The auction for the pseudo-divine artifact officially began. Amidst the shouts of the crowd, the price quickly escalated to ten trillion.
This was a pseudo-divine artifact; often, even with immense wealth, one could not acquire it because no one was willing to sell.
This was no common commodity, not something one could obtain just by wishing for it. Now that one had appeared, many were prepared to purchase it.
Zhou Yan was not in a hurry. It was the last item up for auction; let others bid first.
"Already ten trillion? The final transaction price should be around several tens of trillions," Ye Bufan speculated.
"Around that. I plan to purchase it for fifty trillion," Zhou Yan replied.
"Fifty trillion should be enough," Ye Bufan felt this price was fitting for a pseudo-divine artifact.
"I once heard about the transaction price of a divine artifact, which was auctioned for five hundred trillion. The highest price for a pseudo-divine artifact would not exceed sixty trillion," Ye Bufan remarked.
"Even divine artifacts are auctioned?" Zhou Yan was quite astonished.
"That was over a hundred years ago. Divine artifacts are too rare; they are practically unseen. Even I have only heard about them. Our Dragon King family only possesses a few pseudo-divine artifacts," Ye Bufan said.
Divine artifacts were indeed extremely rare; Zhou Yan had never seen one either.
Zhou Yan's territory currently possessed sixteen pseudo-divine artifacts, most of which he had plundered from others. He had only obtained a few through legitimate means.
Ouye Zi and Gan Jiang were still unable to forge pseudo-divine artifacts because their current strength was insufficient. They would need to reach the ninety-ninth heaven and have their forging skills reach the peak before they could forge them.
As for the materials for forging pseudo-divine artifacts, Zhou Yan's territory had long prepared plenty, including some divine materials capable of forging true divine artifacts.
The price of the pseudo-divine artifact continued to climb, breaking through twenty trillion, then thirty trillion.
The number of factions daring to compete also dwindled. By the time the price reached forty trillion, the competition further reduced.
"You haven't bid yet. Shall I call out for you?" Ye Bufan asked.
"No need. I'll just see what the final price reaches," Zhou Yan replied.
Tens of trillions in liquid funds required even large factions to deliberate for a long time, as they had to consider the financial operations of their entire organization.
Many eyes turned to Zhou Yan, as he had not spoken yet. They assumed he would not let this pseudo-divine artifact slip away.
When the price reached around forty-five trillion, Zhou Yan finally spoke, "Forty-six trillion."
"Forty-six point five trillion."
"Forty-eight trillion!" Zhou Yan continued to raise the bid.
After he finished, the other party did not bid further. With the final three strikes of the gavel, the pseudo-divine artifact was successfully purchased by Zhou Yan.
"Let us congratulate Mr. Zhou Yan for once again acquiring this pseudo-divine artifact!" the host exclaimed, applauding enthusiastically.
A round of thunderous applause filled the hall, and a dazzling display of light appeared above the auction venue, signaling the end of the event.
The items Zhou Yan acquired from the auction were invaluable, even to himself. The money he spent was merely a trifle.
After Zhou Yan paid, people began to disperse. However, more individuals approached Zhou Yan, eager to forge friendships with him.
Seeing their desire to become friends and business partners, Zhou Yan naturally did not refuse. He invited them, booked a hotel, and shared a meal with them.
These individuals possessed top-tier businesses worldwide, and Zhou Yan could obtain more materials from them. This was precisely why he had attended the trade fair.
After the meal, Zhou Yan completed significant material transactions with many of them, who were all pleased to cooperate with him before departing.
Zhou Yan also successfully left the hotel and, the next day, departed from the Sun Never Sets country with Ye Bufan via airship.
The journey was remarkably safe; not a single person dared to attack Zhou Yan. It wasn't that they lacked the desire, but rather the courage, as such a suicidal act was something none of them wished to undertake.
Back in his territory, Zhou Yan resumed construction. The previously purchased [Nameless Tree] eventually evolved into the [Matchmaker Tree], another celestial building that now floated in the sky.
Furthermore, the [Outer Heavenly Gate] evolved into the [Southern Heavenly Gate]. Celestial buildings were accumulating, and Zhou Yan had summoned many figures from the celestial realm.
There were too many such buildings for Zhou Yan to enumerate.
With the vast acquisition of materials and buildings, his territory's level finally advanced to ninety.
Upon reaching level ninety, Zhou Yan's territory expanded dramatically to one hundred billion square meters, equivalent to one hundred thousand square kilometers.
This was much larger than Zhou Yan had anticipated. After the upgrade, numerous new buildings required construction.
Dedicated personnel were assigned to this task. Zhou Yan's role was to continuously procure materials, generate wealth, and acquire all sorts of top-tier resources.
Upon returning to Ziwei Academy, Zhou Yan began his revenge against the factions that had previously wronged him.
Zhou Yan's first target was the Sun Never Sets Rod Family's influence on the Lord Continent. This was an established power with numerous bases across the continent, boasting a vast number of Lord members.
However, Zhou Yan focused only on the core members of the Rod Family. Eliminating their core would render the rest insignificant.
Before taking action, Zhou Yan had meticulously researched all the core members, core forces, and core organizations of the Rod Family within the [Heaven and Earth Library].
With the powerful [Heaven and Earth Library], no unforeseen circumstances could arise.
Zhou Yan's revenge operation had commenced. He entered the Lord Continent and launched his first strike against a major stronghold of the Rod Family.
This location had been developed by the Rod Family into a nation, with a total population exceeding one hundred million.
Apart from the Rod Family members themselves, no one else was aware that this nation was controlled by them; it was their private domain.
Zhou Yan's primary objective was to dismantle this nation, which provided the Rod Family with immense wealth and military strength. Furthermore, the land was rich in resources, fully exploited by the Rod Family, making it their greatest secret asset.
Zhou Yan also commanded a substantial army. His fully leveled barracks could summon one hundred soldiers.
His territory boasted over a thousand top-tier barracks. While not all were at max level, the total soldier count reached six hundred million.