"Tsk, tsk... Killing to rob their goods?"
"Now that's my kind of thing."
Beneath his black robe, Li Guanqi watched everything unfolding in the hall with an amused smile.
The entire venue had erupted into an uproar. After all, everyone present knew full well what Longevity Grass was used for.
A whole century of lifespan!
For a Core Formation cultivator whose hope of breaking through was dwindling, that attraction was downright lethal.
Even those Core Formation cultivators who were not yet facing the end of their lifespans found their breathing growing ragged.
What did people cultivate for, if not longevity?
To gain a full century of life out of thin air—no one could resist such temptation.
In an instant, the atmosphere of the entire auction reached its absolute zenith!
Countless voices clamored, urging the woman on stage to hurry and begin. Faced with the allure of extended lifespan, even the exquisitely beautiful woman on stage lost all charm. In their eyes, she was nothing more than a skeleton cloaked in flesh.
At this moment, everyone's mind was exceptionally sharp and focused.
The woman on stage took a deep breath, relying on her formidable composure to force herself calm for the auction ahead.
Her smile gradually faded amid the urgent shouts of the gathered powerhouses.
The emerald-green spirit grass was brought forth.
However, it was encased within a dense, teal glow of a warding formation. While it did not obstruct anyone's view, it effectively blocked their divine sense and kept covetous impulses in check.
The spirit grass was verdant and translucent, emanating a faint luminescence and pulsing with intense vitality.
Seeing the grass, Li Guanqi felt a flicker of excitement as well, though he was already out of money. Yet in his perception, dozens of strands of divine sense were already sweeping over the herb.
A few black-robed figures leaned forward slightly. He understood that these people were likely determined to claim it at any cost.
Upstairs, shock flashed across Wang Heyang's eyes as well. He never anticipated that the last-minute addition would be Longevity Grass!
This was the most crucial ingredient for concocting a Longevity Pill; without it, the pill could never be made. The remaining ingredients were merely auxiliary spiritual plants.
*No wonder the Sixth Elder told me to stall at all costs. If the rumors I heard are true, the Sixth Elder is approaching the end of his lifespan and has been stuck at half-step Nascent Soul for nearly three hundred years.*
*He's putting his life on the line...*
*Yet with the meager amount of spirit stones I have left, pulling this off is going to be tough,* Wang Heyang mused to himself, his gaze flickering.
Just as his thoughts were racing, a sudden knock sounded at the door!
"Come in!"
A figure cloaked entirely in a black robe stepped into the room. Wang Heyang furrowed his brows and said in a low, stern voice, "Who are you?"
The black-robed stranger replied in a deep, mellow voice, "I owe Lu Yu a favor. He sent me to deliver funds."
With that, he tossed over a teal storage ring, then turned and walked away without looking back, as if the sole purpose of this trip was merely to repay that debt.
Wang Heyang curled his lip as he caught the ring. But the moment he probed inside with his divine sense, his eyes widened in disbelief!
"Th-This... This is way too much..."
Indeed, within the storage ring lay a staggering one million spirit stones!
Yet he could not help but curse resentfully, "Dammit! Why couldn't you have come earlier? If you had arrived sooner, I wouldn't have lost that cauldron!"
Immediately after, however, an expression of total confidence washed over his face.
"With these one and a half million spirit stones, there shouldn't be any problem!"
Down on stage, the woman gave a brief introduction before taking a deep breath and announcing solemnly, "Longevity Grass, starting bid at five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones!"
The moment the words left her mouth, a collective gasp echoed from all around.
"Good heavens! The opening bid is already five hundred thousand! Won't it end up doubling by the end?"
An elderly man in lavish robes, his eyes cloudy with age, murmured softly, "In the face of death, no amount of wealth is of any use."
A burly man beside him looked at the elder in slight astonishment. Then, the elder slowly raised his placard.
"Six hundred thousand."
The burly man swallowed hard with difficulty. Over a century, his entire savings amounted to barely more than a hundred thousand spirit stones, yet the elder beside him had called out six hundred thousand without the slightest hesitation. Only then did he notice the heavy aura of twilight clinging to the elder—it turned out the old man had been talking about himself.
Many in the hall also turned their heads to glance up at the second floor, whispering among themselves.
"Today's auction was definitely worth coming to!"
"I wonder if that mysterious figure on the second floor will make a move again."
Someone beside him chimed in, "Tsk, that person on the second floor looks like an alchemist as well. He kept bidding against Wang Heyang earlier, so he must have a solid fortune. I wonder if he'll join in."
Everyone across the auction hall harbored their own thoughts. Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment realm had no chance to bid at all.
Before long, the price skyrocketed to eight hundred thousand!
Converting eight hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones to mid-grade spirit stones meant eight thousand of them! That price drew gasps from many in the audience, making them flinch and abandon any hope.
Only at that moment did Wang Heyang on the third floor leisurely place a bid. "Eight hundred and fifty thousand!"
"What! Wang Heyang raised it by fifty thousand in one go!"
"Does he still have that many spirit stones? Why didn't he bid on that cauldron earlier then? Hasn't he been waiting for it forever?"
Remarks like these pierced Wang Heyang's heart like daggers.
His expression turned utterly foul. He had wanted to bid earlier too, but circumstances had not allowed it!
Glaring viciously toward the second floor, he saw that the three individuals were merely sitting back in their chairs without moving an inch.
Wang Heyang's brows knit together. *Could it be that he's waiting to make a final bid?*
Meanwhile, up on the second floor...
Ye Feng smacked his lips out of boredom. He picked up a grape, popped it into his mouth, and asked, "Boss, what are we still watching for? We can't afford it anyway, so why not just leave?"
Li Guanqi chuckled and answered softly, "Wait a bit longer. I want to see who ends up taking this spirit grass. Perhaps we can contest it afterward!"
Hearing that, Ye Feng's eyes instantly lit up. Rubbing his hands in excitement, he grinned. "Heh-heh, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! Boss, you really know how to play the game!"
Li Guanqi did not elaborate further.
Soon enough, the price surged to 1.1 million!
Facing such an astronomical sum, even Li Guanqi could not help but click his tongue. "Alchemists really are rich..."
Cao Yan gave a bitter smile. "Big Brother, you haven't seen what alchemists spend on ordinary days—it's an even bigger bottomless pit."
As the remaining bids grew sparse, only Wang Heyang and two other parties were left competing.
After several rounds of testing and counterbidding, Wang Heyang ultimately secured the stalk of Longevity Grass for 1.56 million spirit stones!
Li Guanqi slowly rose to his feet. "Let's go. Things are about to get very interesting!"
Yet right as they stood up, under the watch of countless eyes, Wang Heyang actually leaped straight down from his window!
Fixing his gaze on Li Guanqi's group of three, he bellowed, "Halt!"
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly turned his head without saying a word.
Wang Heyang snapped, "Leave the cauldron behind!"
In a raspy voice, Li Guanqi replied, "Oh? On what grounds?"
Chapter 233