Chapter 984: The Misfortune Pearl

One question still lingered in his mind: just how much money did the Blue Gold Tree clan actually have? They had already spent so much earlier, yet still had the capacity to offer ninety thousand this time? To dare participate in the bidding meant that he definitely had the funds. No one would dare bluff with all the Emperors watching. Not even a city lord could afford such a scandal.

"Ninety-one thousand amethystine coins, going once." Perhaps sensing Xu An'yu was about to lose it, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor quickly began the final countdown.

At that moment, in VIP Room Three, the leaders of the phoenix race exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat odd. Naturally, they knew how crucial the Light Sprite was to the dragon race and had no intention of letting Xu An'yu win her so easily. In fact, they had been prepared to intervene the moment bidding began, even if only to interfere.

But they quickly realized they couldn't even participate.

They had already secured quite a few valuable items earlier in the auction, and the entire phoenix race's reserves amounted to just 90,000 amethystine coins. In other words, Xu An'yu's final bid already exceeded all they had left. Of course, they also believed that after this purchase, the dragons would have no strength left to compete for the final three auction items.

To think they'd spend 91,000 for this... That was a number they had never even dared imagine. Yet the Blue Gold Tree clan had forced it out! Their goodwill toward the Blue Gold Tree clan increased significantly—provided, of course, that the latter didn't try to compete with them for the following items.

"Ninety-one thousand amethystine coins, going twice!"

"Ninety-one thousand amethystine coins, going thrice... sold! Congratulations to VIP Room Ten!"

Only when the gavel fell did Xu An'yu finally relax, letting out a long breath as he collapsed back into his seat. His chest heaved visibly, and the red in his eyes gradually faded.

"Big Brother, once this auction ends, let me kill that bastard," the Fire Dragon King snarled.

All the dragon powerhouses present were filled with rage. Just as the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor estimated, this one single bid had nearly emptied the dragon race's coffers.

Xu An'yu closed his eyes in weariness and waved his hand. "Enough. Do you think the other races would have let us take the Light Sprite so easily anyway? Even without the Blue Gold Tree clan bidding, someone else would've stepped in. At least the Blue Gold Tree clan had legitimate reasons. The sprite is genuinely useful to them."

Tang Mohuang couldn't help but say, "Big Brother, why are you still speaking in his defense?"

Xu An'yu opened his eyes again, a commanding light flashing in their depths. "Tone down, Mohuang. What do you know? For us, there is nothing more important than securing an Emperor's seat. Everything else is secondary. We must not underestimate the Blue Gold Tree clan. Clearly, they've made a lot of money over the years and had nothing to spend it on until now.

"Besides, I had a discussion with their clan leader earlier. It seems... they are committed to neutrality. They've proposed stationing their high-level members in other cities to help purify and condense life energy. This will benefit us immensely. It's far more important than some petty rivalry. This Jin Miaolin is no ordinary figure. He may one day rise to stand guard over the Ancestral Court, and if he becomes an Emperor, his accomplishments may rival even the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's.

"Also, an auction is supposed to be fair competition. We dragons are the strongest on the continent. Do we need to resort to robbery? Will you look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself it's alright to bully others in broad daylight? How are we to preserve the Will of the Crystal and regain our position at the top if we act like this?"

Hearing his words, the other dragons gradually calmed down. No matter what, the Light Sprite was now theirs. They knew Xu An'yu's strength well, and with the sprite's support, an Emperor's seat was almost guaranteed. This was not the time to create unnecessary conflict.

Meanwhile, in VIP Room Eight, the discussion was somewhat different.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Big Brother, you really just gave up like that? It's not like we don't have the money. And that Light Sprite was so cute!" Jin Miaosen said, a little unwillingly.

Tang San smiled. "If we really won it, the dragon race would've come knocking. Didn't you see how desperate they were? And besides, I had a little chat with Xu An'yu just now. I secured support from Crystal City for our clan's neutrality. That's good enough if you ask me. Also, they paid a steep price for that promise and won't be able to compete for the next items."

The Grand Elder nodded beside him. "It's true that we shouldn't antagonize the dragons too much. But it really is a pity. That was a Light Sprite! An elemental sprite like that might not appear again in ten thousand years, and it's even an element compatible with our own. If you think about it, the Ancestral Tree itself started off as a kind of Life Sprite."

Tang San nodded. In a world without a divine realm, elemental sprites could be considered the most naturally gifted entities of the plane, the first avatars of an element. Achieving greatness was only to be expected.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor sent the Light Sprite back in, and the lighting in the auction hall returned to normal.

After the bidding frenzy for the last two items, the entire venue was at its peak of excitement. Even though the sprite had only drawn two actual bidders, the intensity of the bidding had left everyone's blood boiling. Raising the bid in increments of

ten thousand amethystine coins

... This was the kind of moment the participants would remember for a lifetime.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor smiled and said, "Honestly, I didn't expect the Light Sprite to fetch such a high final price. But I will nevertheless congratulate VIP Room Ten for acquiring her. I'm sure you'll find her worth every single coin."

Indeed, ninety thousand amethystine coins was a tremendous amount. But if this was the price paid to secure an Emperor, then it ought to be seen from a completely different perspective.

"Now, we will begin the bidding for the final three items. Let us start with the third-to-last." As he spoke, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor waved his hand, and a white light blossomed from his body, enveloping the entire auction platform.

Something major had to be coming. Even the Light Sprite hadn't warranted him using his power like this.

Moments later, something rose from below—a whirlpool of thick, ink-black fog.

The moment it appeared, the entire platform seemed to echo with ghostly wails. Weaker participants felt dizzy, nauseous, even trembled in fear.

The black mist surged and darted wildly, trying with terrifying ferocity to escape the barrier the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had set. But it was futile.

It even tried to attack the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, forming a horrifying face that lunged at him with a gaping mouth. But the moment it touched the Emperor's white light, it let out a scream that made the souls of the bidders tremble, and then it disintegrated.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's voice echoed across the hall. "This is a very dangerous item. We deliberated carefully before allowing it to be auctioned. This is related to something we Emperors retrieved together from the Tainted Yellow Sea. For many millennia, our Celestial Fox clan has gathered fortune for the continent. But it cannot be denied that concentrating fortune among the demons and nymphs has caused the birth of its opposite: misfortune. What you see now is the manifestation of a spirit of misfortune born in the Tainted Yellow Sea.

"It is incredibly powerful; in fact, when we found it, it possessed the strength of a newly advanced Emperor. If it clings to someone, it will drain their fortune until death. We originally intended to purify it, but its essence is too dense. Unless we exhaust a significant portion of our continent's fortune, we can't fully cleanse it. After thorough research, we decided to shatter its divine consciousness, leaving only instinct, and seal it within the object we are auctioning now: the Misfortune Pearl.

"By wielding this pearl, one can unleash misfortune. Once the pearl recognizes a master, it can be used to direct misfortune to attack enemies. Of course, its power won't reach the actual Emperor level, but it's equivalent to a peak Great Demon King of my Celestial Fox clan—one who is extremely angry at your opponent, specifically."