259: Throne and Cage

Su Lei slowly lowered his hand, his solitary and towering back like an ancient divine mountain moving slowly.

He turned and walked towards the massive entrance he had kicked into scrap metal, his steps neither hurried nor slow, yet they seemed to tread on everyone's heartstrings.

Twelve Royal Guards, clad in silver-white armor, followed closely, like twelve silent shadows of death, their steps perfectly synchronized.

The thirteen of them formed a procession that was a red-hot spear of judgment, searing a vacuum path through the air, which had solidified like amber.

It wasn't until their last figures were completely swallowed by the darkness of the entrance that the colossal arena seemed to regain the right to breathe, the air, drained of oxygen and mixed with the rusty smell of fear, rushing back in a torrent.

"Hoo, hoo-ha..."

Countless spectators, like those just rescued from the brink of drowning in the deep sea, collapsed into their seats, breathing greedily.

Cold sweat had long soaked their luxurious clothes, clinging stickily to their skin, bringing waves of chill from their narrow escape.

Inside the VIP box, the atmosphere was more oppressive than the event horizon of a black hole.

"What, what exactly, was that thing?"

A creature entirely covered in brilliant crystalline scales, its head like a perfectly cut giant diamond, squeezed this sentence out of its throat with difficulty.

"A monster, one whose back we don't even have the right to gaze upon."

Another being, shrouded in distorted shadows, gave an assessment that filled everyone with despair yet had to be admitted.

"Star Lord, this time he probably didn't invite a powerful Dragon crossing the river; instead, he dug up an ancient Vicious Beast from a forgotten epoch's grave, one that even gods would retreat from..."

Su Lei was oblivious to the commotion behind him.

He walked through the dirty, chaotic streets of the nest city, where the usually fierce Gang members and hooligans were now like mice seeing a cat, cowering in the shadows, not daring to even lift their heads.

He returned to the phantom ship disguised as a dilapidated freighter, and the cold metal hatch closed behind him, cutting off all external noise.

A few hours later, at the top of the Throne of Fallen Gods, a black market auction, which stirred the nerves of the entire chaotic Star Domain, began as scheduled.

Everyone who could enter here was a formidable character who could make several Star Domains tremble with a mere stomp of their foot.

They each sat on a suspended chair supported by anti-gravity runes, maintaining a polite yet deadly safe distance from each other.

When Su Lei entered the venue with his twelve guards, who were like statues of slaughter, all the whispering ceased abruptly within 0.1 seconds.

Hundreds of gazes, like tangible searchlights, converged from all directions.

Su Lei's expression was calm; he ignored it all.

Under the trembling guidance of a graceful attendant, he arrived at the most central and most distinguished independent platform in the entire venue.

The platform was entirely constructed of pure energy crystals, forming a self-contained space within, radiating a soft yet majestic glow.

It was completely isolated from its surroundings, preventing any form of prying, yet it offered a panoramic view of the entire venue.

This was the throne Star Lord had prepared for him, and also the cage he had meticulously crafted for him.

Su Lei sat down calmly.

The wide chair seemed to sense its master's arrival, and the energy light on its surface became even softer and more compliant.

The twelve Royal Guards, like twelve ancient, unyielding ice sculptures, stood in formation behind him, their cold gazes sweeping the entire venue, guarding the platform so tightly that not even a breath could pass through, and anyone daring to approach would be instantly torn apart by their Killing Intent.

The auction officially began.

A female auctioneer, whose figure was so curvaceous it could ignite a star, with fluffy fox ears and nine agile fox tails, swayed her breathtaking waist as she stepped onto the central stage.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to Fractured Bone Town's century-old Star Sea Feast!"

Several rare appetizers were presented one after another.

Each item elicited a flurry of frantic bidding from the audience, and the astronomical figures of wealth were merely cold, flickering codes on virtual terminals here.

Su Lei remained seated quietly, his slender fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest, producing a rhythmic sound.

He had no interest in any of it.

He was like a god who had accidentally stumbled into the human world, coldly observing this Mortal carnival filled with desire and greed.

Finally, after several consecutive treasures pushed the auction's atmosphere to its peak, the lights in the entire venue suddenly dimmed.

A beam of brilliant starlight, seemingly from the birth of the Universe, projected from the Void Realm, condensing into a magnificent hundred-meter-tall holographic image on the central stage.

Star Lord had arrived.

He was still in his simple star-patterned Dao robe, his face as gentle as an elderly neighbor, but the supreme majesty of a ruler looking down on all creation as mere straw dogs caused all the powerful figures and magnates present to involuntarily hold their breath, and even their thoughts momentarily froze.

"Thank you all for gracing us with your presence."

Star Lord's gaze swept across the entire venue.

Finally, it precisely landed on the independent platform where Su Lei was seated.

"Before today's grand finale begins, I personally wish to present a small welcome gift to a new friend who has traveled a long way."

Swish!

All eyes once again surged towards Su Lei like a tide.

"This gift..."

Star Lord continued, "represents my personal greetings, as well as those of the Old Star Council behind me, to this emerging challenger of Earth civilization."

As his voice fell, a guard in star-fall armor, holding a magnificent box made of an unknown dark gold metal with both hands, appeared directly on Su Lei's platform through a suddenly illuminated teleportation array.

The box was not large, but its design was extremely intricate, with countless trajectories of flowing stars engraved on its surface, as if a miniature Universe was Sealed within, exuding an ancient and powerful Seal energy.

The guard respectfully placed the box on the crystal table in front of Su Lei, then bowed and quietly disappeared through the teleportation array again.

The entire venue was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone craned their necks, their pupils slightly dilated with curiosity and anticipation.

What kind of world-shaking, supreme treasure would Star Lord's welcome gift be?

Su Lei's gaze fell on the box in front of him.

A Royal Guard behind him stepped forward, his hand, covered in silver-white armor, ready to open it for him.

"No need."

Su Lei reached out and personally pressed the switch on the box.

"Click."

The lid slowly sprang open.

Inside the box, lined with soft black velvet, a human head lay quietly.

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