Chapter 652: The Auction’s Final Bidding War
by xennovel“Up next, we have one of the five grand finale items of this auction: a black, supreme-quality Star Devourer Wolf Terracotta Tree! Take a look, everyone…”
As he spoke, the Star-Annihilator-class captain from the Shengtian Consortium on the auction stage projected an information panel for all to see.
Star Devourer Wolf Terracotta Tree, Level 0
Quality: Black
Trait: Star Devourer Body
Trait 2: Starmetal Wolf Claws
Trait 3: Can summon twice as many Terracotta Warriors
…
The appearance of this black-quality Terracotta Warrior component set off another wave of frenzied bidding in the hall.
“1,500 threads of Eighth-Tier Floating-Land Origin!”
“One identical-quality energy shield plus 100 threads of Eighth-Tier Floating-Land Origin!”
Song Chi wasn’t interested this time.
Right now the Heavenly Ruin already had two puppet components: the Flame Spirit Terracotta Tree, which was gold-quality and needed no urgent replacement, and the Void Shadowslayer Soldier-Tree. Although the latter was only silver, its void-type abilities made it even more valuable to him than gold or even black puppet parts.
What really bothered him now were the countless threads of spiritual power circling the box.
Song Chi knew most of these were from the sixth, seventh, and even eighth-tier Torch Captains.
Some sent these threads themselves, some on behalf of their juniors, all eager to see if the Abyssal Devil had more Timeworld Fruits up his sleeve.
Very soon, the second finale item was brought out.
This was also a black supreme part. But this time, it wasn’t a Terracotta Tree—it was a black Star-Annihilator Cannon. Instantly, all the Star-Annihilator-class Captains began bidding in earnest.
In the Omniverse Market, Song Chi floated high above, expressionless and unhurried, simply waiting.
“Sold! Congratulations to Box 8 for acquiring the black Patrol Radar!”
On the auction stage at the Shengtian Auction Hall, the Star-Annihilator-class captain called out. The penultimate grand finale item—a black supreme-quality Patrol Radar—had just been won.
“Well then, up next is…”
Just as countless Torch Captains fell silent, breathlessly waiting for the ultimate grand finale—the black Upgraded Fire Source, which the Shengtian Consortium had already hyped as on par with legendary myth-grade Oddities—a sudden, untimely voice cut through the hall.
“King Hel, may I have a moment of your time…”
Everyone recognized the voice as coming from the Sixth-Tier Abyssal Devil. The ‘Hel’ in question was none other than the Star-Annihilator-class captain from the Shengtian Consortium on the stage: Helmut McCoy.
Helmut paused for a moment, then his tone shifted suddenly.
“Of course!”
Anyone could hear the hospitality in his voice. Obviously, Helmut knew what was really on all those Torch Captains’ minds.
Creak!
A VIP box door slid open. Under countless watchful eyes, the Abyssal Devil stepped forward.
Chaotic laws swirled around its body, carrying it down to the auction stage.
Helmut McCoy kept a welcoming smile and shifted aside, handing the stage over without hesitation.
“Thank you, King Hel!”
The Abyssal Devil offered another formal thank you. Then its crimson gaze swept up, landing on the thousands of Torch Captains in the crowd.
“I won’t keep everyone waiting. Please, have a look!”
Without wasting words, the Abyssal Devil went straight to the point at Song Chi’s signal.
The moment all eyes landed on the enormous White Jade Fruit in its hand, the auction hall fell dead silent.
Nobody was a stranger to the White Jade Fruit—two had already appeared earlier. Everyone remembered them vividly.
But this one was clearly different, clearly far bigger than the others had been.
Soon, someone with a sharp eye called out in surprise.
“That… that’s a Seventh-Tier Timeworld Fruit!”
“Wait, a Seventh-Tier Timeworld Fruit? Are you sure?”
“Seventh-Tier? That’s the spiritual treasure Star-Annihilator-class ships use for a second breakthrough to Star River-class. Who would put such an item up for auction?”
“Does this mean the person backing the Abyssal Devil is a Star River-class Captain?”
…
The Abyssal Devil ignored the rising tide of exclamations and quickly nodded.
“That’s right. This is indeed a Seventh-Tier Timeworld Fruit. As for the rules, same as always—feel free to bid, and I’ll trade with whoever offers the most satisfactory deal.”
No one shouted out a bid immediately—another tense silence lingered.
Only after everyone was sure the Abyssal Devil meant to sell this priceless Seventh-Tier Timeworld Fruit, and after Helmut McCoy himself had confirmed the fruit’s authenticity, did the Star-Annihilator-class Captains start bidding in earnest.
“I can offer the Gold Upgraded Fire Source I just won…”
“A black piece of hull armor!”
“Black hull armor plus 50 threads of Eighth-Tier Floating-Land Origin…”
Song Chi just kept shaking his head as he listened from the Omniverse Market. The bids weren’t bad, but none of them were what he wanted.
A dozen seconds later, most of the Star-Annihilator-class Captains had listed their bids. At last, one of the top five VIP boxes made an offer.
“An Eighth-Tier Golden Apple and a black engine part.”
It was a Star River-class Captain speaking through a projection.
“That’s King Extermination. An old hand among Star River-class Captains from the Divine Dynasty. Didn’t expect him to covet the Seventh-Tier Timeworld Fruit too.”
“The Xu clan’s Star-Annihilator-class captain must be nearing the end of his service, hoping this fruit and the war’s chaos give him one last shot at advancing.”
“But it looks like the Abyssal Devil isn’t impressed—not even flinching at that bid.”
“Seventh-Tier Timeworld Fruits are rare, sure, but that offer’s actually a bit high. Reason probably isn’t the value—just those two items aren’t what he wants!”
…
Many Captains in the crowd started to figure out what was on the Abyssal Devil’s—or rather, Song Chi’s—mind.
Another voice rang out from one of the five highest boxes.
“Why not just say what you want directly? Then we could tailor our offers.”
Song Chi thought it over for a moment, then gave the Abyssal Devil the go-ahead.
“High-tier Golden Apples and, more importantly, the absolute best resources for boosting comprehension of spatial laws!”
Armed with clear targets, both Star-Annihilator-class and Star River-class Captains began a second round of bidding.
“Two Eighth-Tier Golden Apples, one Gold Upgraded Fire Source…”
“Black, supreme-quality spatial-type component…”
…
This new round of bids clearly piqued Song Chi’s interest.
But still none hit the mark. Some offered only Golden Apples, others had only top-tier space resources—no one had both together.
“Maybe…”
Just as Song Chi was ready to compromise and choose from among the half-good bids, another Star River-class Captain sent a new offer via projection.
“A Ninth-Tier Golden Apple and an Emptyfall Dao Crystal!”
Hearing this bid through the mental link in the Abyssal Devil, Song Chi’s eyes lit up in the Omniverse Market.
That was by far the most tempting offer.
A Ninth-Tier Golden Apple spoke for itself, and the Emptyfall Dao Crystal was even rarer—something far above a Space God Crystal and invaluable for mastery of spatial laws at the highest level.
Two centuries ago, Space God Crystals had stopped being effective for him. This Emptyfall Dao Crystal was perfect. There was only one, but it was exactly what he needed.
Song Chi held out for another two minutes, but when no better offer came, he didn’t hesitate. He closed the deal immediately—it was better to act fast, given every passing minute risked exposing his identity.
Whoosh!
A beam of light shot down from a box above. At the same time, a powerful force sucked at the Timeworld Fruit in the Abyssal Devil’s hand, causing it to slowly float up.
With Helmut McCoy’s help, both items ended up in the hands of their new owners.
“If I may, does the person behind you have any more Timeworld Fruits? If you do…”
Moments after the deal, a voice reached the Abyssal Devil’s ears—out of nowhere, as if carried on the wind.
Song Chi knew it had to be a Star River-class Captain. Otherwise, with the Seventh-Tier Nightmare Soul Body protecting the Abyssal Devil, no Star-Annihilator Captain’s message would ever make it through.
The Abyssal Devil gave no reply. Chaotic energy churned around it, and deep inside where no one could see, a strange ghostly divine mark glowed with eternal darkness.
Right before their eyes, the Abyssal Devil’s body began to turn translucent.
Someone realized what was happening.
Wave after wave of crushing pressure surged down from private boxes high above, all targeting the auction stage.
But nothing could stop what came next.
The Abyssal Devil’s form shattered into starlight and vanished, leaving only a single message behind.
“Farewell, everyone!”
Compared to that, the faces of all those Captains in the private boxes looked downright awful.
“Long-range teleportation—nice trick!”
“But let’s see just how far you managed to jump.”
“Timing was flawless—definitely premeditated…”
…
Song Chi didn’t witness what happened next in the Shengtian Auction Hall. He only vaguely caught the start of the black Upgraded Fire Source’s bidding before everything else faded out.
Divine Xia Empire, Border Star Domain.
Inside a fleet tearing through space at max speed, the Heavenly Ruin was wrapped in intertwining black-and-white energy shields.
A black, shapeless beam shot out of the void and into the warship. With that, the Abyssal Devil’s form instantly appeared.
And Song Chi had guessed right. The Tome of Divine Will had been used to summon the Abyssal Devil—not through the Mirror Warship, but directly back to the Heavenly Ruin.
Meanwhile, Song Chi’s form vanished from the Omniverse Market, but he didn’t return to the Heavenly Ruin within the lands of Divine Xia. Instead, he went to the Dragon-Spine Continent.
Deep underground at Azure Moon Estate, inside a vast Battleship Summoning Chamber, Song Chi stood, dark energy surging within him. He activated the divine imprint left by the Tome of Divine Will from the Mirror Warship.
Soon, the Mirror Warship, still drifting in a debris field outside Tianyue Continent, was recalled as well.
With everything in order, Song Chi finally returned to the true Heavenly Ruin.
After receiving several items from the Abyssal Devil, Song Chi began considering which to use first.
The Antimatter Annihilation Cannon went right into use. Upgraded to Level 80, it became the gold Main Cannon—its stats easily outclassing the old Taiyi Quantum Swordlight Battery.
Then came the two Golden Apples.
The Eighth-Tier one was an easy call—he used it to upgrade the Four Symbols Rotating Sigil, also boosting it to Level 80.
Four Symbols Rotating Sigil, Level 80
Quality: Gold
Trait: Four Symbols—Azure Dragon Sigil
Trait 2: Four Symbols—White Tiger Sigil
Trait 3: Four Symbols—Vermillion Bird Sigil
Trait 4: Four Symbols—Black Tortoise Sigil
Trait 5: Four Symbols Rotating Sigil
Energy Cost: 2,800 Eon Energy Points per second
No charging or prepping required
Effect: Any ship equipped with this part gains the Four Symbols Guardian Power, enabling it to link with other designated ships. Activate its power and all linked ships receive the same effects.
Note: This component requires three efficiency slots.
…
{Four Symbols Rotating Sigil: If four ships are bound and within a billion kilometers of each other, you may spend 200,000 Eon Energy Points to trigger the Four Symbols Rotating Sacred Sigil. While it is active, all four ships are linked, and any damage to one is split evenly among them. While Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, or Black Tortoise are activated, effects double. Duration: 180 minutes. Cooldown: 240 hours.}
After studying the newly-upgraded gold, Sanctuary-quality Four Symbols Rotating Sigil, Song Chi could only marvel. Its damage distribution alone made it a top-tier upgrade.
Being able to split all incoming damage among four warships instantly put it in a league of its own.
And the other traits—now all doubled—were nuts too. Just the Azure Dragon trait could instantly fully restore the hull, hull armor, and shield of all four ships.
Song Chi had been expecting this and wasn’t too surprised. Instead, he focused on the other item: the Ninth-Tier Golden Apple.
The Golden Apple could evolve any gold part to black quality, making it a tough choice.
Right now, Heavenly Ruin boasted quite a few gold parts. Deciding which to evolve was definitely tricky.
The Yin-Yang Counter-Phase Annihilation Shield, Eyes of Heaven, Antimatter Annihilation Cannon, Blood Spear,
Divine Thunder Cannon, and more.
After some thought, Song Chi picked out several options.
The Pusa Zen Seal, Blood War Stele, Mirror Image Split, No.004 Cultivation Secret Realm of Chicang, and Angel King’s Authority Wings.
All five were crucial to the Heavenly Ruin, relied on time and again. If even one could reach new heights, its power would soar.
PS: Thanks to “Guangdong Buyer” for the 300,000 coin reward. I’m weeping and bowing to the boss!
PS2: Second update will still be very late tonight.