Lu Yin was led by an attendant to a private room. There was only a single window that faced the stage.
There was plenty of food and drinks prepared in the room, and there was a girl chained up in a corner. She was dressed in revealing clothing and had a vacant look in her eyes. However, she was exceptionally beautiful and had a hint of innocence to her, which was enough to attract the attention of any man.
Lu Yin frowned. There were too many dark sides to the universe, and many people lived lives that were worse than death. This girl was no exception.
He had the attendant take the girl away and then sat down quietly.
The shop owner stood in front of him, and Lu Yin said, "Sit down."
The shop owner trembled as he sat down.
"What's your name?" Lu Yin asked, as he still did not know the shop owner's name.
The shop owner respectfully replied, "My name is Chang Wu, but you can just call me Little Five."
"You even know where the secret auction is. You're doing pretty well."
Chang Wu bitterly replied, "It's not that I want to know, but it's just a coincidence. Once, I was chased by someone and accidentally entered that dark alley. I entered the long corridor and was questioned about my assets. I thought that they were trying to rob me, and it was only after I was chased away that I remembered hearing about the secret auction."
Lu Yin nodded and did not ask any more questions. He then looked at the stage.
Not long after, a man walked out from the stage. He wore a mask that obscured his face, but he was only an Enlighter. His rune lines could not fool Lu Yin.
"Everyone should be clear about the rules of this auction. We only provide the location and are responsible for the auction, but we are not responsible for the source of the items being auctioned. If you have any items that you wish to auction, please contact us. Next, let's welcome the first auction item, the sixteen bottles that Old Poison Ghost created when he was alive. There is no starting bid." The void above the stage distorted, and a light barrier appeared.
"Fifty thousand star essence." Someone immediately called out the moment the sixteen bottles appeared. His voice had clearly been processed, and it sounded very stiff.
"Sixty thousand star essence."
"Eighty thousand."
"Ninety thousand."
…
Lu Yin was curious. "Old Poison Ghost?"
Chang Wu bowed. "Old Man Poison Ghost was a powerful Enlighter from my Divine Gu Dynasty. He was a cruel person, and he once massacred a planet with his poison. In the end, he was exterminated by the Divine Gu Dynasty. The poison that he left behind is extremely powerful, and it has high research value."
Lu Yin wasn't actually that interested in poisons, and he would be fine as long as he upgraded a few of them. He didn't expect to use poisons against his enemies, and he also didn't want the Great Eastern Alliance's army to be proficient in using poisons. Although there were thousands of cultivation methods, poisons still gave people a sinister feeling, which made them unsuitable for the Great Eastern Alliance.
In the end, Old Poison Ghost's sixteen bottles were purchased for 200,000 star essence.
Following that, the auction items appeared one after another. Most of them were poisons, which disappointed Lu Yin. No matter how precious these poisons were, they could not compare to Tears of the Benevolent or Impermanence, which were already the pinnacle of poisons in the Divine Gu Dynasty.
After a while, Lu Yin grew bored, and Chang Five could tell that he was bored. "My Lord, the most expensive items in the Divine Gu Dynasty are poisons and gu. If you're not interested in those two items, then there's nothing worth buying. My Divine Gu Dynasty doesn't have much contact with the outside world, so what you need might not be available here."
Lu Yin could tell that power vessels were things that cultivators from the outside world coveted, and within the Divine Gu Dynasty, poisons and gu were equivalent to power vessels.
"Aren't there any battle techniques?" Lu Yin was unwilling to give up.
Chang Five smiled bitterly. "Battle techniques are also suitable for poisons and gu. This is the Gu Flowzone after all, and since ancient times, people from the outside world have known that there is a Gu Flowzone.
Only gu and poisons can be found in the Gu Flowzone, and the Gu Flowzone is dangerous, so not many people are willing to come here. "
What a pity. Lu Yin watched as the auction items appeared one after another. Forget it, he would just treat this as a pastime.
…
"The starting bid is 50 million star essence."
Lu Yin suddenly looked at the stage. 50 million star essence?
He wasn't the only one; when the starting bid appeared, everyone looked at the stage as well. 50 million star essence?
That's crazy! What kind of item is worth that much?
Before the auction started, no one knew the auction item's price, including the auction venue's. Only the auctioneer knew, and the auction venue had to follow the price set by the auctioneer.
If Lu Yin wanted to, he could also sell the item, and the price would be up to him. As for whether it was high or low, it had nothing to do with the auction venue, as the venue would only collect a commission. Whether the item was real or not, or whether it was worth anything, had nothing to do with the auction venue.
At this moment, the person who had arranged the auction was clearly shocked by the price. He had been auctioning items for many years, but he had never seen such a high price. Most importantly, the auction item was not an actual item, but rather a piece of information.
"What's so expensive?
Why aren't you showing it yet? "someone asked, not because they wanted to buy it, but because they were curious. Not everyone could afford such an expensive item.
"Hurry up and show it. I want to know what's so expensive."
"Hurry up and show it."
…
Chang Five also looked at the stage curiously, as such an expensive starting bid had only been recorded in books.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. 50 million star essence was quite a lot, even in his eyes.
On the stage, the masked person walked out and gestured with his hand. "Everyone, this auction is not an actual item, but rather a piece of information. Or rather, a piece of information."
"A piece of information is worth 50 million star essence?
Could it be information about His Majesty's illegitimate child? "
Someone teased, as they were not afraid of being discovered by Young King Qing. This auction venue had a huge backer, and they had also concealed their identities.
"Or could it be related to a certain poison that surpasses the Tears of Good Samaritan in our Gu Flowzone?"
"It might not necessarily be from the Gu Flowzone. Perhaps it has something to do with the outside world?"
"That's possible. Could it be information about Lu Yin? I heard that the Great Eastern Alliance's Alliance Master is currently in Gu King City. Could it be related to his cultivation secrets?"
"Then it's not just 50 million star essence. It's more like 500 million."
"Even if it's 500 million, it won't be your turn to buy it, hahahaha."
…
Many people discussed the auction, but their eyes remained glued to the stage. There were also some who looked around, wondering where the person who was auctioning the information was.
He was definitely in one of the cubicles.
Lu Yin listened quietly, while Chang Five had a strange expression on his face. The person these fellows were discussing was right here, and if he knew, he would probably be scared to death. Although these people were tyrannical in the Gu Flowzone, and even the imperial family had to give them face, they were still easily dealt with by this man.
"Ahem, I'm sure everyone knows that something huge has happened in the Outerverse recently. The Neohuman Alliance has been crazily slaughtering the cultivators of the Sixth Mainland because of a murder case in the Cape Star System that implicated the Neohuman Alliance. The Neohuman Alliance is slaughtering so crazily because they're searching for something that has something to do with the black crystal," the masked man said. The entire venue fell silent.
Lu Yin's gaze turned solemn. This incident actually involved the Neohuman Alliance and the black crystal?
This was the Gu Flowzone, so how could that be involved?
No one dared to underestimate the Neohuman Alliance.
"Alright, 50 million star essence. You may begin the auction," the masked man said.
However, there was still no one bidding. The incident in the Outerverse had happened not too long ago, and even now, the Neohuman Alliance had calmed down a lot. However, there were still massacres taking place. The Neohuman Alliance was one of the Three Dark Hands, a great enemy of the Hall of Honor, and a public enemy of humanity. They were not people that the Outerverse could resist.
Those who could sit here were not ordinary people, and they knew more than the average person. Naturally, they had more misgivings.
The masked man shouted a few more times, but no one bid. In the end, this piece of information was left unsold.
Within his cubicle, Lu Yin fell into deep thought. He had left the Outerverse and actively come to the Gu Flowzone in order to avoid this incident. Now, he naturally could not bid, as his identity would be easily exposed.
However, not being able to bid was one thing, and not being able to obtain this information was another. He had to obtain this information.
Lu Yin used his Spirit Transformation domain to sweep through the entire venue. Only Enlighters or Envoys who were extremely proficient in domains could sense his presence, and no one else could.
There were actually three Enlighters in this venue, which was definitely not something an ordinary organization could possess. Even Chaosgod Mountain did not have many Enlighters.
Aside from the Enlighters, there were also all sorts of strange gu to prevent others from spying on them. Every cubicle had a gu, and because of these gu, Lu Yin had almost been discovered.
Fortunately, his usage of his domain allowed him to avoid detection, and he kept a close eye on the masked man.
The masked man was conversing with an attendant backstage, and he had no idea that Lu Yin was watching him.
Once, twice, thrice. Lu Yin's eyes narrowed as he looked at a cubicle diagonally across from him. The masked man had looked in that direction three times while speaking. Either there was an extremely important person sitting there, or it was the person who was auctioning off the information. Lu Yin was more inclined to believe that the masked man was the latter.
Lu Yin's domain swept past the cubicle, and he saw the person inside. It was a dispirited old man who was only a Hunter. His aura was unstable, and it was obvious that he had been injured.
Since he had already discovered the masked man, Lu Yin was no longer in a hurry. Any movement at this time might attract attention. The Divine Gu Dynasty's gu were very strange, and Lu Yin's movements could not be hidden from Shaohuang Qing's eyes. He might not be able to hide from the owner of this secret auction venue either.
He did not care about these people, but he was afraid that they would attract the attention of the Neohuman Alliance.
Half a day later, the secret auction finally ended, and the old man in the cubicle left. Everyone left at different times and along different routes to avoid bumping into each other.
Lu Yin used his domain to keep an eye on the old man until he left through another dark alley. Only then did he have Chang Wu return to the shop and wait for him while he chased after the old man.
Chang Wu was apprehensive, and he did not dare to return to the shop. He did not even dare to return home until he was certain of his own safety. He felt like he had entered the darkest era of his life.
Lu Yin did not follow the old man for long, as the old man had already died. When he saw the old man collapse to the ground and turn into a puddle of blood, Lu Yin hurriedly tried to save him, but it was too late.
Lu Yin looked in the direction of the secret auction venue. Based on the old man's expression when he had left, his information had probably been sold. Since the auction had failed, the only place that could be sold was the secret auction venue.
As he thought about it, Lu Yin turned back, only to find that the auction venue had collapsed and was on fire. Quite a few people had gathered around to watch the show, and there were even city guards from Gu King City who had sealed off the area.
How had it ended so quickly?
From the moment the old man had left and died to Lu Yin's return, the entire process had taken less than the time it would take to brew a cup of tea. They had killed the old man to silence him and erase all traces of him in that amount of time. This secret auction venue contained a lot of power, but it was still impossible for them to achieve perfection.
Lu Yin discreetly glanced at a man in the crowd. It was the masked man.