Chapter 494: Sudden Wealth

Chapter 494: Sudden Wealth

After the hammer fell, it was time to hand over the Dragon Crystals and transfer the auctioned item. Immediately, dragon guards from the Canglong Family arrived at Sha Taizi's terrace.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Sha Taizi, despite knowing that he had overpaid, honestly paid up. He dared not go back on his word at an auction sponsored by the Dragon Emperor.

With a wave of Sha Taizi's hand, a large number of ether crystals appeared on the terrace, piled up like mountains. The light they emitted dazzled all the aliens present, who gasped in awe. The vast majority had never seen so many ether crystals in their entire lives.

The dragon guards, all well-trained, took less than half a minute to finish counting and discovered that the amount was insufficient.

Gritting his teeth, Sha Taizi took out dozens more hexagonal crystal cards, each the size of a palm, with patterns and text engraved on both sides.

These were the Dragon Crystal currencies.

Each one had a face value of 100,000 and was not registered, allowing anyone to take it to the Imperial Bank and exchange it for ether crystals.

"Thank you, sir," the dragon guards said as they collected the ether crystals and Dragon Crystals, maintaining a respectful yet detached demeanor before retreating.

At the same time, a stream of light flew out from Cang Hao's hand in the middle of the auction venue and landed in Sha Taizi's palm—the star gate coordinates of "Narakitsuki."

After Sha Taizi received it, his ashen-gray face finally eased up, indicating his satisfaction with the location of this planet.

As people were still immersed in the transaction worth 10 million Dragon Crystals, the auction continued.

"The second item for auction," Cang Hao's voice rang out, and as he introduced it, a dragon bound by the water currents slowly emerged from the vortex in the lake below and was lifted into the air.

This was a dragon shimmering with golden light, its scales resembling pure gold with a hint of purple shining through. Its size exceeded 50 meters, and its aura was wild and overbearing. Just by looking at its appearance, one could tell it was no ordinary dragon; it surpassed most dragon species.

"Purple Gold Dragon!"

The aliens exclaimed in surprise.

Ji Xinghuo was also amazed. The Purple Gold Dragon belonged to the "Golden Dragon" family and was a Celestial Dragon species. Although it wasn't as powerful as the Divine Dragon species, it was extremely rare.

The Purple Gold Dragon possessed strength, defense, speed, and regenerative abilities, and its innate ability was "Kinetic Force Field." It had no weaknesses, and although it didn't have any absolute specialties, each of its capabilities was top-notch among dragon species. When combined, it became overwhelmingly powerful, and its dragon meridian compatibility was extremely high, indicating limitless potential.

It was somewhat unbelievable that such a powerful Purple Gold Dragon was up for auction.

The whole venue was in an uproar!

Cang Hao announced loudly, "The Purple Gold Dragon of the Brilliance level, with a starting bid of 500,000 Dragon Crystals. Each bid increment must be at least 50,000 Dragon Crystals. Only True Dragon clan members are eligible to bid."

Only True Dragon clan members could bid? Immediately, there were protests from aliens of other races, but a sweeping glance from Cang Hao made them shrink back.

The True Dragon clan members applauded, pleased that the noble Purple Gold Dragon bloodline would only be owned by those of true dragon descent and not be tainted by other races.

Many in the audience raised their placards to bid.

Cang Hao, with his extremely fast speech, reported the current highest bid, which soon broke through 1,000,000 Dragon Crystals and continued to rise.

"Bidder 2842 offers 1,050,000 Dragon Crystals."

"Bidder 17423 offers 1,100,000."

"1,200,000 Dragon Crystals!"

Amidst Cang Hao's rapid-fire auctioneer's chant, the atmosphere was fiery, with one bidder after another raising their placards, driving up the price.

Ji Xinghuo admired the Purple Gold Dragon but had no intention of competing for it.

Moreover, he couldn't afford it.

If he didn't have the Extinction Dragon or any other Divine Dragon species, he might consider gathering funds to bid, or try to obtain a Purple Gold Dragon to cultivate. With his methods, its future combat power would surely be no less than that of a Divine Dragon species. But now, there was no need.

With Qinghong, Doomsday, and Jiu You, he already had three gold-devouring monsters. A fourth battle pet would be too much to handle.

He turned to Cang Ya beside him and saw that she was staring intently at the Purple Gold Dragon, so he smiled and asked, "Are you interested?"

"Mmm," Cang Ya nodded slightly.

She was on the evolutionary path of a "Dragon Shepherd," and the more dragons she had, the better. Even after obtaining the Cloud Sea Dragon, she was still not satisfied.

At this time, the bid for the Purple Gold Dragon had reached 1,500,000 Dragon Crystals.

"It's too expensive!"

Cang Ya's face was filled with helplessness.

By now, only a few True Dragon clan members could still afford to bid, and they were either Stellar Guardians or representatives of True Dragon families.

Ji Xinghuo noticed that Yuanhuo Xiao was also bidding and commented, "Master Xiao is also moved."

"Elder Yuanhuo is one of the richest people in the Azure Dragon Domain. A little over a million Dragon Crystals is nothing to him," Cang Ya said enviously.

"Yeah!"

Ji Xinghuo thought of the exhibition room in the Casting Star Lake Manor and the dozens of Heaven Awakening level treasures displayed there. Together, they were worth three to four million Dragon Crystals.

Once a Casting Master establishes a reputation, they never have to worry about money again.

"1,800,000 Dragon Crystals, sold!"

Cang Hao brought the hammer down once more, striking the giant copper drum hanging in the sky, the sound echoing through the wilderness.

The winner of the Purple Gold Dragon was indeed Yuanhuo Xiao.

It was obviously a premium price, but it was nothing to Yuanhuo Xiao, and the surrounding Star Shepherds congratulated him. He looked very pleased, obviously delighted with this Purple Gold Dragon and intending to cultivate it diligently.

After the previous two expensive items, a Starfall variant seemed a bit underwhelming to the aliens present.

However, they understood that it was unrealistic to expect numerous treasures worth millions of Dragon Crystals.

With so many aliens in attendance, the auction aimed to ensure everyone felt involved.

The Etheric Resonance had broad applicability, beneficial to almost all aliens, and its effects lasted a lifetime. It didn't take long for a new round of bidding to commence, with the atmosphere becoming even more intense and fiery than the previous two items, as bidders eagerly raised their placards all around.

After over a hundred rounds of bidding, the Etheric Resonance sold for a price exceeding 150,000 Dragon Crystals.

"They sure are rich!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim.

While the Etheric Resonance was indeed valuable and rare, it didn't warrant a price three times higher than its actual worth.

This was precisely the effect that the Cang Ming auction aimed to achieve.

With so many participants openly bidding, the auction could drive prices far beyond their normal value.

Cang Hao maintained a steady pace, presenting each item, introducing it, and then opening it up for bidding. There were hardly any unsold items, and the final transaction prices were often double or even five times the starting bid.

Moreover, the order of the auction items was carefully planned.

After every dozen or so lower-priced items, a million-Dragon Crystal item would appear to heat up the atmosphere and prevent the event from becoming dull.

The variety of auction items was astounding.

Even though Ji Xinghuo wasn't bidding, he was still amazed by the offerings.

For example, a Celestial Sword with three stars sold for 1.2 million Dragon Crystals;

A sea island spanning 30 million square kilometers, located in the Azure Dragon Domain, rich in resources, and with the official recognition of the Dragon King, allowing the establishment of a True Dragon family, sold for 2 million Dragon Crystals;

An interstellar spaceship, equipped with a Star Rainbow Bubble, capable of traveling between the Starry Domain and the Milky Way Galaxy, sold for 1.05 million Dragon Crystals;

A legion of twelve sixth-order slaves comprised of aliens;

The seven variant abilities required for the ultimate "Undying Mother Nest" profession, which, when fully fused, could challenge the Star Shepherds;

A tamed meteor-level sea beast, ready to be used as a battle pet upon acquisition;

Various rare and powerful dragons or dragon eggs;

And more...

The auction lasted from morning till night, with hundreds of items sold, and this was just the first day of the three-day event.

Three consecutive days was a leisurely affair for the aliens.

During this time, they could freely move around, lie down to rest, and enjoy food and drinks as long as they didn't disrupt the auction's order.

Cang Hao presided over the entire auction, maintaining a high level of enthusiasm and precision throughout, without any mistakes. For a Star Shepherd, physical fatigue was not an issue, but it was mentally taxing.

Currently, it was the cold season in the Starry Domain.

The first month was "Night Moon," with short nights lasting just over an hour before transitioning into starlit nights.

Under the starry sky, the auction venue was illuminated by bright lights.

At this moment, Cang Hao presented a variant that initially seemed unremarkable—a silver-gray dragon scale the size of a palm, resembling metal. Similar dragon meridian variants weren't uncommon, and it didn't attract much attention.

However, the first sentence of Cang Hao's introduction caused a stir.

"Starfall variant, body of a titanium-cobalt dragon..."

"Wow!"

Before Cang Hao could finish, many aliens exclaimed in surprise, all eyes turning to the variant in his hand as he continued, "Starting bid of 100,000 Dragon Crystals, with a minimum increment of 10,000 per bid."

Even before Cang Hao finished speaking, bidders from all directions raised their placards.

Someone shouted, "150,000!"

"Guest 43922 offers 150,000," Cang Hao announced loudly, and then another alien raised their placard. "Guest 8801 offers 160,000."

After several rounds of bidding, the price climbed to 220,000 Dragon Crystals.

Cang Ya whispered, "It should be able to go even higher."

Ji Xinghuo nodded in agreement.

The titanium-cobalt dragon's body was a variant he had commissioned himself, prepared for the bidding of the "Magnetic Pole Potential Slash." A few days ago, Doomsday had created it using dragon blood, and it was handed over to Cang Ya, specifically arranged to be auctioned before the Magnetic Pole Potential Slash.

Creating variants with dragon blood was extremely taxing.

Usually, one would choose from the abilities the dragon already possessed, creating corresponding variants or a weaker variant of a powerful ability.

The body of the titanium-cobalt dragon was a lower variant of the titanium-cobalt magnetic pole body, and Doomsday had expended minimal dragon blood in its creation.

It had hardly any impact on him.

This was likely a hidden function of the "Primordial Dragon Meridian." As a result, Ji Xinghuo had Doomsday create two variants.

The other was the body of a Void Kun dragon, but it wasn't consigned for auction.

Only after creating these two variants did Doomsday's dragon blood show signs of depletion, and it was unknown how long it would take to recover.

Ji Xinghuo expected it to be much faster than other dragons, likely taking no more than one or two stellar years.

The body of the titanium-cobalt dragon was a divine dragon species' dragon meridian variant!

The bidding continued to climb.

However, Ji Xinghuo was not surprised. Divine Dragon species were extremely rare, and the Dragon Vein Variants they produced were monopolized by the families, with the vast majority granted to family members and almost never circulated outside.

Because if outsiders were to obtain a Divine Dragon species' variant, and they happened to encounter the corresponding Divine Dragon species, there was a possibility that a new True Dragon family would be born.

Although the probability was extremely low, it had happened several times throughout history.

None of the variants auctioned before were from a Divine Dragon species.

Among the Starfall Variants, the body of the titanium-cobalt dragon was one of the most top-notch, and after fusion, one's body would be transformed into titanium-cobalt alloy, resulting in a burst of strength, an incredibly hardened body, and an extremely strong amplifying effect on electromagnetic psychic powers.

There were indeed very few Starfall Variants stronger than it.

It would be strange if people didn't go crazy over it.

Many Dragon Masters joined the bidding, even though they had already fused with dragon meridians that conflicted with the body of the titanium-cobalt dragon, and they were unwilling to miss out on this powerful variant.

Those electromagnetic psychics were even more frenzied.

"Guest 33 offers 350,000 Dragon Crystals." Cang Hao looked at a Star Saint on the VIP table.

A seventh-order alien also made a bid.

But this price did not deter others, and soon someone else raised their placard.

Ji Xinghuo sat and watched as people bid, his gaze sweeping over the trio of titanium-cobalt blue dragons, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, guessing the origin of the titanium-cobalt dragon's variant, thinking it came from one of the other two titanium-cobalt families.

Finally, after several rounds of bidding, the body of the titanium-cobalt dragon was sold for 520,000 Dragon Crystals.

Dong!

The water hammer struck the copper drum.

Cang Hao announced loudly, "Congratulations to Guest 5118 for winning this round of bidding."

The aliens looked towards Terrace 5118.

He was a tall and sturdy pseudo-dragon humanoid with peak sixth-order strength, his eyes flashing like lightning, and his aura crackling with electricity. In order to claim the body of the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon from the hands of several Shepherd Star Saints, he had spent his entire fortune, but at this moment, his face was filled with excitement.

The dragon guards of the Canglong Family quickly completed the transaction, collected the ether crystals, and the pseudo-dragon man also received the variant.

He started fusing it right away.

Many people watched this scene, secretly admiring him.

"So decisive, no wonder he has such strength even as a pseudo-dragon man."

If he had left with the body of the titanium-cobalt dragon, whether he left immediately or after the auction ended, he would have attracted envy.

Fusing it on the spot was the best choice, even though the noisy environment would affect the fusion and increase the risk, there was no safer place than the auction. As long as the fusion was successful, he would not be targeted.

"Congratulations." Cang Ya smiled and said.

"Thank you also for your arrangement." Ji Xinghuo took out the "Shark Tear Pendant" that he had long prepared and said softly, "This is a gift for you."

It was called a gift, but it was actually a reward.

The Shark Tear Pendant was a one-star Apocalypse item, one of the spoils of killing Zogethos, it could amplify water-based psychic powers, and was worth around 40,000 Dragon Crystals. While it wasn't particularly remarkable among one-star Apocalypse equipment, it was still an extraordinary item.

Cang Ya's eyes lit up with delight.

What she cared about wasn't the value of the Shark Tear Pendant, nor its function, what mattered to her was that it was a gift from Ji Xinghuo.

"Thank you, I gladly accept it." Cang Ya didn't hesitate and took it happily.

Ji Xinghuo smiled.

Cang Ya had contributed a lot to this auction, and without her, many arrangements would not have been possible.

For example, after the sale of the body of the titanium-cobalt dragon, the Dragon Crystals were immediately transferred, but not to himself or Cang Ya, they were sent to another terrace in the auction, where a sixth-order alien sat.

That was one of his clones, with Jiu You attached to it.

Cang Ya had arranged a number for this clone, and then commissioned the auction, and it would later participate in the bidding for the Magnetic Pole Potential Slash.

"The Cang Ming auction takes a 10% commission, after the deduction, there are still 468,000 Dragon Crystals left. Together with my original 180,000, there is a total of 650,000 Dragon Crystals, which is more than enough to win the bid for the Magnetic Pole Potential Slash variant."

Ji Xinghuo calculated in his mind.

Previously, the highest transaction price for the Magnetic Pole Potential Slash was 170,000 Dragon Crystals, which was several times higher than the usual price, and he was originally unwilling to spend that much money.

However, dealing with the Whale Dragon Family of the Chaoge Clan would only bring more trouble.

Now that he had the money, and could obtain the variant in the easiest way, there was no need to contact the Whale Dragon Family.

It was best to solve problems with money.

Of course, Ji Xinghuo also set an upper limit on the price.

If the bid for the Magnetic Pole Potential Slash exceeded 250,000 Dragon Crystals, he would give up.

The auction continued into the second day, and as the starry night faded, a golden light rose over the sea, illuminating the magnificent auction house built by the sea. After a full day and night of auction, some of the aliens were mentally exhausted.

Finally, Cang Hao took out another variant.

"Starfall variant, Magnetic Pole Potential Slash."

He announced to the aliens, "Starting bid of 100,000 Dragon Crystals, each bid increment must be at least 5,000 Dragon Crystals, please begin."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end