When those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
Ancient dwellings like this, remnants from a bygone era, had appeared a few times in Aethelgard’s history. Many powerful Aetherbinding cultivators, nearing the end of their lifespans, would retreat to remote locations to establish a secluded dwelling. There, they would enter a state of closed-door meditation, hoping to break through to a higher realm.
These cultivators were typically at the peak of the Elysium realm. However, most of them failed to ascend and ultimately perished in their meditative state. Their secluded dwellings often held the treasures accumulated over a lifetime.
If one could claim such a dwelling, they could become wealthy overnight. And if they obtained the cultivation techniques left behind by these ancient Elysium cultivators, their strength could skyrocket in an instant.
There was even a recorded case of a Pinnacle-level Aetherbinding cultivator who accidentally stumbled upon such a dwelling. When he emerged, he had already ascended to the Elysium realm.
So, when the mention of an ancient Elysium cultivator’s dwelling arose, everyone’s eyes burned with desire.
Jane Clarkson continued, “This is a map to an ancient dwelling!”
She produced a parchment scroll and declared, “The auction for this treasure map begins now! Starting price: one million Essence Stones, with minimum increments of one hundred thousand Essence Stones!”
As her words fell, an eerie silence filled the room.
To be honest, this was a gamble.
The map might lead to an ancient dwelling filled with treasures, making one ridiculously wealthy overnight. But it might also lead to nothing but disappointment, resulting in a total loss.
Spending a million Essence Stones was a risky bet.
Eventually, a powerful faction stepped forward and purchased the map for one million Essence Stones.
With that, the auction came to an end.
—
After the auction concluded, a staff member approached Chris. “Hello, please follow me.”
It was time for the item settlements.
Chris had successfully bid on both the Obsidian Stone and the Millennium Frost Crystal. The Obsidian Stone cost sixty thousand Essence Stones, while the Millennium Frost Crystal was three hundred thousand Essence Stones, bringing the total to three hundred sixty thousand Essence Stones.
Hearing the cost, Chris couldn’t help but feel a tinge of bitterness.
Then he asked, “How much did my Sharpfin Shark’s Heartstone and Monster Stone sell for?”
The staff replied, “Your Sharpfin Shark’s Heartstone and Monster Stone sold for a combined total of one hundred thousand Essence Stones.”
This amount satisfied Chris.
The staff member continued, “After deducting the one hundred thousand Essence Stones, you still owe two hundred sixty thousand Essence Stones.”
Chris nodded, retrieving the remaining two hundred sixty thousand Essence Stones from his belongings.
After this payment, Chris’s supply of Essence Stones was almost completely depleted.
Once the transaction was complete, the Obsidian Stone and Millennium Frost Crystal were handed over to him.
After carefully inspecting the items and finding no issues, Chris stored them in his spatial ring.
With everything settled, Chris prepared to leave the auction house. He knew that purchasing such valuable items would inevitably attract unwanted attention.
If someone decided to target him, things could get complicated.
To ensure his safety, Chris took extra precautions.
—
As he stepped out of the auction house, Chris furrowed his brows.
He immediately felt countless eyes on him, all filled with greed.
Chris had anticipated this. Knowing he would be noticed, he had already disguised himself before leaving the auction.
Without hesitation, Chris darted away, choosing sparsely populated routes.
Soon, several figures began to tail him. Chris noticed that these individuals didn’t belong to the same faction. They were all Solstice-level cultivators.
Although Chris was fast, his pursuers weren’t far behind.
With his current strength, Chris wasn’t afraid of anyone below the late Solstice stage.
Turning back, he sneered. “If they want to rob me, let’s see if they have the skills to pull it off.”
Aethelgard was a world where the strong preyed on the weak, and Sunnyvale was no exception.
Without nations or laws, Sunnyvale was ruled by factions. Battles and killings among Aetherbinding cultivators were commonplace.
Chris’s bold bids at the auction had naturally drawn attention.
He had foreseen this outcome before attending the auction. But to obtain what he wanted, he had no choice.
Besides, Chris wasn’t someone who could be easily bullied.
—
Chris quickly entered a dense forest.
“You think running into the woods will save you? Everyone, after him!”
Three Solstice cultivators followed him into the forest.
The combined value of the Obsidian Stone and Millennium Frost Crystal-over three hundred sixty thousand Essence Stones-was an enormous sum for any Aetherbinding cultivator.
The forest was thick but spanned only about a thousand meters.
For Aetherbinding cultivators, this wasn’t a large area.
However, to their surprise, Chris seemed to vanish into thin air after entering the forest.
One of the Solstice cultivators frowned. “Search carefully! That brat must still be here. We can’t let him escape!”
They had worked hard to track Chris and weren’t about to let him slip away.
—
For Chris, stealth was second nature.
Back on Earth, he was Amerosia’s Primus.
As a Primus, he had frequently undertaken covert missions abroad.
Once, after assassinating a country’s leader, he evaded an army of one hundred thousand soldiers for seven days and nights in a forest.
Despite a thorough, grid-like search, they never found him.
Now, with just a few Solstice cultivators after him, they didn’t stand a chance.
If Chris wanted to remain hidden, they would never find him.
But Chris didn’t intend to hide.
There were three Solstice cultivators: one at the mid-Solstice stage and two at the early Solstice stage.
Chris could handle them easily. Hiding wasn’t necessary.
—
As one of the early Solstice cultivators approached, Chris struck.
With Dragon Slayer in hand, he swung his blade fiercely toward the cultivator’s neck.