Chapter 1824: Wolf King's Transformation

Han Li gazed at the Crying Spirit Bloodwood in the old man's hand on the stage, a hint of interest appearing on his face.

After attending large-scale auctions of other races, there were truly few items among the human and demon races that could pique his interest. He certainly hadn't expected the very first item at this auction to catch his eye.

If he possessed a Calamity Transformation Puppet, it could offer a significant chance of deflecting a truly unavoidable fatal attack.

This material, however, was typically only found among the Spirit Race. Could it be that members of other races were indeed attending this Myriad Treasures Convention?

And those "other races" were the Spirit Race!

As Han Li's thoughts whirred, Tianyanzhi on the stage channeled spiritual energy through his body, pouring some of his magic power into the strange black-red wood.

The originally slender bloodwood suddenly pulsed with dazzling blood-red light, rapidly expanding in size until it became a staff about the thickness of an arm and roughly three meters long.

Black and red spots, the size of copper coins, appeared on the staff's surface. It twisted incessantly in the old man's hand, like a living spiritual snake, emitting gloomy, wailing sounds that sent shivers down one's spine and deeply unsettled the mind.

Any lingering doubts among the onlookers vanished instantly upon witnessing this display.

As soon as the old man declared the astronomical starting price of twenty million spirit stones, bids flooded in, causing the price to skyrocket almost immediately.

"Twenty-two million!""Twenty-five million!""Thirty million!"

Such astronomical bids instantly quashed any urge for half the people in the hall to even open their mouths.

Even if the Crying Spirit Bloodwood was exceptionally valuable, cultivators at the God Transformation and Void Refinement stages had limited fortunes. If acquiring this material meant emptying their entire coffers, most would likely opt for a more pragmatic choice.

For such a hefty sum, it was far more practical to acquire protective treasures or elixirs that could enhance cultivation and break through bottlenecks.

However, high-ranking individuals among both the human and demon races, who were vaguely aware of the impending demonic tribulation, naturally held different views.

Numerous demon cultivators of diverse appearances, as well as human cultivators who employed various methods to conceal their true identities, were unwilling to easily concede the bidding for this item.

The price on the light screen surged uncontrollably, only pausing briefly after passing the forty million mark, yet it still steadily rose to the astronomical sum of fifty million.

A price like this would undoubtedly cause even some old monsters at the Integration stage considerable distress.

Surprisingly, the one making this exorbitant bid was not an Integration stage old monster from the third floor, but the black wolf demon who had concealed his true appearance.

This instantly drew incredulous stares from members of both races nearby.

Several divine senses from the third floor repeatedly swept over him, clearly indicating that even the most powerful beings of both races were becoming suspicious.

Yet, under the scrutiny of such powerful divine senses, the black wolf demon sat unmoving, seemingly unafraid of offending beings whose cultivation and power vastly exceeded his own.

"Ah, so it's one of Wolf King's six great avatars. This palace truly didn't detect Daoist Tiankui's black wolf avatar at first." A soft exclamation of surprise came from a room on the third floor, followed by a woman's gentle laughter that echoed through the hall.

This caused a stir among both races throughout the entire hall, from the first floor to the third. Many faces blanched upon hearing the name of Tiankui Wolf King.

Even the Integration stage cultivators on the third floor were taken aback.

Han Li's eyes flashed with a keen light.

"Daoist Xiao, you weren't mistaken, were you? Isn't the Wolf King in secluded cultivation? How could he have the leisure to send his black wolf avatar here? As far as I know, Daoist Tiankui's five great avatars are vastly different from ordinary ones; each possesses incredible mystical uses for assisting the main body in cultivation and comprehending techniques. How could he easily send one away?" Another man's clear voice emerged from a different room.

Han Li's expression shifted slightly as he recognized the speaker as Tianyuan Sacred Emperor.

"My true form is not present; sending an avatar here hardly requires me to report to the Sacred Emperor or Daoist Xiao in advance, does it? If you two Daoists also desire this Crying Spirit Bloodwood, feel free to bid as you wish. This King will not hinder you." The black wolf avatar of Tiankui Wolf King spoke with an unusually cold, emotionless voice, one that was difficult to forget once heard.

"Heh, that's true! How could I, the Emperor, presume to meddle in Daoist Tiankui's affairs? My words just now were indeed presumptuous. As for this Crying Spirit Bloodwood, since the Wolf King desires it, I shall not contend." Tianyuan Sacred Emperor did not show anger, instead speaking in a light, understated manner before falling silent.

As for the Black Phoenix King, who had initially recognized Tiankui Wolf King's avatar, she merely chuckled softly and said no more, seemingly quite wary of Tiankui Wolf King.

Down below, the ordinary members of both races were filled with awe, and for a moment, the entire hall fell into an unusual silence.

"If no one else is bidding, shouldn't the owner of this bloodwood be announced?" Tiankui Wolf King cast a cold, emotionless glance at the stage.

Though not loud, his voice was heard clearly by everyone present.

The white-robed elder felt a slight chill upon hearing this. His earlier inclination to delay vanished instantly, and he immediately forced a smile, announcing, "This section of Crying Spirit Bloodwood has been bid up to fifty million spirit stones. If there are no further bids after three calls, it will belong to Senior Tiankui."

"First call!"

"I bid sixty million spirit stones!"

Just as Tianyanzhi made his call, an unusually ancient voice echoed from the third floor.

This voice naturally caused another slight stir throughout the hall.

"Sixty-two million," Tiankui Wolf King stated expressionlessly.

"Sixty-five million!" The ancient voice followed immediately, without a hint of hesitation.

This time, Tiankui Wolf King's black wolf avatar did not immediately bid. Instead, a cold light flashed in his eyes as he spoke frigidly:

"Dongtian, are you truly vying with this King for this section of bloodwood? It seems that being struck by my Heavenly Wolf Claw last time has left you completely unharmed."

"Hmph, a mere Heavenly Wolf Claw is still no match for me. Though, the taste of my 'Heavenly Cavern Drill' wasn't exactly pleasant for you either, was it?" The ancient voice snorted, replying without a hint of politeness.

The owner of this voice was none other than the Dongtian Rat King, the most mysterious of the Seven Great Demon Kings! From the sound of it, he seemed to have a long-standing animosity with the Tiankui Wolf King and had even engaged in combat with him before.

Hearing such an unexpected secret sent a ripple of surprise through the cultivators present, who began to whisper amongst themselves, feeling that this auction was proving to be unexpectedly eventful.

The black wolf avatar, the manifestation of Tiankui Wolf King, had green light flashing wildly in its eyes, but it replied:

"Sixty-five million; that's about what this section of bloodwood is worth. I'll yield it to Daoist Dongtian. I merely wonder if, after spending so many spirit stones, you'll still be able to compete for the other remaining items."

With those words, the black wolf avatar closed its eyes, indeed making no further bids.

The Dongtian Rat King, though somewhat surprised by this, merely snorted and remained silent.

The remaining Integration stage cultivators, whether due to the apparent animosity between the two great demon kings over the bloodwood or their anticipation of other grand finale treasures, also refrained from bidding.

This time, Tianyanzhi did not hesitate. He immediately called out twice in quick succession, ready to determine the bloodwood's owner.

But just then, Han Li, who had been sitting motionlessly in his room on the third floor, suddenly moved a finger and lightly tapped the spell disk on the table before him.

Instantly, the price displayed on the light screen above the platform changed from sixty-five million to seventy million!

"Sixty-seven million... first call!" The sudden change in price caught Tianyanzhi, who had assumed the bloodwood's ownership was settled, completely off guard, and he hastily revised his pronouncement.

Upon witnessing this, many members of both races in the hall were taken aback.

They wondered who could be so tactless as to contend with the Dongtian Rat King for the Crying Spirit Bloodwood at such an exorbitant price.

Even if this person remained anonymous now, the identity of the buyer wouldn't truly be a secret for long. Given the nature of a public auction, strict confidentiality was hardly assured.

Anyone determined to investigate could eventually uncover the identity of the successful bidder.

However, something entirely unexpected by those on the first floor occurred!

The Dongtian Rat King offered no further bids, effectively ceding the Crying Spirit Bloodwood to Han Li without a struggle.

Perhaps seventy million spirit stones was indeed already beyond the inherent value of the Crying Spirit Bloodwood itself.

After three consecutive calls, no one else contended with Han Li for the item, and the Crying Spirit Bloodwood truly became his.

Han Li wasn't overly surprised by this outcome.

From the Tiankui Wolf King's avatar's words, it seemed that the Three Emperors Demon Kings and other Integration stage cultivators attending this auction had received some specific information, indicating they were primarily interested in a particular finale item. Thus, while this bloodwood was indeed rare, it naturally became less appealing to them.

For them, if they couldn't acquire the bloodwood at a low price, it was a wise decision to save their spirit stones for bidding on other grand finale items.

As he pondered this, the section of Crying Spirit Bloodwood was escorted to his room by a small team of guards.

Han Li paid the spirit stones and dismissed the guards.

He carefully examined the bloodwood, meticulously put it away, then touched his now largely empty storage bracelet, a wry smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

Although he had successfully bid for the bloodwood, he had spent most of his spirit stones. Even if the remaining grand finale items were exceptional, he likely wouldn't have the means to compete for them.

Nevertheless, Han Li felt no regret.

He already possessed countless materials and treasures, but the chance of encountering something as perfectly suited as the Crying Spirit Bloodwood was exceedingly rare. Even if more useful items for Integration stage cultivators were to appear later, they would undoubtedly be fiercely coveted by others.

The vast amount of spirit stones owned by supreme overlords like the Three Emperors Demon Kings was naturally beyond his comparison.

Moreover, his main focus remained on demon beast materials, and he held great anticipation for the upcoming Black Domain Exchange Conference.

Consequently, for the remainder of the auction, Han Li leaned back in his chair, eyes slightly closed, listening quietly as the white-robed old man presented each item, his expression remaining as calm as ever.