Yu Nian and Feng Chengyuan exchanged a knowing look. The fish had finally taken the bait.
The Demon Lord seemed surprised that someone dared to challenge him. Frowning in displeasure, he raised his hand and bid, "Seven thousand gold pieces."
The demons present all assumed the black - cloaked man would back down. But to everyone's surprise, after only a brief hesitation, he followed with, "Eight thousand gold pieces."
A collective gasp filled the air. Then, whispers of excitement spread through the crowd.
"It's been ages since we've seen someone so reckless," one demon murmured.
"Right! They don't even know where they are. Challenging the Demon Lord? They might just end up with the treasure but not the life to enjoy it!" another sneered.
"Hahaha, this is going to be fun!"
The Demon Lord sat up straight, his eyes narrowing menacingly as he glanced at the black - cloaked figure.
As the all - powerful Demon Lord, losing this bid would be a great humiliation. Growing angrier by the second, he slammed his hand on the table. "Nine thousand gold pieces!"
In his fury, the Demon Lord unleashed his overwhelming aura. The weaker demons around shrieked in fear, their faces beaded with sweat.
At that moment, Jiang Li, hidden behind the venue, clenched his fists tightly, his lips pursed in silence.
After devising a plan to escape and reaching the Ghost Market, he had been desperately searching for a way to shed his half - human, half - ghost form.
Fortune finally smiled upon him when he heard that the Pure Origin Stone might appear at this auction. Without hesitation, he took the risk and came.
However, he never expected these demons in the Ghost Market to be so wealthy. Nine thousand gold pieces could ensure a comfortable life for an ordinary person for half a lifetime. He knew he couldn't compete in terms of wealth. It seemed he had no choice but to find an opportunity to sneak into the Demon Realm and steal the stone.
The black cat hidden deep in the cloak seemed to sense Jiang Li's gloomy mood. It trembled nervously.
Jiang Li paused and gently stroked the cat to soothe it.
He had brought Jiang Sheng's body and the black cat to the Ghost Market. But since he couldn't replace Jiang Sheng's cat body in time, the black cat was now corroded by Yin energy, its bones showing. Its breath was weak, and it wouldn't last much longer.
Frustrated and anxious, he whispered, "Sheng'er, don't be afraid. I'll definitely find a way to get the Pure Origin Stone."
Seeing the dead silence in the room, the Demon Lord smirked triumphantly.
The female auctioneer seemed unfazed by this price - driving spectacle. The more intense the competition, the more profit the Star - Picking Tower would make.
With a soft smile, she picked up the mahogany gavel and brought it down hard. "Nine thousand gold pieces, once."
The entire room held its breath, no one daring to respond.
The auctioneer scanned the crowd and dropped the gavel again. "Nine thousand gold pieces, twice."
The Demon Lord, confident of victory, picked up his teacup and took a sip gracefully.
Just as the auctioneer was about to drop the gavel for the third time, a clear, melodious voice cut through the noisy demon crowd with great force.
"Nine thousand and one gold pieces."
"Choke! Choke! Choke!" The Demon Lord sputtered, nearly falling backward in anger.
Furious, he slammed the table and roared, "Who the hell is that?!"
His blood - red eyes scanned the crowd and finally landed on Yu Nian's face.
Seeing that the bidder was a beautiful young woman, the Demon Lord was momentarily stunned. Then he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Little girl, are you deliberately causing trouble? Trying to get my attention?"
Yu Nian sneered and then turned to the stunned female auctioneer on the stage. "What are you waiting for? It's your turn to call the price."
The auctioneer snapped out of her daze. She nervously stole a glance at the Demon Lord's dark, angry face and gently tapped the table with the gavel. "Nine thousand and one gold pieces, once."
Ignored by Yu Nian, the Demon Lord glared at her menacingly and raised the bid. "Ten thousand gold pieces!"
"Ten thousand and one gold pieces." Yu Nian took the hot tea Feng Chengyuan handed her and calmly followed the price.
This time, not only the Demon Lord and the auctioneer were shocked, but all the demons in the room also looked at Yu Nian with a mix of confusion and disbelief.
If she was poor, how could she always match the Demon Lord's bids? But if she was rich, no normal person would raise the price by just one gold piece at a major auction like this! It was just being stubborn!
Qi Rongsheng, feeling embarrassed, covered his face with his hand and twitched his lips. "Hey, weren't we supposed to keep a low profile? Why are you spending so much money on a useless stone?"
"To draw out the snake," Yu Nian replied casually and continued to bid.
Every time the Demon Lord raised the price, Yu Nian would add one gold piece. When the price reached twenty thousand gold pieces, the Demon Lord finally hesitated.
This way of bidding was not only time - consuming but also extremely frustrating.
The little demon beside the Demon Lord noticed his master's bad mood and quickly flattered him while mocking Yu Nian. "This girl is really enthusiastic about raising the price. Maybe she's a shill sent by the Star - Picking Tower?"
The Demon Lord became vigilant upon hearing this and carefully sized up Yu Nian.
Although this young woman was not old, her expression was extremely calm.
No matter how much he bid, she could raise the price with ease. And the man on her left was extraordinary, surrounded by a noble purple aura. He always watched the woman with a gentle smile, as if covering for her.
The situation was too strange. The Demon Lord immediately waved his hand to cut his losses. "I won't bid anymore! She clearly has no experience... Just let her have this useless stone!"
The female auctioneer was relieved to hear this. Caught between two powerful figures just now, she had been sweating profusely.
"The highest bidder wins. Three strikes of the gavel, no retraction!"
With a heavy thud of the gavel, Yu Nian bought the stone for twenty thousand and one gold pieces.
The room was silent for a moment, then erupted into an uproar.
Yu Nian was truly the first person in history to make the Demon Lord lose face!
The auction continued. Soon, a servant brought the stone on a tray to Yu Nian.
Before Yu Nian could pay, Feng Chengyuan beside her settled the twenty - thousand - gold - piece bill in one go.
The demons who had previously scorned Yu Nian changed their expressions. They looked at her and Feng Chengyuan with a mix of curiosity and admiration. Such financial power was truly impressive!
Just as the demons were eagerly waiting to see what sky - high price Yu Nian would bid for the remaining treasures, she calmly led Feng Chengyuan and Qi Rongsheng out of the venue.
Although Jiang Li couldn't see, he knew what had happened.
This strange and high - profile behavior... was it Yu Nian?
He knew Yu Nian would come after him, but he didn't expect her to arrive so soon.
Jiang Li stood still for a moment, then his figure flashed as he silently followed them out.
Now that the Pure Origin Stone was in Yu Nian's hands, although he couldn't defeat her, he was determined to get the stone back, even if it cost him his life.
Meanwhile, in a private room on the upper floor of the Star - Picking Tower, a man wearing a complex ghost mask leaned against the window, his eyes fixed intently on Yu Nian's departing back. His dark eyes glowed with a blood - red light, and the evil aura around him was so thick that it was almost tangible.
Dressed in black, he seemed to blend perfectly with the night, like a ghostly Asura trapped in the abyss, never to see the light of day.
The servant respectfully presented the Miezhi Knife in front of him, carefully observing his expression.
His master's actions were always strange. The entire auction house was under his control. If he wanted a treasure, he could just go to the warehouse and take it. Why go through this elaborate show of buying it back at a high price?
The man tilted his head and casually picked up the knife. His finger gently slid across the blade, and blood immediately welled up.
But he seemed not to feel the pain as he lazily leaned back in his chair and ordered the servant, "Send the knife down."