Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 233
“Hmph, idiot. As fellow warriors, if you simply forsake your current profession and spend a little money, you can choose an entirely different career branch,” Tian Zhi Zi snorted dismissively.
“So it turns out you’re all about money—impressive gumption indeed. With the might of your illustrious Yun Jia, snapping up this Immortal Spirit Sword is bound to be a breeze, isn’t it?”
“One hundred and ten million!” Tian Zhi Zi ceased his bickering and, with a cold expression, once again pushed the already astronomical price of one hundred million to an even more terrifying height. When it came to arguing, he had never been a match for Zang Shen. And his younger sister had always reminded him—avoid the enemy’s strengths, strike at their weaknesses.
“Heh, one hundred and thirty million!”
“…One hundred and fifty million!” Tian Zhi Zi shouted through gritted teeth.
“One hundred and seventy million!”
“…One hundred and eighty million!”
“Two hundred million! Heh heh, Yun Sihai (Cloud Four Seas), just look at that expression… Surely even someone from the esteemed Yun Jia (Cloud Family) wouldn’t feel a pang in their heart when shelling out such a pittance, right?” Zang Shen remained composed, as if the mere phrase 『Two Hundred Million』 was nothing more than an arbitrary number. His words dripped with disdain and ridicule.
“Du Gu Cheng…Two hundred and fifty million!!”
Thud… Even those in Tianchen Square who had remained standing before now collapsed.
“Three hundred million!!”
Bang! The ones who had just managed to get up fell once again.
They’re insane—everyone has gone insane!
On stage, the auction host Jiu Yue was grinning so hard her eyes curved into slits. Earlier, Liu Qi Yue had told her that the Immortal Spirit Sword would definitely fetch a price beyond a hundred million. Although she had always trusted Liu Qi Yue without a doubt, deep down she still harbored a sliver of skepticism… But now, this price had long since surpassed that.
Only Zang Shen and Tian Zhi Zi remained in the bidding war. No one else dared to speak. Clearly, this battle for the Immortal Spirit Sword was no longer about the sword itself… It was no longer about acquiring a legendary weapon—it had become another direct clash between these two relentless rivals.
The immediate consequence of this stalemate was simple—whoever stopped bidding first would be the loser.
“Three hundred and thirty million!”
“Three hundred and fifty million!”
“Three hundred and seventy million…”
“Four hundred and twenty million!”
“…”
“Sigh, with so much money, there’s nothing that can’t be done.” Zuo Po Jun shook his head. He had never cared much for money, simply because he had never been without it since birth. But faced with numbers in the hundreds of millions, even someone who lacked a concept of money could recognize how absurdly astronomical this sum was.
“Five hundred million Huaxia coins… Oh! With that, tens of thousands of impoverished children could return to the warmth of their schools. An entire city buried in waste could be transformed into a green paradise. Eight or nine out of ten Huaxia citizens would be willing to risk everything—even their lives… Oh, why must money exist in this world? I have never possessed a single penny in my life—never. I can’t even find another person like me who has never been tainted by money.” Murong Qiu Shui sighed deeply.
Zuo Po Jun: “…” This lunatic finally said something that makes a bit of sense.
“Five hundred and ten million…Yun Sihai, you might as well stop competing with me. I’m set on claiming this Immortal Spirit Instrument today, and even you aren’t worthy to snatch it from my hands!” Zang Shen sneered, his words effectively cutting off Tian Zhi Zi’s retreat.
“Idiot, my Yun Jia (Cloud Family) stands proud beneath the skies of Jinghua and how could your barbaric methods from the south possibly compare to ours! Five hundred and fifty million!!” Tian Zhi Zi was infuriated and struck back. Once their battle of bids began, it was hard to stop, as neither was willing to be seen as weaker in such a public setting…especially at an auction likely monitored by Liu Qi Yue and face was more important to them than anything.
“Six hundred million gold coins! Yun Sihai, can you keep up? If not, just go home quietly. I’d like to take this Immortal Spirit Instrument home early, wasting time is too extravagant a thing.” Zang Shen remained as calm as ever, in stark contrast to the ever-changing expressions of Tian Zhi Zi, who remained implacably composed.
“Seven hundred million!”
The numbers being thrown around, each in the billions, practically stopped the hearts of ordinary players watching. This is what being wealthy meant—they were truly seeing it today.
“Such courage! Then I’ll offer… eight hundred million, haha, quite a nice number indeed.”
Tian Zhi Zi gritted his teeth, about to place his bid, when suddenly, a young girl’s voice reached his ears… It was his sister’s voice.
A brief phrase from her jolted Tian Zhi Zi all over, like a bucket of cold water pouring over him, snapping him awake along with a sudden sweat… His sister’s words made him realize he had almost fallen into Zang Shen’s trap.
Indeed, fights of impulsiveness and pride are a terrible devil.
He clenched his teeth and quickly picked up the communicator, speaking in a low voice that could still be heard by others: “Immediately… transfer ten billion gold coins to my account! Right now!!”
Putting down the communicator, he coldly declared: “Nine hundred million!!”
After shouting a bid of nine hundred million and having someone transfer ten billion—could it be… he was actually prepared to spend upwards of ten billion, all for a single Immortal Spirit Instrument?!
Completely insane!!!
Zang Shen also picked up his communicator, speaking indifferently: “Go, transfer ten billion gold coins from my account… you have twenty seconds.”
Setting down the communicator, he smiled faintly and slowly called out a price from another dimension: “Ten billion!!”
The astronomical bid of ten billion at that moment shook countless players’ hearts.
“Are you still willing to compete??” Zang Shen laughed, his demeanor as light as a breeze… as if the price of ten billion was still just a simple number for him.
“No, of course not.”
Tian Zhi Zi gave an answer that surprised all the players present.
Tian Zhi Zi changed his previously gloomy expression to a smile, even clapping his hands with a “clap,” “clap,” “clap”: “Indeed, the Immortal Spirit Instrument is unparalleled in value, but ten billion spent on developing one’s forces would yield far greater returns than an instrument that cannot be used for long. Since you, Zang Shen, care so deeply for your friends and insist on acquiring this Immortal Spirit Sword, who am I, Tian Zi, to snatch love? This Immortal Spirit Sword), bought by you for ten billion, belongs to you… The Du Gu family, truly wealthy and bold, I admire that, hahaha…”
With that, under the suddenly stiff expression of Zang Shen, Tian Zhi Zi laughed loudly, turned around, and walked away, never looking back.
The sudden turn of events stunned the players in attendance, then they quickly came to their senses.
“…Now, Mr. Zang Shen has bid ten billion for this Purple Slaughter Sword… With ten billion gold coins on the line, is there anyone else willing to offer a higher price?”
A higher price? Are you kidding me?! This isn’t just ten gold coins, not ten thousand gold coins, but ten billion—an astronomical number!! Even if everyone desires this…only a lunatic would actually spend ten billion to buy it.
Zang Shen, as an assassin, even if he acquired the sword, couldn’t truly wield it, so there was no need to spend such a high cost… Thus, many knew from the start that Zang Shen was provoking Tian Zhi Zi, rapidly driving up the price and planning to withdraw when he pushed Tian Zhi Zi to his limits, forcing him to pay an enormous price for a worthless sword…
However, unexpectedly, the one who suddenly let go at the last moment was not Zang Shen but Tian Zhi Zi… or rather, Zang Shen hadn’t even had the chance to let go because the earlier order from Tian Zhi Zi to transfer ten billion gold coins made everyone naturally assume that his bottom line was at least ten billion… but it turned out that was just a smokescreen laid by Tian Zhi Zi to mislead Zang Shen.
In this clash, it seemed like Zang Shen won, since he acquired the final, Immortal Spirit Sword)… but those who saw clearly knew it was actually a grand victory for Tian Zhi Zi. Yet, the ultimate winner, and the biggest winner, was the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce.
The ten billion auction would inevitably be a significant mark in the history of the commerce guilds on the Lost Continent.
“Ten billion gold coins for the first time!”
“Ten billion gold coins for the second time!”
“Ten billion gold coins for the third time!”
【Dang!】 With a definitive strike of the hammer, Jiu Yue loudly announced, “Congratulations, Mr. Zang Shen, the Purple Slaughter Sword now belongs to you… Thank you for supporting our Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce.”
As the hammer fell, the transaction was completed. The Purple Slaughter Sword was transferred to Zang Shen’s inventory… and his ten billion gold coins were transferred to the account of the Seven Moons Chamber of Commerce.
Holding the newly acquired Purple Slaughter Sword, Zang Shen smiled, though it was a bitter smile. His initial intention was to severely undercut Tian Zhi Zi and the expression of cold sweat on Tian Zhi Zi’s face clearly showed he was fully provoked… Given his understanding of Tian Zhi Zi, he would normally spare no expense in continuing their rivalry. But contrary to his expectations, Tian Zhi Zi suddenly withdrew…
This was uncharacteristic for the often impulsive and prideful Tian Zhi Zi.
However, since what’s done is done, Zang Shen quickly adjusted his mindset. Ten billion gold coins was a huge loss for anyone. He pulled out the Purple Slaughter Sword in front of countless onlookers and then directly handed it over to Shen Yu Luoxing (神域落星, Shén Yù Luòxīng, Divine Domain Falling Star), who was sitting to his right: “Luoxing (落星, Luòxīng), this first Immortal Spirit Sword of Huaxia, also truly the mightiest weapon, now belongs to you… I hope you can become not just the greatest sword warrior of our Divine Domain Alliance but of all Huaxia!”
Envious glances were all directed towards Shen Yu Luoxing (神域落星, Shén Yù Luòxīng). Ten billion for an incomparable Immortal Spirit Sword… The purple blade flashed in Luoxing’s eyes. His expression remained the same, but his hands trembled violently as he took the sword and then nodded firmly, declaring in front of everyone, “With such great favor from our young master, if I, Shen Yu Luoxing, cannot become the strongest warrior, I do not deserve to remain by your side.”
Zang Shen determined the fate of the Purple Slaughter Sword in front of all present, as well as countless other players watching from afar, a gesture both a gift and a challenge. Under such dramatic and powerful circumstances, anyone would be moved to make resolute vows. It was admirable how Zang Shen, even after being cleverly outmaneuvered and suffering a colossal financial blow, could so swiftly recover and make such an impactful decision… Truly fitting for the God of the South.