Chapter 349: The Golden Tree's Divine Essence
"Excellent!"
Ling Yun raised her hand sharply, her voice ringing through the grand hall.
"I hereby declare—this complete set of hundred-thousand-year Titan Snow Demon soul bones is sold for ninety billion gold soul coins!"
As her words fell, a collective murmur rolled through the hall, one of awe and disbelief.
In the Shrek Academy section, Xuan Zi finally exhaled the breath he didn't realize he had been holding, sweat dampening his robe.
Elder Mu leaned back slightly, eyes flashing with exhaustion—but also with relief.
Around them, countless gazes filled with envy, respect, and shock.
To offer ninety billion gold soul coins—Shrek's heritage was evidently far deeper than anyone dared imagine.
But only Elder Mu and Xuan Zi knew the truth.
That fortune had drained Shrek to its very foundation.
Hiring the Starry Sky Auction Pavilion for assistance alone had cost an enormous sum, and acquiring artifacts in previous auctions had already taken heavy tolls.
Now, for the sake of these six soul bones, they would have to use their most precious, long-guarded relic.
Moments later, the Pavilion's attendants brought the six glowing soul bones to Shrek's private booth.
Ling Yun herself approached and smiled politely.
"May I ask, honored guests, how you intend to pay the ninety billion?"
Elder Mu said nothing. Instead, he reached into his storage soul tool and drew out a small bottle of pure crystal jade—along with sixty billion gold soul coins.
The moment the bottle appeared, a wave of life energy washed through the hall, so pure and radiant that everyone instinctively froze.
Even the air seemed to breathe with vitality.
"What is that…?"
Ling Yun's eyes sharpened. She could feel its incredible essence radiating through the glass.
She brought the bottle to the Pavilion's appraisal instrument for conversion, and the result displayed instantly—valued at exactly thirty billion gold soul coins.
A flicker of surprise flashed through her eyes. Whatever was contained in that bottle was no ordinary treasure.
After confirming the exchange, she returned to the stage.
Every spectator leaned forward, curiosity blazing across their faces.
What could possibly be worth thirty billion on its own?
That small bottle, as many guessed later, contained a single drop of Golden Origin Divine Essence.
The essence was condensed from the Golden Tree—the sacred guardian spirit of Shrek Academy—capable of producing just one drop every hundred years.
Each drop possessed incomprehensible vitality; it could literally regenerate flesh and restore life.
Even the most severe internal injuries plaguing an Ultimate Douluo could be healed completely by its touch.
At the booth, Xuan Zi looked down at the bottle reluctantly. His heart panged at the thought of losing such a rare miracle. Yet when he imagined the potential of the six soul bones, he clenched his teeth and said nothing.
As a senior member of the Sea God Pavilion, he knew precisely how powerful the divine essence was.
Years ago, when Elder Mu had suffered irremediable injuries, all the Pavilion elders had begged him to use the Golden Essence for healing.
He had refused.
His reason then had silenced them all—his lifespan was already spent, and even if cured, he could never advance further. Better to leave the divine essence for Shrek's future.
Now, to claim the Titan Snow Demon bones, they had broken that vow.
Some might have viewed it as a loss—but to Elder Mu, it was an investment.
Life essence could be regained one day, wealth could be rebuilt slowly—but this soul bone set was priceless beyond comparison.
If a Shrek student successfully fused them to form the Ice God Armor, that person could step onto the threshold of divinity—and in the coming Abyssal Crisis, stand as a bulwark for both the Academy and all of Douluo Continent itself.
Across the hall, Zhong Li Wu watched with a face so dark it seemed carved from shadow.
His hand tightened around the Secret Realm Token, the cold fury in his chest burning like wildfire.
He had one thought—one obsession. He had to enter the secret realm and ascend to godhood.
If Shrek produced an ice-attribute powerhouse wielding the Absolute Zero domain, the Holy Spirit Cult's ambition to unify the continent would collapse before it even began.
Shrek would become his greatest obstacle, second only to the soul beasts.
Ling Yun soon returned to the stage. Her elegant voice broke through the tense atmosphere.
"This concludes today's Starry Sky Auction. I thank you all for your participation."
"One month from now, we shall host the next auction—please, do grace us again."
The hall erupted into a flurry of motion. Some left filled with pride, others in silent frustration, while a few departed brooding—already calculating strategies for the battles and bargains ahead.
Gradually, the grand auction house descended into quiet once more.
…
In the corner of the departing crowd, the Demonic Emperor strode briskly beside the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, gripping his wrist with surprising urgency.
The resurrected whale looked pale, his vast soul power diminished. Though his body still carried the strength of a million-year beast, his energy had dropped to barely two hundred thousand years.
"Come," said the Demonic Emperor, eyes gleaming fiercely. "I'll take you somewhere that will restore your power within days—back to the full million years."
The whale's massive form shuddered. "Restore… to a million years? That's impossible. It took me hundreds of thousands of years under the deep to even approach ninety-nine—if not for Tang San's blow, I—"
"Enough talk. You'll see soon enough."
She didn't slow. The space around them warped, the forest shadows twisting away.
Moments later, both vanished from sight.
…
They reappeared within a hidden valley—one that existed outside the world's ordinary flow of space.
At the center stood a towering altar, carved with runes that pulsed with divine resonance. Thick streams of faith energy swirled around it, luminous and golden.
The moment the Deep Sea Demon Whale King stepped into the valley, he froze.
"This… this is faith energy!" he said in shock. "But how could a soul beast possess human faith power?"
He could never mistake it. Once wounded by Tang San's divine might, he had become acutely sensitive to the resonance of the gods.
The Demonic Emperor—collecting human faith? Impossible.
"This," she said, her voice calm but sharp, "is the result of years spent gathering power through other realms. It cost a great deal of time and allies to possess this much."
"Back then, Tang San destroyed everything we built. Now, I will make him pay the price. Absorb this faith energy, and you will regain your full power."
"When your strength rebirths, the very foundation of Douluo's planar core will tremble—and even Tang San will suffer backlash."
The whale stared at her in disbelief. "You… intend to shake the world's origin itself?"
Madness flickered in his golden eyes.
He hadn't expected this. To tamper with the plane's essence was a plan that brushed against the power of gods.
And beyond all that… somewhere high above, in the unseen heavens, floated the unseen gaze of the Starry Sky Auction Pavilion.
If the Demonic Emperor truly dared disturb the realm's core—
They would not remain silent.
(END CHAPTER)
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