Chapter 285 – Imperishable Gilded Body
“Is it a mighty battle figure?” Shi Hao asked while full of doubts.
“Far surpasses a battle figure,” replied the little pagoda.
It was indeed an ancient item, but much older than what the crowd anticipated. It had a splendid past and was not as simple as people imagined.
It had been carefully put together in the ancient era into a battle figure, and was an object that displayed astonishing strength. However, it was later broken in a great battle.
“It is actually an object from the archaic times, a treasure among treasures. These types of objects could be called ‘Imperishable Gilded Bodies’.”
The explanation of the little pagoda was astonishing, for this item was way too ancient. The fact that it could be passed along for so many years was nothing short of a miracle.
Things like puppets and battle figures could be created after reaching a certain level of artifact refinement. They possess incredible fighting prowess, but they also had many shortcomings, such as the enormous energy consumption.
During the archaic years, there were those who raised their skills at creating battle figures to an extreme, evolving them into the Imperishable Gilded Bodies. These human shaped precious artifacts were even more powerful than battle figures.
Once combined with the physical body, the Gilded Bodies could greatly boost the wearer’s fighting capability, as if they themselves possessed an Imperishable Gilded Body. Their strength would far surpass that of a battle figure.
Even in the archaic times, treasured artifacts like the Imperishable Gilded Bodiess were still rare. Every single one was was a fine product that required exceptional skill to create. The amount of materials needed was also huge, making it extremely hard to produce.
Based on the little pagoda’s speculation, this was an extremely powerful Imperishable Gilded Body. It was merely damaged and later dug up by someone from the ancient era. After being refined and mended, it became a battle figure.
In the end, it experienced even more desperate battles, causing it to become damaged even further. It is now nearly impossible to activate.
The small pagoda could not bear to see the skill used to create such a splendid precious artifact become lost forever. Thus, it did not consume it.
Shi Hao was dumbfounded. Wouldn’t that make this be a useless object then? It would be completely useless. What was the point of bidding on it?
“Get rid of the materials of the ancient time that were used to mend it,” said the little pagoda. According to its words, the so called ‘mending’ done later on was blocking the Imperishable Gilded Bodies from exerting its divine energy.
“How powerful will it become once those things are gone?” Shi Hao asked.
“It would be restored to… the strength of a noble king’s level. If it is carefully refined, it could even recover its glory in the archaic era, possessing a power that is beyond your current imagination,” said the small pagoda.
When he heard this, Shi Hao became overwhelmed with excitement. For now, as long as he refined it properly, the figure could exert a fighting capability equivalent to that of a noble king. This news… was simply terrifying.
How horrifying would a real Imperishable Gilded Body be?
You have to understand that this was a treasured artifact that could fuse with the wearer’s physical body! In other words, if he was lucky enough, he could obtain the power of a noble king’ level right now!
No wonder the little pagoda said that this object could benefit him throughout his lifetime. It was worth continuously refining. If it could regain its power from the archaic era, the power of the Imperishable Gilded Body would once again reappear!
Regardless, now was not the time to hesitate. The most important thing was to successfully bid it over. Otherwise, it would be disasterous it it fell into someone else’s hands.
Someone had already started bidding down in the great hall. Those people had no idea of its origin and thought it a mere battle figure. They were purely bidding on it for research purposes.
Others wanted to take it apart and see whether it contained special qualities or rare divines materials.
The base price was not set very high, and there were only a few bidders. After all, they had just witnessed the Void Beast Skin and was now enjoying a restful moment. Most people did not place much attention on this item.
Shi Hao kept his composure and did not raise the price abruptly. He followed other bidders and only increased his bidding a little each time.
Outside the Bone Insect Auction House, a chariot arrived.
It was an ancient chariot densely covered by symbols shining like stars. The chariot quickly came to a stop and a pretty girl raised the curtain. Out came a young man dressed in whitewith an exceptional temperament.
“Prince Nineteen!” The crowd was surprised when they recognized the man.
Everyone knew that this prince was a rather remarkable character. He was sent away when he was little to study abroad and had only returned recently. He had kept a low profile until he was sent to the Hundred Clan Battlefield, where he killed 49 mighty experts in a row. The capital erupted with excitement when the news came back. It was not because he had killed that many people, but instead that he had been able to withdraw from the battlefield with an undefeated record.
Inside the auction hall, Shi Hao won the bid with a low price. When the pretty and flirtatious girl set down the treasured hammer, he released a breath of air and became content.
It was truly a bargain. He was able to obtain a supreme treasure for such a low amount of materials!
Just when the hammer was about to knock down, a voice came from the entrance of the hall. It lingered in the air with an ethereal quality, which sounded soft and tender.
“Please wait.”
Everyone turned towards that direction. The voice was so gentle that it felt like it came from a divine realm. Upon hearing it, the people felt their soul being cleansed and their body showered in a spring breeze.
“Prince Nineteen is here!” cried out someone in surprise.
He wasn’t here by himself, but was accompanying someone else. He was currently raising the jeweled curtain at the entrance himself to pave the way for a woman, who was the speaker just now.
The crowd couldn’t help but look at them. It was already a big deal to arrive with this prince, but since Prince Nineteen was lifting the curtain for her, it made everyone shocked.
Needless to say, she was an important guest of Prince Nineteen and possessed an incredible background. Who on earth was this woman?
Almost everyone turned to look at her. Dressed in all white, she was extraordinarily refined and had a graceful figure. She was about a head taller than average with a slender and attractive body. Her jet black hair was smooth and shiny, and her snowy neck looked smooth like that of a swan. Unfortunately, her face was covered by a veil and it was impossible to see her countenance. People could only see her eyes, which were extremely misty and could rouse one’s deepest emotions.
Although the crowd could not see her face clearly, judging from her slender and beautiful figure, the woman was exceptionally good-looking and most likely possessed an unequaled beauty.
“Who is this woman? Prince Nineteen is treating her with great respect, so she must have an important background. Could she have come from the Archaic Divine Mountains?” someone speculated.
Rumour had it that Prince Nineteen was after the throne of the Human Emperor. The heir had not been decided yet, and people considered him a strong candidate.
It was known to all that when the Human Emperor chose his heir, the competition would be most merciless. The candidates would not only face bloody tribulations, but compete against each other in their backgrounds as well.
At that time, some of the Archaic Divine Mountains might also join in to support certain princes or descendents of powerful noble kings. The situation would become incredibly complicated.
“Could you hold on for a second? A friend of mine wants to join in on the bidding,” said Prince Nineteen who was dressed all in white. He asked the people on stage with a mild tone.
“Well…” The woman in red on stage hesitated. The hammer had already set down just then, which indicated the end of the bidding. However, the person asking the question was an extremely important figure. He was among the few competing for the throne of the Human Emperor and could have a splendid future.
Shi Hao felt his heart racing. He was about to obtain the Imperishable Gilded Body, so how could such thing happen now?
“She’s here.” In another VIP room, a woman with striking beauty murmured to herself. Her big glistening eyes could break anyone’s heart, and several snowy fox tails were waving behind her.
“Wu, things that could catch her eye must be good stuff. I’m not letting her have it.” The fox woman with the beauty to overthrow a country let out a charming smile. “I want to bid for it, too.” She said in the sweetest voice.
Her bare arms were translucent with fair and supple skin. When she looked out from her room, people saw a bright and beautiful face that could take their breath away. With black hair hanging loose on her shoulders, her eyes looked intelligent and she had the brightest red lips.
This turn of event caused much discussion and the crowd was stirred. It was only a fist-sized black figurine; why would two beautiful women compete over it?
“Hey, I’ve already won the bid. You are not following the rules here,” Shi Hao said with an innocent face.
He had to speak up, or the situation could be turned because of the newcomers’ identities.
The woman in veil sighed, which touched many hearts. The people all felt regret with her, as if they could sense her feel of loss.
It alerted some mighty experts. The woman was way too powerful, at least in her spiritual strength. Her power was almost otherworldly, since just a normal sigh could affect other people’s mood.
Hearing his words, Prince Nineteen turned to Shi Hao and asked mildly. “If the young brother is willing to part with his treasure, I’ll pay ten times the price.”
“Little brother, why not sell it to me? I’m sure you’ll be very satisfied.” The Heavenly Fox woman chuckled.
The crowd was astonished. What was happening here? A battle figure had caused two beautiful women to compete with each other, and one of which was accompanied here by Prince Nineteen, which said a lot about her identity.
There was no need to talk about the identity of the other woman, for she had snowy fox tails and a striking beauty. Her charm was almost irresistible. She was definitely a Heavenly Fox of the Archaic Divine Mountains.
At this moment, many nobilities of the elder generation changed their countenance at the appearance of this foxy woman. They began to vaguely understand who she was and what organization she was represented, and could even be connected to people beyond the wastelands. The information terrified them greatly.
If things proceeded normally, these two women should belong to opposite forces. They might have each had an audience with the Human Emperor and set forth some form of ‘heavenly secret’.
“Sorry, I like battle figures very much and have been studying them. I won’t sell it.” Shi Hao refused them. Who were they kidding? He wouldn’t sell it for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand of the price, let alone ten times of that. It was a supreme treasure that would surely amaze the world when it regained its power one day!
“Little brother, come to big sister when you want to sell it at any time.” The Heavenly Fox girl batted her lovely eyes charmingly. She then walked away leisurely in mincing steps. Her ivory skin was giving off a fragrance that stole the attention of many.
Following that, the veil-covered woman next to Prince Nineteen also made an invitation with her heavenly voice, asking Shi Hao to meet occasionally, which attracted much attention and envy.
The auction went on. When Shi Hao made his bid again, his move became much more noticed. Things he set eyes on all ended up with inordinately high prices.
He then started to bid on every item, which made the crowd speechless. They finally gave up on following his moves.
In reality, his gains were quite great this time. He obtained a greyish material at a reasonable price that was said to have been dug out of some ruins.
The auctioneer said that it was identified as an ancient material void of divine energy. Its value was not very great and was therefore sent to the auction house.
After obtaining it, the little pagoda told Shi Hao that this old material could make it give Shi Hao “half a hand”, which could explain the value of of this treasure.
Towards the end of the auction, a fist-sized bead led to a continuous bidding between the Heavenly Fox girl and the veiled woman, which amazed the crowd greatly.
The strikingly beautiful girl from the Heavenly Fox Clan asked to check the item for a final confirmation. She observed the blood-stained bead for long time. Eventually she shook her head and gave up.
The white-dressed woman then also looked it over in her hands and observed it carefully. She sighed gently. “It’s stained and destroyed. What a pity.”
The bead was covered by black blood stains and was cracked in many places. It was cold and gruesome when touched and carried an ominous feeling.
There were several others were among the bidders, but they were all simply following the two. Seeing that the two important women had both given up, they were dumbstruck and did not know how to proceed.
Shi Hao did not take a look or check it personally, but started bidding right away, because the little pagoda had spoken. It told him that the value of this thing was beyond imagination.
The little pagoda said that the two women were capable enough to recognize the thing as an eyeball that belonged to an ancient divine supreme being. However, they were wrong to think that it was stained by Heavenly Demonic Blood and as a result, underwent petrification. In reality, it was merely a layer of dried blood. It was impossible for the demonic blood to stain such a divine object, and contained within was an eye.
The eyeball belonged to a dual-pupiled individual!
Other things aside, the word double-pupil itself was astonishing enough to Shi Hao. He kept his composure, but was overwhelmed with excitement inside. He won the bid with all his effort.
That was the last item he bought from this auction. The things he won this time had exceeded his expectations greatly!