad Woods Spiritual Root's fair market value hovered around five million. In auctions, six or seven million marked the ceiling for desperate buyers. Fifty million hit ten times its worth.

The Peacock Clan Leader, reaching his target, ceased raising. If Ye Chen quit now, he'd be stuck with it. Five million in fees alone—equivalent to losing the item outright. Fifty million in hand satisfied him fully. He'd reclaim the root later anyway. He fell silent decisively.

Ye Chen suddenly drew a sharp breath—as though pained. To the crowd, it confirmed his reluctance. The Peacock Clan Leader's smile widened brilliantly.

Uninformed bidders frowned deeper, confusion mounting. Shilling once to hype the atmosphere—fine. Every time? Excessive. What game was this auction playing?

Especially the human cultivators who traveled far, their faces darkened with anger. These local myriad races lacked all propriety. Running such scams in auctions—shameless, devoid of business ethics. No wonder the Heavenly Emperor once drove them to the Northern Domain.

In short, human powerhouses seethed. Some even suspected targeted discrimination. Perhaps dual pricing—humans paid full, myriad races one-tenth.

The more they pondered, the angrier they grew. But in Myriad Races Immortal City, they endured. Yet all were Mahayana—forged through endless strife and slaughter.

If the myriad races persisted, if prices stayed this absurd... they wouldn't tolerate it.

Let the fools play among themselves!

…

"Next up, the third item of this auction—a rare treasure beyond measure: the Black Tortoise Realm-Protecting Armor! This artifact was forged from a fragment of the ancient divine beast Black Tortoise's shell, refined over countless eons. Its defensive power stands at the absolute pinnacle. Once activated, it forms a crystalline tortoise shell—unyielding even against Saint-level assaults, steadfast as Mount Tai without a single crack!

"It infuses cave heavens with vast water- and earth-element energies, spontaneously evolving corresponding spiritual environments. For nurturing rare spiritual plants of these attributes, it acts like wings to a tiger—immensely beneficial. It deepens cave heaven foundations…"

The auctioneer—slender-waisted, long-legged, stunningly beautiful, with a fluffy tail swaying—delivered her pitch with captivating grace and fervor. Her tail's vigorous wags betrayed her excitement.

Though the auction secretly charged myriad races only a one-tenth fee, with the freak Ye Chen present, their earnings surpassed the usual thirty percent. Thus, she poured passion into her presentation.

The item's reveal ignited the hall.

The Black Tortoise Realm-Protecting Armor's effects were extraordinary and highly practical. Its fair value hovered around twenty million top-grade spirit stones. Pricey, yet it stirred many Mahayana cultivators' hearts—eyes gleaming with determination.

The War God Clan Half-Saints offering it rubbed their hands eagerly, ready for another harvest from Ye Chen. This supreme defensive treasure was a clan heirloom. An elder currently wielded it. But under Luo Bingling's persuasion, they relented.

The elder removed it temporarily. They'd reclaim it soon anyway. They even bribed the manager to advance its slot.

As interested cultivators below scrutinized it breathlessly—confirming authenticity, preparing bids, Ye Chen's box rang with a delighted, thunderous voice. "Treasures worth two hundred million top-grade spirit stones!"

The words fell, and the hall froze as though muted—pin-drop silence. A heartbeat later, it exploded like a cauldron. Several hot-tempered human cultivators in the front rows shot to their feet.

Aura erupting, they kicked nearby chairs furiously, eyes blazing as they cursed. "No rules at all, huh!"

"Endless shills? At least switch them up for professionalism!"

"Don't want to sell? Fine—my time isn't free!"

No face was spared—they unleashed tirades. One box door blasted open. A man radiating a surging Saint aura strode out. His immortal robe shredded under leaking pressure, revealing a steel-cast body.

Fury twisted his face like raging thunder. He bellowed, "So the myriad races insist on playing dirty? You clearly hold no regard for this Thunderbolt Great Saint Wen Tailai!"

Chapter 771: This Is a Class Conflict!

In an instant, the entire auction hall descended into chaos. More than thirty human powerhouses in attendance kicked over their chairs or slammed open the doors of their private boxes. They showed no face to the myriad races present, hurling harsh words as they prepared to storm out in fury.

They were truly enraged. The previous two auction items had felt shady, but at least the hosts had put on an act and saved some face. This time, however, they skipped even the pretense. The opening bid was straight to two hundred million—no performance, no nothing.

Did the myriad races use a different currency from the human race? Or did they take humans for fools?

If they didn't want to sell to human powerhouses, they could just say so outright instead of disgusting everyone like this.

As powerhouses, they enjoyed longer lifespans, but their time was still precious, and their dignity could not be trampled. Wasting hours here only to be toyed with like monkeys—this insult was impossible to swallow.

Killing intent filled the air.

The auction staff were caught completely off guard by the sudden upheaval. The auctioneer shrank back, tail between her legs, and hid behind the stage.

Causing trouble in an auction house normally carried heavy penalties—at minimum severe punishment, and at worst the obliteration of body and soul as a warning to others.

But the human cultivators who had come to Myriad Races Immortal City today were all figures of renown. Even if none were supreme experts, each had powerful backers.

Offending them would sour relations with human forces overnight, breeding endless conflicts—a situation the myriad races absolutely did not want. They still lacked the strength to clash head-on with the human race, and they had no desire for it either.

Besides, they felt wronged. This matter truly wasn't their fault. Normally, they might employ shills to drive up a few bids or set a reserve to prevent someone from snatching an item at rock-bottom price. But this time, they were genuinely innocent.

This was clearly a conflict born of wealth disparity—nothing more. It must not be misconstrued as racial enmity between humans and the myriad races. Otherwise, an auction meant to fleece the Heavenly Emperor's heir could ignite the third great war between the races. That would wipe the smiles off their faces entirely.

Thus, a Saint from the myriad races immediately stepped forward, addressing the crowd with utmost courtesy and urging everyone to remain calm. Then, through careful voice transmissions, he explained the full sequence of events and revealed the identity of the outrageous bidder.

"The Heavenly Emperor heir's cave heaven origin was absorbed by Yao Yuezhi?"

"The heir is desperate to restore his origin, so he's willing to pay any price for treasures related to cave heavens?"

"And those clans are seizing the chance to bleed him dry?"

"So it wasn't a shill—it was the Heavenly Emperor heir himself? You're not pulling my leg?"

Upon hearing the explanation, the human powerhouses all frowned. The story sounded utterly absurd. If it involved anyone else, they would never have believed it. After all, what idiot would hand over their own cave heaven origin to another, paving the way for someone else's rise?

For the vast majority of cultivators, not even their closest kin—spouses or children—could induce them to do something so foolish. Yet when it came to this generation's Heavenly Emperor heir, the situation grew complicated.

Though most had never met him, his bizarre exploits were already legendary. Thinking it over carefully, this did seem like something he would do. So… they had misunderstood?

It wasn't the myriad races targeting humans. It was the fabulously wealthy Heavenly Emperor heir, steamrolling everyone present. They weren't being looked down upon—they were simply too poor!

Once the truth sank in, everyone relaxed. Especially upon confirming that the heir's goal was likely limited to cave heaven-related treasures. In that case, they could simply bid on other items. There was no need to compete with him here. Their spirit stones were earned through hard work; his were inherited. How could the two compare?

One by one, they returned to their seats or boxes and resumed bidding. Though the surface calm returned, many shook their heads inwardly. In their eyes, this generation's Heavenly Emperor heir was finished. Paying ten times the market price was nothing less than aiding the enemy. It might very well allow the myriad races to rise again.

To end up in such a sorry state over a woman from the myriad races—this was stupidity of the highest order. If humanity truly lost to the myriad races in the coming Age of Dharma's End, this heir would bear primary responsibility. With so many resources flowing to this generation's prodigies of the myriad races, how terrifying would they become once fully grown?

At this thought, worry clouded the hearts of many human powerhouses. Their dissatisfaction with Ye Chen only deepened.

…

The enchanting hostess possessed remarkable crowd control. With just a few deft words, she seamlessly dissolved the earlier commotion, leaving no trace behind. The auction resumed.

"The guest in VIP box seventy-two has bid two hundred million top-grade spirit stones! Does anyone wish to raise the bid?"

Her voice trembled slightly at the sheer magnitude of the price.

Inside the War God Clan's private box, the three semi-saints stared in stunned disbelief. They had planned to drive the price higher themselves. Yet Ye Chen opened with two hundred million—ten times the expected value. How could they possibly counter that?

The three exchanged glances, greed gleaming in their eyes. The one with the largest vertical pupils spoke first. "Ye Chen bid so aggressively because he truly wants it. That means ten times isn't his limit..."

"Keep raising it. Let's see where his bottom line really is!"

"How much should we add?"

"Another hundred million, straight up!"

The other two nodded eagerly, one of them calling out, "Three hundred million!"

The announcement triggered another wave of uproar throughout the hall. The price was already absurd—yet they still raised it? By another full hundred million, no less. Had the cultivation world discovered some massive new spirit stone mine? Why else were spirit stones depreciating so rapidly?

Inside Ye Chen's box, Yao Yuezhi lifted her head at the new bid, her face flushing with anger. "This item is a hereditary treasure of the War God Clan. They're being far too greedy! As expected, none of the War God Clan are any good."

Ye Chen smiled, gently pressing her head back down as he chuckled. "You're right. Then we won't take it."

He had already seen through their price-fixing alliance. They would stop the moment it hit ten times the value.

Ye Chen didn't mind in the slightest. The Chaos Spiritual Qi Sacred Origin Crystals he had already harvested from the earlier backlash had yielded boundless profit.

The items at this auction were indeed rare—many unique to the myriad races. Securing them at ten times the price was still an immense bargain for him.

That was why he had opened with ten times the bid: he wanted a swift conclusion. If they raised it further, he would simply walk away. He was making it clear to everyone that ten times was his ceiling. Otherwise, the back-and-forth could drag on for a month.

Thus, Ye Chen fell silent, closing his eyes to savor the quiet.

Both the War God Clan members and the onlookers assumed he would counter. Ten times was steep, but who wouldn't want even more? They waited in eager anticipation.

Yet long moments passed, and the auction hall remained utterly still... no sound emerged from Ye Chen's box.

The expressions of the three War God Clan semi-saints froze solid on their faces...