Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Seeing Xia Yi return to the Shrek Auction House with Leng Yaozhu, Xue Wei was so overwhelmed that her eyes welled up with tears.

She hadn't expected that Xia Yi was really planning to bid for the Heart of the Ice God.

"Honored guests, please follow me. The auction has already begun. The Heart of the Ice God is the grand finale of this auction and will be up for bidding soon."

As soon as she saw Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu, Xue Wei immediately stepped forward and led them to a private box that had been prepared in advance.

This time, Gu Yue hadn't come along. Leng Yaozhu had left her in the Spirit Pagoda, saying she had some research to do. Xia Yi wasn't sure what exactly it was and didn't bother to ask.

As soon as Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu took their seats, the auction for an 80,000-year-old Dragon Tendril Vine concluded.

"Honored guests, next up is the Heart of the Ice God."

Just as Xue Wei finished speaking, a golden cart was pushed onto the auction stage. It was covered with a red cloth, and it blended in seamlessly in the resplendent yet elegant hall of the auction house.

The auctioneer's face was filled with excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the item we are about to auction is arguably the most significant item in the history of our auction house. We have spent a long, long time preparing for this. For today's auction, we have gathered some of the most important guests from across the entire continent.

"First and foremost, on behalf of the Shrek Auction House, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for attending. I'm sure you have eagerly awaited this moment, so let's not delay further."

"Although many of you may have already gathered some information about this item from various sources, as the auctioneer, I must still give a detailed introduction to this treasure that could be described as a divine artifact."

As he spoke, the auctioneer's expression became solemn, and the lights in the hall dimmed significantly, leaving only a single golden spotlight illuminating the cart on stage.

With a dramatic motion, the auctioneer suddenly lifted the red cloth.

The moment he unveiled it, every gaze in the room was immediately drawn to the object beneath it. Everyone's eyes seemed to freeze in place.

The Heart of the Ice God wasn't particularly large, but the moment the golden light shone upon it, it reflected countless dazzling colors. However, these colors were not golden—they transformed into a stunning ice-blue.

The radiant ice-blue light scattered in the air, forming crisscrossing beams that filled the entire auction stage. Just from the refraction of the light alone, people felt a bone-chilling cold sweep over them.

Upon seeing the Heart of the Ice God in person, Xia Yi's breathing became rapid.

He even had the urge to swallow it whole.

As Xia Yi's burning gaze fixated on it, the auctioneer began to introduce the Heart of the Ice God, mostly repeating the same details that Leng Yaozhu had previously mentioned.

"Alright, the auction will now begin. The starting price is 5 billion federal credits, and each bid increase must be no less than 1 billion."

Silence.

Everyone's eyes remained fixed on the Heart of the Ice God on stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you may now begin bidding," the auctioneer said with a smile.

Still, no one spoke.

Those organizations capable of producing 5 billion in funds were also aware that the energy within the Heart of the Ice God could not be utilized.

A full three minutes passed before Leng Yaozhu finally spoke.

"Five billion."

"Five billion! We have a bid!" The auctioneer, hearing the first offer, immediately became energized and responded promptly.

"Five-point-one billion!" Another voice followed.

The bidders at this auction weren't limited to just Leng Yaozhu. Many of them also knew that the federal government had failed to unlock the Heart of the Ice God's secrets, yet they still hoped to take it back for research.

If they could discover a way to use it, its value could easily exceed 100 billion.

Even if they couldn't unlock its potential, they could always sell it again.

"Five-point-five billion." Leng Yaozhu raised her bid.

At that moment, the auctioneer's face turned grim.

Even though Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu were in a one-way mirrored VIP box, protected by soul power formations to isolate their presence,

these measures were meaningless to the people participating in the bidding.

Within moments, the bidders all figured out Leng Yaozhu's identity.

By raising her voice, Leng Yaozhu was declaring her determination to win.

While some of the attendees weren't afraid of Leng Yaozhu, they also had no desire to offend her.

After all, they had just met at the Sea God's Pavilion, where they were discussing how to combat the evil soul masters.

It would be foolish to turn against her over an unusable artifact.

Even if they truly wanted to research the Heart of the Ice God, they could always bid for it after Leng Yaozhu sold it again.

It simply wasn't worth making an enemy of her.

Seeing no one else bidding, the auctioneer reluctantly began the countdown.

"Five-point-five billion, first call!"

"Five-point-five billion, second call!"

"Five-point-five billion, third call!"

Bang!

The hammer fell.

"Congratulations to this distinguished guest! The Heart of the Ice God is now yours," the auctioneer announced begrudgingly. The last time the Heart of the Ice God was auctioned, the federal government had purchased it for 7.3 billion.

This time, the final price was a full 1.8 billion lower.

Fortunately, the federal government was wealthy enough to afford such losses—if it had been another organization, they might have gone bankrupt over it.

Soon, the dazzling Heart of the Ice God was delivered to Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu. Its glass containment box was undoubtedly specially made, capable of isolating the freezing cold emanating from the artifact.

"Can you start your martial soul evolution now? If so, let's begin. I'll protect you," Leng Yaozhu said, believing that even the tiniest bit of energy from the Heart of the Ice God would be enough for Xia Yi's martial soul to evolve.

"Is there really such a rush?" Xia Yi asked curiously.

He was anxious, but he hadn't expected Leng Yaozhu to be even more urgent than him.

"We got it for such a cheap price—we should return it quickly," Leng Yaozhu said matter-of-factly.

"You don't mean… you plan to auction it off again after my martial soul evolves?" Xia Yi asked.

"You catch on fast. Otherwise, where do you think I got the 5.5 billion federal credits from?" Leng Yaozhu glanced at Xia Yi and added, "If we profit, it's mine. If we lose, it's your problem."

Even for Leng Yaozhu, producing billions of credits in cash on short notice was difficult.

With her status, she never had to worry about money and never bothered saving any.

She could have liquidated some of her collectibles, but that would take two to three days.

The only way to immediately gather 5.5 billion in cash was to dip into the Spirit Pagoda's funds, but that idea never even crossed her mind.

From the start, her plan had been simple—buy the Heart of the Ice God, let Xia Yi use it, and then immediately resell it.

That way, she wouldn't have to worry about funding the purchase at all.

Even if the auction house delayed payment collection, they wouldn't rush her.

This was exactly why she had agreed to help Xia Yi.

To her, it was nothing more than a simple transaction—no loss at all.

"You might be disappointed," Xia Yi murmured.

If this method worked, he would have thought of it already—he wouldn't have needed to beg Leng Yaozhu.

"It's fine. If you're not ready, take your time. Just return the Heart of the Ice God to me in a few days, and I'll find a way to auction it off again," Leng Yaozhu said firmly.

But then, to her utter shock, Xia Yi opened the glass containment box.

In an instant, the temperature in the auction house plummeted below freezing—and it continued to drop at an alarming rate.

Inside the VIP box, the cold was even more terrifying.

The one-way mirror shattered instantly, frozen to its breaking point.

A piercing cry suddenly erupted from Leng Yaozhu's body.

A blazing red phoenix appeared behind her, accompanied by seven teardrop-shaped flames.

The terrifying Sky Phoenix True Flames immediately sealed the entire VIP box.

As an Ultimate Douluo, Leng Yaozhu had absolute control over her flames. She ensured that the auction house wouldn't burn down, while simultaneously neutralizing the cold.

She even extended some phoenix flames to protect Xia Yi and Xue Wei.

"Be careful! Don't activate the Heart of the Ice God's power!" Leng Yaozhu warned.

If Xia Yi accidentally triggered its full energy, it wouldn't just destroy the auction house—it could devastate the entire Shrek City.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Xia Yi assured her.

Then, under Leng Yaozhu's stunned gaze, he lifted the Heart of the Ice God to his mouth—

—and swallowed it whole.

(End of Chapter)