116: The auction begins! The battle for the Heart of Titan begins!

Two days later.

The auction house at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Realms Merchant Alliance, located in the center of Cloud City.

This was a golden-domed palace carved from giant floating stones, its entire structure radiating the brilliance of a Formation. The guards standing watch were all Golden Core Stage Cultivators with solemn expressions, and the leading captain faintly exuded the oppressive aura of the Nascent Soul Stage.

“Please present your invitation.”

Gu Yang changed into a set of Black Fitted Clothes. Although his figure was still as robust as ever, after deliberately restraining his aura, he looked like an ordinary Body Cultivator bodyguard.

He casually displayed the gold-stamped “Heaven-rank” VIP invitation.

The guard's previously stern face instantly broke into a smile, and he bowed deeply: “So it is a distinguished guest! Please follow me; the special private room has been prepared for you.”

Led by a maid, Gu Yang brought Er Gou into the private box on the second floor of the auction house.

The private box was furnished with extreme luxury. The floor was covered with thick “Cloud-Treading Beast” fur, Calming Formations were embedded in the walls, and the floor-to-ceiling window at the front was made of specialized “Sky-Gazing Crystal,” allowing every detail of the stage below to be clearly seen.

“Crunch!”

As soon as Gu Yang sat down, he casually grabbed a “Purple Spirit Fruit” placed on the table, tossed it into his mouth, and chewed it until the juices splattered.

This spiritual fruit, which was worth a hundred Spirit Stones outside, was merely a complimentary appetizer here.

“Gulp...”

Er Gou, even less reserved, pounced on the fruit plate and devoured an entire plate of spiritual fruit in two bites.

Gu Yang stroked his chin, feeling the Divine Demon Golden Body inside him that craved energy like a bottomless pit, and gazed profoundly at the scene below.

“Clang—”

A long, resonant chime from an ancient bell sounded, and the previously noisy auction hall instantly fell silent.

On the auction stage, an enchanting female Cultivator wearing a fiery red Qipao and possessing a hot figure slowly walked to the front. Her cultivation had clearly reached the Late Nascent Soul Stage, and she exuded a captivating, mature charm.

“Fellow Daoists, this concubine's name is Ya Fei, and I welcome everyone to this once-in-a-decade grand event.”

Ya Fei's voice was soft and seductive, instantly igniting the atmosphere of the entire venue.

“Without further ado, let us look directly at the first item—one Jin of **‘Geng Metal Essence’**! Starting bid: 100,000 Spirit Crystals!”

As Ya Fei lifted the red silk, a piece of golden Ore shimmering with extreme sharpness appeared before everyone.

Gu Yang raised an eyebrow. Geng Metal Essence was a rare treasure in the Lower Realm, yet here it was just a warm-up item?

“110,000!”

“120,000!”

Bids rose one after another, but Gu Yang remained unmoving. Although this item was good, for his current Divine Demon Golden Body, it wasn't even enough to fill a gap between his teeth.

Half an hour later, the pace of the auction gradually reached a climax.

“The next item is named **‘Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron Essence’**!”

Ya Fei pointed to the metallic block on the stand, which was entirely deep blue and continuously emitted intensely cold mist, introducing it: “This item originates from the Extreme Cold Abyss of the Northern Lands. It weighs five hundred Jin and is an excellent primary Material for refining ancient ice-attribute treasures!”

“Starting bid: 150,000 Spirit Crystals!”

“Awoo!”

Er Gou, who had been rolling around on the sofa, suddenly jumped up, staring intently at the Cold Iron Essence, letting out whines of desire.

Gu Yang's eyes lit up.

The energy density of this thing was much higher than those rotten fruits from before.

“200,000!”

Gu Yang immediately called out the price.

The surrounding private boxes paused slightly, clearly not expecting someone to immediately raise the bid by 50,000 for this niche Material.

Soon, Gu Yang secured the Cold Iron Essence for 230,000 Spirit Crystals.

When the maid delivered the incredibly heavy Cold Iron Essence into the private box, Gu Yang casually took it. Under the maid's astonished gaze, he effortlessly squeezed it, and with a “crunch,” the extremely hard iron essence was actually snapped in half by him and tossed to Er Gou.

Er Gou excitedly bit down, crunching loudly as if chewing rock candy.

“Sir... Sir, that is Cold Iron Essence!” the maid stammered.

“What's wrong with feeding it to a dog? Are you looking down on dogs?” Gu Yang waved his hand calmly.

Just then, the atmosphere below suddenly became solemn and fervent.

Ya Fei's expression also became extremely serious. She took a deep breath and signaled two Nascent Soul Stage strongmen to carry up a huge iron box covered in Talismans.

“Everyone! The final, ultimate centerpiece of this auction—the ‘Ancient heart of the titan’!”

The iron box opened, and a savage, ancient, and suffocatingly heavy pressure instantly swept across the entire venue!

Suspended in the center of the iron box was a heart the size of a millstone, appearing as if cast from pure gold. Although it had lost its life, every faint beat could actually cause the surrounding space to resonate!

Dong! Dong! Dong!

All the Cultivators present felt their heartbeats involuntarily synchronize with the heart. Those with weaker cultivation even turned pale instantly.

“This is the heart of a Titan Giant who reached the Late Void Refining level during its lifetime! It contains the purest ‘Origin of Strength’!”

Ya Fei's voice was trembling, “Starting bid: 3 million Spirit Crystals! Each subsequent bid must not be less than 500,000!”

“3 million!”

“4 million!”

The price instantly broke the 5 million mark.

Gu Yang stared intensely at the golden heart. Every cell in his body roared, and every inch of the Qi and blood in his Divine Demon Golden Body was boiling!

“If I can consume it... my Divine Demon Golden Body will definitely advance to the Second Revolution!”

Gu Yang took a deep breath. He glanced at the less than one million Spirit Crystals remaining in his Storage Pouch, and his expression gradually darkened.

Poor!

He was damn too poor!

“10 million!”

Just then, a man stood up from a huge seat in the front row on the first floor. He was nearly three meters tall, covered in knotted muscles, and resembled a small iron tower.

Every word he spoke seemed to cause thunderous vibrations in the air.

The Young Lord of the Giant Clan—Towering Mountain!

His explosive Qi and blood had clearly reached the threshold of the Soul Transformation Stage, indicating he was also a powerful expert following the path of a Body Cultivator.

“This ‘heart of the titan’ is originally a relic left by my clan's ancestor. Whoever dares to seize it is making an enemy of my Giant Clan!”

Towering Mountain roughly scanned the venue. The astronomical price of 10 million and the Giant Clan's intimidation caused countless old eccentrics who wanted to bid to frown.

“10 million, going once... 10 million, going last time! Sold!”

Ya Fei struck the gavel, her expression somewhat helpless. The Giant Clan was famously known as mad dogs in the Savage Domain, and no one was willing to fight to the death over a defective heart.

Towering Mountain gave a triumphant snort, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked toward the private boxes on the second floor.

Inside the private box.

Gu Yang slowly sat back down on the sofa, a chilling curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

He patted Er Gou's head, his tone calm.

“Er Gou, stop eating. Get ready to work.”

“Since we don't have money in our pockets, we'll just have to let Young Lord Towering Mountain... treat us to a good meal.”