Time was still rewinding, over two years into the past!
“What condition?” Nair asked.
The demon expert replied, “Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with your chastity. You are indeed beautiful and lovely, but I long ago passed the age of being interested in women.”
“What condition?” Nair asked again.
The demon expert said, “I want your loyalty. I want your life and soul to belong to me. You carry the blood of an Ancient Demon, but your cultivation is far too weak. I will find a way to make you powerful, unimaginably powerful. I will forge you into the sharpest blade under my command. Through you, I want to restore the power of the Ancient Demons.”
“And if I refuse?” Nair asked.
“Then I will hand you over to the people of the Divine Dragon Temple intact. Unless there is something of absolute value, no one in this world is willing to become an enemy of the Divine Dragon Temple, myself included. You won’t even be able to blow yourself up.”
Nair tried, only to discover that her body was still completely restrained. She could not move at all.
“Fine, I accept,” Nair said.
The demon expert replied, “Think carefully. When I transform you into an Ancient Demoness, I have no idea what will happen. You may lose your human appearance. You may lose everything.”
“I accept!” Nair declared. “As long as that bastard doesn’t defile me, I’ll accept anything!”
“Very well. Our contract is now complete,” the demon expert said.
Even as they spoke, he continued releasing countless clones to attack Huai Bingyi and Princess Zhiyan.
Hearing their conversation, Huai Bingyi’s expression changed dramatically.
“Your Excellency, leave your name behind. Show us your true face.”
The demon expert laughed.
“You know you can’t stop me, so now you want my name, hoping the Divine Dragon Temple can hunt me down later? Impossible! Hahaha…”
With that, he unleashed another wave of power.
A massive vortex of energy instantly appeared in the sky, spinning faster and faster.
Whoosh!
Nair’s delicate body was swallowed by the vortex and vanished without a trace.
“Farewell, young heroes of the Divine Dragon Temple…”
Moments later, all of the demon expert’s clones disappeared.
Then, his gigantic hundred-metre-tall figure dissolved into ashes and vanished.
The darkened sky returned to normal.
The demon expert had already taken Nair far away.
Although it was around six or seven in the evening and the sun had already set, the Wilderness World remained bright.
Zhiyan and Huai Bingyi looked at the corpses scattered across the ground.
“Who do you think he was?” Huai Bingyi asked.
Princess Zhiyan shook her head.
“I don’t understand the powers of the Demon Race.”
She truly did not. After all, she was not one of the Divine Dragon Temple’s true core disciples.
Huai Bingyi inhaled the lingering energy in the air.
“Someone with power of that level is either one of the princes of the Demon Empire or one of the great Demon Kings of the Southern Wilderness. Whoever he is, the Divine Dragon Temple will eventually find him and demand justice.”
“Let’s go.”
He glanced at Zhuang Zhixuan lying on the ground. After a brief hesitation, he cast a platinum net over her, imprisoning her.
Then he and Princess Zhiyan became two streaks of light and flew rapidly north, carrying Zhuang Zhixuan with them.
…
Time returned to the present, two years later.
At the summit of a mountain ten thousand metres high stood a newly built Hall of Darkness.
An ancient Blood Sacrifice Ceremony was underway.
Following ancient diagrams, the Demon King intended to recreate an Ancient Demoness.
In the centre of the hall was a huge pool filled with blood, endless amounts of blood.
The blood pool gradually began bubbling.
Soon it started boiling.
Dozens of people sat cross-legged around it.
There was a strikingly handsome middle-aged demon, together with dozens of aged elders.
Every pair of eyes was fixed firmly upon the centre of the pool.
Every person present possessed terrifying strength, individuals who could command the winds and clouds in the outside world.
Rumble…
As the blood pool churned, the entire hall trembled.
Clouds gathered overhead.
The sky, bright only moments before, darkened at an astonishing speed.
Eventually it became as dark as night.
The clouds descended lower and lower until they completely covered the mountain peak and the Hall of Darkness.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive bolts of lightning repeatedly struck the blood pool with deafening force.
Everywhere else remained beneath a clear blue sky.
Only the summit had become a scene from the apocalypse.
The handsome demon lord had a vivid crimson birthmark covering nearly half his face, making him appear strangely enchanting.
As excitement filled his heart, the mark grew redder and redder until it seemed ready to bleed.
For this day, he had paid an unimaginable price over the past two years.
To summon the powerful Black Lightning needed to recreate the Ancient Demoness’s body, he had spent enormous resources constructing this Hall of Darkness atop the mountain and building a vast energy array.
The lovely young woman clearly possessed Ancient Demon blood.
Why, then, had she been so weak?
Because she possessed a human body.
Its overwhelming power could not be released. Even the slightest leakage would have reduced her to ashes.
Therefore, she needed an entirely new body.
A true demon body.
Not only that, but through persuasion or coercion, he had gathered more than a hundred of the world’s greatest shaman priests to preside over the Blood Sacrifice Ceremony.
To contain the demonic blood’s power, he had spent countless spirit crystals creating the blood pool.
The greatest cost of all had been slaughtering thousands of powerful demons and thousands of high-bloodline magical beasts, filling the pool with their blood.
After sacrificing so much, there was only one goal.
To recreate an Ancient Demoness.
The true demons had disappeared countless ages ago.
No genuine demons remained anywhere in the world.
Thus, the former Demon Kings had become Barbarian Kings.
The once-proud Demon Race now lived beneath the Divine Dragon Temple, forced to sign one humiliating treaty after another.
The Northern Wilderness had already completely fallen.
The families of the Five Demon Kings had almost been exterminated by the Demon Emperor.
After conquering the north, the Demon Empire was established.
Bound by the Ten Thousand Mountains Treaty with the Divine Dragon Temple, they dared not advance northward and instead turned their ambitions towards the Southern Wilderness.
Despite this looming crisis, the Eight Demon Kings of the south remained divided and complacent.
To resist both the Divine Dragon Temple and the Demon Empire, the Southern Wilderness first had to be united into a single, powerful demon empire.
Otherwise, once those two forces joined hands to invade, it would spell the complete destruction of every southern demon.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lightning flashed.
The earth shook.
Under the crushing pressure of overwhelming power, the Hall of Darkness began splitting apart inch by inch.
“Your Majesty, the time has come!”
An elderly shaman cried out.
The Demon King’s eyes trembled.
Blood truly began flowing from the crimson mark upon his face.
“The Blood Sacrifice Ceremony begins!”
With a shout, he drew a dagger and slashed open his wrist.
Blood sprayed into the pool.
The other powerful shamans immediately cut themselves as well, letting their blood flow into the blood pool.
Meanwhile, powerful demon warriors entered the hall one after another.
Each warrior’s eyes glowed crimson with fanatic devotion, as though they had completely lost their minds.
Upon reaching the edge of the blood pool…
Boom!
Lightning struck.
Their bodies exploded into dust.
Only their blood, carrying concentrated demonic power, splashed into the pool.
One after another, the warriors stepped forward.
One after another, they perished.
Only the powerful bloodline energy within their blood remained behind.
To recreate the Ancient Demoness, the Demon King had truly paid an unimaginable price.
Every one of these warriors was an elite.
Every one possessed strength beyond that of a Great Demon Warrior.
Yet now they existed only as sacrifices, offering their blood to empower the Ancient Demoness lying within the pool.
And this was on top of the blood from thousands of demon warriors and countless powerful magical beasts already filling it.
“Release!”
With a command, the Demon King and dozens of shamans unleashed their immense power.
The endless energy of demonic blood poured into the woman’s body.
Lightning continued striking from above.
More elite warriors walked into the hall.
More were reduced to dust.
More blood entered the pool.
The Demon King and the shamans poured both their blood and their power into the Ancient Demoness.
The Demon King remained unharmed.
The shamans gradually reached their limits.
Pfft!
One elderly shaman spat blood and collapsed dead.
“When you’ve travelled ninety miles of a hundred, you’re only halfway done! We’ve reached the final moment. No one must give up!” the Demon King roared.
The remaining shamans continued their desperate ritual.
Outside, more Great Demon Warriors entered to sacrifice their lives.
Yet the Ancient Demoness remained completely motionless.
The Demon King’s face twitched.
Could it fail?
Had two years of effort, countless lives, and unimaginable resources all been wasted?
He truly did not know whether he could survive such failure.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The lightning reached its most violent state.
A shaman cried out shakily,
“Your Majesty… the Black Lightning is ending…”
The Black Lightning was essential.
Its energy was needed to complete the reconstruction of the Ancient Demoness’s body.
To summon it, the Demon King had built this Hall of Darkness atop the ten-thousand-metre peak.
Only after consuming countless spirit crystals had the great formation finally drawn the lightning here.
If it disappeared now, recreating it would require another location overflowing with energy, another enormous hall, another vast quantity of spirit crystals, and another year and a half of preparation.
In other words…
If the ceremony failed today, it could not be attempted again for years.
“No! Absolutely not! I don’t have years left!”
“Your Majesty! Just a little more! Just a little!”
The Demon King gritted his teeth.
Suddenly, he drove a Dragon Gold Sword straight into his own heart.
Purple demonic blood burst forth, splashing into the blood pool.
Then…
The Black Lightning ceased.
The clouds dispersed.
The sky became bright once again.
Yet the blood pool remained perfectly still.
The Demon King’s face twisted in agony.
He had even sacrificed his own pure demon blood.
Why had it still failed?
Was Heaven truly going to punish him like this?
Despair nearly consumed him.
Then…
The blood pool suddenly erupted into violent turbulence.
The crimson colour rapidly disappeared.
It was as though some enormous force was devouring every drop of energy within the pool.
Just like Dragon Flame boiling the Sea of Blood, every trace of demonic bloodline energy condensed and surged towards the woman’s heart.
The blood pool quickly became transparent.
The water boiled violently.
Blood mist filled the air.
The mountain summit, which had only just returned to daylight, was swallowed by darkness once again.
This darkness was so complete that one could not even see a hand before one’s face.
The Demon King and the shamans watched without breathing.
After nearly fifteen minutes…
The darkness disappeared.
Light returned to the Hall of Darkness.
The blood pool was now completely transparent.
Not a trace of blood remained.
The water was crystal clear, perhaps the purest water in the world.
A peerless beauty lay silently at the centre of the pool.
She possessed the most beautiful face imaginable.
She had the perfect, seductive figure.
Her body was covered in a close-fitting suit of crimson blood armour that wrapped tightly around her alluring form.
Her feet had become demon hooves.
A pair of crimson wings extended from her back.
Her hair flowed like blazing fire.
The blood armour covering her legs bore patterns resembling lightning.
The Demon King’s body trembled.
His lips quivered.
Had he succeeded?
Had he finally succeeded?
Had he truly recreated an Ancient Demoness through countless sacrifices, immeasurable cost, and the ancient Blood Sacrifice Ceremony?
At that moment…
The Demoness slowly opened her eyes.
They were as enchanting as fire.
As deep and captivating as the sea.
She rose to her feet.
Confusion filled her gaze as she looked around.
Her eyes were as innocent as a newborn child’s.
She spread her wings…
And slowly floated into the air.
“Where is this? Who am I?” the Ancient Demoness asked coldly.
Her voice was icy, yet irresistibly enchanting.
It carried both supreme arrogance and an almost hypnotic magnetism. Simply hearing it was enough to make people lose themselves.
The Demon King gazed at her breathtakingly beautiful face in fascination.
The look in his eyes was not born of lust between a man and a woman, but of something deeper and nobler.
According to the ancient secret art, he had finally succeeded.
He had finally recreated an Ancient Demon.
Her eyes, her cloven hooves, her uniquely enchanting beauty, even the wings on her back, were unlike anything else in the entire Wilderness World.
The descendants of demons still had fliers and winged races.
But their wings had long since evolved to resemble those of birds or bats.
They no longer resembled the wings of true demons.
Real demon wings were far more magnificent and majestic, existing somewhere between flesh and pure energy, just like the pair before him now.
“You are my daughter,” the Demon King said.
“Princess Diyan.”
One of the shaman priests beside him trembled slightly.
The Demon King had once truly had a daughter named Diyan.
She had died young in a great tragedy.
Her death remained the deepest wound in his heart.
Of course, Diyan here was only a given name, not a family name.
Among the royal families of the Wilderness World, only one person possessed a surname.
The King.
Once someone became King, he no longer needed a personal name.
He alone inherited the royal surname.
In the northern Demon Empire, however, Di was the imperial family name.
Every member of the imperial family bore it.
Di Motuo, Prince Di Sha, Princess Di Na Xue, and so on.
Suddenly, the Demon King realised something was wrong.
The Ancient Demoness did not seem overwhelmingly powerful.
That should have been impossible.
To make her incomparably strong, he had built the Hall of Darkness, summoned the Black Lightning, slaughtered thousands, sacrificed over a hundred Great Demon Warriors, and even pierced his own heart to offer his own demon blood.
The bloodline energy of thousands of demon warriors had all been concentrated into this single Ancient Demoness.
Why, then, did she not seem powerful at all?
“Diyan,” the Demon King said.
“Strike me with your palm.”
The Ancient Demoness obeyed.
She struck out with a simple palm.
There was no energy.
Only raw physical strength.
Roughly five or six thousand pounds of force.
The Demon King’s entire body turned cold.
“Impossible… this shouldn’t be happening. She should be unimaginably powerful. Why is her cultivation even weaker than before the transformation?”
For an Ancient Demon, five or six thousand pounds of force was equivalent to having no cultivation at all.
It was merely the strength of a physical body starting from nothing.
The Demon King had paid such a terrible price to recreate an incomparably powerful Ancient Demoness.
Instead, her cultivation had become even weaker than before.
It was like being struck by lightning.
He calmed himself, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed her.
He immediately detected an overwhelming source of energy.
It radiated from the deepest part of her bloodline.
Then why…
Why was her cultivation so low?
“Your Majesty,” an extremely elderly shaman said softly, “perhaps we were only lacking one final step. In truth, we never fully completed the Blood Sacrifice Ceremony. The Wilderness World is no longer what it was in ancient times. We could no longer summon enough Black Lightning. In the end, the Ancient Demoness only took shape because you sacrificed your pure demon blood. We completed the reconstruction, but we failed to complete the Nirvana.”
The reconstruction had successfully created the body and bloodline of an Ancient Demon.
But the final fusion between body and bloodline, the true Nirvana, had never been completed.
The Demon King frowned.
“But this was already the place with the richest concentration of energy we could find.”
“It still wasn’t enough,” the elderly shaman replied.
“The true Demon Race has been extinct for tens of thousands of years. We only completed ninety-nine per cent of the ritual.”
The Demon King looked at the Ancient Demoness.
Her face was incomparably enchanting.
Yet her eyes remained as innocent as a baby’s.
The old shaman continued,
“All of her immense power is now sealed within her Ancient Demon bloodline. It requires an overwhelmingly powerful force to awaken it and complete her body’s final Nirvana.”
The Demon King’s eyes narrowed.
“Nirvana Blood?”
“Yes,” the old shaman answered.
“Ancient Nirvana Blood. Many people believe it changes one’s bloodline talent. That isn’t true. It merely awakens the full potential that already exists.”
The Demon King immediately gave the order.
“Search the entire world. You must find the Nirvana Blood, whatever the cost!”
“Yes!”
The dozens of shamans answered in unison.
They rose, left the crumbling Hall of Darkness, mounted their beasts, and departed in every direction.
The Demon King continued gazing at the Ancient Demoness.
After a long silence, he sighed.
“Diyan… even if… you can never complete your final Nirvana… I’ll accept it. I’ll simply treat it as though my daughter has returned to life.”
The Ancient Demoness seemed not to hear him.
She spread her wings, flew out of the Hall of Darkness, and circled through the sky.
Her gaze overlooked everything beneath her.
It was a gaze that seemed to scorn the entire world.
…
Rakshasa City.
Heaven and Earth Pavilion.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The monthly grand auction of Heaven and Earth Pavilion officially began.
Lan Ling entered carrying 150,000 gold coins.
He had only one objective.
The Ghost King’s Eye.
He was almost the first person to arrive.
Over the next fifteen minutes, guests gradually filled the hall.
Only here, at this grand auction, could one truly witness the dominant status of the Rakshasa Clan.
Everyone attending was undoubtedly someone of great importance.
Lan Ling noticed that every single guest belonged to the Rakshasa Clan.
Naturally, he recognised none of them.
Nor did they greet one another.
Each entered in silence and took their seat with icy indifference.
To Lan Ling’s slight embarrassment, most of those attending were women.
The white-haired, youthful-looking chief manager walked onto the stage.
“Today, Heaven and Earth Pavilion is honoured by the presence of the Eighteenth Consort of the Young Barbarian King. Please rise to welcome Her Highness.”
Immediately, every distinguished guest stood.
Several barbarian warriors entered and guarded every entrance.
They watched everyone coldly.
Then four maids escorted an elegantly dressed woman into the hall.
Lan Ling struggled to hide the shock in his eyes.
His pupils still contracted.
The woman was Nini’an.
Constantine’s daughter.
Nini’an.
“Greetings, Eighteenth Consort.”
Everyone present respectfully knelt on one knee.
Only now did Lan Ling truly understand that Nini’an had risen to unimaginable heights.
Even as merely the Young Barbarian King’s eighteenth concubine, her status was supreme.
Yet he could not understand it.
Why had she been chosen?
In terms of status, she was merely a tribal chief’s daughter.
In terms of beauty, she could not compare with Madam Sisi, nor even Gou Fu’s wife, Ali.
To be blunt, among the women present today, Lan Ling could already identify at least four or five who were more beautiful than Nini’an.
Was it because Constantine had provided a dowry of 130,000 gold coins?
Previously, Lan Ling might have believed so.
But after arriving in Rakshasa City, that idea completely vanished.
The Rakshasa King possessed limitless wealth.
Constantine’s 130,000 gold coins meant absolutely nothing to him.
Whether considering status or beauty, Nini’an simply did not qualify to become the Young Barbarian King’s wife, even as his eighteenth concubine.
Her greatest strengths were her scheming mind and her ability to put on appearances.
After entering, she merely glanced around, gave the slightest nod without greeting anyone, and took her seat.
Lan Ling noticed something else.
She did not appear especially favoured.
At the very least, she had come alone.
The Young Barbarian King had not accompanied her.
He wondered which treasure she had come to acquire.
He was not worried that she would recognise him.
That was impossible.
The Transformation Pill had not only changed him into a Rakshasa.
It had also allowed him to conceal his energy aura completely with his spiritual power.
If Nini’an possessed cultivation powerful enough to see through that disguise, she would never have needed to marry someone else’s eighteenth concubine.
…
There were no unnecessary formalities.
The chief manager immediately announced the start of the auction.
“The first treasure is a Platinum Dagger.”
A female warrior displayed its astonishing craftsmanship and sharpness.
It was dazzling.
So white it was almost transparent.
It was incredibly light, weighing only a few taels.
Its sharpness was extraordinary.
A maid with no martial cultivation effortlessly cut through a hundred-pound greatsword.
Then she pierced a thick suit of armour with ease.
“The opening bid is 8,000 gold coins. Bidding begins.”
“11,000!”
“12,000!”
“13,000!”
Just as the chief manager had predicted, although platinum daggers were not exceptionally rare, they were always popular.
The competitive atmosphere of the auction quickly drove the price upward.
“14,000!”
A richly dressed Rakshasa noble made the bid.
The price had already risen more than twenty per cent above market value.
No one bid again.
The dagger went to the young Rakshasa warrior.
Lan Ling noticed the banner emblem engraved on the man’s sword.
He was likely related to one of the Banner Lords.
An ordinary chief’s son would never spend 14,000 gold coins on a platinum dagger.
After all, it was only a dagger, not a proper sword.
Its practical value in battle was limited.
“Sold for 14,000 gold coins!”
The chief manager struck the hammer.
Lan Ling’s platinum dagger had successfully opened the auction with an excellent price.
She continued,
“The second treasure…”
She deliberately paused.
“…is a Youth Pill.”
The entire hall erupted.
For countless women, the Youth Pill was a dream beyond compare.
Take it, and you instantly became twenty years younger.
The cost…
Ten years of your lifespan.
It sounded miraculous.
And terrifying.
Most women would refuse if actually forced to choose.
Yet that did nothing to diminish their longing for it.
“As everyone knows,” the chief manager continued, “no one has been capable of refining Youth Pills for over two hundred years. Every remaining pill is irreplaceable, making its value obvious.”
She hardly needed to explain.
Every woman already knew how precious it was.
“The opening bid is 30,000 gold coins. Each increase may not exceed ten per cent. Bidding begins.”
Silence.
No one spoke.
Although only three days had passed, Heaven and Earth Pavilion had already spread news of the Youth Pill throughout the entire city.
Nearly every noble Rakshasa woman knew it would be auctioned today.
Half a minute passed.
Still no bids.
Lan Ling felt his heart sink slightly.
It reminded him of certain Japanese shops.
Young women would become overwhelmed with excitement after discovering a beautifully crafted figure.
They would admire it endlessly, praising its beauty as though they would happily pay three times the price.
Yet after taking turns holding it…
They simply walked away.
Not even a discount could persuade them to buy it.
The Youth Pill was much the same.
Its appearance caused a sensation.
Everyone desired it.
Very few were actually willing to purchase it.
The chief manager smiled.
“If no one bids, I shall declare it unsold and auction it again next month.”
At that moment, someone raised a hand.
“30,000 gold coins.”
The woman was hidden beneath a black cloak.
Her face could not be seen.
Only the graceful outline of her figure suggested she was female.
Her voice revealed that she was no longer young.
She deliberately sounded casual.
As though she were merely thinking,
“Since no one else wants it at this price, I may as well take it.”
Yet Lan Ling easily noticed her controlled breathing and racing heartbeat.
She desperately wanted the pill.
She simply feared revealing her true intentions.
She had even waited until the auction was about to fail before bidding.
Unfortunately for her…
Someone else had exactly the same idea.
“33,000.”
Another woman raised her hand.
She was very young.
And breathtakingly beautiful.
She, too, belonged to the Rakshasa Clan.
Like Di Na, she had removed her tail, making the curves of her waist and hips exceptionally alluring.
The moment she spoke, every eye turned towards her.
No one could look away.
She was stunning.
Far more beautiful than Nini’an.
In Lan Ling’s opinion, she rivalled Gui Qinshao and Yan Nair.
Of course…
Nair remained the loveliest woman in the world.
In his heart, she would always be the most beautiful.
Yet among all the beauties gathered today, this elegantly dressed woman undoubtedly deserved first place.
Both her beauty and figure completely surpassed Nini’an’s.
The two women immediately entered a fierce bidding war.
Their bids came almost without pause.
The contrast with their earlier caution could not have been greater.
“36,000!”
“40,000!”
“50,000!”
“80,000!”
The auction reached a frenzy almost instantly.
Though only two women were competing, the atmosphere became electric.
Seeing the price leap to 80,000 gold coins, the older woman looked ready to collapse.
She stood.
“Young lady… you are still young. My youth has already passed. I desperately need this Youth Pill. Without it… I will lose everything. I may even die. Please… let me have it.”
Then she called out,
“90,000 gold coins!”
The beautiful woman rose and returned the courtesy with a sorrowful smile.
“You called me younger sister… but perhaps I’m actually older than you.”
Everyone stared.
She continued,
“I’ve already taken a Youth Pill once before. Once I lose my beauty and youth again… I’d rather die.”
Then she made her offer.
“130,000 gold coins.”
After speaking, she added,
“That is every coin I possess. I cannot offer even one more. If she bids higher, I’ll leave immediately. When the Youth Pill finally wears off… I’ll drink poison and end my life.”
The older woman looked at her sadly.
“We are both unfortunate women. I hope the next twenty years bring you happiness. As for me… I’ll take my leave.”
She staggered away.
Thus…
The second treasure provided by Lan Ling, the Youth Pill, sold for the astonishing price of 130,000 gold coins.
It was an enormous fortune.
The chief manager sighed softly before looking towards Lan Ling.
“Now we proceed to the third treasure.”
“The Brilliant Star Tear.”
Finally…
It was Lan Ling’s true objective.
The Ghost King’s Eye.
The chief manager had previously explained that although the Brilliant Star Tear, also known as the Ghost King’s Eye, had once been valued by many people, it had also become infamous.
Many believed it concealed the key to an ancient treasure and contained mysterious spiritual power.
For that reason, it had once sold for astronomical prices.
However, every owner who had possessed it over the years had met with terrible misfortune.
It gradually earned the reputation of being a cursed object.
For nearly a year, it had failed to sell at every monthly auction.
Yet its owner stubbornly refused to lower the opening price below 130,000 gold coins.
Lan Ling had therefore expected to purchase it at the reserve price.
Sure enough, when the chief manager announced the Brilliant Star Tear, the entire audience relaxed.
Everyone settled back, clearly expecting another failed auction.
“The Brilliant Star Tear. Opening bid, 130,000 gold coins. Each increase must be at least 1,000.”
Lan Ling had no intention of playing psychological games.
He immediately prepared to raise his bidding paddle.
“130,000!”
Someone was faster.
It was Nini’an.
The chief manager froze.
She had assumed no one would bid, allowing Lan Ling to purchase it at the reserve price.
She had never expected the first bidder to be the Young Barbarian King’s eighteenth consort.
Lan Ling was equally shocked.
What was Nini’an doing?
Why did she want the Ghost King’s Eye?
Had she recognised him and deliberately chosen to interfere?
Impossible.
If she had discovered his identity, she would have ordered her guards to kill him on the spot.
There could only be one explanation.
She wanted the Ghost King’s Eye for her own reasons.
Most likely…
Those reasons involved the Ghost Domain.
Lan Ling had guessed correctly.
After arriving in Rakshasa City, Nini’an had been completely overwhelmed.
She had delivered the 130,000-gold-coin dowry without even seeing the Young Barbarian King.
There were countless women competing to become his concubines.
Every tribal chief in the Rakshasa lands wanted to marry off a daughter.
It was not officially a beauty selection.
Yet it resembled one in every way.
And her dowry was hardly exceptional.
Many women had brought far larger ones.
Furthermore, the Young Barbarian King cared nothing for money.
The stories about enormous dowries existed only because corrupt officials wished to line their own pockets.
On the day Nini’an offered herself, there had been over thirty competitors.
She had been examined from head to toe by several older women.
Every inch of her body had been inspected.
Her face.
Her figure.
Her skeleton.
Her bloodline.
Even her most intimate areas.
Everything was evaluated.
Among all thirty competitors…
Her overall score ranked nineteenth.
Exactly nineteenth.
Her figure had boosted her ranking.
Judging by beauty alone, she would have ranked even lower.
At the time…
She had nearly despaired.
The Young Barbarian King had not accepted a concubine for six months.
Even first place might not be chosen.
What chance did nineteenth have?
Yet that very night…
Female guards from the Young Barbarian King’s residence collected her.
After a simple ceremony…
She became his concubine.
To this day, she had no idea why she had been selected.
By every standard…
She should have failed.
It felt as though Heaven itself had favoured her.
From that moment onwards…
Her life completely changed.
Wherever she walked in Rakshasa City, everyone treated her with the utmost respect.
Yet…
That was all.
She never again saw either the Rakshasa King or even her own husband after the wedding night.
She had hoped to speak on behalf of her father.
At the very least, she wanted Constantine to become leader of the Silver Alliance.
But she dared not rush matters.
The greatest obstacle was simple.
She could not even see the Young Barbarian King.
As his concubine, she lived alone in a castle.
Dozens of guards.
Dozens of maids.
Every one obeyed only her.
During the entire month…
She had not even met the Young Barbarian King’s principal wife.
The day after their wedding, the Young Barbarian King returned her entire dowry of 130,000 gold coins.
He even granted her another 30,000.
Thereafter, she would receive 3,000 gold coins every month.
It was the height of luxury.
She once owned only a single silk dress.
One that Lan Ling had torn apart.
Now she possessed endless silks and jewels.
She had more money than she could ever spend.
Her vanity had been completely satisfied.
Lan Ling had almost vanished from her thoughts.
In every possible way…
The Young Barbarian King surpassed him.
Appearance.
Status.
Power.
Martial strength.
Compared with him, Lan Ling was less than dirt beneath his feet.
Even more importantly…
Once she married into the royal family, everything changed for Constantine.
The leader of the Silver Alliance personally visited the Chimera Tribe.
So did many other tribal chiefs.
They brought priceless gifts.
The Silver Alliance even promised to supply the Chimera Tribe with fifty thousand jin of salt every year, free of charge.
Most astonishingly…
Even the Black Banner Lord sent disciples to pay respects to Chief Constantine.
The Banner Lord, ruler over more than a hundred tribes and a million square kilometres, had once been utterly beyond reach.
Now even he sought Constantine’s friendship.
It perfectly illustrated the saying,
“When one person rises to power, everyone connected to them benefits.”
Yet all of this came at a cost.
Loneliness.
Waiting.
Every night Nini’an waited for the Young Barbarian King to visit her.
No…
She no longer liked calling him that.
To her, he was the Little Rakshasa King.
The greatest man in the world should never bear the title “Barbarian.”
Yet after their wedding night…
He never returned.
She wanted revenge.
She wanted her father to destroy Lan Ling.
But she could not even meet her husband.
How could she possibly whisper suggestions into his ear?
Still…
Even as a mere concubine, her status remained supreme.
She possessed no authority to command troops outside her own residence.
But she could ask questions.
She could seek knowledge.
The shaman priests of Rakshasa City were famously proud.
Yet none dared refuse her.
Because within these twenty million square kilometres…
The Rakshasa Royal Family ruled like gods.
Though Nini’an occupied the lowest rank among them…
She still could not be offended.
One elderly shaman eventually told her that the Ghost Domain was most likely a spiritual illusion.
To overcome it, one simply needed an object containing immense spiritual power.
He then told her about the Brilliant Star Tear.
Although it was cursed and could gradually confuse its owner’s mind…
It was unquestionably one of the greatest spiritual treasures in existence.
She asked whether it could break the illusions of the Ghost Domain.
The answer was yes.
Its spiritual power could create an enormous protective barrier inside the illusion.
Within that barrier…
No one would be affected by the Ghost Domain’s illusions.
Initially, Nini’an intended to order Heaven and Earth Pavilion to hand it over immediately.
Her attendants quickly warned her.
If she requested it, they would indeed present it to her free of charge.
However…
The Little Rakshasa King would dislike such behaviour.
To Nini’an, he had become her entire world.
Pleasing him was her highest priority.
She therefore chose to attend the auction personally instead.
Unfortunately…
That made her Lan Ling’s greatest obstacle.
If she obtained the Ghost King’s Eye, Constantine would be able to break the Ghost Domain’s illusion.
Lan Ling’s Flame Demon Tribe numbered barely a thousand people.
Even with miraculous abilities…
They could never withstand Constantine’s army of thirty thousand.
They would be annihilated.
The Flame Demon Tribe would perish before it had even truly begun.
…
After Nini’an placed her bid…
The chief manager’s face turned pale.
She looked apologetically at Lan Ling and subtly signalled to him.
Then…
She actually prepared to strike the hammer immediately.
To Heaven and Earth Pavilion, the Rakshasa Royal Family’s interest in any treasure was the highest honour imaginable.
The royal family had never abused their authority.
They never demanded gifts.
In fact, the Pavilion had always struggled to find opportunities to flatter them.
Though Nini’an occupied the lowest edge of the royal family…
She was still someone they desperately wished to please.
The chief manager had already decided.
After declaring the sale, she would return all 130,000 gold coins and present the Brilliant Star Tear as a gift.
Just then…
A fat, imposing middle-aged Rakshasa hurried into the hall.
He knelt before Nini’an.
“Greetings, Eighteenth Consort. Your honoured presence brings immeasurable glory to Heaven and Earth Pavilion.”
He was none other than the Pavilion’s owner.
Moments like these filled Nini’an with incomparable satisfaction.
She lazily waved a hand.
“You may rise.”
The Pavilion owner stood, walked onto the stage, carefully wrapped the Ghost King’s Eye himself, and respectfully presented it to her with both hands.
This truly was a rise to the heavens.
Lan Ling had needed to produce three priceless treasures, attract the Pavilion’s attention, and wait three days just to participate in the auction.
He could not even buy it in advance.
Yet all Nini’an had to do…
Was appear.
The Pavilion owner personally knelt before her.
Even the payment seemed likely to be waived.
All because she had become the Little Rakshasa King’s eighteenth concubine.
What exactly had the Little Rakshasa King seen in her?
As Nini’an reached out to accept the Ghost King’s Eye…
Lan Ling could no longer remain silent.
“131,000 gold coins.”
The entire hall fell silent.
The atmosphere instantly became icy.
Every eye turned towards him.
The warriors beside Nini’an narrowed their eyes.
The Little Rakshasa King’s household followed strict rules and never seized property by force.
Yet the Eighteenth Consort had personally attended the auction.
Someone still dared bid against her?
Did this man truly disregard the dignity of the Rakshasa Royal Family?
The Pavilion owner shot an icy glance at the chief manager.
She immediately dropped to her knees.
“Your servant deserves punishment… Your servant deserves punishment…”
The Pavilion owner turned coldly towards Lan Ling.
“Sir, Heaven and Earth Pavilion no longer welcomes you. Please leave.”
At once…
More than a dozen powerful auras emerged from the surrounding darkness.
At least fifteen Great Demon Warriors surrounded Lan Ling with hostile intent.
What rotten luck.
Fighting was out of the question.
Was the Rakshasa Royal Family truly so overbearing?
Could even the eighteenth concubine not be challenged?
Was he really supposed to watch the Ghost King’s Eye fall into Nini’an’s hands?
Watch Constantine obtain it?
Watch the Flame Demon Tribe be destroyed?
If Constantine acquired the Ghost King’s Eye, it would not merely solve Mirror Demon King’s lack of spiritual power.
It would allow him to break the Ghost Domain’s illusion completely.
Just then…
A hoarse voice echoed through the hall.
“Since when does Heaven and Earth Pavilion drive away paying customers?”
The voice was strangely androgynous.
Someone slowly stood.
The figure removed their hood.
Yet their face remained hidden behind a golden mask.
Instantly…
The Pavilion owner trembled.
Without saying another word, he dropped to both knees and pressed his forehead to the floor.
Everyone else followed.
When Nini’an had entered, everyone had knelt on one knee.
Now…
Everyone prostrated themselves completely.
Even the warriors beside Nini’an.
One female guard quietly tugged at Nini’an’s dress.
Only then did Nini’an realise what was happening.
She hurriedly knelt as well.
“Greetings, Princess Shayan!”
The masked figure was Princess Shayan.
Daughter of the Rakshasa King.
When she had been born, her cries were naturally hoarse.
Thus the Rakshasa King had named her Shayan.
Nini’an, as merely the eighteenth concubine, occupied the very fringe of the royal family.
Princess Shayan, however…
Was true royalty.
Princess Shayan glanced around coldly.
“If this is an auction, then let it remain fair. Do not disgrace the reputation of the Rakshasa Clan.”
“Yes.”
The Pavilion owner kowtowed.
“Continue.”
Princess Shayan spoke.
…
After the disturbance, the auction resumed.
“131,000 gold coins,” Lan Ling called.
“140,000,” Nini’an replied through gritted teeth.
“150,000,” Lan Ling answered.
“160,000.”
Nini’an refused to give up.
But this was her limit.
Her original 130,000 gold coins.
Plus the 30,000 gifted by the Little Rakshasa King.
Exactly 160,000.
“161,000 gold coins.”
Although Lan Ling personally carried only 150,000 gold coins, his first two auction items had already earned him over 140,000 more.
Combined with the Nirvana Blood, still waiting as the final auction item, bidding 161,000 presented no difficulty.
Nini’an wanted to explode in anger.
Her face became extremely ugly.
But…
She did not dare.
Everything she possessed depended upon borrowed authority.
With Princess Shayan personally overseeing the auction…
No one would bend the rules.
“My Lady,” a middle-aged female guard whispered, “we can always find him afterwards and take the Brilliant Star Tear from him.”
Nini’an reluctantly gave up.
The chief manager struck the hammer.
The Brilliant Star Tear belonged to Lan Ling.
At last…
Lan Ling had obtained the Ghost King’s Eye.