Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

I have to say, this private room—worth ten thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones—was indeed far more comfortable than the main hall. Not only was there a dedicated Maid waiting outside, but the entire room had been inscribed with an Array. The auctioneer’s voice from the stage was perfectly clear, as if he were speaking right beside one’s ear.

The auction had just begun, and naturally, the first items up for bid were quite ordinary. Lin Yun wasn’t particularly interested in them and felt no urge to make an offer.

Three items sold in a row, all of them going to people in the main hall. No one from the private rooms had bid. It was to be expected; those who could spend ten thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones on a room would likely have no desire for such common things.

Then, the fourth auction item was presented: a necklace made of East Sea Pearls. It served no practical purpose; it was simply rare and beautiful.

It was the kind of thing women would naturally love, and Mo Qingliu was no exception. The moment she saw the pearl necklace, she perked up. Before the auctioneer had even announced the starting price, Mo Qingliu turned to Shi Wu and spoke.

"I want that pearl necklace! It’s so beautiful, I want it..." Mo Qingliu said excitedly, shaking Shi Wu’s arm.

"Alright, the East Sea Pearl necklace! The starting bid is one thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones, with each increment no less than one hundred," the auctioneer announced. The price was not set high, likely because the Celestial Spirit Auction House knew that such an item held little appeal for Martial Artists.

The moment the starting price was announced, Mo Qingliu blurted out without a second thought, "Ten thousand."

Hearing the price Mo Qingliu called out, Lin Yun nearly spat out his tea. ’Who bids like that? The starting price was a thousand, but this girl just goes and jumps straight to ten thousand.’

Sure enough, after hearing Mo Qingliu’s price, no one else placed a bid. The item held little appeal to begin with, so now that the price had instantly jumped to ten thousand, who would bother bidding any higher?

Mo Qingliu won the pearl necklace without any trouble. The young girl was so happy she practically danced, not feeling in the least that ten thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones was an expensive price to pay.

The items that followed were either Elixirs or Earth Spirit Soldiers, none of which held any interest for Lin Yun.

Just as Lin Yun was starting to get bored, having lost track of how many items had been sold, a Maid placed a Guqin on the auction stage.

The auctioneer began his introduction. "This Guqin is a Celestial Spirit Soldier! As we all know, there are people on the Celestial Spirit Continent who specialize in Rhythm Martial Skills. Obtaining this Guqin will not only enhance the power of your Rhythm Martial Skills, but your daily practice will also be twice as effective for half the effort."

"However, this Guqin is a Celestial Spirit Soldier, and a rare Melody Spirit Soldier at that. Therefore, anyone who has not reached the Primordial Ocean Realm will be unable to make this instrument produce any sound. Please be aware of this in advance..." the auctioneer explained in detail.

"The starting bid is twenty thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones, with increments of no less than one thousand," the auctioneer announced.

Twenty thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones was not considered a high starting price for a Celestial Spirit Soldier. But this was an auction, and of course, people would bid it up.

The moment the starting price was announced, bids came in one after another. The price quickly soared from the initial twenty thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones to forty thousand, doubling in an instant.

The price of forty thousand had already caused many to back down. Just as it seemed the bidding was over, a woman’s voice suddenly called out from the private room diagonally opposite Lin Yun’s group, "Fifty thousand."

Lin Yun, who had been completely uninterested in the Guqin, broke into a mischievous smile upon hearing that voice. He was all too familiar with it. ’Isn’t that Xiaoqing from Chunfeng Tower?’

’A Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist actually wants to buy this Guqin? Heh, this is getting interesting.’ Smiling faintly, Lin Yun called out a bid without a second thought.

"Sixty thousand."

Hearing Lin Yun’s bid, a dark look flashed in Guang Xuanji’s eyes as she sat in her private room. She was, of course, also extremely familiar with his voice. For Lin Yun to bid against her now was clearly a deliberate attempt to spite her.

But Guang Xuanji had a reason she absolutely had to obtain this Guqin. It wasn’t that the instrument was particularly powerful—it was only a Celestial Spirit Soldier, after all. No, this Guqin held a special meaning for Guang Xuanji, for it had once belonged to her late sister.

It was only because Guang Xuanji knew the Guqin had belonged to her sister that she had come to the auction at all.

Since childhood, Guang Xuanji and her sister had been orphans. Her older sister had single-handedly raised her through hardship. However, when Guang Xuanji was fifteen, her sister died at the hands of a gang leader in Wood City.

Not only did the man violate her sister, but he eventually tortured her to death.

From that day on, Guang Xuanji swore to avenge her sister. Only fifteen years old, she lived alone in Wood City, enduring countless hardships. She was violated by many men who coveted her beauty, but she persevered through it all for one single purpose: to avenge her sister.

While moving between various men, she secretly cultivated her own power base. In just three short years, Guang Xuanji had developed a faction powerful enough to contend with that gang.

It had to be said that Guang Xuanji’s Mental Realm was truly steadfast. At the same time, her methods and intellect were far beyond those of an ordinary person.

Almost cruelly, Guang Xuanji sliced the man who had violated her sister into pieces, one cut at a time, while he was still alive. After that, Guang Xuanji became notorious in Wood City.

Her great vengeance was achieved, but looking back, Guang Xuanji realized she had already walked down a path of no return, because her heart had turned black.

In three years, Guang Xuanji had learned how to be unscrupulous, how to be ruthless, and how to scheme against others. When she suddenly looked back, she discovered she could never go back.

In a place as utterly chaotic as Wood City, Guang Xuanji, a mere woman, established a firm foothold and became a force to be reckoned with, second to no man.

Guang Xuanji had lived a life of bloodshed right up until she met Qing Zhu.

She vividly remembered the first time she met Qing Zhu. She was so noble, so sacred. In Qing Zhu’s presence, Guang Xuanji felt like an ugly duckling. The beauty she had once taken pride in was not even worth mentioning.

"You aren’t happy, are you? Would you like to conquer the entire Eastern Domain with me?" These were the first words Qing Zhu ever said to Guang Xuanji.

Facing Qing Zhu, Guang Xuanji didn’t know why—it was their first time meeting, after all—but she agreed. From then on, Guang Xuanji practically gave her all for Qing Zhu. No matter what it was, as long as Qing Zhu commanded it, Guang Xuanji would do everything in her power to accomplish it.

And to this day, Guang Xuanji had never once failed in a task Qing Zhu had given her.

Gazing at the Guqin on the auction stage, the past flashed through Guang Xuanji’s mind like a series of paintings. Before she even realized it, two streams of clear tears were already flowing from the corners of her eyes.

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