Inside, a finger-length crystal bottle sat on a brocade cushion.

The transparent liquid inside barely covered the bottom, with a slender, delicate twig soaking in it.

The twig was incredibly thin, only as thick as a matchstick. If not for her excellent eyesight, she might have missed it entirely. The audience below was stretching their necks and widening their eyes to look, eager to see the so-called “Divine Relic.”

Yet it was merely a small bottle with a twig soaking in it.

If there was anything special about its appearance, it was that the branch itself was golden—a pure gold color—while the three leaves on it were a beautiful, translucent imperial green.

It truly resembled an exquisite piece of craftsmanship, with even the veins on the leaves visible.

Although ancient relics were precious, they weren’t uncommon at major auctions across the continent. But this item’s claim was extraordinary, bearing the title of “Divine,” indicating its astonishing origin.

Amid the buzzing discussions, the auctioneer, knowing he had successfully captured everyone’s attention, began his eloquent introduction.

Feng Miaojun listened and remembered every word.

Automatically filtering out the exaggerations in the auctioneer’s speech, she understood that: Before the cosmic upheaval, this great tree had originally grown beside the Temple of the Divine. The Divine One had made a grand vow, allowing faithful people to drink a drop of dew collected from its leaves. Those with illnesses would be cured, and those without would avoid disaster. Young people who consumed it would grow strong, the elderly would extend their lives, and even those suffering from bitter fortune or curses could be freed.

Then came the cosmic upheaval that devastated all living things. The Temple of the Divine was destroyed by floods and buried deep in the Forbidden Sea. This great tree, of course, could not escape the same fate, but someone had managed to collect the last drops of dew in time, storing them with a small section of the branch.

Someone in the audience couldn’t help but ask: “Does this water truly work?”

“It does,” the auctioneer said with a smile. “There were originally about eleven drops of dew. After the Luofu Fish Market acquired it, they obtained the owner’s permission to test one drop to prove its efficacy. To ensure fairness and authenticity, we have a test subject here to demonstrate its effects for everyone.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone walked onto the stage.

She removed her veil, and everyone realized it was a woman. However, half her face was as beautiful as a flower, while the other half was as hideous as a demon. This contrast of beauty and ugliness on the same face sent chills down everyone’s spine.

The auctioneer announced loudly: “Many here have probably recognized her—this is Purple Rakshasa. She was once unsurpassably beautiful, but unfortunately, eighteen years ago while exploring ruins, she accidentally triggered a curse, resulting in her current appearance.”

No one in the audience objected, evidently this Purple Rakshasa was also famous.

Her face truly deserved the name Rakshasa.

Purple Rakshasa smiled slightly at him, which only accentuated her hideousness: “It was the tomb of a powerful being from another race, who said that those who disturbed his slumber would be cursed. I was wearing protective magical tools and didn’t take it seriously, but the curse was incredibly powerful. All these years, I haven’t found a method to break it.”

The auctioneer asked her to sit, then carefully opened the bottle and dropped a single drop of dew from the golden branch onto the disfigured half of her face.

A soft “hiss” was heard as a wisp of blue smoke rose from her skin, swirling in the air without dispersing, forming the image of a blue-faced, fanged monster.

This monster clawed and struggled in the air, appearing to be in great pain, but being merely smoke, it couldn’t produce any substantial roars.

After a few moments, the blue smoke gradually dissipated, and everyone caught a faint scent of smoke.

Looking at Purple Rakshasa again, the twisted muscles on her disfigured half-face slowly stiffened and hardened, as if she were wearing a mask.

She waited a moment, then couldn’t resist touching it before beginning to peel her face in front of everyone!

The scene was incredibly disturbing as if a human face were an eggshell that could be easily peeled off.

But the effect was immediate. After the demonic mask was removed, the skin underneath was smooth and delicate, without a single scar or blemish.

Within seconds, a complete face of stunning beauty was revealed to the audience.

Purple Rakshasa conjured a water mirror to look at herself. Despite being prepared, she couldn’t help but tear up slightly.

Appearance meant so much to women that even accomplished cultivators like her couldn’t overcome this hurdle. Now that the problem that had troubled her for more than a decade was finally solved, Purple Rakshasa took out a brocade pouch from her bosom and tossed it to the auctioneer with a smile: “The agreed price!” With that, she gracefully left the stage.

Her reputation in the overseas world was substantial. With her conducting this demonstration, no one suspected it was a staged performance arranged by the Luofu Fish Market.

Feng Miaojun felt her heart racing anxiously.

How formidable ancient foreign races were had been frequently recorded in the books of the Smoke Sea Tower. If the Golden Branch Jade Dew could break such a curse, then the curse of the Divine Turtle would surely be a trifling matter.

One drop, she only needed one drop to remove the curse on her body and completely sever her entanglement with Yun Ya!

From then on, she would be as free as a bird in the sky, neither burdening the other.

Truly, the more she thought about it, the more wonderful the future seemed.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, because the auctioneer was already smiling: “Purple Immortal has proven the efficacy of this item, so the auction begins, starting with the price Purple Immortal paid, selling by the drop.”

“First drop, starting at eight hundred spirit stones!”

The spectators around had been mentally prepared—items auctioned in the Ancient Treasures Hall were certainly not cheap, especially something bearing the title “Divine.” However, Feng Miaojun gasped in shock.

Although eight hundred spirit stones were high, she could still manage it. The problem was that this was just the starting price.

There were many unseen big players in the Luofu Fish Market. She didn’t see them bidding because the items weren’t enticing enough. Once they made their move, what chance did she have?

These people, if they had troubles, couldn’t be solved by ordinary magical pills or medicines. The Golden Branch Jade Dew’s ability to overcome all suffering might be exactly what they needed.

Sure enough, as soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, bids rose one after another. In just half a cup of tea’s time, the price of the first drop of Golden Branch Jade Dew soared directly from eight hundred to one thousand four hundred spirit stones!

The bidding hadn’t stopped, but Feng Miaojun’s heart had already sunk to the bottom.

She and the entire Feng family business combined couldn’t produce so much money! And this was just the bidding for the first drop of Golden Branch Jade Dew. As the treasure became scarcer, the prices of the remaining eight drops would inevitably rise higher and higher!

Lu Chuanying suddenly said: “You want the Golden Branch Jade Dew?” He had been coldly observing for a long time; the subtle changes in Feng Miaojun’s expression couldn’t escape him.

This girl had long been able to conceal her emotions, but today she showed rare concern for this Golden Branch Jade Dew, clearly indicating its special importance to her.

“Yes,” she replied frankly. This item concerned her life; to her, it was the most important thing in the world. If there weren’t thousands of eyes watching here, if she didn’t know countless guards were maintaining order, she would even be willing to risk everything, rush to the stage, and steal a drop to drink!

Lu Chuanying nodded: “I have eight hundred spirit stones that I can lend you.”