Chapter 986: Bidding on a Celestial Pillar?

Tang San glanced at her and said, "This Misfortune Pearl is not a good thing. While it can manipulate misfortune against others, if it faces an entity with extremely strong luck, the misfortune could rebound, making the user the one to suffer. It's a double-edged sword. And even if you do manage to suppress your opponent, the Misfortune Pearl itself is... well, infused with misfortune. In the long run, the user is bound to be plagued by it. It's an ill omen. Anyone who uses it in the Battle for the Throne won't make it to the end, and it will likely bring them a terrible fate. Even worse, this curse may not be limited to the user. It could extend to their entire clan. How could I risk bringing such disaster to our Blue Gold Tree clan?"

"Mm, the Clan Leader is right," said the Grand Elder beside him. "I felt incredibly uneasy the moment I laid eyes on that thing. Very uncomfortable. We're better off without it. But, Clan Leader, I'm afraid that what we've won at this auction so far may not be enough to ensure your victory in the Battle for the Throne. If the final two auction items are good enough, please don't hold back. No matter the cost, we must win them."

Among the items Tang San had won so far, only the Radiant Dragon Spear seemed somewhat useful. The Scourge Dragon was a wildcard; it could either be a massive asset or a huge liability. The Substitute Lotus Seed had potential, but it wasn't enough to decide the outcome. As for the Lifebond Necklace, it wasn't so easy to find a compatible partner for a contract. In other words, although they had spent quite a bit of money, they hadn't acquired any truly decisive divine item that could influence the outcome of the battle.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

As for the Light Sprite earlier, the Grand Elder had actually hoped Tang San would win it. Light and life attributes had always been in good harmony; if they could have obtained it, it might have brought everyone significant enhancement. But ultimately, Tang San had yielded to the dragon race, which was understandable. The dragon race was powerful; making enemies of them was not wise.

The Grand Elder was a bit disheartened. The Blue Gold Tree clan simply wasn't suited for combat. Even at a grand auction like this, they couldn't turn the tide. Money couldn't solve everything.

After the Misfortune Pearl fetched such a high price, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was in excellent spirits and even promised to include a chunk of Fortune Stone as a bonus, a charm to help mitigate the backlash from the Misfortune Pearl.

"Next, the second-to-last item. We are approaching our grand finale, and this piece will surely surprise everyone present. In fact, I can guarantee you that not a single one of you has ever laid eyes upon this unique thing. Present the item!"

The auction was drawing to a close, and without a doubt, the most exciting and thrilling moment of the three-day event was about to arrive.

By this point, every bidder had already forgotten their fatigue; they were all fully immersed in eager anticipation of this final item's appearance.

A soft light began to radiate from below, and with it, a cylindrical pillar slowly emerged from beneath the stage. It seemed to be quite large, soon protruding over ten meters above the platform and still rising.

Seeing the pillar, Tang San opened his eyes wide in astonishment and couldn't help but stretch his neck forward, as if to see better.

Huh? Isn't that a Celestial Pillar? What the heck is that thing doing here? But wait... Why did he say none of us has ever seen this before? Every city lord knows what it is.

The Ancestral Court was actually auctioning off a Celestial Pillar? What did this mean? Were they selling their own legacy now? Was that even allowed? Just to make money, were they really willing to do

anything

?

The pillar continued to rise, seeming like it might pierce the sky itself. A hundred meters, two hundred, three hundred....

Once it surpassed four hundred meters in height, Tang San's expression turned solemn. He was starting to understand what the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had meant.

When Tang San underwent his city lord evaluation, all the Celestial Pillars had reached out to him and offered to commune with him. Thus, he had a very good idea of the number of pillars, their size, and who they represented. And he was certain that this pillar... had not been there at the time.

There were very few Celestial Pillars over four hundred meters tall; anybody would have remembered them. This was not one of them.

The pillar looked bare. It was a plain silver-white cylinder that gave off a distinct metallic sheen, and... that was that. It bore no other features whatsoever—no coiled dragons, no crouching tigers, no soaring phoenixes, none of the distinct racial markings other Celestial Pillars had. It was simply a straight column. Yet the aura it emitted was unmistakable to Tang San, so there could be no mistake as to what it was.

A Celestial Pillar that was not kept in the Council Hall? What is this?

The pillar continued to rise until it reached 450 meters, at which point it finally stopped, standing tall and radiant at the center of everyone's gaze. Many of the bidders below didn't even know what it was. But within the VIP rooms, the city lords indeed recognized it, just like Tang San; they had all once experienced communion with one Celestial Pillar or another before their evaluation.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor now had a solemn look on his face, very different from his previously cheerful expression. "Many of you bidders may not know what this is. Allow me to give you a simple introduction. All city lords here should have seen something similar. That's right, this is a Celestial Pillar. The moment one becomes an Emperor, a Celestial Pillar is born that carries a trace of their divine consciousness. And once they fall, this provides a path for their descendants to inherit their legacy.

"It is the mark left by an Emperor on this world, and giving rise to one is the highest honor for any demon or nymph. Each city lord, upon coming to the Ancestral Court for their evaluation, is allowed three days to be acknowledged by a Celestial Pillar. If they are chosen, they will receive a portion of its inheritance. This has been a tradition of the Ancestral Court for generations.

"This is a privilege exclusive to city lords; even leaders of first-tier clans do not enjoy it. And the Celestial Pillar before you is extremely special. There is a reason I said none of you has ever seen anything like it, and I believe some of the city lords must have already noticed. This... is not one of the Celestial Pillars in the Council Hall, but rather a truly unique one. And it is unique because it was not created by a demon

or

a nymph. To be precise, the Emperor it represents was the only Emperor in history who was neither."

The crowd erupted in an uproar. In the recorded history of the Daemon Continent, only demons and nymphs had ever become Emperors. Never had there been an Emperor from any other race. And yet now, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was saying that there actually

had

been someone who achieved it, and this person had even left behind a Celestial Pillar.

The city lords were especially shocked. A Celestial Pillar over 450 meters tall would easily be among the top ten, maybe top five.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's gaze deepened. "That Emperor... was a human. Yes, a

human

. One of those you know as slaves, servants, and vassals. Unbelievable, isn't it? So weak, so devoid of natural talent—and yet this human ascended to the peak of this world. He became an Emperor, and a powerful one at that."

In VIP Room Eleven, Mei Gongzi suddenly stood up in shock.

In VIP Room Eight, Tang San's eyes narrowed to slits. He finally understood why the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had always been so wary of humans. As it turned out, it wasn't just fear of a distant possibility, but knowledge of historical fact that could well repeat once more.

Once upon a time, a human had truly ascended to Emperorhood.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor continued, "This human walked a path none of us could have imagined. He had no bloodline power and no innate gifts; he was just an ordinary man. He was a blacksmith by trade, and he forged weapons. Through diligence and ingenuity, he created many new materials, invented many new weapons, and gradually earned a name for himself."