Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard” Chapter 525: A Battle of Faces Among Dominators
Previously on Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard”...
Amid the transaction realm hovering high in the void, cultivators' forms slowly started to emerge on the black market forged by the Transaction Dao Principle.
The Stone Dominator's avatar likewise set foot upon it.
Surveying the black market's setup, he noted its construction was remarkably exact and stringent. It hardly seemed the work of a mere ordinary Dao Venerable.
Besides the base components of the Twelfth-order Fused Dao Principle, he spotted unique ones such as the Transaction Dao Principle and the Causality Dao Principle.
"How interesting!"
The Stone Dominator explored the black market. Countless cultivators were establishing booths at different star spots, offering their possessions for sale, while deals buzzed all around.
Raising his gaze, he noticed a sky-high auction in progress, featuring exactly that Ninth-order Fused Dao Treasure: the Ancient Zither.
The initial offer stood at one hundred trillion Dao Yan Crystals, a staggeringly lofty sum.
Yet this Ancient Zither qualified as a Dao Treasure that innately attained Ninth-order Fused Dao Principles. The inheritance of Daoist techniques within it probably encompassed a fresh Chaos Dao path, making the steep cost entirely reasonable.
However, no bids had come in yet. Numerous onlookers simply observed and held back, refusing to jump in hastily. As the peak auction phase hadn't started, no one felt any urgency.The Stone Dominator possessed only a few dozen trillion Dao Yan Crystals at present, nowhere near sufficient.
After brief contemplation.
The Stone Dominator extended a thread of divine sense.
Soon after, a silhouette dashed over with evident thrill.
"Ancestor..." that figure started saying with excitement.
The Stone Dominator promptly gestured dismissively. "Enough, no nonsense. I'm currently in a wager with two other Dominators and need to obtain enough treasures from this Treasure Star. How many treasures have you excavated so far?"
"Reporting to the Venerable Ancestor, our Stone Dao Court has collected over seven hundred treasures across the nine Treasure Stars. Most are barely at the Dao Artifact level, with the highest one reaching the level of a Tenth-order Fused Dao Treasure."
The Stone Dominator gave a nod. "Hand everything from now on to me. You all continue to intensify the excavation efforts. My wager with them isn't huge, but it's not small either. Strive to win."
"Yes!" That cultivator replied with fervent zeal.
At that instant, the Stone Dominator indicated the auctioned good overhead.
"This auction item was also unearthed from the Treasure Star. You pay to purchase it!"
"Yes, Ancestor!"
Stone Man King obeyed without delay. After eyeing the listed amount, he swiftly offered 200 trillion Dao Yan Crystals.
Following his offer, competitors jumped in right away.
The visible figure swiftly escalated to 370 trillion Dao Yan Crystals.
Stone Man King knitted his brows. Acting in front of his Venerable Ancestor, he couldn't risk letting him down.
He outright proposed 500 trillion Dao Yan Crystals.
The auction sum halted immediately.
Plenty of bidders displayed uncertain looks.
Stone Man King grinned. This Dao Treasure was essentially his.
But just then.
Che Chi Old Man and Wuyazi made their way to the black market too.
Spotting the Stone Dominator from a distance, the pair took notice.
"Stone Man, you're not playing fair! Actually contacting your juniors!" Che Chi Old Man complained with irritation.
The Stone Dominator chuckled. "You never said we couldn't rely on juniors."
Che Chi Old Man snorted. "Don't think you're the only one with juniors!"
He too reached out to the Nation Lord of the Che Chi Chaos Kingdom.
He had founded a Chaos Kingdom long ago. Now his descendants managed it and could summon vast resources!
In a burst of radiance, an elderly figure materialized abruptly. Upon seeing Che Chi Old Man, surprise flickered across his face.
"I pay my respects to the Venerable Ancestor!"
Che Chi Old Man inclined his head. "Che Li, represent me and auction off that treasure."
Nation Lord Che Li glanced at the lone auction piece floating above and grasped his ancestor's intent at once. He instantly bid on the overhead treasure. No matter its true worth, he slapped down 1000 trillion Dao Yan Crystals.
This aggressive push showed no weakness to rivals!
Next to Wuyazi, Wudaizi showed up as well.
After saluting Wuyazi and scanning the scene, Wudaizi inquired, "Venerable Ancestor, should we also bid for that treasure?"
Wuyazi remained impassive. "A mere Ninth-order treasure isn't worth such escalation. You can later purchase other treasures at reasonable prices! However, the purchased treasures must be ones unearthed from the Treasure Stars. I grant you this detection authority. Acquire these items properly."
"I understand!" Wudaizi affirmed with a nod.
"Heh." Che Chi Old Man let out a laugh. "Wuyazi, it's fun for everyone to compete for this first auction item. It's no fun if you don't bid!"
At these words, Wuyazi hesitated briefly before responding, "In that case, I can also participate. However, none of us can temporarily mobilize wealth currently outside the Treasure Stars. Let's compare the wealth we already possess right now, how about that?"
"Fine!" Che Chi Old Man agreed coolly.
The Stone Dominator shook his head smilingly. "Then the person selling this treasure is going to make a huge profit!"
Che Chi Old Man merely smiled in silence.
The avatars of the three Dominators bantered cheerfully among themselves, refraining from directly commanding the treasure auctions.
Yet in that instant, the three juniors called by the Dominators had launched into intense bidding, all while rallying assets from the nine Treasure Stars, rapidly dumping treasures cheaply on the black market to amass capital.
Cultivators from their respective factions likewise ramped up resource gathering posthaste.
The overhead auction's price had soared from 1000 trillion Dao Yan Crystals past 8000 trillion Dao Yan Crystals, vastly surpassing a Ninth-order Fused Dao Treasure's worth.
At this stage, the trio cared little for the item's true merit. Their sole foes were one another.
At the same time, this served as a trial. Whoever clinched the buy and drained their funds too much might well forfeit the ultimate wager.
"9000 trillion Dao Yan Crystals!"
Wudaizi threw in a bid.
"One hundred trillion trillion Dao Yan Crystals!" Stone Man King pressed on with his offer.
The three scrutinized each other's faces, tracking the escalating bids and the ticking auction timer.
The relentlessly climbing sum had drawn gazes from throngs of cultivators.
All marveled at the treasure's cost, completely baffled by which reckless spender kept pushing it so far.
This spectacle left them utterly stunned.
A few grew enticed and hastily put their own Tenth-order Fused Dao Treasures up for bidding.
Yet to their shock, the active bidders ignored those lower listings. They kept pouring into that Ninth-order Fused Dao Treasure.
The sight baffled everyone; they could only lament how some threw sense to the wind with their riches.
The trio's rivalry unfolded not via public calls. They had sealed off external senses, clashing in hidden ferocity.
The sum kept mounting steadily. Which victor would claim it stayed a mystery.
