Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San-Chapter 943: Overcrowded

Big Cat grinned. "Looks like you're about to seal that business deal."

Tang San smiled. "Eh, nothing more than a stick and a carrot. With enough incentive, these creatures will do anything."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No need. Just focus on the tournament. This is actually a great opportunity to temper yourself. You could say that the strongest non-Emperor contenders from across the realm will appear at this matchmaking tournament. And with an Emperor's seat on the line, everyone will go all out. It's a rare chance, perfect for honing your abilities. Just make sure to protect yourself when facing that opponent of yours."

Big Cat nodded. He knew exactly what Tang San meant.

After parting ways with Big Cat, Tang San returned alone to the Ancestral Court's Council Mountain. The appearance of the Shadowfiend today had given him a sudden, bold idea. It needed further discussion with the Shadowfiend clan leader before it could be fully realized, but it seemed to be feasible. The risk to the Shadowfiend clan would be significant, of course, but Tang San was confident he could offer terms compelling enough to win their support.

Only three days remained before the grand auction. Through the Discerning Eye of Heaven, Tang San could see that the fortune of the Ancestral Court was rising steeply, nearly returning to its historical peak.

This was clearly the handiwork of the Celestial Fox clan behind the scenes. From the appearance of the Ancestral Tree and its gift of life essence to the Daemon Continent, to using this matchmaking tournament and the grand auction to gather attention from across the continent—all of it was an effective method for consolidating fortune.

The more fortune the Ancestral Court accumulated, the more stable its position as the center of the Daemon Continent would become. The more fortune converged here, the more divine blessing would flow into the Celestial Fox Holy Mountain, aiding the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's recovery.

It was all in plain sight, an open conspiracy. Everyone could see it, but they could do nothing whatsoever to stop it, and most didn't want to stop it either. After all, the consolidation of fortune within the Ancestral Court was also highly beneficial for the Empyrean Dominion and the Solstice Empire, and naturally had the full support of all the Emperors.

Once again, Tang San was about to stir up trouble in the Ancestral Court. If all went smoothly, this would lay the foundation for both him and Mei Gongzi to ascend to Emperorhood. Then, it would be a matter of building up further strength and waiting for the opportunity to break through. Once the two of them became Emperors together, they would undoubtedly find themselves standing on the opposite side of the Demon and Nymph Emperors.

For the next three days, Tang San limited his outings from Council Mountain, only paying one visit to Mei Gongzi. The rest of his time was spent cultivating and preparing for the auction.

He hadn't seen the Sunborne Nymph Emperor recently, nor had there been much of an imperial presence around Council Mountain. Perhaps all the Emperors were busy helping their younger clan members prepare for the tournament.

What Tang San did know was that the White Tiger Demon Emperor and the Undying Demon Emperor had been frequently training Mei Gongzi. The two great Emperors clearly held high expectations for her. Meanwhile, the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor, her biological father, hadn't shown up at all—mainly because he didn't dare. Su Qin was now staying at the White Tiger Demon Emperor's side, and every time Lin Ximo tried to visit after learning she had arrived at the Ancestral Court, he'd been driven off. He was probably the most pitiful Emperor in history. Su Qin didn't want to see him, and so he was denied the sight of his daughter as well.

The upcoming grand auction would be held at the Grand Auction Hall of the Ancestral Court itself, and by now, it was nearly impossible to get a ticket. freёweɓnovel_com

Almost every noble who had come to the Ancestral Court wanted to attend. Not all were planning to bid; many simply wanted to witness the spectacle. After all, this once-in-a-millennium event promised treasures unlike anything ever seen. Just being there would be a rare experience.

The Grand Auction Hall was massive, and the number of tickets available was correspondingly large. But even so, demand far outstripped supply. Even the most basic entry tickets had been driven up to astronomical prices. Just the ticket sales alone would earn the Ancestral Court a fortune.

As for the VIP room entry tokens? Those couldn't be bought with money at all.

Each Emperor had a dedicated private room. Besides them, only the lords of major cities were entitled to private rooms. Even the leaders of second-tier clans couldn't obtain VIP rooms; they had to sit in public seating. As for first-tier clan leaders, they had to pull some strings to get inside a normal VIP room, and even with that, the cost was extremely steep.

As the leader of the Blue Gold Tree clan and Lord of Skytree City, Tang San naturally had his own private room. It could accommodate about ten people. The treatment of a main city lord was indeed extraordinary. Moreover, the auction hall officials seemed to be aware that the Blue Gold Tree clan was rather wealthy, and so the treatment they enjoyed was lacking nothing. Obviously, they were expected to spend a good chunk of their fortune, and coincidentally, Tang San was fine with that.

Mei Gongzi also had her own private room. As Lord of Kali City, the "prize" of the matchmaking tournament, and the champion of the Ancestral Court Elite Tournament, she was easily the most watched person in the entire Ancestral Court.

The grand auction would last for three consecutive days without breaks. Different auctioneers would rotate shifts to keep the process going non-stop. All auction items were categorized and ordered by value. Bidders were not allowed to leave once they placed a bid; if they did, they wouldn't be permitted to re-enter. That said, all necessities were provided within the hall, so there was no need to leave either

Though the auction wouldn't start until noon on the first day, by early morning, the outside of the Grand Auction Hall was already packed with people.

At one point, an official from the auction had proposed holding the auction in front of Council Mountain, and of course, building a new venue there. But the idea was rejected—the space was already occupied. They were constructing the arena for the upcoming tournament.

After all, the contestants in the matchmaking tournament would all be eleventh-order and above. The destructive power of such beings in combat was immense. Even with Emperors serving as referees, a powerful defensive array was still necessary. Council Mountain was the best location for that, and the arena they were building there was a reinforced version of the one used in the Elite Tournament. Thus, the auction remained in its original venue.

Entry was conducted in an orderly fashion, with each ticket subject to strict anti-counterfeit measures. Naturally, some tried to sneak in with forged tickets, but they were all caught and detained. Heavy fines were issued, and the guards didn't spare the rod either.

Some powerful beings even tried to use their special abilities to slip in unnoticed. Who knew if they'd get lucky? But they quickly discovered that the Ancestral Court's guards offered no room for luck. Several eleventh-order powerhouses were stationed to oversee entry, scanning every attendee with their divine consciousness. Without a genuine ticket, sneaking in was absolutely impossible.

To accommodate more people, even the aisles in the auction hall were filled with temporary seating. All extra space between rows was packed with foldable chairs. Each bidder barely had room to sit, and for the larger beings, even that was a challenge.

In the past, one could simply buy multiple tickets for extra space, but now, with tickets nearly impossible to get, that was no longer an option. Some attendees even had to shrink their bodies using bloodline abilities just to fit.

It was clear that over the next three days, most bidders would be far from comfortable. Everyone was praying not to end up seated next to one of the giant-bodied clans. Reportedly, those like the Behemoths, Golden Mammoths, elephant demons, and rhino demons had all been told by the auction organizers that they must be able to assume human form and shrink it down in order to participate. Otherwise, they'd need to buy at least three additional tickets to fit.

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