Chapter 135: The Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Tongue Flower

Many important figures had come to the Sen Luo Wan Xiang auction today. Yang Tian could sense the auras of many powerful experts emanating from the nearby private boxes—extremely formidable, so much so that even the surrounding formations could not contain a single trace of their leaked energy.

"Good thing I have the Art of Changing Heaven and Earth, or I'd be in trouble today." Yang Tian's languid body lay sprawled in a chair, and he dared not make any excessive movements, lest those old monsters discover him.

This stillness lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, when suddenly a commotion arose in the main hall. On the auction stage ahead, an elderly man slowly walked up. His eyes were murky, as if he were an ordinary person.

"Why is Master Mengli hosting today?"

"Indeed. There must be some astonishing treasure today, or else why would Master Mengli personally preside over the auction?"

Many people in the audience murmured among themselves. Mengli was a genuine half-step Great Power, often frequenting various auctions. If he hosted an auction, there was bound to be a rare treasure.

"Heh, I imagine many of you guests recognize me. I won't waste everyone's time—the auction now begins." Mengli's gaze swept across the audience. With a stiff, zombie-like face, as if someone owed him money, he said flatly.

As soon as Mengli finished speaking, a crimson longsword appeared in his hand. He flicked his finger, and a dragon's roar surged from the blade. Strands of crimson light cascaded down, and the patterns imprinted on the sword gleamed brightly.

"It's actually a semi-finished Dao artifact!" someone exclaimed. A semi-finished Dao artifact right off the bat—Sen Luo Wan Xiang Auction House had prepared a great many treasures this time.

"The Crimson Cloud Sword, a semi-finished Dao artifact. Starting bid: one hundred thousand mid-grade blood stones!" Facing the fervent gazes below, Mengli still wore that zombie-like expression and spoke flatly.

"One hundred thousand pieces..." The faintly smiling voice made many gasp, unable to help clicking their tongues. Such a price was already beyond their means.

"I'm afraid the blood stones on me can't even buy one Dao artifact." Hearing this price, the corner of Yang Tian's mouth twitched. He had thought himself quite wealthy, but he hadn't expected a semi-finished Dao artifact to be so expensive.

After a few moments of silence, a price was called from one of the boxes upstairs. A semi-finished Dao artifact was comparable to a clan-protecting treasure in a medium-sized family, and the price quickly doubled.

"This sword isn't bad..." In his private box, Yang Tian scratched his head, a look of interest on his face. He couldn't yet unleash much of the Golden Crow Divine Furnace's power, so this Crimson Cloud Sword suited him.

"Uncle Xiao, I'd like to bid on this sword. What do you think?" Yang Tian entered the Ancestral Dragon Ring to seek Yang Xiao's opinion.

"What do you need it for?" Hearing this, Yang Xiao quickly shook his head and said, "You don't need any artifacts now. When your cultivation breaks through to the Mysterious Connection realm, you should refine one yourself."

"Refine one myself?" Yang Tian was taken aback, then couldn't help clicking his tongue. He had never dabbled in artifact refining; even daily alchemy already consumed a fair amount of his time.

"The Golden Crow Divine Furnace in your qi sea is powerful, but you can't use it freely, and it's hard to upgrade. Refining an artifact of your own is the only way to ascend to the peak together with it, understand?" Seeing Yang Tian's reluctance, Yang Xiao shook his head slightly and said with a faint smile.

An artifact can grow with its master. Only an artifact refined personally can unleash its greatest power. Many high-level artifacts can sometimes cause backlash, or even, if one's cultivation is insufficient, forcibly using them can consume a great deal of vital essence.

"I'll keep an eye out for you, see if there's any good-quality material. If it's junk, there's no need to refine it. Back when I refined my artifact, just gathering ordinary materials took decades."

"Decades?" Yang Tian's throat bobbed. Yang Xiao's words left him utterly astounded.

That Crimson Cloud Sword, after a period of competitive bidding, was finally taken for over three hundred thousand mid-grade blood stones. Then the auction house brought out several more semi-finished Dao artifacts.

The atmosphere of the entire auction was extremely heated. Then came the elixir segment, and the final highlight was a sixth-grade 'War Emperor Pill'! It had an astonishing effect on experts breaking through to the War Emperor realm, increasing the success rate by half.

In the end, this pill was auctioned for nearly ten million mid-grade blood stones. A major family nearly exhausted its entire clan's reserves to acquire it, leaving everyone in the auction house utterly astounded.

"Xiao Tian, the Dragon Tongue Flower is out." Suddenly, a faint laughing voice reached Yang Tian's ears.

Yang Tian's mind snapped to attention. He fixed his gaze on the old man's hand. A small silver flower, its leaves shimmering with silver light, dazzlingly beautiful. Dense silver threads intertwined, and the medicinal power it emitted startled many.

"What grade of spiritual herb is this?" After a few glances, Yang Tian frowned. This spiritual herb had a very high age; it wouldn't be won with just a few blood stones.

"Heh, this is a ten-thousand-year Dragon Tongue Flower. It seems heaven is helping you. You must bid for it." In the Ancestral Dragon Ring, Yang Xiao burst into laughter upon seeing this Dragon Tongue Flower.

"Ten thousand years..." Hearing this, Yang Tian's throat bobbed. In his void ring, the highest age was just over four thousand years, and there was only one such herb.

"This is a ten-thousand-year Dragon Tongue Flower. Starting bid: one hundred thousand blood stones. Each increment must be no less than ten thousand." Mengli swept his gaze across the hall and said flatly.

"One hundred and ten thousand blood stones!"

"One hundred and twenty thousand blood stones!"

"One hundred and fifty thousand!"

Many alchemists began bidding. Ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs were extremely rare. This Dragon Tongue Flower could not only be used to refine elixirs but also to extend life. Such a herb, having grown for ten thousand years, contained extremely vigorous life force.

The price quickly climbed to five hundred thousand blood stones. This herb had already multiplied many times over, and it was still rising sharply.

"Damn, am I setting a trap for myself?" Every time they raised the price, Yang Tian's heart clenched. When it reached six hundred thousand, it was only ancient aristocratic families competing, clearly needing many spiritual herbs to extend their lifespans.

"Eight hundred thousand!" Yang Tian couldn't hold back and directly called out eight hundred thousand mid-grade blood stones, a hundred thousand more than the previous bid.

When they saw that it was a Heaven-character box making the bid, the people below inwardly cursed him as a spendthrift. One hundred thousand blood stones were a huge fortune for some medium-sized families, enough to sustain them for several years.

"I bid eight hundred and fifty thousand. Would the young friend be willing to yield this spiritual herb to me? I am Li Qingji of the ancient Li family." An aged voice slowly sounded from another Heaven-character box.

"Li Qingji, a War Emperor!" Many people's expressions changed as they recognized his identity.

"Old bastard, using the ancient Li family to pressure me. Got your head kicked by a donkey?" Hearing this, a trace of coldness flashed in Yang Tian's eyes as he cursed inwardly. This old bastard deliberately revealed his name, clearly expecting him to back down.

"Nine hundred thousand blood stones..." After a two-second silence, a languid voice echoed throughout the auction hall.

The entire venue was in an uproar. Everyone's eyes widened as they secretly speculated about the background of the person in the box. Those who could bid from a Heaven-character box were core figures of superpowers.

Li Qingji was a War Emperor, and today he had been defied. He would certainly not let the matter rest.

In one of the auction boxes, Li Qingji's face was cold. The deeply lined old face showed a trace of ferocity. Being contradicted by a junior today was something he found hard to accept.

"I bid nine hundred and fifty thousand!" Li Qingji raised the bid again. The price of this spiritual herb had already doubled.

Everyone's eyes sparkled with excitement. Two tycoons were going head-to-head, and the atmosphere in the hall reached a fever pitch.

"This young master bids one million. If you raise the price once more, I'll let you have it." Rubbing his nose, Yang Tian said with a faint smile.

Gasps! The entire hall erupted in shock. This mysterious youth was openly provoking Li Qingji. A million was enough to buy two or three such herbs.