madnovel Chapter 45 Mysterious Jade Talisman
Chapter 45 Mysterious Jade Talisman
The auction hall was bustling with excitement, the atmosphere was electric.
On the display stand, one after another, radiant magical artifacts and fragrant elixirs were presented like a flowing stream, while the shouts of bidders below rose and fell, one wave higher than the next, with everyone arguing until their faces turned red.
Wang Dao crossed his legs, holding a handful of spirit melon seeds he'd somehow acquired, cracking them open with a satisfying crackling sound as he watched with fascination as the group of cultivators below fought tooth and nail over a few scraps of metal.
"Hey, we're already halfway through, and you two are just sitting here doing nothing?" Wang Dao spat out a sunflower seed shell, turned to look at the two women calmly sipping tea beside him, and said, "So, we're just here to be spectators today?"
Wang Qingyue put down her white jade teacup, her clear, cold eyes sweeping over a high-grade spirit sword being fiercely auctioned below, and said calmly:
"What came before was just an appetizer; the real show is yet to come, so what's the rush?"
She paused, a flicker of emotion crossing her beautiful eyes: "There have been rumors that a thousand-year-old seven-colored soul lotus will appear in this Treasure Pavilion today. I wonder if it's true or not."
"The news is true."
Ji Mingyue leaned lazily against the soft couch, her slender fingertips gently caressing the dark gold bird pattern on her cuffs, a smile on her face.
"I have received definite inside information that someone has indeed consigned that rare item for auction."
"Nine out of ten of the old monsters sitting in this private room today are here for this thing."
Wang Dao raised an eyebrow slightly: "Seven-Colored Soul Lotus? Very valuable?"
Wang Qingyue glanced at him and patiently explained, "For cultivators who travel through time, this item is a treasure that can defy fate and change one's destiny."
"It can not only help cultivators who have reached the peak of the Divine Travel realm break through bottlenecks and shatter their core to form an infant, but also gives them a chance to refine their soul with the help of the medicine while condensing their Dao seed, thus cultivating a special Dao seed."
"Do you think it's valuable or not?"
"That sounds pretty intimidating." Wang Dao curled his lip, his gaze sweeping over the two women. "What, you two are here for this too?"
"Although such external objects are scarce, they are not irreplaceable." Ji Mingyue chuckled, her tone revealing the arrogance of a royal princess. "I cultivate the supreme immortal path. If even the seed of my path needs to be built up with medicine, then I might as well not cultivate this path to immortality."
Wang Qingyue nodded slightly, clearly not very interested in the seven-colored soul lotus.
As they spoke, the auction reached its climax.
As the Seven-Colored Soul Lotus, radiating a dreamlike seven-colored halo and instantly filling the entire venue with medicinal fragrance, was presented, the entire auction house erupted in excitement.
The bidding soared like crazy, and in just a few dozen breaths, it had already broken through the 300,000 spirit stones mark.
Finally, with the sound of the gavel falling, the Seven-Colored Soul Lotus was sold to a cultivator shrouded in black robes for a staggering 500,000 low-grade spirit stones.
After handing over the spirit stones, the man in black robes didn't dare linger for even a moment. He put away the brocade box and hurriedly left the venue.
Wang Dao keenly noticed that the moment the man in black robes left his seat, the dozen or so figures who had been sitting in the corner also silently rose and quietly left, like sharks that had smelled blood.
"Tsk tsk." Wang Dao looked at the empty doorway and shook his head. "This isn't buying a treasure; it's clearly buying a death warrant."
"Spending 500,000 spirit stones to buy someone who dies without a complete corpse, what a bad deal."
The man in black robes was like a child carrying a gold brick through a bustling market. If he didn't have extraordinary abilities, the gates of this Treasure Pavilion would probably be his death gate.
With this interlude concluded, the auction finally came to an end.
Wang Dao yawned listlessly, just about to stretch, when the stage lights suddenly dimmed, followed by a spotlight shining on the center of the booth.
The alluring and charming host swayed her serpentine waist as she walked forward, carrying an exquisite mahogany tray with a small, antique jade talisman about the size of a finger on it.
The jade talisman was bluish-gray in color and looked unremarkable, but it was carved with a very vivid scene—a carp was leaping out of the water, and above the water, amidst the swirling clouds, a real dragon was faintly seen looking down from the clouds.
"Fish-dragon pattern!"
Under the rousing words of the alluring host, this seemingly dull and mysterious jade talisman was instantly shrouded in a captivating veil.
"Distinguished guests, this jade talisman has an extraordinary origin. It was unearthed by one of the retainers of my Treasure Pavilion, who risked his life to excavate it from the depths of an ancient ruin of a prehistoric civilization!"
"To call it priceless would be an insult to its worth!"
The female host's voice was soothing and captivating, both passionate and mysterious.
"Upon examination, this item has been determined to be made of indestructible material, and it is highly likely to contain the ultimate secret leading to the supreme path, or perhaps the only key to unlocking some ancient divine treasure!"
"To obtain it is to seize an opportunity to rise to the top!"
It has to be said that this woman is indeed quite capable; she managed to arouse everyone's greed with just a few words.
"Starting bid: one million low-grade spirit stones!"
Wang Dao was sitting with his legs crossed, listening to the woman's ramblings with a mocking expression, secretly laughing at how outrageous Jubaoge's deception skills were becoming.
However, just as the jade talisman was raised high, the fish and dragon pattern came into view.
"Buzz!"
The Dragon Abyss Sword, which was nurtured deep within his Qi Sea, suddenly trembled violently without warning.
A longing, excited buzzing sound exploded directly in his mind, as if it were his long-lost other half.
Wang Dao's pupils contracted sharply, and a monstrous wave surged within him.
His previously casual gaze froze instantly, staring intently at the jade talisman in the auctioneer's hand, his fingers on his knees involuntarily clenching.
"This thing...it's actually real?"
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and quickly resumed his lazy, playful demeanor.
Just then, someone in the hall below finally couldn't help but voice their doubts:
"Since you've been exaggerating the value of this thing, calling it the supreme Dao and an ancient divine treasure, why doesn't your Treasure Pavilion keep such an amazing item for yourselves? Are you trying to rip us off by putting it up for sale?"
Upon hearing this, the previously lively atmosphere suddenly froze, and many hot-headed cultivators calmed down and joined in the commotion.
"Yeah! If it were really that miraculous, would you really be willing to take it out?"
Despite the questions, the alluring female auctioneer remained unfazed, her face still bearing that cloyingly sweet smile:
"Fellow Daoist, you jest. Treasures possess spirits and choose their own masters."
"Although my Jubao Pavilion obtained this treasure, we have exhausted all means and tried all sorts of methods. It is impervious to water and fire, and cannot be harmed by swords. Even the divine sense of the Dao Seed True Monarch could not penetrate it even a little bit. We still cannot figure out its mysteries."
Her beautiful eyes swept across the room, her tone utterly sincere:
"If one enters a treasure mountain but fails to find the way, it means that this item is not meant for my Treasure Pavilion."
"Therefore, I bring it out today in order to take advantage of this auspicious occasion and forge a good connection with everyone present, in order to find a truly destined person!"
"That woman, she really knows how to talk; she can make the dead come back to life with her words."
Wang Qingyue leaned against the window, a faint smile playing on her lips, a smile that seemed to be both admiration and teasing.
Wang Dao stretched, pretending to be intrigued:
"I was already planning to leave, but since she's making this broken stone sound so amazing, I'd like to buy it and study it to see if it can really be used to crack walnuts."
Wang Qingyue glanced thoughtfully at Wang Dao with her eyes that seemed to see right through people, but didn't ask any further questions. She simply said:
"Since you've taken a liking to it, then take a picture of it."
"This Zhenbei Royal City is our own territory, and the Royal Palace is not short of spirit stones. There is no reason for us to let others take it away."