175: Chapter 175 This stone is no ordinary stone!

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

That President Wang stood up, his face glowing with radiance as he cupped his hands to the crowd.

The auction proceeded in an orderly fashion.

The second item was a painting by Zhang Daqian, which sold for five million.

The third item was a string of top-grade old-pit glass-species jadeite necklaces, which was bought by a coal boss for eight million as a gift for the mistress beside him.

The fourth item was an extremely rare piece of Hetian mutton-fat jade seed material, which sold for twelve million.

The atmosphere of the entire auction was stoked to a fever pitch. These rich people in Jiangcheng didn't even blink when spending money.

Zhao Donghai sat beside Su Yun, watching the items on stage, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.

He lowered his voice and leaned into Su Yun's ear.

"Mr. Su, with Ma Tengfei making such a big scene, what exactly is he trying to do?"

"These things add up to nearly thirty million; is he really kind enough to donate it all?"

Su Yun sneered.

"Of course he isn't that kind."

"What he wants isn't money, it's lives."

Upon hearing this, a cold sweat broke out across Zhao Donghai's back.

He didn't ask any more questions, simply sitting up straighter.

Zhao Xiaoman sat pressed tightly against Su Yun.

She had also sensed that something was wrong by now.

The temperature in the entire hall seemed to have dropped significantly, and the air was filled with an indescribable, sinister chill.

"The fifth item!"

The auctioneer's voice rang out in the hall once again.

The old man in the Taoist robe walked out from the shadows again. This time, he was carrying a smaller mahogany tray in his hands.

The old man placed the tray on the display stand and retreated once more.

The auctioneer stepped forward and flipped off the red cloth.

The eyes of the entire room focused on it.

As a result, everyone was stunned.

What lay on the tray was not some antique painting or calligraphy, nor was it gold, silver, or jewelry.

Instead, it was a palm-sized, irregular black stone.

The surface of this stone was pitted and uneven, pitch-black, and devoid of even a hint of luster.

It looked just like some broken rock picked up from a sewer.

A flurry of discussion immediately erupted from the audience.

"What is this thing?"

"Chairman Ma is auctioning a broken rock? Is this a joke?"

"This doesn't even qualify as an ornamental stone."

The auctioneer cleared his throat and picked up the script in his hand.

"Distinguished guests, please quiet down."

"This stone is not an ordinary stone."

"It was produced in the depths of the Kunlun Mountains and was obtained by Chairman Ma at a great cost from a reclusive master."

The auctioneer deliberately teased the audience, lowering his voice.

"This master said that this stone has absorbed the essence of the sun and moon of the Kunlun Mountains and possesses the magical efficacy of calming the mind and prolonging life!"

"As long as you place it in your bedroom, you are guaranteed to be full of spirit every day and free from all illnesses!"

"This is a treasure that money can't buy!"

"The starting price is one million! Each bid must be no less than one hundred thousand!"

After hearing this, the wealthy merchants in the audience looked at each other.

Calming the mind? Prolonging life?

Isn't this just the standard rhetoric used by con artists?

Everyone present was sharp; who would spend a million to buy a broken rock that looked utterly worthless?

The hall suddenly went cold.

Not a single person raised their paddle.

Ma Tengfei sat at the main table, his expression looking somewhat unsightly.

Just at this moment.

The bagua compass in Su Yun's right pocket suddenly began to vibrate violently as if it had gone mad.

The broken needle inside the compass spun frantically, finally pointing dead-set at the black stone on the display stand.

The icy aura radiating from the surface of the compass pierced directly through Su Yun's clothes, raising goosebumps on the skin of his thigh.

Su Yun's eyes narrowed.

Without hesitation, he recited in his mind.

"System, check the information on that stone."

A translucent virtual panel immediately popped up.

[Item Name: Extreme Yin Blood-Thirsting Stone]

[Effect: An object of extreme sinister chill. The medium for the eye of the Life-Stealing Evil Array.]

[Status: Activated. Currently serving as the core of the array, absorbing the luck and lifespan of living beings within a hundred-meter radius.]

[Note: This object is extremely dangerous! If an ordinary person keeps it by their side, their yang energy will be exhausted within seven days, leading to multi-organ failure and sudden death!]

Su Yun looked at the information on the panel, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc.

So this was the eye of that Life-Stealing Evil Array!

Ma Tengfei, that old fox, really had a cunning plan.

He deliberately brought out this Extreme Yin Blood-Thirsting Stone, which acted as the array eye, to auction it off.

As long as someone bought it and took it home, it was equivalent to bringing a powerful vacuum cleaner back home.

This stone would continuously absorb the buyer's lifespan and then, through the connection of the array, transfer it all to Ma Tengfei.

This was no longer just borrowing luck; this was a direct, daylight robbery!

Moreover, the person who bought this stone would undoubtedly die within seven days!

Su Yun took his hand out of his pocket.

He absolutely could not let this stone fall into anyone else's hands today.

Just as he prepared to raise the number paddle in his hand.

Chu Tianjiao, on the other side of the main table, suddenly stood up.

Chu Tianjiao had been slapped in the face repeatedly by Su Yun and Zhao Donghai just now, and the evil fire in his heart had been pent up with nowhere to vent.

Seeing the room go cold, he felt this was a great opportunity to show off in front of Ma Tengfei.

One million was not even pocket change to him.

Spending a little money to buy a broken stone, he could please Ma Tengfei while also standing out—why not?

Chu Tianjiao raised his number paddle and shouted loudly.

"Two million!"

He directly doubled the price.

The wealthy merchants in the audience turned their heads to look at him one after another.

Chu Tianjiao thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.

He turned his head to smile at the few second-generation rich kids at his table, his tone extremely arrogant.

"This stone looks quite interesting, pitch-black as it is."

"I'll just buy it back and lay it in the fish tank at my villa in Yunding Mountain Villa as a stepping stone."

"Since Uncle Ma brought it out, even if it's a brick, I have to show my support, right?"

When Ma Tengfei heard this, the gloom on his face vanished, and he nodded with a smile.

"Young Master Chu is truly young and promising, with a sharp eye."

The auctioneer quickly followed up.

"Young Master Chu bids two million! Is there any higher bid?"

Chu Tianjiao sat back in his chair, feeling pleased with himself. He looked at Su Yun provocatively.

That look seemed to say, you poor wretch, have you ever seen what a rich man's game is like?

Su Yun looked at Chu Tianjiao's face, which wore the expression of a petty man who had gotten his way, and almost laughed out loud.

This fool, rushing to buy a death warrant, and still feeling smug about it here.

Su Yun didn't waste any words.

He directly picked up the paddle marked with the number "1" and raised it high.

His voice was steady, neither too loud nor too soft, but it clearly spread throughout the entire hall.

"Five million."

The room was in an uproar.

Everyone looked at Su Yun as if he were a madman.

Spending five million to buy a broken rock? This person must have water in his brain!

Zhao Donghai and Zhao Xiaoman were also stunned.

They didn't understand why Su Yun would spend so much money to buy such a thing.

But out of absolute trust in Su Yun, neither of them spoke to stop him.

The smile on Chu Tianjiao's face stiffened instantly.

He never imagined that Su Yun would dare to jump out and compete with him for the item at this moment!

Where would this poor kid get five million? He must be bluffing!

Chu Tianjiao gritted his teeth and raised his paddle again.

"Ten million!"

He directly raised the price to an absurd level.

He just wanted to crush Su Yun with money, to let this poor kid know what a gap in strength meant.