Swallowing the Stars: Equipment Slots, Starting with a Genius Battle

Chapter 91 The Branch of Life

Hongmeng Auction Hall, Yubaotang Floating Island.

Time slipped by quietly amidst the flow of countless rare treasures, and the seventh day had already passed in the blink of an eye. As the privately collected treasures consigned by powerful figures were put on the market one after another, the atmosphere in the auction house was finally ignited, and an invisible tension filled the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the auctioneer's voice suddenly rose, tinged with a rare excitement, "the next item is potentially crucial even to four- or five-star figures—200 Blood Crystals."

The light screen beside him lit up instantly, focusing on a small pile of crystals shimmering with a blood-red light. The pure energy fluctuations seemed to resonate deep within his bloodline.

"Yes, you all heard me correctly. It is the Blood Crystal that drives countless lives mad." The old man's voice boomed, echoing in every private room. "You all surely know its value, so I need not elaborate. Now, the auction begins with the starting price: 0."

"200 billion mixed units."

As soon as the words were spoken, an astonishing bid appeared on the auction token screens of all the bidders.

Even though Ye Feng was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but gasp.

200 billion mixed yuan?

This is almost ten times the total wealth he accumulated over nearly a century of fighting on the battlefields beyond the borders, thanks to sheer luck. Moreover, he is well aware that as his true combat strength and fighting style as "Sword-Burning Marquis" are revealed, his hunting efficiency will inevitably decline significantly in the future.

The alien powerhouses aren't fools. If they can't kill their opponent in one attack, the opponent will realize their identity and flee for their lives.

It is foreseeable that if his strength does not improve further, his hunting efficiency will decline significantly in the future, which is one of the reasons why he ended the hunt and returned to rest.

"Hmph, you think you can get your hands on the Blood Crystal with 200 billion? You're dreaming." In a private room, a burly man exuding strong spatial fluctuations sneered, his fingertips tracing heavily across the token.

"500 billion mixed units."

The numbers on the screen suddenly spiked and jumped.

600 million.

800 million.

1200 million.

2100 million.

Ye Feng stared at the dazzling numbers, his lips twitching slightly.

.

While Feng Wangwudi's net worth certainly far exceeds this figure, it is by no means easy for someone to produce such a massive amount of liquid cash.

It's possible that there was a coordinated auction.

"Third brother, our seven-man team's funds are almost depleted."

"Damn it. I thought the seven of us working together could take down this batch of Blood Crystals—but I underestimated the determination of these lunatics." A handsome bald man, whose aura was like the embodiment of darkness, cursed under his breath with a gloomy expression.

The price has now soared to 2300 billion units of mixed energy. Even if the seven of them worked together, they wouldn't be able to come up with that much mixed energy.

Ultimately, the number settled at 3000 billion mixed units.

"Incredible—" Ye Feng murmured, but a sudden realization dawned on him.

No wonder his fifth and sixth senior brothers reacted so badly when he casually gave them 1000 Blood Crystals. Compared to that, the Virtual Universe Company's internal purchase price of 600 points per crystal is outrageously greedy.

However, on second thought, for geniuses, 12 points is also an astronomical figure that is difficult to reach.

In the subsequent auctions, Ye Feng occasionally made a bid.

He specifically targets the remains of top-tier behemoths that can "increase the talent of laws and combat techniques" and rare special energy life cores—as long as the price is within 10 billion Hunyuan and the realm is below the Venerable level, he will accept any offer.

His ability to solidify his equipment slots gave him an almost instinctive urge to collect these "talent carriers".

As the final auction progressed, Ye Feng's mindset became more peaceful.

Not every item is outrageously expensive; only two or three items will fetch astronomical prices every hundred lots. While most items are rare, their prices are still within an acceptable range.

"Next item, please look—" The auctioneer pointed to the screen, which displayed a strange tree branch about the thickness of a thigh, about five meters long, and flowing with a warm golden glow.

"The World Tree Branch?"

"When did the Hongmeng Auction House become so high-end that it can actually display treasures of this caliber?"

The Star King, who had been lazily reclining on the soft couch, suddenly sat upright, her beautiful eyes gleaming with disbelief. She stared intently at the screen, her voice carrying a hint of reminiscence, as if whispering to Ye Feng: "A branch of the World Tree—if planted in a divine kingdom, it can grow into the World Tree that supports it." Stabilizing spacetime, trapping and slaying powerful enemies, nourishing oneself—it's no exaggeration to say that a true branch of the World Tree is as valuable as a priceless treasure. And—priceless treasures are easy to find, but branches of the World Tree—are incredibly rare.

Her tone was filled with shock, but just seconds later, the fervor in her eyes quickly faded, her body relaxed back on the soft couch, and her expression returned to calm, with a hint of insightful understanding: "No—that's not right. This rune—it's simpler and coarser than the real World Tree branch—it's not it."

Meanwhile, the initial enthusiasm ignited in each private room quickly cooled down after careful observation.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the elderly auctioneer revealed the answer at the opportune moment, "this item is not a true branch of the World Tree," but rather a branch from a "Tree of Life" cultivated from a branch of the World Tree—a branch of the Tree of Life."

"call-"

"Are you kidding me?"

"A branch of the tree of life dares to challenge the world tree? They are worlds apart."

"It was all for naught. The branches of the World Tree can support a divine kingdom and become its foundation. These branches of the Life Tree are at best used for refining weapons or making potions; their value is far inferior."

A murmur of disappointment arose inside the private room.

The difference between the branches of the World Tree and the branches of the Life Tree is only two words, but their value is worlds apart. This disparity dampened the enthusiasm of many powerful individuals, but it caused a glint of light to flash in the eyes of Ye Feng, who was hiding in the corner.

"The branch of life—just what I need." Ye Feng roared inwardly, suppressing his excitement.

He knew that the true branches of the world tree were unattainable, but even the life branches that originated from it contained secret patterns that could potentially produce magical effects when equipped in the equipment slot.

Even if the effect is not as expected, using it to nurture a "tree of life clone" to stabilize the future divine kingdom is still an excellent choice.

For someone like him who has a relatively "abundant" number of equipment slots and clone slots, this deal is a good one.

"While the branches of the Tree of Life may not be as wondrous as the World Tree, they are equally rare and precious." The auctioneer tried to stir up the atmosphere. "Whether used to forge secret-patterned weapons, to concoct certain universe-level potions, or even as a rare collectible, they are extremely valuable. The auction will now begin with the starting price: 0."

"2 billion mixed units."

The first number appeared on the screen, signaling the start of the auction.

As a primary material for top-tier weapon crafting and medicine making, branches of the Tree of Life are still subject to bidding.

"2.2 million."

"2.5 million."

3 billion.

Prices are rising steadily.

Ye Feng's heart was in his throat as he silently prayed, "I hope those weapon-refining masters and alchemy masters don't go crazy today—"

The price quickly exceeded 4 million yuan.

"It's just a branch of a tree, is it really worth fighting over like this?" Ye Feng gritted his teeth as he looked at the still-changing numbers.

"We must take it." Thinking of the possible World Tree Origin Secrets contained in the branches of the Tree of Life, Ye Feng no longer hesitated and directly entered a new bid.

Prices began to accelerate: 4.5 million - 5 million - 6 million - the upward momentum slowed significantly after breaking through 6 million.

After all, its ceiling is there.

"7 million Hunyuan. Any higher would be meaningless." In a private room, the burly man Yang Yan Wang, who was eighteen meters tall and looked like a small sun, was shrouded in fiery red armor and shook his head, giving up on raising the price.

"7.1 million—" Another elderly man with silver hair and a black robe, the pharmacist Yin Tongwang, pondered for a moment and also chose to give up.

"That's enough. Stop raising it." Ye Feng stared intently at the token screen, his fingers unconsciously tightening, causing the alloy token to creak under the strain.

The Illusion Star King, watching from the sidelines, found it amusing and teased, "Hey, Sword Blaze King, it's just a broken tree branch, why are you so nervous? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were fighting over a priceless treasure."

Ye Feng ignored her teasing, a burning glint in his eyes, "8 million Mixed Yuan Units."

He stared intently at the screen, time seemingly frozen. Several seconds passed, and the glaring number "8 million" still hung forlornly at the top of the screen, unchallenged.

"8 million Hunyuan units, last time. Sold." The old auctioneer's voice fell, "Congratulations to the guest with bid number 298****, you have successfully won this precious branch of life."

"Phew—" Ye Feng breathed a long sigh of relief, his tense body relaxing.

"Haha, Sword King, you—" The Illusion Star King looked at Ye Feng with great interest through his beautiful eyes that shimmered with starlight, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips. "You really are—unique."

Compared to other princes, she had less experience, but she was not stupid. On the contrary, she was very meticulous and clever.

Recalling the diverse and almost supernatural secret techniques Ye Feng had used on the extraterrestrial battlefield, coupled with his unusual obsession with these "weapon-refining/pharmaceutical materials"—a bold guess took shape in her mind:

Could this guy be a hidden master potion maker who can concoct special law-based potions?

Otherwise, how can we explain his endless stream of bizarre methods?

Ye Feng was unaware of Illusion Star King's thoughts. He simply let out a long sigh of relief. Having taken the branch of the Tree of Life, his funds were almost depleted, so Ye Feng was no longer interested in the subsequent auction items.

He was already looking forward to the auction ending quickly so that the items could be handed over.

The auction cost a total of 68 billion Chaos Units. Besides the branch of the Tree of Life, he also purchased eight other treasures. Without exception, these treasures either amplified his affinity with the laws or contained imprints of unique combat or support techniques.

Once all of them are equipped and solidified, one's overall talent will at least double, and combat ability will also increase by one time.

"Distinguished guests," the elderly auctioneer's booming voice echoed in every private room of the floating island, "the grand finale of this year's Hongmeng Auction, all 999 treasures, have been auctioned off."

Now, only this last item remains—the Ancestral God Cult's Secret Realm Token.

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