Chapter 2369: Jade Book Reappears

"Heh heh, who would have thought that a mere half-piece of a Profound Heavenly Item would attract so many fellow cultivators vying for it. Do you all truly believe you can find that Yang Flag? Aren't you afraid that instead of fortune, you might bring disaster upon your own clans?" A husky female voice suddenly echoed with a sneer across the plaza.

"In that case, why does Fellow Daoist Gu also bid for it? Just honestly hand this treasure over to us," a sharp voice retorted impolitely.

"Let you have it? Does the Stone Demon Clan have such a large appetite to consume this Profound Heavenly Item? Aren't you afraid of bursting your stomach?" the husky woman said disdainfully.

"The Stone Demon Clan may not have such a large appetite, but I wonder if the Mayfly Clan, in Fellow Daoist Gu's eyes, can truly possess this treasure." A gloomy old man's voice suddenly rang out from one of the flying houses.

"The Mayfly Clan?"Upon hearing this name, the expressions of most of the Grand Ascension cultivators changed dramatically.

"The Mayfly Clan is naturally one of the foremost great clans on the Tianyuan Continent, but our Heavenly Chirp Clan is not some ordinary small clan. For other items, we might concede a bit to your esteemed clan, but this Profound Heavenly Item? This old one is determined to have it today." After a long silence, the husky woman replied without any emotion.

"Good, very good. Since none of you intend to give up, let's see who bids the highest now. After all, this is the Helian Trading Alliance's auction house, and the winner is determined by their wealth. This old man has already made his current bid. If no one bids higher, then this half of the Heaven-Overturning Flag will be temporarily kept by this old man." The old man chuckled.

"Fifteen billion Spirit Stones!"This time, the husky woman unhesitatingly called out an astonishing price.

"Fifteen billion? Fellow Daoist Gu, do you truly possess so many Spirit Stones, or have you already factored in the value of your treasures?" the Mayfly Clan elder said gloomily.

"What's wrong with factoring in treasures? This old one doesn't have many Spirit Stones, but I do have an abundance of otherwise useless treasures that can now be put to good use," the husky woman sneered.

"In that case, I shall also join in. Eighteen billion Spirit Stones!" The Grand Ascension cultivator from the Stone Demon Clan spoke again.

"Eighteen and a half billion!""Nineteen billion!"Such high prices caused the other Grand Ascension cultivators, who had initially been interested, to frown and fall silent.

Even some wealthy old monsters, realizing that they couldn't truly keep this half-piece of a Profound Heavenly Item if they acquired it, reluctantly gave up as well.

For a time, only these three Grand Ascension cultivators, all with significant backgrounds, continued to bid relentlessly.Hu Yushuang, on the stone platform, stood there smiling, seemingly waiting patiently for the final result.

"Senior Han, don't you want this Heaven-Overturning Flag anymore?" Xue Po couldn't help but ask.Since earlier, Han Li had only made one bid and hadn't spoken again, which surprised both women.

"This treasure is indeed good, but if we truly pay a huge price to take it back, it might not necessarily be a good thing. After all, an incomplete Profound Heavenly Item, even if brought back to our clan, won't immediately significantly increase the strength of our human race. Instead, it would needlessly attract the attention of those major clans. Our human and demon races lack sufficient foundation, so it's best not to be the first one to stand out," Han Li replied leisurely, showing no trace of tension in his expression.

To him, this treasure seemed truly dispensable.

"You're right. If our human race truly acquired such a renowned yet impractical treasure, it would be a bit of a loss. It's a real pity that this Heaven-Overturning Flag isn't complete. Otherwise, Senior, you could have contended for it," Xue Po said with some regret.

"Heh heh, if it were a truly complete Profound Heavenly Item, one could use it to directly communicate with an ancient True Spirit and summon it to protect our human race. The human race could immediately ascend to a medium-level force, confidently taking a significant step forward in terms of both population and territory under its jurisdiction. With such great benefits, even if I took some risks, it would be nothing. But now? It's naturally not worth doing so." Han Li added a few more explanations, then fell silent.

Knowing that Han Li would not contend for this half-piece of a Profound Heavenly Item, Xue Po and Zhu Guo'er naturally lost much of their interest in the ongoing bidding.

This half-piece of a Profound Heavenly Item was finally acquired by the Mayfly Clan elder for the sky-high price of twenty-five billion Spirit Stones.

Even though the other Grand Ascension cultivators felt a burning desire, they could only grudgingly watch as a Grand Ascension elder from the Trading Alliance carried the Heaven-Overturning Flag into the flying house where the Mayfly Clan's Grand Ascension cultivator was located.

It was a full fifteen minutes before the elder from the Trading Alliance flew back from the house, a satisfied expression on his face.Clearly, although the Mayfly Clan's Grand Ascension cultivator had obtained this half-piece of a Profound Heavenly Item, he had truly exhausted most of his treasures in the process and could no longer compete for the upcoming items.Moreover, his return journey would have to be very cautious; it was unlikely to be peaceful.

At this moment, the woman on the stone platform removed the restrictions on the silver tray held by another palace-dressed woman, took out a palm-sized jade box, and held it up slightly with one hand.With a whoosh, everyone in the plaza immediately fixed their gaze on the jade box, quietly awaiting the beautiful woman's introduction.

Hu Yushuang took in the expressions of everyone below. After a slight smile, she opened her delicate lips and said:

"The Golden Pagoda Jade Tome, an item of immortal origin, is something I believe many fellow cultivators are familiar with. What we are about to auction is a complete inner page from the Golden Pagoda Jade Tome. Our Alliance guarantees that this inner page is one of the original thirty-six pages, not an imprinted replica, and that the immortal cultivation technique recorded on it can absolutely be cultivated. As for its specific name and effects, our Alliance will not disclose them. Whether you wish to purchase this treasure is entirely up to you, fellow cultivators and seniors."

As soon as Hu Yushuang finished her explanation, she immediately clapped the jade box with one hand. With a rumble inside, a golden pillar of light as thick as a bowl shot up into the sky. Within the shimmering light, a dazzling golden page suddenly appeared.

Countless golden runes flickered faintly on the surface of the page. Each one, upon closer inspection, gave a profoundly soul-stirring sensation.It was precisely the Golden Seal Script, unique to the Immortal Realm!

"It really is one of the inner pages from the Golden Pagoda Jade Tome! I never thought the Helian Trading Alliance could get their hands on such a treasure.""I've long heard that the inner pages of the Golden Pagoda Jade Tome record genuine immortal cultivation methods and secret arts. I never expected to see an original piece today."This time, while the commotion caused by this auction item wasn't as great as that for the Heaven-Overturning Flag, noticeably more people seemed interested in it.

"Girl Hu, if you're not revealing the name of the secret art recorded on the page, there must be some defect or limitation in its cultivation, right? Otherwise, why would your explanation be so vague?" The Grand Ascension cultivator from the Heavenly Chirp Clan, who had spoken earlier, said lightly.

That single sentence immediately dampened the excitement on the faces of many people in the plaza.

"Senior, please don't be offended. I'm not revealing the name of this cultivation technique for the sake of the eventual owner. After all, for such an immortal secret art, the owner surely wouldn't want it to become public knowledge. As for defects, aside from requiring a longer cultivation period than ordinary techniques, there are absolutely no other limitations," Hu Yushuang said without hesitation.

"Given your esteemed Alliance's reputation, I suppose that's true then," the Heavenly Chirp Clan's Grand Ascension cultivator chuckled, then said no more.

After others asked a few more questions, Hu Yushuang immediately announced that the auction would begin with a starting bid of one hundred million Spirit Stones.

"One hundred and fifty million!""One hundred seventy million!""Two hundred million!"This time, even before the Grand Ascension cultivators made their moves, people in the plaza couldn't help but start bidding.

"Hmph, trying to acquire an inner page of the Golden Pagoda Jade Tome with such a paltry amount of Spirit Stones? Don't be so deluded. I bid three hundred million!" A Grand Ascension cultivator from one of the flying houses impolitely raised the price.

"What a coincidence, I am also very interested in this Golden Pagoda Jade Tome. Six hundred million! If anyone bids a single piece higher than this, then it's yours. However, I must remind you all, fellow Daoists, since Girl Hu herself said that this immortal secret art is extremely time-consuming to cultivate, it's likely that even if we obtain it, it would mostly serve for reference and comprehension. Whether it's truly worth spending such a vast sum of Spirit Stones, you should all give it more thought," the previously mentioned Grand Ascension cultivator from the Stone Demon Clan doubled the price and stated calmly.

At this, the other Grand Ascension old monsters interested in the Golden Pagoda Jade Tome all hesitated.Indeed, such a price for a cultivation technique whose actual cultivability was uncertain was a bit too exorbitant.

"Since fellow Daoist has put it that way, I'll bid six hundred and ten million," a male voice suddenly echoed over the plaza.It was Han Li's voice.

Seeing this, Xue Po and Zhu Guo'er exchanged glances, both appearing somewhat surprised.

"Hmph, since this fellow Daoist is truly willing to spend such an exorbitant sum, I won't go back on my word; I'll concede it to you." The Stone Demon Clan's Grand Ascension cultivator was clearly a bit displeased but withdrew from the bidding cleanly and decisively.

"Then I thank fellow Daoist for yielding," Han Li replied unhurriedly, not standing on ceremony.

"Alright, this senior has already bid six hundred and ten million. This junior will count to three, and if no one bids higher, this item will belong to this esteemed senior. One..." Hu Yushuang, however, was beaming with joy.

Although this Golden Pagoda Jade Tome page was rare, she had initially expected it to fetch at most three or four hundred million Spirit Stones. The current price, so much higher, was naturally a delightful surprise.

This time, truly no one contended with Han Li, and as a result, the Golden Pagoda Jade Tome page was personally delivered by an elder from the Trading Alliance.

After Han Li paid the Spirit Stones, he immediately put the page into his storage bracelet without even looking at it, then settled back into his chair to quietly await the unveiling of the final, highlighted auction item.

According to convention, the final highlighted auction item should be the most valuable treasure of the entire event.

This was also one of the reasons why several Grand Ascension old monsters, after much deliberation, ultimately gave up contending with Han Li for the Golden Pagoda Jade Tome page.

After all, no one wanted to miss out on a chance to bid for the final auction item due to insufficient Spirit Stones.

At this moment, in the center of the plaza, the beautiful woman took a deep breath, then stepped forward to stand before the third palace-dressed woman. With a finger, she traced an invisible line across the silver light screen, and a fissure slowly opened on it.