Chapter 1509 - Stunning Wager

Liu Wuxie's sudden bid hit like a boulder thrown into still water, sending ripples through the auction hall as everyone turned to look at him. The window slid open again, and Liu Wuxie's harmless face appeared before everyone.

One after another, the private-room windows cracked open in response, including the Divine Alchemy Sect's.

When Liu Wuxie had bid for the Starfall Jade earlier, the Heavenly Dragon Sect had paid for his impulsiveness because he couldn't produce enough astral crystals. Even if Hua Feiyu agreed to cover for him again, the other elders wouldn't, and they would definitely stop him.

"Liu Wuxie, are you joking around with me? How dare you bid when you can't even produce the astral crystals? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already?" Bai Ran mocked.

The Divine Alchemy Sect hadn't fallen for Liu Wuxie's trap earlier, and the Grand Unity Sect had even turned Liu Wuxie's own tactic on the Heavenly Dragon Sect, becoming the focus of the entire hall in one stroke.

"What if I can take out the astral crystals? Are you going to slap yourselves in the face?" Liu Wuxie asked with a smile, mockery flickering in his eyes as he looked straight at Bai Ran.

Everyone from the Divine Alchemy Sect leaned over the window frame. They had missed their golden opportunity earlier, and this time they meant to bury Liu Wuxie.

"If you can produce the astral crystals, our Divine Alchemy Sect will leave the Skybrim Pavilion immediately," Bai Ran said with a broad grin. The Divine Alchemy Sect hadn't bought much so far, but they had already seen enough, so losing wouldn't matter to them.

The moment the crowd heard the wager between the two sects, cultivators from the major sects rose from their seats, excitement surging through them.

"If I can take out the astral crystals, how about your Divine Alchemy Sect pays for whatever I buy next?" Liu Wuxie asked Bai Ran with a harmless smile, determined to shove the Divine Alchemy Sect straight toward the grave.

Fifty items remained, and if the Heavenly Dao Society bought them all, the price would soar past sixty million astral crystals. Even if the Divine Alchemy Sect sold itself, they couldn't scrape together enough.

The Divine Alchemy Sect immediately felt unease crawl up their spines as soon as they heard it, and they didn't dare fall for it. If they lost, the Divine Alchemy Sect would disintegrate. The wager was too massive, and they couldn't afford the gamble.

"And what if you can't produce the astral crystals?" Bai Ran asked as he glanced at Sheng Yuan, and Sheng Yuan nodded, acknowledging the clash with Liu Wuxie.

"If I can't, the Heavenly Dao Society will pay for all the remaining items," Liu Wuxie said, making the wager symmetric no matter who lost.

Sharp inhales rang out across the hall. No one had expected Liu Wuxie to push such terrifying stakes, and the tension instantly made everyone in the Heavenly Dragon Sect's private room go rigid.

Xu Lingxue and the others in the Heavenly Dao Society rose to their feet in panic as well.

"Liu Wuxie, don't be impulsive," Xu Lingxue and the others said nervously.

They weren't acting because they didn't know Liu Wuxie had obtained more astral crystals from Death Mountain.

Mu Tianli and the others wore the same anxious expression, and the entire venue captured it clearly.

Sheng Yuan had reached the pinnacle of the Heaven Gaze Realm and already glimpsed the profundity of heaven and earth, so he could naturally tell whether the Heavenly Dao Society's reactions were fake or real. Even those around Liu Wuxie didn't believe he could produce one million astral crystals.

"Liu Wuxie is a madman. People say he likes to walk on the edge of a blade, and that's really the case after seeing it today. If he loses, all his effort so far would go down the drain," commented the cultivators in the common area. They could tell Bi Gongyu and the others weren't acting.

Everyone in the Heavenly Dao Society looked so anxious that they nearly cried out.

Elder Wu Hen studied Liu Wuxie with an odd gaze, and the auction fell into a brief, uneasy pause.

Just as Sheng Yuan prepared to accept the wager, a ripple spread inside the Divine Alchemy Sect's private room. It had to be the Grand Unity Sect warning them not to step into Liu Wuxie's trap.

"The Divine Alchemy Sect doesn't dare to take the bet?! Since that's the case, you should all just shut your mouths," Liu Wuxie said coldly, and his words instantly stripped the Divine Alchemy Sect of their dignity in front of the entire Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain's upper echelons.

If the Divine Alchemy Sect couldn't win their dignity back, Liu Wuxie would suppress them thoroughly, and they would never rise again. For many sects, reputation and dignity mattered more than life itself.

"Liu Wuxie, this wager is too big. How about this: If you fail to produce one million astral crystals, the Heavenly Dao Society will withdraw from the alchemy market from today onward," the Divine Alchemy Sect said, still refusing to take Liu Wuxie's wager.

Disappointment flashed through Liu Wuxie's eyes. He had planned to use this auction to destroy the Divine Alchemy Sect outright, and if they dared to take the bet, the Divine Alchemy Sect would've collapse in less than three days.

"What a disappointment. If you don't have the guts, say so," Liu Wuxie said, still refusing to let go of this rare chance to crush them completely.

Hua Feiyu stayed silent in his private room, watching the scene unfold without moving. When he saw Liu Wuxie's scheme, delight stirred in him, because if the Divine Alchemy Sect took the bait, they could erase them from the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain in short order.

"Liu Wuxie, do you dare to take the bet? If you don't, then shut your mouth," Bai Ran said, believing he had seized the initiative. If Liu Wuxie couldn't produce the astral crystals, the Heavenly Dao Society would have to withdraw from the alchemy market, and the Divine Alchemy Sect would regain its strength.

"I won't withdraw from the alchemy market. How about this? Let's use astral crystals as a wager instead. However much your Divine Alchemy Sect is willing to stake, the Heavenly Dao Society will follow it to the end," Liu Wuxie said, forced to take a step back while making it clear the Heavenly Dao Society wouldn't withdraw from the alchemy market even if the wager collapsed.

"Hahaha! You don't even have any astral crystals on you. How are you going to bet with us?" Bai Ran laughed because Liu Wuxie couldn't even take out one million astral crystals, so what could he possibly gamble?

"I don't have any on me, but the Heavenly Dragon Sect has," Liu Wuxie said, turning his gaze toward the Heavenly Dragon Sect as Hua Feiyu stepped forward.

"This isn't fair. If the Heavenly Dragon Sect secretly lent you one million astral crystals earlier, wouldn't we lose? Are you treating everyone here as fools?" Bai Ran snapped back. He cared less about the wager than crushing Liu Wuxie, and more than anything, he refused to step into another trap.

"I, Liu Wuxie, swear I didn't borrow a single astral crystal from the Heavenly Dragon Society. If I lie, the Heavenly Dao Society will shut down immediately, and I'll suffer eternal doom," Liu Wuxie said, making his oath in front of everyone.

No shackles descended from heavenly dao, which meant Liu Wuxie hadn't violated his oath. In other words, he told everyone plainly that the Heavenly Dragon Sect hadn't lent him any astral crystals.

Bai Ran froze on the spot, and Sheng Yuan and the others stiffened as well. Even the Grand Unity Sect looked confused.

The Divine Alchemy Sect had refused to bet because they assumed the Heavenly Dragon Sect would secretly support Liu Wuxie. Now it looked like they had all guessed wrong, and the Heavenly Dragon Sect truly hadn't helped him at all.

That instantly put the Divine Alchemy Sect into an awkward position. Liu Wuxie had already pushed things this far, and if the Divine Alchemy Sect still refused to accept the bet, the humiliation would be unbearable for them.

"Quick, accept the bet already!" The cultivators below began shouting, urging the Divine Alchemy Sect to stop stalling. If they lacked the courage, they should close the window and let the auction continue instead of humiliating themselves further.

The Divine Alchemy Sect found itself trapped. Liu Wuxie had thrown down the challenge, and they still didn't know whether to accept it.

"Sect Master, according to our information, Liu Wuxie didn't borrow any astral crystals from the Heavenly Dragon Sect. This means that their income only amounts to about 1,600,000 astral crystals at best," an elder of the Grand Unity Sect said.

It became clear they had spies inside the Heavenly Dragon Sect, or they wouldn't know the Heavenly Dragon Sect hadn't lent Liu Wuxie anything.

"If Liu Wuxie really can't produce one million astral crystals, what is his goal? If the Divine Alchemy Sect agreed to the bet, wouldn't he lose catastrophically?" the Grand Unity Sect's elders asked, frowning deeply.

With Liu Wuxie's intelligence, it made no sense that he would make such a low-level mistake.

"It's not hard to understand. He's trying to use this opportunity to suppress the Divine Alchemy Sect entirely. Even if he can't take out the amount, he can make the Heavenly Dragon Sect pay for him like the Starfall Jade," the elder explained.

The Divine Alchemy Sect had suffered too many losses under Liu Wuxie's schemes, and this would only reinforce the impression that the Divine Alchemy Sect didn't dare accept a bet. That was why Liu Wuxie dared to act so recklessly. The explanation strained slightly, but it still held weight, because the Divine Alchemy Sect truly had grown timid.

"Tell the Divine Alchemy Sect to bet with him. If they don't have enough astral crystals, our Grand Unity Sect will lend them," Venerable Grand Unity said, his gaze settling on Liu Wuxie before shifting to Mu Tianli and the others.

An elder immediately sent a message to Sheng Yuan to convey the Grand Unity Sect's stance, and delight flickered in Sheng Yuan's eyes.

"Liu Wuxie, the Divine Alchemy Sect will accept the bet. We will accept however many astral crystals you want to bet with. Do you dare to accept it?" Bai Ran asked, his voice loud and clear.

"Y-You really want to bet with me?" Liu Wuxie asked, forcing a frightened expression that everyone could see.

"We'll take the bet on whatever amount of astral crystals you have," Bai Ran snapped back.

Everyone understood the foundations of the major sects. After purchasing the Starfall Jade and the Giant Spirit Beast's teardrop, the Heavenly Dragon Sect only had about four million astral crystals left.

The Grand Unity Sect and the Divine Alchemy Sect hadn't bought anything, indicating they still held substantial reserves. Moreover, the Grand Unity Sect stood as the strongest sect in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain. They were filthy rich, and they held even more astral crystals than the Heavenly Dragon Sect.

"I'm afraid that your Divine Alchemy Sect can't afford the bet," Liu Wuxie said, turning his eyes toward the Grand Unity Sect's private room and the other elders.

The Divine Alchemy Sect only had about two million astral crystals at best, and that alone couldn't interest Liu Wuxie.

"If the Divine Alchemy Sect can't afford it, our Grand Unity Sect will partake in this wager. We'll match however many astral crystals you have," the Grand Unity Sect's elder said.

When both sides fought to the death, no one cared about preserving dignity. The Grand Unity Sect had lost six elders they had sent to Mount Dragon City, and they had been searching for ways to kill Liu Wuxie ever since. They naturally wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity.

"Everyone, did you hear that? They said that they'll match the amount we'll bet. Can the Skybrim Pavilion be a witness to this wager?" Liu Wuxie swept his gaze across the hall, then looked directly at Wu Hen.

"I'll serve as the witness. If the losing party tries to renege, the Skybrim Pavilion will bar them from its auctions from today onward," Elder Wu Hen said, showing no bias to either side.

"I have 2,300,000 astral crystals. I wonder how many astral crystals your Heavenly Dragon Sect has?" Sheng Yuan asked, waving his hand and summoning all the astral crystals he possessed.