Chapter 951: The Legend of the Twin Lotus

Yet, for some unknown reason—perhaps due to the rush—the originally intended input of 2,510 had somehow become 2,501. The digits 1 and 0 had malfunctioned, or maybe he had pressed them out of order, or maybe he'd touched both at the same time. Either way, the result was the same: since the minimum increment was ten coins, a one-coin increment would not register.

"Two thousand five hundred, third call. Sold!"

Bang!

The gavel came down.

Inside VIP Room Ten, the Ice Dragon was dumbfounded.

What... the fuck... just happened?

Xu An'yu turned to him with a puzzled look. "Huh? Didn't you bid again?"

"I... I think I pressed the wrong button..." the Ice Dragon muttered, looking as if he had swallowed a fly.

He was shivering.

He had just steeled his resolve, ready to match the bid at twenty-five hundred amethystine coins even while knowing it was too steep. But who could have predicted that a dignified Great Demon King of the dragon race would press the wrong button during a bid? No one would believe it even if he personally told them; it was too ridiculous.

"You... What? You pressed the wrong button? Seriously?" Tang Mohuang nearly burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth and turned away, trying hard to keep his brain from exploding on the spot.

The other dragons in the room wore expressions of awkward disbelief. A Great Demon King mistyping a number? They were beings of incredibly refined spiritual awareness; such things were not just hard to believe, but downright impossible.

To an external observer, it might have appeared as if Tang San had used the Polar Luck Domain to influence fortune. Otherwise, the whole thing made no sense. But... he actually had no intention whatsoever of doing that. After all, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was present. If he'd used the Discerning Eye of Heaven, it would have been detected immediately, and that would have spelled massive trouble.

But he himself was already blessed with overwhelming fortune. With his cultivation further improved, several transcendent bloodlines unified, and immense life force empowering him, his fortune had only grown deeper. In such a crucial moment, this true fortune of his, the fortune naturally gathered around him and not manipulated through his Celestial Fox bloodline, seemed to have subtly interfered. And this subtle interference had just caused the Ice Dragon to lose the right to continue bidding.

Inside VIP Room Eight, things seemed completely different.

Tang San naturally believed that his aggressive bidding had frightened the opponent off. In truth, had the Ice Dragon countered, he would've stopped raising by increments of five hundred. Even though he had the wealth, he couldn't spend it recklessly. At that point, he'd have switched to one-hundred increments. But the Throne of Frost was a must-have, both as a gift to his senior brother and as a lasting asset for humanity.

"Congratulations to VIP Room Eight on securing the Throne of Frost. This artifact is indeed the finest ice-elemental divine artifact I've ever seen. It's worth the investment." The Tenebrous Demon Emperor even deigned to say a few extra words, clearly somewhat amused by VIP Room Ten's blunder.

"Present the third auction item," he called out.

Two divine artifacts right off the bat was something unprecedented at any auction. It was clearly meant to supercharge excitement for the Super Auction, and it had worked flawlessly.

Both artifacts had sold for well above their estimated value, thoroughly igniting the atmosphere in the venue.

Inside VIP Room Ten, the Ice Dragon's expression had turned quite dark. His initial hesitation had cost him the one thing he wanted.

Xu An'yu tried to console him. "Brother Sun, don't take it too hard. VIP Room Eight belongs to the Blue Gold Tree clan. They're plant-type nymphs, and their life attribute doesn't align well with the ice element, so in all honesty I'm not even sure why they bid for this at all. I'll try speaking with the clan leader after the auction ends. Perhaps we can offer a bit extra in private and obtain the Throne of Frost for you."

Hearing this, Sun Honghao relaxed a little and nodded. "It's the only option. But still, the way they jacked up the price like that was really..." A flicker of cold malice flashed in his eyes.

Xu An'yu caught it immediately. "Brother Sun, this is our most critical moment. We can't afford to make enemies. The Blue Gold Tree clan may not have been much before, but since the awakening of the Ancestral Tree, they're a different force entirely. Their patriarch has already passed his Ancestral Court evaluation and is a formal city lord, something even we haven't achieved yet. Don't forget the death of the Adamant Nymph Emperor. It was known for its unparalleled defense, yet how good did that do it?"

Sun Honghao's expression changed subtly. He nodded quietly.

As they were speaking, the third auction item was brought onstage.

Most bidders in attendance looked puzzled, as they had no idea what the item was.

On the raised pedestal that had ascended from below the stage was an object that looked extremely peculiar. It was oval, about the size of a pigeon egg, and resembled a seed. From a distance, bidders couldn't even make out what exactly it was unless they had a personal crystal screen with a magnification function or some kind of innate visual ability.

In VIP Room Eight, Tang San used his own crystal screen to magnify the view. All he could see was a white, jade-like item glowing with gentle light. It was no egg; he could sense that much. It gave off a plant-type aura, and it looked more or less like a lotus seed. Its surface gleamed like polished jade, and within it shimmered two overlapping lights that pulsed in a strange pattern. Even with his experience, he couldn't determine what it was.

He wasn't alone; the Blue Gold Tree elders around him also didn't recognize it.

Although they had previously done some research on the auction items, they'd only seen part of the list. For example, they'd known about the Everblaze Sunflower but not the Throne of Frost. Some items had only been delivered in the past few days, and the order was still being adjusted. So by the start of the auction, there wasn't even a final catalog.

In a normal auction, participants would be given a catalog ahead of time to prepare mentally and financially. But in this auction, there had been none of that. The reason was obvious: the enthusiasm to participate was already overwhelming. There was no need for hype, and mystery only added to the allure. This third item seemed to be of the mysterious kind; undoubtedly, there were very few in the crowd who could tell what it was.

The Tenebrous Demon Emperor didn't introduce the item right away. He waited until the crowd had whispered and speculated for a while before slowly revealing what it was.

"I believe most of you are unfamiliar with the item before you. To be honest, even I had no idea what it was the first time I saw it. What you see here is a lotus seed; more specifically, the seed of a very rare type of lotus. The Lotus Nymph clan, as you probably know, is not considered a particularly powerful group within the Solstice Empire. They have their own unique traits, but their peaceful nature means they lack both combat prowess and notable abilities. But what they

do

have is a very rare and special mutation—the Twin Lotus, or twin-bodied lotus blooms.

"It's extremely rare for Twin Lotuses to cultivate sentience, due to their split energy and the requirement that both mature simultaneously. Even then, their bloodline power isn't anything special, so they're virtually unknown.

"They have, however, an entirely unique and irreplicable innate ability. Assuming both twins reach the Nymph King level, if one dies an unnatural death and the other chooses to let itself die from grief, a special seed is left behind: this very item, called a Substitute Lotus Seed. And the reason it is thus called is that it can substitute for... your life. Anyone below the Emperor level who uses it will be granted a one-time resurrection. No matter how completely and irrevocably dead they are, the user will be reborn atop the lotus pedestal it generates."

The entire venue erupted into a commotion.