Chapter 1199: A Dazzling Array

"Your esteemed Alliance Leader is truly insightful." Han Li raised an eyebrow and nodded.

As he spoke, his divine sense had already delved into the jade slip, and his expression shifted slightly.

The jade slip listed tens of thousands of auction items, along with starting prices and such, very clear and easy to understand at a glance.

However, the order of the auction was not indicated, but that was not hard to understand—if the guests knew everything about the auction proceedings, it would lack some interest.

With Han Li's current memory, he quickly finished reading these auction items and committed them to memory, forming a rough idea in his mind of which items he wanted to bid on.

"May I ask where the two seniors hail from? What treasures do you wish to purchase this time? Are you preparing for advancement to the Great Luo realm?" Lan Mei asked again.

"The two of us are both itinerant cultivators, always without a fixed abode. We came to the Sun Moon Pavilion's auction this time without any particular desire to buy anything; we'll just take a look first." Han Li chuckled.

"I see. Our Sun Moon Pavilion places great importance on this auction and has prepared many rare treasures, immortal artifacts, elixirs, materials, techniques, and so on—everything one could want. The two seniors may browse at will and bid on anything that catches your fancy." Lan Mei did not press further, smiling sweetly.

Han Li nodded and asked a few more questions about the auction. Lan Mei, being clever and articulate, answered them all in detail, leaving Han Li quite satisfied.

Ti Hun, seeing Han Li and Lan Mei chatting cheerfully, couldn't help but pout, sulkily ignoring them both, and closed her eyes to examine the jade slip.

Before long, Lan Mei led Han Li and Ti Hun to a private room.

The room was not large, only about two or three zhang in size, furnished with a bench and a white stone table. On the table were placed spirit tea, immortal fruits, and such, all of which were extraordinary items.

Though the arrangement here was simple, it gave a sense of cleanliness and tidiness. A faint, refreshing fragrance lingered in the air, from some unknown incense that calmed the mind upon smelling it.

The room was enclosed on all sides, with only the front having a window made of transparent material, through which one could see a huge square, about twenty or thirty li in size. Countless seats were arranged in the square, now mostly filled with people waiting for the auction to begin.

The VIP seats, like the one Han Li and the others were in, were arranged in a fan shape, suspended in midair above the square.

"Alright, there's no need for you to attend here; you may go down now." Han Li nodded, quite satisfied with the situation, and then said to Lan Mei.

"Yes, if the two seniors need to summon me, just ring this small bell." Lan Mei acknowledged, took out a small brass bell and placed it on the table, then withdrew.

After she left, Han Li flicked his sleeves, and a layer of azure light enveloped the entire room.

"Ti Hun, why have you been silent all this time?" He turned to look at Ti Hun and asked.

"Master, you were chatting so congenially with that young lady; this servant dared not interrupt." Ti Hun opened her eyes, not looking at Han Li, and said stiffly.

"What congeniality? I was just asking that woman about some auction matters." Han Li said with a somewhat amused laugh.

Ti Hun's expression softened a bit upon hearing this, but she still gave a light snort.

"Alright, the auction is about to start. Don't be petulant. You've been looking at the jade slip for so long; have you taken a liking to any treasure?" Han Li asked.

"I did take a liking to two immortal artifacts, but their starting prices are not low. Acquiring them would probably cost quite a few immortal spirit stones." Ti Hun, upon hearing this, forgot to sulk and pointed out two immortal artifacts on the jade slip to Han Li, her expression hesitant.

"These two immortal artifacts are indeed very suitable for you. As for the immortal spirit stones, don't worry." Han Li's divine sense probed the two immortal artifacts Ti Hun had pointed to and the starting prices behind them. His brow furrowed slightly but immediately relaxed, and he said with a smile.

He had previously activated the Time-Twisting Grand Formation repeatedly for cultivation, consuming nearly twenty million immortal spirit stones. He still had fifty million immortal spirit stones on him. Although these two immortal artifacts were valuable, the laws they contained were relatively obscure, so there probably wouldn't be many bidders; acquiring them shouldn't be a problem.

He had advanced to the Great Luo realm and couldn't make any new breakthroughs in a short time, so he temporarily didn't need the time-differential space and could free up these immortal spirit stones for use.

"Thank you, Master!" Ti Hun's face lit up with surprise upon hearing this.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..." At that moment, a series of calls sounded in Han Li's mind—it was the Flame Essence Boy from within the Flower Branch Space.

Although the calls were not formed into words, Han Li understood the Flame Essence Boy's meaning: he needed some fire elemental power to replenish his previous consumption.

"No problem." Han Li sent a divine thought to reassure the Flame Essence Boy.

The auction list contained many materials rich in fire elemental power, and their prices were not high; he could just purchase some.

Little White was also shouting and making a racket in the Flower Branch Space, but he wasn't asking Han Li to buy him any treasures; instead, he was clamoring to come out and watch the auction.

Helpless, Han Li had to extend a strand of divine sense into the Flower Branch Space and project the scene of the auction hall outside.

Just then, three loud bell tolls—"clang, clang, clang"—rang out, and the auction officially began.

A red light flashed on the auction stage in the center of the square, and a plump, big-eared old man appeared out of thin air.

Han Li's gaze flickered. This plump old man, though unremarkable in appearance, was a powerful cultivator at the mid-Great Luo stage, serving as the auctioneer, which was enough to command the scene.

"The ten-thousand-yearly Ten Thousand Treasures Festival of our Great Golden Source Immortal Domain officially begins today! Welcome, fellow daoists, to grace our Sun Moon Pavilion with your presence. I hope everyone can bid on items that please your hearts and return满载而归. Well, I won't say much more; let's immediately start the auction of the first treasure. Everyone, please take a look." The plump old man cupped his hands, and several blue-vested laborers carried a jade box onto the auction stage.

Inside the jade box lay a millstone-sized yellow crystal. Countless earthy yellow rays of light swirled and flashed around it, and a profound, thick wave of earth law emanated violently from it.

The gravity near the auction stage was also affected by this crystal, becoming thousands of times heavier. Those laborers struggled greatly to lift the jade box.

"Everyone, please behold this Earth Emperor Crystal, which comes from the Earth-Wu Immortal Domain. It was born in the endless depths of the earth, absorbing the essence of the earth over billions of years. Its material is extremely hard, and it contains abundant and powerful magnetic gravity law. It is more than sufficient for refining a fourth-grade earth-attribute immortal artifact. The starting price for this treasure is five million immortal spirit stones, and each bid must increase by no less than one hundred thousand." The plump old man spoke in a plain tone, without exaggerating the treasure's merits, which instead gave a more reliable impression.

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the venue buzzed with discussion, a huge wave of sound rising. Many people showed excitement on their faces.

Han Li's eyes also lit up at the sight of the Earth Emperor Crystal on the stage.

Although he had already seen this item on the jade slip, it was not as stunning as seeing the real thing.

Among the many earth law materials, the Earth Emperor Crystal was considered top-tier, no less than the Heaven Gold Diamond among metal law materials. It was the most coveted treasure for all cultivators practicing earth law.

Moreover, this particular Earth Emperor Crystal could be used to refine a fourth-grade immortal artifact.

In the grading of immortal artifacts, fourth-grade was a watershed.

Fifth-grade immortal artifacts, while not abundant, were not rare either. Generally, great cultivators who had reached the Great Luo realm could eventually obtain one with some effort or expense. After all, as long as the materials for refining the immortal artifact were not poor, one could gradually raise the artifact's grade to the fifth level through slow tempering and nurturing over time.

Han Li's Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were like that—relying on the swords' solid foundation, and with the help of the Fivefold Thunder Sea's power and the refining method from the Five Thunder True Scripture, they were forged in one go.

But fourth-grade immortal artifacts were different. To refine a fourth-grade immortal artifact, the requirements for material quality and refining techniques were extremely stringent, even to the point of being heaven-defying. It was said that after successful refinement, there was even something called a treasure tribulation.

He was not very clear on the specifics.

However, once successfully refined, the power of a fourth-grade immortal artifact could destroy heaven and earth, far beyond what a fifth-grade immortal artifact could compare to.

In the True Immortal Realm, fourth-grade immortal artifacts were extremely rare; even among Great Luo cultivators, only a very few possessed them.

This Earth Emperor Crystal, capable of refining a fourth-grade immortal artifact, was of extremely high quality among similar materials, and its value was thus evident.

Han Li stared at the Earth Emperor Crystal on the stage, his gaze flickering.

Truly worthy of the Ten Thousand Treasures Festival—the very first auction item was already so precious.

Although this Earth Emperor Crystal was good, he had no need for it, so he did not bid.

Although Han Li didn't need it, many cultivators in the venue below wanted this treasure, and they eagerly bid. Many in the VIP seats also participated.

In the blink of an eye, the price broke through ten million immortal spirit stones, and it was finally snapped up by a cultivator in the VIP seats at a high price of twelve million immortal spirit stones.

"The next treasure is a fire-attribute dao pill, fifth-grade..." The plump old man continued to introduce the second auction item.

The Ten Thousand Treasures Festival lived up to its reputation. One rare and extraordinary treasure after another appeared, dazzling the eyes and continuously pushing the atmosphere of the venue to wave after wave of climax.

Although the auction prices were high, many cultivators were still willing to pay to obtain what they needed, as these treasures were rare and hard to come by. Missing this opportunity, they might not encounter them again for ages.

In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed, but Han Li remained seated in his original spot without making a move.

"The next treasure is a fifth-grade immortal artifact called the Nether Ghost Claw. It was forged from the claw of a Great Luo-level Nether Ghost Beast from the Nether Sea Immortal Domain, blended with countless ferocious souls, eighteen types of ghost blood, thirty-six types of ghost qi, and calcined in nether fire for a million years. It contains powerful and formidable yin-ghost law attributes, with极强的 penetrating power and corrosive effects." On the auction stage, the plump old man once again produced a treasure—a black claw about one zhang in size.

This black giant claw had nine fingers, with webbing between the fingers. Countless black qi swirled around it, emitting strong ghostly wails, like a demon's hand.