Chapter 129: The Curtain Falls
As the old man finished speaking, a young girl carefully picked up the multicolored glass and placed it on the table in the center of the stage. Under the light, this fist-sized piece of multicolored glass emitted a dazzling glow that was truly captivating! It was possible to clearly sense the heavy breathing in the quiet atmosphere. Not to mention the family members and powerful warriors inside the private room, even several hidden powerful auras outside also began to manifest at this moment.
Many people’s eyes showed a hint of greed. If it weren’t for the fact that they were in a trading venue, many would have already started fighting over it—its allure was simply too great.
For centuries, countless people had died because of this item. Countless others had fallen one after another under its aura, and many powerful warriors had perished as a result. It was unknown how many times those factions had fought secretly over it.
Now that such an item was right before everyone’s eyes, it was no wonder they were so distracted. Not to mention those powerful warriors, even some Gold Warriors and warriors with Imperial or Sacred-level strength began to feel envious and restless! In the face of great wealth and profit, many people lose their instincts and reason.
“Cough, cough… Alright, everyone should see it now. Let the bidding begin. I don’t want any accidents. The four major families and my Demon Clan won’t tolerate such behavior!” Apparently worried that someone’s actions might cause chaos in the entire trading venue, the old man stepped forward, unleashing his full presence. His overwhelming aura spread to every corner, and the intense pressure and killing intent made the temperature seem to drop several degrees. Even a quasi-divine-level warrior like Rod felt short of breath—let alone those Gold Warriors or Imperial/Sacred-level warriors. Many of them turned pale and broke into cold sweats under this pressure.
This was the true strength of a powerful warrior—at least at the later stages of the divine level, perhaps even at the peak of that stage! Truly worthy of intimidating those in the trading venue. The Demon Clan indeed produced many strong warriors. How could someone like him be assigned to do such a task here?
Under the pressure of this imposing aura, many people seemed to realize something and looked back at the stage. The greedy expressions from before had vanished, replaced by fear and dread. If they had done anything earlier, the only outcome would have been immediate execution. This old man was just one of them; this club was jointly established by the four major families and the demon race. If the demon race had experts, how could the four major families lack them? At this thought, many people felt a chill in their hearts—greed had nearly driven them to act foolishly.
Gradually, the situation calmed down under such pressure, and the imposing aura slowly subsided. The old man’s once-sharp demeanor was concealed, making him appear ordinary. Yet everyone’s gaze toward him had changed completely. Meanwhile, members of the four major families in several private rooms also smiled wryly—this old man seemed to have improved significantly again.
As the aura faded, the auction of the final item began! Intense bidding ensued.
The Dragon Clan, Black Phoenix Clan, Mi Jiao Clan, Scorpion King Clan, Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle Clan, and several other individually powerful factions all started bidding. Prices soared rapidly, reaching an astonishing 100 divine-grade early-stage magical beast cores in no time.
Hearing this price, Rod felt ashamed. His entire fortune consisted of only 10 divine-grade early-stage magical beast cores. These guys were truly ruthless, raising the price so high so quickly. Indeed, they were wealthy and belonged to powerful families with deep roots—millennia of accumulation paid off.
By the time the price reached 50 divine-grade mid-stage magical beast cores, only the four major families, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle Clan, and one mysterious private room remained in competition. It was said to belong to one of the top ten powerful figures in the Dark Source—a lone wolf!
The competition among the six factions was fierce, with prices rising in a terrifying manner. It was almost absurd—each bid could make many people feel suffocated, inspire awe, and fill them with passion. Rod felt the same way. 50 divine-grade mid-stage magical beast cores were equivalent to 50,000 divine-grade early-stage ones. Were there 50,000 divine-grade early-stage magical beasts in the Dark Source? Obviously not. In other words, even if all such beasts were killed, so many cores couldn’t be obtained! As for divine-grade mid-stage cores, 50 was still an extremely terrifying figure.
After reaching this price, the competitors left were only the Dragon Clan, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, the Scorpion King Clan, and the Mi Jiao Clan! That old man had seemingly withdrawn from the competition, and for some reason, the Black Phoenix Clan also stopped bidding, which left Rod puzzled. There was no doubt that the four major clans had substantial financial resources; even the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles could still hold their own, so there was no reason for the Black Phoenix Clan to lack funds. There were only two possibilities: either they had given up or they were resting to make a move at the last moment!
“I guess the Dragon Clan will win today!” Lucy murmured to herself as Rod looked at her in confusion.
Seeing Rod’s questioning gaze, Lucy took a deep breath and said with a bitter smile, “When it comes to financial strength within the Source of Darkness, the Dragon Clan is undoubtedly the richest and could even stand alone against the three major clans and the demons. That’s their financial power. If they were determined to win, they wouldn’t even care about this core.”
Although divine-level magical beast cores are rare, thousands of years ago, there were few clans in the Source of Darkness. Back then, magical beasts were abundant, and they accumulated a terrifying number of such cores as a backup. With that mysterious place providing support, their stock of magical beast cores was immense! The other major clans either relied on forming teams to hunt in the Death Battlefield or depended on their past accumulations and occasional hunts of lone divine-level magical beasts. They could only visit the Death Battlefield once a year and stay for a month at most. Moreover, with the competition from other clans, although they might gain something, it was still far less than what the Dragon Clan had!
If the Dragon Clan set their sights on this Rainbow Glaze, it would be difficult for others to compete. At most, they could only drain some of their financial resources. And that only if the Dragon Clan was willing to fight to the end; otherwise, it would only harm themselves!
As for the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles! They’re just a bunch of ignorant fools. Do they really think their strength can compare to that of the Black Phoenix Clan? They’re petty and short-sighted. How could they possibly match the depth of the four major clans? Could their strength really be so easily understood by them? A self-righteous group thinking they could become the sixth clan! Their dreams are too beautiful. Whether in terms of strength or wealth, they are far behind. All the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles see is just the surface-level strength. Are those people really that self-assured?
Even the four great families could easily destroy the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan at any time if they wished—without losing a shred of their strength! Even the demons could do it; the powerful beings in the Demon Realm are terrifyingly strong, their abilities on par with those of the four great families. How dare the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan challenge them? Such fools who disregard death!
Right now, these families and the demons have no desire to teach the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan a lesson, but they’re becoming increasingly arrogant, using the name of the Sixth Family to defy the orders of the Black Phoenix clan time and again!
As vassal races, the Black Phoenix clan is their master. By going against their master’s will, what do they think they’re doing? Just wait—if the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan continues like this, it won’t be long before the Black Phoenix clan starts dealing with them! They really think they can act lawlessly! Rod watched as Lucy analyzed everything confidently, but it gave him a sense of indignation. Could it be that she harbored deep hatred toward the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan, or was she herself a member of one of the great families?
That’s the only possibility. Otherwise, how would a mere girl know so much? After all, these are the greatest secrets within the Source of Darkness.
Since he already knew roughly what would happen, Rod paid less attention and watched the competition more relaxedly. As expected, nothing unexpected occurred. Faced with the Dragon clan’s immense financial power, the other families wisely gave up competing and avoided price wars. After all, if the Dragon clan backed out, they would be the ones to suffer! In the end, the Dragon clan acquired the Colorful Crystal with ten divine-level advanced magical beast cores, and the auction came to an end.
With the auction of the Colorful Crystal over, everything seemed to be finished. Yet everyone remained immersed in the shock of the previous competition, their faces filled with bitterness. Such competition was truly terrifying!
Those who failed to buy anything left slowly, looking disappointed. People began to leave one after another, and the trading hall gradually emptied, leaving only a few people who needed to conduct face-to-face transactions—at the prices they had offered earlier. The hall now felt eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the previous chaos. This contrast brought a sense of discomfort and reflection.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door. Rod knew it was someone from the club bringing the items. At Rod’s signal, Rosie opened the door, and a plump middle-aged man appeared before them. He held a plate with the four items they had purchased: “Hello, esteemed guest. These are the items you acquired from us this time. Please check them!” The middle-aged man slowly walked up to Rod with a smile, his eyes showing excitement as he looked at Rod and Lucy, clearly unexpecting that such buyers would be just two so young people, yet sensing their immense strength.