Chapter 426: Snatching the Divine Iron, the World-Spanning Jianmu

Three days later, Tianbao City.

Zhou Chen stood with his hands behind his back beneath the city gate, looking up at the magnificent city floating above the sea of clouds.

This city was one of the largest commercial hubs in the Spirit Realm. Its city walls soared into the clouds, inscribed with dense ancient formation patterns that radiated heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.

Within the city, Immortal Qi intertwined with the mundane bustle of life; every day, more than ten million Cultivators passed through.

Zhou Chen followed the crowd through the city gates, met by a wave of clamor and heat.

Along the sides of the wide streets, stalls were lined up in rows, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares were endless.

"Freshly unearthed Low Grade Immortal Rank Spirit Medicine! Come take a look, only ten thousand immortal crystals!"

"Ancestral Top-Grade Magic Treasure! Don't miss out on this shop!"

"Fragmented True Immortal Realm Cultivation Technique! For those destined to have it, price is negotiable!"

Zhou Chen's gaze swept over them, his heart as calm as still water.

These things no longer caught his eye.

He walked straight through the crowded streets toward the most grand building in the city center.

The Tianbao Auction House.

The entire building occupied a radius of a thousand feet, crafted entirely from an unknown jade that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, possessing a majestic Aura.

At the entrance, two guards in uniform armor stood solemnly. Their breathing was steady; they were actually powerful experts of the Quasi-Immortal Realm Ninth Layer.

Zhou Chen casually handed over an invitation.

The guard’s Divine Sense swept over it, and his indifferent expression immediately turned respectful. He bowed and said, "Welcome, True Immortal Senior. Please, come inside."

Zhou Chen nodded slightly and stepped inside.

The auction hall was extremely vast and was already buzzing with people, with every seat occupied.

Looking around, at least a thousand Cultivators had gathered. The lowest cultivation level was the Quasi-Immortal Realm Fifth Layer, and there were many True Immortal Realm experts with deep Auras among them.

Zhou Chen sat down casually in an inconspicuous corner in the back row.

With a thought, he quietly activated the Divine Concealment Art. His Aura instantly withdrew, making him appear unremarkable. In the eyes of others, he was just an ordinary Quasi-Immortal Realm Fifth Layer Cultivator.

Before long, the auction officially began.

An enchanting woman in red robes stepped onto the high stage. She looked around the room, her voice carrying a unique charm.

"Fellow Daoists, welcome to the Tianbao Auction House."

"The rules of this auction are the same as always: the highest bidder wins."

"Without further ado, let us bring out the first item."

A maid gracefully walked onto the stage carrying a jade tray.

"Low Grade Immortal Rank Spirit Medicine, Seven-Star Grass. Starting bid is ten thousand immortal crystals."

"Twenty thousand!"

"Thirty thousand!"

…

The price was quickly pushed up to a hundred thousand immortal crystals.

Zhou Chen leaned back in his chair, resting with his eyes closed, showing no interest in these appetizers.

Time passed bit by bit.

Item after item was presented and auctioned off.

Spirit Medicine, Medicinal Pills, Cultivation Techniques, and Magic Treasures—a dazzling array of goods.

But Zhou Chen didn't see anything he wanted.

Two hours later, the smile on the red-robed woman's face deepened.

"Next will be the three finale items of this auction."

She paused for a moment, deliberately creating a tense atmosphere, and the mood of the entire auction immediately heated up.

"The first one!"

The maid returned to the stage, this time with the tray covered by a red cloth, making it look exceptionally mysterious.

The moment the red cloth was pulled away, a heavy, ancient, and primitive Aura instantly filled the entire venue!

On the tray lay a palm-sized piece of black metal, its surface covered in naturally formed profound patterns, as if it contained the ultimate truths of heaven and earth.

"Top-Grade Immortal Rank spiritual material, chaos divine iron!"

"A supreme material for refining a Lifebound Treasure! Starting bid: ten million low-grade immortal crystals!"

As the words fell, the entire auction house sank into a deathly silence.

Countless burning gazes were fixed on the black metal, and the sound of breathing became heavy.

chaos divine iron!

Such a divine object was enough to make even an Immortal King green with envy!

After a brief silence, the frantic bidding began!

"Fifteen million!"

"Twenty million!"

"I bid thirty million!"

The price was like a runaway horse, skyrocketing and breaking the fifty million mark in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Chen remained seated, his expression unchanged.

Soon, when the price climbed to eighty million, there were very few people left who could still bid.

Just then, a slightly arrogant and indifferent voice came from a VIP box on the second floor.

"One hundred million."

The hall erupted in an uproar, and everyone's eyes turned toward the source.

A young man dressed in a Flowing Cloud Embroidered Immortal Robe sat there with a proud expression. He was the direct descendant of the Primordial Immortal Clan, Gu Ming.

One hundred million immortal crystals!

This price made ninety-nine percent of the people in the hall hesitate.

The red-robed woman scanned the room with a professional smile. "The Gu Family Young Lord has bid one hundred million. Is there anyone higher?"

"One hundred million once."

"One hundred million twice…"

Just as the auction hammer was about to fall.

From the corner, a calm voice without the slightest ripple rang out.

"Two hundred million."

Even the red-robed woman couldn't help but open her mouth slightly.

Boom!

The entire venue instantly exploded!

Everyone turned their heads sharply, looking toward the dark corner.

Gu Ming's brow furrowed deeply, his gaze like a knife shooting toward Zhou Chen, filled with scrutiny and displeasure.

"Three hundred million."

He spoke coldly, a hint of chill in his voice.

Zhou Chen didn't even lift his eyelids and continued to bid.

"Four hundred million."

Gu Ming's face darkened. He hadn't expected a nobody sitting in a corner to dare provoke him again and again.

"Five hundred million."

Gu Ming's voice now carried undisguised killing intent.

However, Zhou Chen seemed not to notice, a light smile playing on his lips.

"One billion."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

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

Everyone looked as if they had been hit by a freezing spell, staring blankly at Zhou Chen.

One billion… immortal crystals?

What kind of concept was that? Even if some True Immortal Realm experts were completely drained of their assets, they might not be able to scrape together that number!

Who exactly was this person? Some hidden old monster? Or the descendant of a power even more terrifying than the Gu Family?

In the second-floor VIP box, Gu Ming's face had turned completely black, and veins throbbed at his temples.

He glared at Zhou Chen as if he wanted to swallow him alive.

"You… who exactly are you?"

Zhou Chen finally stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his robes, and gave him a faint glance.

"None of your business."

After saying that, he looked at the red-robed woman on the stage.

"You can drop the hammer now."

"Ah… oh!" The red-robed woman snapped out of her daze and hurriedly raised the auction hammer, her voice trembling slightly.

"One billion once!"

"One billion twice!"

"One billion thrice!"

"Clang!"

"Sold!"

Under countless gazes mixed with awe, greed, and confusion, Zhou Chen slowly walked up to the auction stage and casually tossed out a Storage Ring.

The red-robed woman's Divine Sense probed inside, and after confirming it was correct, she respectfully handed the chaos divine iron to Zhou Chen with both hands.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for snatching Gu Ming's Opportunity.]

[Congratulations to the Host for receiving a ten-thousand-fold return, obtaining the Ancient World-Spanning Jianmu Trunk.]