BTTH: Starting With Auctioning Green Lotus Core Flame

Mister Gold and Mister Silver were torn in a dilemma whether to compete with Han Feng for the so-called Sky Demon Puppet or not. If the puppet was truly valuable, offending a six-rank alchemist might be worth it. After all, they didn’t hold any genuine respect for Han Feng. There were many six-rank alchemists in the world; they didn’t necessarily need Han Feng to refine a six-rank pill. However, if the demon puppet wasn’t useful, offending a six-rank alchemist would be a foolish move.

While Mister Gold and Mister Silver were still hesitating, Han Feng had already raised the bid to forty million gold coins. He was determined to obtain the puppet.

Ya Fei smiled gently, "Forty million gold coins. Any higher bids?"

The surrounding audience whispered among themselves, feeling incredulous that this bronze puppet could be prized at such an astronomical price. They wondered if these rich people had lost their minds.

Yun Yun was not about to give up either. Beneath her stunning face lay a determination. With a Dou Ancestor-real puppet, Misty Cloud Sect would no longer fear threats from other forces. Moreover, if her master truly perished, the puppet would protect the Misty Cloud Sect in his stead.

Elder Yun Leng shouted, "Sixty million gold coins!"

Yun Yun's expression froze, turning sharply to look at the overly enthusiastic Elder Yun Leng. She wanted to punch him. She originally wanted to increase the bid incrementally bit by bit, forcing the opposition to give up on the puppet, but this old fool had increased the bid straight to sixty million, blatantly revealing the puppet's value! 

Elder Yun Leng, still smug, didn't realize that other powerful factions had also noticed the puppet's worth and were joining the bidding.

Yun Yun glared at Yun Leng with frustration. No wonder this guy hadn't advanced beyond Dou Emperor all these years; his intelligence explained it!

Elder Yun Leng, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, smiled broadly, "Sect Master, we must secure this puppet for the Sect!"

"Sixty-three million gold coins."

"Sixty-four million gold coins!"

"Seventy million gold coins!"

Hearing others start to bid, Elder Yun Leng's expression shifted from joy to astonishment. He hadn't expected anyone else to bid!

Yun Yun rubbed her forehead, sighing in resignation.

"Sect Master… we…"

Yun Yun said softly, "Forget it. I only brought eighty million gold coins. If we keep bidding, we'll exhaust the sect's assets. Let's leave."

Elder Yun Leng, unwilling to give up, stared at the Sky Demon Puppet on the crystal platform, shouting, "No, Sect Master! This item is too important for our sect. If necessary, I'll ask Pavilion Master Li to sell it to us!"

"Shut up!" Yun Yun shouted angrily, "Who do you think you are, demanding to see Pavilion Master Li? The fact that he's letting us participate in the auction is already extremely generous. And you want to buy it privately? Our sect doesn’t have that prestige yet!"

Yun Yun stood up, reluctantly looking at the puppet. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Ya Fei speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Sky Demon Puppet is not the final item. The next item up for auction is of extraordinary value, so hold onto your gold coins for the final treasure."

This statement sparked widespread speculation. If the final treasure was indeed highly valuable, spending tens of millions on this item seemed not that worth it.

Even Han Feng furrowed his brows, his gaze shifting to the fourth-floor seats. He thought, "Could the next item be a Heavenly Flame?"

If it truly was a Heavenly Flame, then the demon puppet's value would be insignificant to him. He had already mastered the complete version of Flame Mantra and only needed to find and devour a Heavenly Flame to evolve it and advance to the Dou Ancestor realm! 

If he could break through to the Dou Ancestor realm, the puppet wouldn't be of much use to him. It would be better to let others fight over it, thus depleting their resources.

Killing two birds with one stone, why not?

With this in mind, Han Feng immediately gave up on the puppet, leisurely pouring himself a cup of tea and smiling, "Since Miss Ya Fei has said so, I will focus all my efforts on bidding for the final treasure."

The Dou Emperor who had bid seventy million gold coins turned pale. He had hoped to stir things up, but now, with just a few words, no one was increasing the bid. Moreover, he didn't have seventy million gold coins... This was a disaster!

The Dou Emperor said tremblingly, "Miss Ya Fei... I don't have enough money... C-can I pay on credit?"

Niu Meng strode over, grabbed the Dou Emperor by the neck, and pressed him against the wall, pointing to the rules posted there.

"Heaven Ascending Pavilion’s rule is clear: anyone who bids recklessly without having the corresponding gold coins will face punishment!"

The Dou Emperor's legs turned to jelly, and he knelt, frantically kowtowing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong! I just wanted to join in the fun; I didn't mean to bid recklessly..." In his panic, his words came out in a rush, "I have a newborn son and an eighty-year-old mother; I can't die!"

Niu Meng paid no heed to his pleas. Reaching Dou Emperor realm, his path must be bloody, paved by countless bones. There was no need to take pity on him and make concessions against the established rule. How should the Heaven Ascending Pavilion maintain their authority in the future if they were to start making any exceptions?

In an instant, Niu Meng's right hand exerted force, causing the Dou Emperor's head to explode, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere, even hitting someone's face.

The hall fell into a terrifying silence, broken only by the frantic beating of hearts.

Li Xiao, using a voice transmission, said, "Niu Meng, how many times have I told you to take it outside when you kill someone? Now you've got blood everywhere; you'll clean it up yourself."

Niu Meng smiled sheepishly, dragging the Dou Emperor's body to the front of Amethyst Winged Lion King. "Here, a treat for you. The flesh of a Dou Emperor is a great supplement."

Amethyst Winged Lion King wagged its tail, eagerly devouring the Dou Emperor's body and even licking the blood spilled on the floor. After wiping them clean, it burped, feeling that they were infinitely near from breaking through to the next rank.

Niu Meng chuckled, returned to the hall, and casually picked up a mop, starting to clean the remaining blood as if nothing had happened.

Those who had been scheming earlier were now trembling, especially those who had bid recklessly. They were nearly scared out of their wits. Fortunately, they weren’t the one who had been making the last bid.