Villain : After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse - Chapter 23

Chapter 23 : Primordial Holy Son, You’re Not Supporting Us, You’re Wrecking the Place!

“He’s ruthless!” exclaimed a spectator. “He just killed them without hesitation!”

“Of course, the Primordial Holy Son has such a status, he wouldn’t fear ancient imperial clans!” another person added.

“Once they’re dead, they’re dead. There’s nothing significant about it. Countless God Sons have died over the ages. One more or less makes no difference.”

“The Primordial Holy Son is really powerful. The Soaring Snake God Son was strong too, at least at the eighth level of the True King realm, but he was no match for the Primordial Holy Son, like a mere mortal in comparison.”

“People were saying the Primordial Holy Son had only recently broken through to the True King realm, right?”

“Who knows? These rumors are so mixed, it’s hard to tell what’s true.”

“That’s true!”

“The Primordial Holy Son easily subdued the Soaring Snake God Son. His strength is comparable to an ordinary Great Master.”

“He’s a terrifying being!”

“If the Primordial Holy Son doesn’t face any accidents, if he doesn’t die young, he will be one of the strongest in the Nine Heavens Realm.”

“This is truly the demeanor of a great emperor!”

Jin Taiyuan and the Soaring Snake God Son died too quickly, leaving many in disbelief, especially prodigies like the Third Prince. They thought they weren’t much different from Jiang Chen, but now, the gap seemed unimaginable. They were no better than the Soaring Snake God Son, and if they were in his place, they would likely meet the same fate.

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“Primordial Holy Son, you’ve really caused our Divine Stone Pavilion some trouble. You’ll have to support us in the upcoming auction!” Huang Shanhai joked with a wry smile.

Both Jin Taiyuan and the Soaring Snake God Son were not simple characters. Now that both had died here, their ancient imperial clans would not let this go. They might not do anything to the Primordial Holy Land, but the Divine Stone Pavilion was a different matter.

Huang Shanhai wasn’t too worried, though. The Divine Stone Pavilion had stood for so long not without reason. It was an undying force, and even if the ancient imperial clans were furious, it wouldn’t impact them much.

“Whatever!” Jiang Chen waved his hand, not caring much about these matters. If necessary, he would just get a few divine stones.

“That’s what I wanted to hear!” Huang Shanhai grinned, then turned to the crowd and announced, “Although there was a bit of an interlude, everything has been resolved. The auction will now begin!”

The crowd echoed in agreement.

“Huang Shanhai, that’s quite an understatement, calling this a ‘small interlude’!”

“What else can he say? That it’s a ‘major interlude’ to reflect the importance of the event?”

“People are dead, and it’s not our concern. Let’s focus on getting that divine stone!  didn’t get anything last time, but this time, I must redeem myself!”

Soon, everyone seemed to forget the incident, and the atmosphere became lively.

“The first divine stone of today’s auction starts at 10,000 Divine Sources, with a minimum increase of 10 Divine Sources,” Huang Shanhai announced, standing in front of a human-sized divine stone.

“150,000!” Jiang Chen immediately shouted a price. He found the stone quite pleasing to the eye, thinking it might contain something good.

“Primordial Holy Son, do you see something special in this stone?” Yan Ruyu asked curiously, seeing how quickly Jiang Chen bid.

The auction was moving at a breakneck pace, with Jiang Chen placing bids without a moment’s hesitation. It was almost as if he knew exactly what lay within each stone.

“I don’t really know,” Jiang Chen remarked casually when asked if he sensed something special about the stones. “That one just caught my eye, it seemed like it might have something good inside.”

His approach was laid-back; he was no expert in stone gambling, unable to discern any mystical properties in these divine stones. He was here merely for the thrill of the gamble. Without any particular method to peer into the stones, he followed his instincts, choosing whatever felt right to him.

“This one should go to the Primordial Holy Son,” one of the attendees commented, noting Jiang Chen’s interest. “I don’t think this stone has anything unique about it, nothing worth vying for.”

“Is that so?” another chimed in, with a hint of skepticism.

“Do you want to challenge that assumption?”

“No, I meant I share the same view,” came the reply, followed by a light-hearted quip, “Then why even bother saying it?”

After the recent incident, everyone seemed keen on giving Jiang Chen face. Whether it was due to his background or his power, no one stepped up to challenge his bids. Of course, it also helped that this particular stone didn’t seem all that important to them, not expected to yield anything extraordinary.

With no one else bidding, Huangshan Hai, the auctioneer, couldn’t hide his frustration. In the past, a stone like this would have sparked a fierce bidding war, driving the price sky-high. But with Jiang Chen’s presence, the usual frenzy was absent, cooling down the auction’s atmosphere.

“Moving on to the second stone!” Huangshan Hai announced. “The starting bid is the same, one hundred thousand!”

No sooner had he finished speaking, Jiang Chen’s voice followed, “Two hundred thousand!” Just like before, there were no other bidders.

This left Huangshan Hai in an awkward spot. He half-jokingly, half-seriously turned to Jiang Chen and said, “Primordial Holy Son, you aren’t here to support the auction, you’re smashing it to pieces!”

The absence of competition made the auction less exciting and, worse, less profitable. Huangshan Hai had always relished the spirited bidding wars that drove prices to dizzying heights. But now, because of Jiang Chen, bids were scarce, allowing him to easily secure two divine stones.

“These are all courtesies from everyone,” Jiang Chen said with a chuckle. It seemed that eliminating the Soaring Snake God Son had its perks; it helped him save a lot on unnecessary expenses. Though he didn’t lack resources, getting a good deal was always welcome.

The third stone also went unchallenged and was claimed by Jiang Chen for two hundred thousand. Huangshan Hai was almost at his wit’s end; these three stones would normally have fetched at least a million each. But Jiang Chen had snapped them up for just over half a million. To Huangshan Hai, it felt like a daylight robbery.

Thankfully, Jiang Chen didn’t bid on any more stones, much to Huangshan Hai’s relief. Otherwise, the remaining stones might have gone to Jiang Chen at wholesale prices. Having acquired three stones, Jiang Chen lost interest in bidding further. He gathered his stones and prepared to see what treasures they held within.