As Old Ancestor Yue Lun spoke, Emperor Yan Ling and Old Ancestor Tang both looked at him with varying expressions.
Old Ancestor Tang was overjoyed, while Emperor Yan Ling's face turned exceptionally grim.
Emperor Yan Ling gritted his teeth and said, "Old Ancestor Yue Lun, do you truly not recall our past affections and wish to contend with Us for the Chaos Heart?"
Old Ancestor Yue Lun ignored Emperor Yan Ling and addressed Bai Ling on the stage, "Two billion spirit stones, the Sacred Artifact 'Kingdom in the Palm,' the Sacred Artifact 'Heart of Sun and Moon,' and the Sacred Artifact 'Yue Lun!'"
Silence fell over the entire venue at Old Ancestor Yue Lun's declaration.
The three Sacred Artifacts presented by Old Ancestor Yue Lun were not only the cornerstones of the Yue Lun Holy Land but also crucial divine artifacts for maintaining the operation of the First Heaven!
The 'Kingdom in the Palm' was the ancestral land of the Yue Lun Holy Land, intrinsically linked to the Heart of the Great Land of the First Heaven. Legend had it that as long as the holder remained within the coverage of the Sacred Artifact 'Kingdom in the Palm,' they would be immortal and possess an inexhaustible supply of energy!
As for the 'Heart of Sun and Moon'... it was even more extraordinary!
The alternation of day and night in Lingzhou was precisely due to the 'Heart of Sun and Moon' of the Yue Lun Holy Land!
It could be said that without this Sacred Artifact, the land of Lingzhou would be plunged into eternal darkness, preventing light from ever gracing it, and all life in Lingzhou would wither away!
As for the final Sacred Artifact, 'Yue Lun'... the world was unaware of its function, but its inclusion alongside the other two as one of the three great Sacred Artifacts suggested its value was immeasurable.
Now, with Old Ancestor Yue Lun presenting these three Sacred Artifacts, he was not merely selling the Yue Lun Holy Land but also entrusting the fate of billions of beings in Lingzhou!
Emperor Yan Ling stared at Old Ancestor Yue Lun in disbelief, exclaiming, "Old Ancestor Yue Lun, have you gone mad? The three Sacred Artifacts are divine artifacts entrusted to the Yue Lun Holy Land by the Emperor's Palace for safekeeping. They do not belong to your Yue Lun Holy Land; how can you put them up for auction?"
Old Ancestor Yue Lun calmly replied, "Our clan has guarded the three Sacred Artifacts for ten million years; we have fulfilled our duty. Now, who should be entrusted with their safekeeping is a matter our clan has a voice in, and you have no right to interfere."
Emperor Yan Ling roared, "You scoundrel! I will absolutely not allow you to act so recklessly. The three Sacred Artifacts are by no means private property of your Yue Lun Holy Land!"
The Nine Heavens Realm was immensely vast, formed by the aggregation of countless universes. The area of each Heaven was many times larger than the universe where Ye Ling was located.
Precisely because the Nine Heavens Realm was so vast, ordinary Heavenly Dao systems were insufficient to maintain its operation.
Let alone the First Heaven, even Lingzhou within the First Heaven would require at least a hundred Heavenly Daos to cover its entire area.
In such a colossal world, the alternation of sun, moon, and stars necessitated the intervention of powerful法则之力 (laws/principles). The Emperor's Palace, as the sovereign of the Nine Heavens Realm, bore the responsibility of maintaining its operation.
Each great state within each Heaven would have a chosen clan by the Emperor's Palace, tasked with safeguarding the foundation of their respective states' destinies.
And the Yue Lun Holy Land was the chosen guardian clan of Lingzhou by the Emperor's Palace.
Those three Sacred Artifacts were the cornerstones that maintained the fundamental laws of Lingzhou's operation.
Although the Emperor's Palace had not visited the First Heaven for a long time, and the three Sacred Artifacts were essentially private property of the Yue Lun Holy Land, everyone still found it difficult to accept their auction.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the venue became extremely tense. Emperor Yan Ling was about to make a move against Old Ancestor Yue Lun, while Old Ancestor Tang, standing beside him, no longer dared to stir up trouble and remained quietly on the sidelines.
He feared that if he interjected again, not only would he fail to obtain the Chaos Heart, but his Tang family might also become the public enemy of all Lingzhou.
Seeing the escalating tension in the city from within the Tian Ren Tower, the World-Ending Spirit Fire asked Ye Ling, "Kid, by putting the Chaos Heart up for auction, you intend to make Old Ancestor Yue Lun hand over the three Sacred Artifacts?"
Ye Ling chuckled, "To correct you, it's to hand them over legitimately."
Old Ancestor Yue Lun's main body was in Ye Ling's hands, and the Old Ancestor Yue Lun present at the auction was merely a divine sense clone. The actual manipulator was Ye Ling.
Old Ancestor Yue Lun presenting the three Sacred Artifacts was entirely Ye Ling's own intention.
From the very beginning, Ye Ling had no intention of auctioning off the Chaos Heart.
Although the Chaos Heart was of little use to Ye Ling now, such a treasure was not something cultivators in the First Heaven could afford to possess. If the Chaos Heart were to be leaked, it would only lead to bloodshed and endless chaos in the First Heaven.
Ye Ling's reasons for revealing the Chaos Heart were twofold: first, to enhance the reputation of Tian Ren City, and second, to legitimately acquire the three Sacred Artifacts, making Tian Ren City the core of Lingzhou and enabling it to command the world.
Ye Ling estimated that he would have to engage in conflict with the Seven Star Pillars sooner rather than later. Before that, he needed to stabilize his rear base.
Otherwise, instead of conquering the Seven Star Pillars, the First Heaven might be consumed by dark forces.
Since the disappearance of the Emperor's Palace and the fall of the Ninth Heaven, the Seven Star Pillars had advanced with unstoppable momentum. Worlds above the Second Heaven were almost entirely eroded by dark forces and had been carved up by the Seven Star Pillars.
The only world not yet touched by dark forces was the First Heaven where Ye Ling resided.
However, with the strength of the First Heaven alone, it was impossible to withstand the encroachment of darkness. If even one of the Seven Star Pillars descended, the First Heaven would inevitably fall.
Therefore, Ye Ling needed to bring this First Heaven under his influence to prevent the complete collapse of the Nine Heavens Realm.
Controlling Lingzhou was the first step in his plan.
The World-Ending Spirit Fire, understanding Ye Ling's intentions, asked with confusion, "If you want to control the First Heaven, why not simply use dark forces to erode it? Since you are openly the Eighth Star Pillar, using dark forces to erode the First Heaven and bring it under your influence, the other seven Star Pillars likely wouldn't have any objections to the First Heaven."
Ye Ling shook his head, "That cannot be done... What if, by eroding the First Heaven with dark forces, the Lord of the Upper Realm believes the Nine Heavens Realm has completely fallen and decides to descend directly?"
"Although the method of collecting Sacred Artifacts is troublesome now, this at least buys us time, enough for us to deal with all seven Star Pillars."
The World-Ending Spirit Fire then inquired, "What about the Sacred Artifacts in the other great states? This First Heaven is not just Lingzhou. Are you planning to hold auctions in every single great state?"
Ye Ling sighed heavily, "Can't you use your brain more often?"
The World-Ending Spirit Fire was taken aback, "How am I not using my brain?"
Ye Ling asked, "Why do you think I blocked a portion of people outside Tian Ren City and allowed them to witness the entire auction through the barrier?"
The World-Ending Spirit Fire: "For what?"
Ye Ling: "Naturally, it's to make them covetous, so they would notify their sect elders and lure powerful individuals to Tian Ren City."
"I estimate that news of the Chaos Heart's appearance has already spread throughout the First Heaven. The renowned experts of the various states absolutely cannot resist the temptation of the Chaos Heart. When they arrive, we'll catch them all in one go."
"Oh... so that's how it is."
After hearing Ye Ling's explanation, the World-Ending Spirit Fire nodded as if it had understood, then stubbornly retorted, "I guessed your plan long ago. I was just testing you earlier."
"Yes, yes, you're amazing."
Ye Ling was accustomed to the World-Ending Spirit Fire's stubbornness and did not expose it. Instead, he extended his divine soul to cover the entire First Heaven, locking onto every cultivator heading towards Tian Ren City.
Those Supreme Immortals and Heavenly Void Emperors, who were en route to Tian Ren City to seize the Chaos Heart, were completely unaware that a vast net had been woven in Tian Ren City, waiting for them to walk into the trap.