Chapter 284: Auction Start
— Meanwhile - Ximen Clan Territory - Cloud City —
A large luxury flying ark bearing the Ximen Clan banner arrived at the sky dock near the largest and most prestigious auction house within Ximen Clan territory.
The place was so massive that it did not pale in comparison to the Thousand Treasure Pavilion headquarters.
The entire structure resembled a mountain of jade and gold. Seven tiers of white stone were crowned by a magnificent golden roof, while its three hundred meter wide facade shimmered with veins of gold. Above it rose a massive crystal dome. According to Ximen Hao, the inside displayed an artificial sky complete with an artificial constellation.
As for the auction hall itself, it resembled a colossal vertical amphitheater capable of seating ten thousand people, with a floating stage surrounded by liquid starlight. Hidden above were thirty two VIP vaults overlooking the bustling hall below, while beneath the structure lay seven underground levels of treasure vaults containing wealth that could buy entire dynasties.
This place was the crown jewel of the Ximen Clan, the culmination of their wealth and glory, as ninety percent of the auction house belonged to them.
Such immense wealth was enough to threaten the current regime, which was why the Ximen Clan had never earned the complete trust of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty.
"We’ve arrived! Everyone! This is the Heaven Soaring Dragon Grand Pavilion! The crown jewel and the greatest monument to the Ximen Clan’s wealth and glory!" Ximen Hao loudly introduced the place to his companions, his voice filled with pride.
The group naturally consisted of Wei Chen, Mo Xingyao and her bodyguard Yin Lan, Dream Butterfly, Song Wan, the little troublemaker Ningning, and finally Max, who had practically become Ningning’s full time mount.
Mo Xingyao stared at the magnificent auction house, which possessed everything she wanted for her Thousand Treasure Pavilion. She couldn’t help drooling at the sight of its golden roof.
"That... that’s Nine Tribulation Gold, isn’t it? Right?" Mo Xingyao asked as she pointed toward the grand building’s golden roof.
Hearing this, Ximen Hao’s vanity was thoroughly satisfied. His chest puffed out proudly as he nodded.
"That’s right, future sister-in-law! You have sharp eyes to recognize Nine Tribulation Gold! We discovered a massive deposit in one of our territories!"
"Nine Tribulation Gold?" Dream Butterfly asked in confusion.
"Doesn’t tribulation lightning usually destroy everything? Gold shouldn’t survive even a single bolt of tribulation lightning."
"That’s exactly why Nine Tribulation Gold is so valuable, sister-in-law!" Ximen Hao explained. "It miraculously survived a tribulation strike that hit its ore vein! Over countless years, the tribulation lightning continuously refined it, making it an extremely valuable material for both decoration and as a key component in flying ark spatial compression arrays!"
"I see. If that’s the case... it must be incredibly expensive."
Dream Butterfly nodded in understanding, but Wei Chen involuntarily glanced at Mo Xingyao.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Mo Xingyao asked suspiciously.
"You aren’t planning to climb onto their roof and scrape off some of the gold for pocket money, are you?"
Mo Xingyao’s face flushed red with embarrassment as she repeatedly smacked Wei Chen’s shoulder.
"You! You! You! You! How rude! How could I possibly do something like that! At the very least, I’d still need to save a little face!"
So that means if no one knew it was you, you’d actually do it.
Wei Chen kept the thought to himself instead of saying it out loud.
"I know you’re thinking something rude right now! Hmph!" Mo Xingyao pouted before turning her head away.
Wei Chen chuckled at Mo Xingyao’s antics before ruffling her hair. She protested by slapping his hand, but she didn’t try to pull away.
The group walked toward the VIP entrance, which was connected to the main building by a hanging bridge.
Ximen Hao glanced at the time on his U-Phone and saw that the auction would begin in just half an hour. As they walked, he dialed someone’s number.
After waiting a few seconds, the person on the other end answered.
"The auction starts in half an hour. Where are you now, Yun Feng?" Ximen Hao asked.
"I’ve been here for a while already. I’m surveying the venue right now," Yun Feng’s voice replied from the other side.
The group arrived at the VIP booth and went inside, each choosing the seat they found most comfortable.
Wei Chen had only come because he had been invited, and he wasn’t particularly interested in auctions. He was here with the mindset of watching a good show.
He sat on the most comfortable sofa, farthest from the window where Ximen Hao took his seat.
Wei Chen was already anticipating that some idiotic young master would pull the usual "please give me face" stunt or threaten everyone else not to bid so he could buy the item cheaply.
Mo Xingyao sat beside Wei Chen, but she dragged her chair into position and adjusted its angle so she could get a better view of the stage and the auctioned items.
As for Dream Butterfly and Song Wan, neither of them was interested in the auction, so they started playing Uno with the little troublemaker, Ningning.
At that moment, Ximen Hao stood up and looked through the glass, searching for someone among the seats below.
"Where is that guy?" he muttered as he scanned the audience. From where he stood, he had a clear view of every seat in the main hall.
"Dude... are you looking for that Yun Feng guy?" Wei Chen asked.
"Yeah. He said he’s already here, but I still can’t find him," Ximen Hao replied as he continued searching the seats below.
"Why don’t you try looking up?" Wei Chen suggested.
"Huh?" Ximen Hao turned toward Wei Chen in confusion. "But this is the VIP booth. It’s the highest point in the venue," he argued.
"It’s not the highest. Trust me," Wei Chen replied.
"But..." Ximen Hao wanted to argue that it was impossible. There wasn’t any seating higher than this. The only places above were the access walkways used by construction workers and array masters whenever they needed to perform repairs... wait...
Realizing something, Ximen Hao slowly raised his head.
There he was.
Standing alone with his arms crossed, looking down from above. His robe swayed dramatically, as though an invisible wind were fluttering it.
Wei Chen looked up as well, and his mouth slowly fell open.
Seriously... where was that wind coming from?
This is inside the building!
Inside the goddamn building!
It definitely wasn’t from an air vent either, because the venue used temperature regulating arrays instead of air conditioning.
At that moment, a group of cultivators who worked as maintenance staff climbed up to the access walkway and began scolding Yun Feng, who was standing there alone. Yun Feng, however, seemed to ignore them completely.
Then a woman walked over to the seats below and shouted up at him. It was Xiao Mei. Neither Ximen Hao nor Wei Chen could hear what they were saying, but Wei Chen managed to read one word from her lips.
"Idiot."
After being scolded by Xiao Mei, Yun Feng seemed to bow in apology to the workers before jumping down. He was immediately scolded once more before Xiao Mei grabbed him by the ear and dragged him toward the staircase leading to the VIP area.
After the brief commotion, someone knocked on the door to their booth several times. The servant assigned to attend them promptly opened it.
Standing outside were the Yun couple, Yun Feng and Xiao Mei.
"I’m sorry, Young Master Ximen, Young Master Wei, for keeping the two of you waiting because of my stupid husband," Xiao Mei said apologetically, while Yun Feng stood there awkwardly, looking the other way.
"It’s fine, it’s fine." Ximen Hao waved his hand, telling the two not to mind it. Then he gestured toward the remaining seats. "Now that the two of you are here, why don’t we enjoy the auction?"
Hearing the words *enjoy the auction*, Xiao Mei, as the only commoner among them, could not help but smile awkwardly. How were they supposed to enjoy it when these people spent money as if they were throwing firewood into a furnace during winter?
The Yun couple then chose their seats, and unsurprisingly, the game of Uno drew their attention, especially little troublemaker Ningning.
Ningning often went to play at the estate that Ximen Hao had built for them. Naturally, the two of them were very fond of the little girl.
After everyone had taken their seats and a few moments had passed, the lights illuminated the stage as the auctioneer walked to the center.
She wore a stunning red dress with elegant openings that accentuated her figure, and the makeup on her face drew countless admiring and heated gazes from the audience.
"Honored guests, welcome! The once-in-ten-thousand-years Grand Auction of the Heaven Soaring Dragon Grand Pavilion is about to begin!" the auctioneer announced enthusiastically, her voice echoing throughout the venue and stirring excitement among the guests seated on the main floor.