Chapter 2366: Golden Marrow

The man had just finished speaking when he suddenly came to, his face instantly turning deathly pale, a look of profound horror in his eyes.

"Oh, so it's Fellow Daoist Zha of the Stone Chrysalis Tribe. How rare that a fellow daoist has taken a liking to me. Why don't you stay behind after the auction and spend a few days with me? Perhaps it will bring you satisfaction." The beautiful woman recognized the middle-aged man's face, chuckled softly, her body trembling slightly, exuding an even greater alluring power, though a hint of coldness flickered in her eyes. "Fairy Hu, you jest. My words were merely a joke. How could I truly harbor improper thoughts towards a fairy like you!" Staring at the woman's stunning smile, the middle-aged man forced out two laughs, as if he had just seen a poisonous scorpion. He quickly returned to his seat, looking utterly submissive.

"A joke! Since you have no true intention of becoming my companion, it's best you speak more carefully. This time, I'll let it pass. But if anyone dares to flirt with me again in the future, don't blame me for being truly merciless." The smile on the woman's face vanished abruptly, replaced by an expression of extreme coldness and beauty.

The middle-aged man's face grew even more distressed, but he dared not utter another word.

Witnessing this, the other people in the square felt a chill run down their spines and no longer dared to look at Hu Yushuang with unrestrained gazes.

"Enough, little girl, you've wasted too much time. I didn't come all this way just to watch a farce. Bring out the auction items quickly." From within a silver flying house, a distinctly aged voice suddenly spoke, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Yes, junior was a little carried away. I'll begin the auction of the first item immediately." Hu Yushuang's expression became serious upon hearing the voice from the flying house, and she bowed slightly as she spoke.

Following this, she quickly formed a hand seal with one hand and pointed at the stone platform beneath her.

Immediately, a buzzing sound emanated from the light array, and a crystalline white jade long table suddenly appeared before her.

On the table, three wooden boxes of varying sizes lay horizontally, each covered by an inverted hazy white light curtain.

"The first treasure at this auction is not from the Wind Origin Continent. Instead, our Business Alliance spent immense effort to acquire a small bottle of Golden Thunderlion Marrow from the Thunder Roar Continent." As Hu Yushuang spoke, she pointed a jade-like finger at one of the light curtains, then beckoned with one hand, drawing a wooden box from within into her grasp.

"Golden Thunderlion Marrow?"

"Is it real or fake? Even those of us who haven't been to the Thunder Roar Continent have heard of the Golden Thunderlion."

"This auction truly isn't ordinary, to bring out something so astonishing right from the start."

Many of the foreign races in the hall stirred with excitement upon hearing the beautiful woman's words, and many immediately fixed their gaze on the small wooden box in her hand.

The woman smiled alluringly and gently patted the wooden box with one hand. With a soft *pop*, the lid instantly sprang open, revealing a palm-sized purple vial within. A pale silver talisman, emitting a faint spiritual glow, was affixed to its surface.

"The Golden Thunderlion, known as one of the three sacred beasts of the Thunder Roar Continent, possesses strength comparable to a Grand Ascension stage cultivator upon reaching adulthood. Even at birth, it has the innate ability to control lightning. Therefore, the Thunder Marrow Pills refined from its bone marrow can grant the physical body a temporary ability to resist lightning strikes. However, refining these pills is not easy. Even with an entire bottle of Golden Marrow, there's no guarantee that a pill can be successfully refined. But if even one can be produced, I don't need to elaborate on what that means for someone about to undergo a tribulation."

Holding the small vial in one hand, the woman's face showed a trace of solemnity as she explained. Then, she pointed a finger into the void several times. A few points of spiritual light spun around before transforming into several golden runes, which shot out and instantly merged into the silver talisman.

With a muffled thud, the silver talisman vibrated and bounced off the small vial.

Then, a loud crackling sound erupted!

The moment the talisman detached, streaks of purple lightning appeared on the small vial, interweaving and flashing. They vaguely formed a net of lightning.

Some of the foreign races gasped in astonishment upon seeing this.

The gazes of others, however, became intensely fervent.

Seeing such an astonishing phenomenon even before the Golden Thunderlion Marrow was fully revealed, it was clear that the rumors of its ability to resist lightning tribulations when refined into pills were likely true.

This caused many powerful cultivators from various races, who had originally come to the auction with other objectives, to immediately change their minds.

Even some of the Grand Ascension stage old monsters in the silver flying houses felt a slight stirring of interest.

"I didn't expect the Business Alliance to bring out such a rare treasure right at the start of the auction. Since it helps resist lightning tribulations, aren't you planning to bid for it, Senior?" Bloodspirit asked Han Li, her eyes gleaming with a strange light as she looked at the small vial in the distant woman's hand.

"While Thunder Marrow Pills are incredibly profound and can enhance the body's ability to withstand lightning tribulations, for a Grand Ascension stage cultivator, this increase is actually negligible. I, myself, am different from typical Grand Ascension cultivators; I believe my physical body has been tempered to a degree no less than that of an ancient true spirit. In comparison, this slight enhancement is almost nonexistent, so what use would bidding on it be?" Han Li explained casually, his expression indifferent, clearly showing no interest in the item.

"So, the Thunder Marrow Pill isn't a must-have for Grand Ascension stage cultivators. If that's the case, it seems I might have a chance," Bloodspirit said, a hint of joy appearing on her face after hearing his explanation.

"Oh, so you're interested in this item, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li asked in return.

"You flatter me, Senior. Although I still don't know my main body's exact whereabouts, its situation certainly isn't good. Over the years, its cultivation likely hasn't advanced much, and it definitely hasn't been able to gather treasures to withstand heavenly tribulations. In that case, I can only work harder to prepare some things for it in advance," Bloodspirit said with a wry smile.

"Since you've taken a liking to this item, feel free to bid on it. If you lack spirit stones, I can lend you some," Han Li said calmly.

"Thank you, Senior," Bloodspirit replied, overjoyed at his words.

Han Li smiled faintly and turned his gaze back towards the center of the auction square.

At this moment, the beautiful woman had grasped the small vial with five fingers and gently inverted it.

With a soft *plop*, a glistening golden liquid flowed out, and the moment it touched the air, it instantly transformed into a hazy golden ball of lightning.

It was about the size of a human head, and a loud rumbling sound erupted! Witnessing this, even those who had harbored slight doubts about the Golden Thunder Marrow were completely reassured. They all began to calculate how many spirit stones they would need to successfully bid for it.

Hu Yushuang's eyes swept across the crowd, taking in most of their expressions. After a soft chuckle, she gently shook the small vial in her hand. Instantly, a sheet of silver mist rolled out, actually drawing the golden lightning back into the bottle. She then spoke solemnly:

"One bottle of Golden Thunderlion Marrow, starting bid ten million spirit stones, payable only in top-grade spirit stones. Bidding starts now."

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman flicked a sleeve in front of her. Immediately, a buzzing sound arose from the light array, and five beams of light shot up side by side into the sky. After solidifying in mid-air, they fused together, transforming into a massive light screen, about an *mu* in size.

The light screen was smooth and crystal clear like a mirror, with an image of a small purple vial appearing on its surface.

"Twenty million."

A deep voice suddenly came from a corner of the square, and the moment it spoke, it instantly doubled the price of spirit stones, startling many.

Beside the ethereal image of the purple vial on the light screen, several numbers, including twenty million, suddenly appeared. Next to these numbers, a circular symbol also emerged, displaying another number, which was the bidder's identification.

"Twenty-one million."

"Twenty-three million."

Immediately, a flurry of bids echoed throughout the square, rising and falling one after another.

The auction amount on the light screen soared rapidly as the bidder numbers changed, quickly surpassing thirty million, then thirty-five million, finally pausing temporarily at forty million.

Such a high price for a single alchemical ingredient, which might not even guarantee a successful spirit pill, was indeed an astronomical sum.

Even though everyone attending this auction was wealthy, most felt a pang of pain and began to consider whether they truly needed to secure this item.

"Forty-five million."

A lazy male voice rang out.

Following this, a pale golden number instantly appeared on the light screen, and the bidder's identification next to it conspicuously changed to crimson gold.

This bid came from one of the silver flying houses, indicating that a Grand Ascension Ancestor had made a move.

At this development, the expressions of most of the foreign races in the square changed. Competing with a Grand Ascension Ancestor truly sapped the courage of those who were only at the Integration or Void Refinement stages.

"Forty-six million."

After a long moment of hesitation, someone in the square finally bid cautiously again.

"Forty-seven million."

The golden number on the light screen changed, revealing that another Grand Ascension old monster had placed a bid.

This time, the square fell completely silent. No one dared to bid again.

"Since Fellow Daoist is determined to acquire this item, I won't compete for it," said the Grand Ascension Ancestor who had made the later bid. Their voice was exceptionally gentle, making it impossible to discern their gender, but after this single bid, they directly withdrew.

"Heh heh, many thanks for yielding, Fellow Daoist," the first Grand Ascension cultivator chuckled, expressing their gratitude.

Just then, a pleasant voice bid "Thirty-eight million" from the third silver flying house.

This bid stunned not only the foreign races in the square but also silenced the occupants of the first silver flying house. After a long pause, a bid of "Forty million" was heard again.

"Forty-one million."

Inside the third silver flying house, Bloodspirit held a circular disk, her spiritual sense intently guiding her finger as she traced something in the air above it.

Han Li leaned back in his chair, watching everything with a smile.

"Forty-two million. This Golden Marrow is extremely useful for a junior of mine. If you are willing to yield, I will certainly express my gratitude afterward." The first Grand Ascension old monster who had bid finally seemed a bit restless. After stating the number, their voice softened as they added a few words.