"Twelve million liberty points." The number on the bidding screen changed instantly. After the Immortal Emperor revealed his identity, there was no one left to compete.
Joe Di's hand hovered over the bid inscription array in front of him, but before he could write down his intended bid of fifteen million liberty points, the number on the big screen had already jumped to sixteen million.
Without hesitation, Joe Di wrote down a bid of twenty million liberty points.
He'd heard that at this auction, a single Emperor Lotus had once fetched a hundred million liberty points. In Joe Di's opinion, the Chrono Crystal was in no way inferior to the Emperor Lotus. In fact, from a certain perspective, the Emperor Lotus couldn't even compare to the Chrono Crystal.
Twenty million liberty points would convert to two billion top-grade immortal crystals, but Joe Di believed the Chrono Crystal was worth at least ten to twenty billion top-grade immortal crystals.
In the blink of an eye, the price of the Chrono Crystal had soared to twenty million liberty points. Apryl Sway was so excited she cried out, "It seems many powerhouses recognize the value of the Chrono Crystal. This means time-based divine abilities, the Law of Time... The Chrono Crystal is now at twenty-three million liberty points..."
Joe Di saw that his bid couldn't deter the competition at all. Not only that, the price for the Chrono Crystal was climbing even faster.
Just as Joe Di was wondering what price to write to make it clear to the other bidders that he was determined to win the Chrono Crystal, the same rough voice that had first bid eleven million liberty points rang out again: "This Emperor's final offer is thirty million liberty points! I'd like to see who dares outbid me..."
Joe Di naturally understood Emperor Leon Yue's words. He had originally intended to bid fifty million, but now that it was clear no one else would bid, why hold back? Without hesitation, he wrote down thirty-one million liberty points on the bidding screen.
Everyone knew exactly which Immortal Emperor had made the bid. It was Emperor Leon Yue, the Dao Master of the Skycloud Dao Sect—one of the Five Immortal Emperors of the Magic Garment Immortal Continent. Rumor had it that when he first became an Immortal Emperor, a cultivation family offended him, and he burned them to ashes with a single burst of flame.
Because of this incident, everyone in this void came to know just how powerful Emperor Leon Yue's flames were. Like his fire, Emperor Leon Yue himself was red-faced and red-haired.
Everyone understood exactly what Emperor Leon Yue meant by his words. On the surface, it seemed non-threatening, but in reality, it was a clear warning to others.
Anyone who dared to bid higher would become Emperor Leon Yue's mortal enemy. Even if you fled to the ends of the Sky Medicine Valley, Emperor Leon Yue would never let you go.
As for the other Immortal Emperors who could compete with Emperor Leon Yue, none of them were willing to raise the bid at this moment. It wasn't that they feared him, but because Emperor Leon Yue had been the first to bid for the Chrono Crystal by name. According to the unwritten rules among the strong, the first to openly declare their bid had the right of first claim. Anyone else bidding would be making an enemy of Emperor Leon Yue for no reason.
The Auction Committee was also helpless. Emperor Leon Yue hadn't broken any rules or made a direct threat. Even a pig could tell his words were a threat, but as long as he didn't say it outright, it was allowed.
Apryl Sway let out a sigh. Originally, she was confident the Chrono Crystal could fetch at least fifty million liberty points, but with Emperor Leon Yue causing a scene, it would probably only reach thirty million.
"Someone has bid thirty million liberty points. Is there any higher offer? If not, the Chrono Crystal will go to someone else..." Apryl Sway felt somewhat discouraged. She knew no one would raise the bid, but she still wanted to try one last time.
Apryl Sway called out for a long time, but no one raised the bid. She could only say, "Thirty million liberty points, once..."
Joe Di naturally understood Emperor Leon Yue's words. He had originally intended to bid fifty million, but now that it was clear no one else would bid, why be polite? Without hesitation, he wrote down thirty-one million liberty points on the bidding screen.
Bidding fifty million would offend Emperor Leon Yue, but bidding thirty-one million liberty points would offend him all the same. Since that was the case, there was no reason to spend more than necessary.
"Thirty million liberty points, twice... Someone has bid thirty-one million liberty points! It seems there are more than a few cultivators hoping to comprehend time-based divine abilities. The price for the Chrono Crystal is now thirty-one million—any higher offers?"
Joe Di's bid left Apryl Sway overjoyed—someone had actually raised the bid to thirty-one million! It was an incredible surprise.
In Apryl Sway's view, as long as someone raised the bid, the price for the Chrono Crystal would soar again.
"Haha, it seems this Emperor really has grown old, resting for far too long. The small fry here hardly even recognize me anymore." The rough voice of Emperor Leon Yue rang out once again.
But despite his words, he didn't raise the bid any further. Everyone knew that the cultivator competing with Emperor Leon Yue for the Chrono Crystal had just signed his own death warrant.
Strictly speaking, Emperor Leon Yue's words were a bit provocative toward the auction hall. The Auction Committee was probably letting it slide out of respect for Emperor Leon Yue.
Joe Di had planned to quietly make a fortune, but Emperor Leon Yue's words irked him. He rasped out, "I honestly have no idea who you are. If you don't have the money, stop pretending to be some big shot and go home to play grandpa. Always calling yourself 'Emperor' as if no one knows you're just a small-time Immortal Emperor. I reached late Immortal Emperor stage one million three hundred sixty thousand years ago, and I've never bragged about it. If you ever reach my level, will you hang a sign around your neck? What a joke."
Joe Di's words shocked everyone in the grand hall. Only now did they realize that the one bidding against Emperor Leon Yue for the Chrono Crystal was also an Immortal Emperor.
Of course—if you weren't an Immortal Emperor, who would dare compete with Emperor Leon Yue for the Chrono Crystal?
Several Immortal Emperors who had planned to raise the bid after Joe Di's intervention now stopped. To raise the bid now would offend not only Emperor Leon Yue but also this unknown Immortal Emperor whose origins were a mystery.
Besides, the chance of comprehending the Law of Time with a single Chrono Crystal is less than one in a million. Why spend tens of millions of liberty points and make enemies of several powerhouses?
Emperor Leon Yue's red face turned ashen with rage, but he could only remain silent. Whether or not the person competing with him for the Chrono Crystal was an Immortal Emperor, he wasn't about to let it go. He immediately sent out a message to investigate Joe Di's background.
It wasn't just Emperor Leon Yue; other powerful factions also sent out messages, almost all of them investigating Joe Di's background and which box he was in.
Apryl Sway waited for a long while, but only received a single additional bid of one million. Deep down, she was a bit frustrated. Now that she knew Joe Di was likely an Immortal Emperor, she realized it was unrealistic to coax anyone else into raising the bid. The Chrono Crystal was precious, but the chance of comprehending the Law of Time from it was too slim. After announcing the price three times, she declared the Chrono Crystal sold for thirty-one million liberty points.
Joe Di paid thirty-one million liberty points and, as he sent the Chrono Crystal into his ring, his information was already appearing before the various powerhouses and factions at the auction.
Name: Simon Di. Age: indeterminate. Cultivation: unknown. Spends much of his time at sea, carries a murderous aura—likely a very fierce cultivator. In addition, this cultivator resides at Blue Immortal Resting House, box 307 on the second floor. Before buying the Chrono Crystal, he spent six hundred thousand liberty points on a top-grade flying immortal artifact.
If Joe Di hadn't disguised himself as someone else to collect Violet Skyvine at the Cauldron Haven Free Immortal City, his purchase of Violet Skyvine would also have been public knowledge. Still, these details wouldn't take long to uncover, since although Joe Di changed his appearance, he didn't change the card he used.
"Congratulations to our friend just now for winning the Chrono Crystal. Next up for auction is the Ziluo Divine Iron—a top-tier treasure for artifact refinement. I believe every artifact master is determined to obtain it. It's said that someone once forged a divine weapon from Ziluo Divine Iron, and whether the rumor is true or not, it shows just how precious this material is."
At this, Apryl Sway raised a piece of dark material half the size of a millstone. "This Ziluo Divine Iron in my hand—even if it can't be used to forge a divine weapon, it's more than enough to craft several top-grade immortal artifacts. The starting price is one million liberty points, with each increment no less than one hundred thousand."
"Ten million liberty points!" Joe Di's raspy voice echoed in the grand hall. "This Emperor found that ant's trick amusing, so I'll use it myself."
Silence fell over the grand hall. Emperor Leon Yue had just reminded this nameless Immortal Emperor to shout his name when bidding.
And to raise the price from one million liberty points to ten million in a single bid—could that be explained by mere wealth?
Ziluo Divine Iron is precious, but it's not worth ten million. No wonder he called Emperor Leon Yue an ant—this guy is more than just rich.
Joe Di sighed inwardly. He just wanted to leave as soon as possible. By bidding high, he hoped to speed up the auction. He also realized the flaw in his plan: he shouldn't have used the name Simon Di when buying Violet Skyvine. If this gets found out, the Immortal Emperors wary of him will have nothing to fear.