Marcus Lin glanced toward the Owens Family’s VIP box, where several elders looked back with open disdain.
Oh really? What, am I supposed to pamper you or something? I’m not here to pamper you.
Besides, this was fair competition. The Owens Family was one hundred percent confident they could crush this country bumpkin with sheer financial power.
"Fifteen thousand!"
Marcus Lin hadn’t planned to make a big scene, but once outsiders started provoking them, the situation changed. Without waiting for Lena Lin to speak, he raised his voice and placed a bid himself.
"Eighteen thousand!"
"Twenty thousand!"
Evan Chu curled his lip. "One hundred thousand Starstones. If you can outbid me, the Star-Chart Remnant’s yours. If you can’t, then shut your mouth and stop barking. I’m not afraid of getting bitten by a dog, but I hate dirtying my hands beating one."
Evan Chu was utterly unrestrained—his opponent was a genuine Saint Venerable-level powerhouse!
“Tsk tsk, twenty-three thousand! That’s no small sum, Old Cyril—need a little financial help?”
Cyril Owens stopped talking. One hundred thousand supreme-grade Starstones? Hmph! This punk’s got money, huh? But it doesn’t matter—he’s just a walking treasure chest. Clearly, he’s never heard the saying, ‘Having a treasure makes you a target.’ A mid Saint Lord ant with nothing but a late Saint Venerable bodyguard dares to strut around here? Didn’t anyone ever teach him what death looks like?
Their voices rang out loud and clear, echoing across the entire auction hall.
Marcus Lin’s face flushed red with anger, but all he could do was grit his teeth. The Savage Brotherhood had spent a terrifying amount of Starstones this time to chase after the Sage and gather information from all sides—there wasn’t much left in reserve now.
The Savage Brotherhood was nearly bankrupt, their family savings pitifully thin. If they spent even more Starstones here just out of spite, Marcus Lin started to hesitate.
“Thirty thousand!”
Finally, he grit his teeth and spat out the number—this was his absolute limit. If the Owens Family kept bidding past this, then the Savage Brotherhood would have lost this silent battle. Still, he could already imagine the Owens Family suffering the Brotherhood’s crazy revenge later, even if it cost them countless lives!
Lena Lin wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Blushing, she gazed in Evan Chu’s direction, wondering, "Wow! Did he just stand up for me? But why? Ugh, I’m so embarrassed—he didn’t bid when it was just me, but now that the Owens Family bullied me, he jumped in. What does he mean by this...?"
What if... what if he wants to give me the Star-Chart Remnant later? Should I accept it, or not? How would I even thank him? Ugh, I’m so flustered...
After the Owens Family elder finished speaking, Marcus Lin was already beside himself with rage. If not for a shred of rationality, he would have stormed over and strung up that old bastard for a beating.
“Interesting. Young Master, is the Savage Brotherhood really going to admit defeat this time? They may not be as wealthy as the Owens Family, but coming out with thirty thousand Starstones is just embarrassing.”
“What’s wrong? Planning to dip into your own pockets to help them out?” Desmond Mansfield shot his Holy Emperor expert a glance and said no more.
Right now, for Desmond Mansfield, the focus of the entire auction had completely shifted. His gaze wasn’t even on the Starry Void Sigil anymore—it was locked onto Throne Chu! He believed that as long as he kept cooperating with Throne Chu, the Starry Void Sigil might as well already belong to the Mansfield Family.
Never try to make an enemy of Throne Chu—that’s something you’ll regret before you even know what hit you. Desmond Mansfield understood this well: when a heaven-defying monster rises, nobody can stop him. When Desmond made his own mark, everyone else was just a stepping stone; to suppress him, you’d need someone even more monstrous.
And right now, in his eyes, Throne Chu was exactly that kind of monster—someone who could suppress him by countless levels. So Desmond only planned to get on Throne Chu’s good side; making an enemy of him was the dumbest move possible, and Desmond was no fool.
“Master Hong! No one is bidding anymore—I think this Star-Chart Remnant should go to the Owens Family, right?”
Cyril Owens of the Owens Family spoke with full confidence. But at that moment, a not-too-loud yet perfectly clear voice rang out, dripping with disdain.
“Arrogant fool—thirty-one thousand Starstones for the Star-Chart Remnant? Who do you think you are?”
The speaker was none other than Throne Chu.
At first, when Lena Lin started bidding, Throne Chu hesitated—messing with that woman was nothing but trouble, and the further away he stayed, the better. But if he wanted the Star-Chart Remnant, he’d have to bid against her. Was it worth it?
But Throne Chu’s luck was excellent—a self-important old fool had shown up, and now he had no more worries.
"Who the hell are you?! You actually dare mock me?!"
"Oh really? What, am I supposed to pamper you or something? I’m not your dad—I don’t have to spoil you."
"You little punk! Got a sharp tongue, huh? But just mouthing off won’t let you compete with the Owens Family!"
Cyril Owens still didn’t know Evan Chu’s true identity, but after that earlier bid for the Celestial River Meteor, he was already paying close attention.
These so-called noble heirs weren’t anything special—their schemes behind the scenes were no different from the Savage Brotherhood’s. At the end of the day, it was just clan politics.
He’d already decided: if he could dig up Evan Chu’s background and found out he was just a nobody, he’d look for a chance to take him out and snatch his Starstones and treasures.
"Oh? Compete with the mighty Owens Family? You really think highly of yourself. You need to actually have the qualifications first."
Evan Chu curled his lip. "One hundred thousand Starstones. If you can outbid me, the Star-Chart Remnant’s yours. If you can’t, then shut your mouth and stop barking. I’m not afraid of getting bitten by a dog, but I hate dirtying my hands beating one."
Evan Chu was utterly unrestrained—his opponent was a genuine Holy Emperor-level powerhouse!
"You... Fine! Very well! Just you wait!"
Cyril Owens stopped talking. One hundred thousand supreme-grade Starstones? Hmph! This punk’s got money, huh? But it doesn’t matter—he’s just a walking treasure chest. Clearly, he’s never heard the saying, ‘A man’s wealth invites his own ruin.’ A mid Saint Lord ant with nothing but a late Saint Venerable bodyguard dares to strut around here? Didn’t anyone ever teach him what death looks like?
Cyril had already made up his mind: as soon as the auction ended, he’d have Evan Chu killed and robbed!
A hundred thousand Starstones—more than triple the normal ceiling. That was an astronomical price! Even Horace Hong hadn’t imagined the bidding would go this high. Normally, it wouldn’t break twenty or thirty thousand; if not for the grudge between the Owens Family and the Savage Brotherhood, it never would’ve passed thirty thousand.
But now, the price had shot straight up to a hundred thousand Starstones!
Horace Hong wasn’t the only one shocked. Desmond Mansfield, the other dynasties, and all the top experts started wondering: just who was this seemingly ordinary young cultivator, and how did he have so much money?
Desmond Mansfield already knew Evan Chu’s identity, but even he was stunned by this outrageous wealth and boldness. After all, Evan Chu was still planning to bid on the Starry Void Sigil next! Tossing out nearly 110,000 Starstones before the main event—who could play at this level?
Lena Lin wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Blushing, she gazed in Evan Chu’s direction, wondering, "Wow! Did he just stand up for me? But why? Ugh, this is so embarrassing—he didn’t bid when it was just me, but now that the Owens Family bullied me, he jumped in. What does he mean by this...?"
What if... what if he wants to give me the Star-Chart Remnant later? Should I accept it, or not? How would I even thank him? Ugh, this is so embarrassing..."
With these thoughts swirling, Lena Lin had already left her VIP box and was walking straight toward Evan Chu.