Qin Ye’s eyes narrowed. Hellguard… He glanced about and saw that each of the twelve envoys had two to three personal attendants with them right now, and he couldn’t even sense the extent of their Yin energy. If all were Hellguards, then… wouldn’t that mean that there were over twenty Hellguards present right now?

What depth of forces…

“General Dao Hai, under the command of the Lord of Hanyang. Kid… be careful.” He chuckled softly, and Zhao Seven immediately drew a deep breath and steadied his stance. But before Zhao Seven could do anything else, a gust of Yin energy immediately shot out of Dao Hai’s body, transforming into a withered and thin palm and slamming squarely against the armor with a resounding crash!

“Ungh!” Zhao Seven let out a muffled grunt. And then… under the watchful gaze of every member of the audience, he was only struck back a distance of no more than five meters!

A Soul Hunter had borne the brunt of a Hellguard’s powerful strike, and then lived to tell the tale!

Seriously…

This armor can seriously withstand the attacks of a Hellguard?!

The truth of the matter was simply unbelievable. However, this was only the tip of the iceberg.

“Blight vermin?!" General Dao Hao retreated several meters as he stared at Zhao Seven with a shrill voice, “This is… this is the blight vermin?! You’ve made armor out of the blight vermin carapace?!”

The twelve envoys who had just taken their seats immediately stood up in horror and stared intently at Zhao Seven.

As though a light switch suddenly came on in their minds, they immediately understood its light weight and immense defensive capabilities!

“Blight vermin… that’s right. The collapse of the old Hell will result in the spawn of countless blight vermin, and the only ones who have access are the successors to the throne. The only option available to us is to send darkfeathers to hell… No wonder the defensive capabilities of this set of armor is so completely terrifying, and yet its weight is immeasurably light…” Chaghan might be rough around the edges, but his understanding of military affairs was undoubtedly top-notch. In fact, he even managed to extrapolate more information from the bits and pieces he was given!

“Are you saying that the new Hell’s military might is already sufficient to assault strongholds of thousands upon thousands of blight vermin all at the same time? Quick development is terrifying… but that’s supposed to be a thing of the future!”

The afterglow of the earlier war songs was finally emerging from their hearts. Their emotions were in flux, but Qin Ye wouldn’t give them the luxury of time to compose themselves. There was only a single thread of thought in their mind right now.

We have to get it!

This set of armor is something that only appears once every three thousand years. It’s something that only emerges under a great confluence of factors. To think that it would suddenly appear right in front of us today! If we don’t seize this opportunity, we would regret it for the rest of our lives!

He wasn’t the only one. Every single feudal official was staring intently at Zhao Seven with a burning gaze in their eyes. If this is blight vermin armor… then the scale of production is something that would never be possible without the complete collapse of Hell! Super defense and lightweight… Their eyes narrowed, and their hearts began to beat faster and faster.

After a long time, Ma Fubo drew a deep breath and sank deeper into his seat. He appeared placid and calm, but the ferocious flickering flames in his eyes completely betrayed the appearances he was trying to maintain. He spoke in a calm voice, “Old man, tell us the price.”

Li Shunzhai bowed, before immediately responding, “Everyone, kindly hold your horses and take a look at this.”

Yin energy soon condensed and formed a screen of light, revealing the whole production line of similar pitch-black armor, including the black infusion mold and rolls of tan-coloured rope. Everyone could immediately tell that this was the New Tigerform production line. But what was most unusual was the fact that thousands of Black Armored Troops had already pulled out their blades and appeared to be waiting for a single command.

Whoosh… The fiery gaze in the eyes of the feudal officials immediately rose to new heights! Likewise, Yu Qian and Yang Jiye bit down heavily on their lips, not daring to utter a single word more.

Insane… He’s gone insane!~

How could Hell sell something like that?! And… do you really have to smash the entire production line?! This is a national treasure class armament! And how could you auction away the only ten thousand sets that have ever been produced?!

“This is… ridiculous!” Yu Qian gnashed his teeth and gripped his armrest tightly.

But, apart from Yu Qian and Yang Jiye, the other feudal officials were all sitting up straight. A strange premonition surfaced in the depths of their hearts, but they summarily dismissed it as a mere farce… because nobody had ever done something like this before!

“This is?” Han Qinhu queried.

Li Shunzhai smiled faintly, “This is the first set of armaments produced by the new Hell. Henceforth, all armaments produced by the new Hell will only be put on auction once.”

Boom! Over a dozen Judge-class sources of Yin energy erupted at once from their great astonishment. Even Qin Ye couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt from the sheer force of the blast.

Limited edition!

“We’ll be destroying the production line and molds on the spot right after the auction. There won’t be another sale like this. The starting price is 800 million Yin spirit stones for 10,000 sets of the New Tigerform Battle Armor.”

Dang… dang dang dang dang dang… ‘Victory’ began playing in the background once more, and the heavy drum beats sounded no different from the war horns of battle that everyone was all too familiar with. Trumpets blare with banners flying high. Their hearts were instantly soaring and surging with emotions.

This was a unique set of battle armor - the blight vermin battle armor!

They were awash with the feeling of homecoming in this very instant.

The thought of armaments filled their heart with a warm, satisfying feeling. And this was particularly so after being left hanging high after the stirring music extravaganza with no outlet to unleash and vent their emotions. There was neither the ecstasy of carnal releases, or the rush of primal battles. Yet, the next best opportunity that had just presented itself was the desire to splurge on a potential treasure for battle!

It was like a poison kicking into effect, or a drop of water when hunger and thirst were at the extreme.

There were already maidservants distributing wooden plaques to the hands of each envoy’s attendants. Li Shunzhai revealed a charming smile, bowed and stepped back slightly. The surrounding lights immediately went out, and the music immediately roused like a magnificent wave, amplified only by the diminishing of one’s sense of sight. Only one beam of light remained on center stage, while the screen formed out of Yin energy revealed the going price of the auction lot.

“Those who wish to bid have to raise their plaques and imbue it with their own netherflame. If no bid is made within three calls from me, the lot of goods shall immediately go to the one who made the last bid. Each increment shall be no less than 10 million Yin spirit stones. Now… let the auctions begin!”

“1 billion!” Liu Yu immediately raised the bid. However, before he could even put down his plaque, several others instantly called out bids at the same time!

“1 billion 500 million!” “1 billion 100 million!” “1 billion 130 million!” “1 billion 150 million!” “1 billion 200 million!” 1 billion 300 million!”

The numbers on the screen flickered furiously, reflecting the rapid changes in bidding prices. Within moments, the numbers came up to 1 billion 500 million!”

That said, everyone knew that the lot of goods being sold… was worth far more than just that!

It was worth at least 2 billion Yin spirit stones!

Liu Yu paused. When he heard the number go up to 1 billion 600 million, the veins on his temples throbbed furiously.

There are always such unruly people who attempt to seize what is rightfully mine… For some strange reason, he felt somewhat more impulsive tonight than ever before. He grabbed the plaque that his attendant was holding and raised it up high, bellowing with a deep, booming voice, “2 billion.”

Instant silence.

Nobody was a fool. It was certainly worth it securing the entire lot of goods for only 2 billion Yin spirit stones. In fact, there was still room to grow, but the tipping point might be in the region of 2 billion 500 Yin spirit stones. Emperor Wu of Song had only kicked up the bidding a notch as a test to his competitors.

That said, the moment of silence also filled Liu Yu’s heart with great joy and satisfaction.

Fantastic!

The stifling, boiling blood in his heart felt like it had been granted relief as soon as he called out his bid of two billion Yin spirit stones. There were many modes of venting, including carnal pleasures, killing, binge eating, and even confiding in others. That said, dishing out copious amounts of money on large expenditures was definitely one of the most satisfying.

Especially when it resulted in such moments of silence.

His entire body felt like it was burning up on fire.

‘Victory’ was still playing in the background, as though silently urging the feudal officials to action. The thumping drum beats fanned the flames of their hearts intently. Three seconds later, Chaghan’s voice called out, “2.2 billion!”

Back on the second floor, Qin Ye watched all of these with bated breaths. By his calculations, the lot of 10,000 sets of New Tigerform Battle Armor should sell for approximately 2.8 billion Yin spirit stones. He wasn’t far from his target right now.

But, as soon as the last bid was called out, the entire hall was filled with silence once more, so much so that he could even hear his own heart beats.

It shouldn’t be this way… It can’t be! We’re talking about armor made from the carapace of blight vermin. The appearance of blight vermin on such a scale is something that had only happened once in the last three thousand years! There might not be many sets of armor, but it’s definitely worth more than 2.2 billion!

“2.2 billion going once… 2.2 billion going twice…” Qin Ye’s grip tightened around the guardrails, staring intently at the audience below. Someone… someone raise your hand! Even though I’m already going to profit from a sale like this, it’s not enough! Transacting at this price would thoroughly invalidate all of my efforts to date!

Just then, an old voice called out like a heavenly chorus, “Two and a half billion!”

Well done!

Qin Ye closed his eyes and breathed a long sigh of relief, before turning to look at the source of the voice. And then, he immediately frowned once more.

Yu Qian.

It was actually Yu Qian who had called out the last bid!

Damn it!

Qin Ye cursed in his heart. He had completely failed to take into account the mindset of Yu Qian and Yang Jiye. They were so loyal that they would never allow such goods to flow out into the hands of outsiders! And it was already too late to apprise them of his plans!

I can only hope that… they can’t fork out as much money as the rest of the feudal officials, and they would be naturally ousted from the running. Otherwise… it’s going to be no different from transferring funds from the left to the right pocket.

“Absurd.” Fortunately Yu Qian’s bid acted like a catalyst that triggered a reaction. Gao Changgong sneered, “King Yanluo has already given his word that he will henceforth treat us as a completely different and separate underworld! Do you think I’m going to let you have it your way? 2.6 billion!!”

“2 billion 650 million.” Chaghan bidded again, “This set of armor is of great use to me. It’s practically made in heaven for my Iron Stupa cavalrymen. Gentlemen, apologies, but I truly can’t pass up on this opportunity tonight.”

Nobody spoke up.

There were only a dozen foot-high netherflames flickering wildly from their eyes.

Everyone was calculating intently in their hearts. Was it worth it? How much could they afford to spend from their national treasury? Would it hinder the other work that they were doing in their underworld? How much would it affect them? What kind of impact would it have on their ongoing projects?

Li Shunzhai coughed lightly, “2 billion 650 million going once.”

“2 billion 650 million going twice.”

Click… Several feudal officials secretly tightened their grip around their armrests. Their hearts stirred with great emotion, in tandem with the clamoring music and wild thumping beats. The entire experience was almost painful to them.

Li Shunzhai swung the hammer down, “2 billion 650 million going thr--...”

“2 billion 700 million!!” Three voices called out at the exact same time, right before the gavel fell.

It was Ma Fubo, Liu Yu and Han Qinhu.

Clang!

Back on the second floor, QIn Ye slammed his heart down onto the guardrail and licked his lips avariciously.

Back in the auditorium, the three men who had just called the last bid glanced at each other, before calling out once more at the exact same time, “2 billion 800 million!”

It’s here!

Qin Ye shut his eyes and drew several deep breaths. 2.8 billion Yin spirit stones… I’ve finally reached my target price. The last half a year hasn’t been spent in vain after all!

But… it’s definitely going to go up!

How rich are these damned feudal officials to begin with?! This is 2.8 billion Yin spirits stones we’re talking about! To think they were willing to fork it out without even furrowing their brows! Furthermore, there are still three feudal officials in the running right now. This auction… we might even see the price breach the 3 billion mark!