Witnessing this scene, all parties were stunned, and then many frowned. At this point, Ye Chen still dared to be so confident—was he truly confident, or was he deliberately picking a fight?
Although most felt the possibility of picking a fight was greater, based on Ye Chen's previous display of extraordinary methods and his cutting open of the Star Blue Silver Essence, a supreme treasure, they couldn't be entirely sure.
Luo Dun Elder said solemnly, "Go ahead and cut it. If the value contained within the Chaos Primordial Stone you cut open this time surpasses that of the Sun Essence Iron, this old man will gladly admit defeat."
Clearly, he did not believe Ye Chen could cut open a treasure of higher value.
Luo Yingu and others of the Luo Tian Royal Clan also did not believe it, sneering, "Just hurry up and cut it open. Let us see if you can truly defy the heavens."
Many were quite curious.
Ye Chen laughed heartily, "Since that's the case, I'll personally open it for all of you to see. Open!"
Boom—
Without a second thought, Ye Chen directly slapped his palm down.
Under the dumbfounded gazes of almost everyone, the Chaos Primordial Stone imprinted with the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram completely exploded, crude and simple.
"Holy crap, this kid's gone mad!"
"He's courting death!"
The crowd was shocked, yet their eyes remained fixed on the exploded Chaos Primordial Stone. However, after a long moment, not the slightest trace of treasure light emanated from within, causing many to be stunned and then suspicious. Could it be that Ye Chen had found an Empty Stone?
Gu Jiuhua and others looked at the expression on Ye Chen's face and found a trace of astonishment there as well.
"Damn, could it really be an Empty Stone?" Gu Jiuhua muttered gloomily.
Luo Yingu immediately laughed with schadenfreude, "Hahaha, this must be an Empty Stone. There's nothing inside."
The other great figures present shook their heads. In the end, he was young and impetuous, harboring arrogance. His previous success was merely a stroke of luck. Now, retribution had come. Daring to challenge Master Stone Appraiser Luo Dun Elder, wasn't he losing immediately?
What a pity for that piece of Star Blue Silver Essence.
Luo Yingu reached out his hand, "You've lost. Hand over the Star Blue Silver Essence."
"Hold on," Ye Chen suddenly said.
"Don't tell me you intend to renege in front of so many great figures?" Luo Yingu snorted coldly.
"Who said I want to renege? Look clearly before you speak," Ye Chen smiled, gently flicking his sleeve. A gust of wind swept past, instantly scattering all the stone dust and revealing the true appearance. Below, there was a peculiar ring, appearing very ancient—a Stone Ring.
If one didn't look carefully, one really couldn't tell there was a ring inside the Chaos Primordial Stone.
"This is—"
Everyone's attention focused on it.
They saw that the ancient ring was unadorned, appearing plain and ordinary, but faint threads of primordial Chaos Qi shimmered around it. Moreover, on the ancient ring itself, there were several mysterious characters.
"Imperial Characters!"
Upon seeing these characters, everyone gasped in shock.
For they were indeed Imperial Characters—mysterious, unfathomable, and profound beyond measure. Throughout the ages, only Emperors or supreme Immortals could inscribe such characters, containing the corresponding truths of the Emperor Dao.
It could be said that regardless of the origin of the ancient ring, the mere presence of several Imperial Characters on it was enough to elevate the value of the entire ring countless times over.
"An ancient ring inscribed with Imperial Characters. Could it be the Imperial Ring of some ancient Emperor?"
"It's not impossible. There are rumors that this Chaos Sanctuary is suspected to hold Emperor Dao inheritances. Even if an artifact of an ancient Great Emperor appears, it wouldn't be considered strange."
Many gazed at this mysterious Stone Ring with fervent eyes. Inscribed with Imperial Characters, flowing with faint threads of primordial Chaos Qi—everything about it was enough to indicate the extraordinary nature of the Stone Ring.
The faces of everyone from the Luo Tian Royal Clan turned ashen.
Luo Dun Elder also wore an ugly expression, yet he too stared fervently at this mysterious Stone Ring, clearly curious about its origins. Could it truly be, as others said, an Imperial Ring?
"Young friend, this ancient ring is not an Imperial Ring, but it is inscribed with several Imperial Characters, which hold great use for this old man. Could you sell it to me?"
"Old Man Nanshan, you're too shameless. Why should it be sold to you? If it's to be sold, it should be sold to me. Young friend, how about five billion? If you're not satisfied, we can continue negotiating."
"I'm willing to offer seven billion!"
On the scene, numerous great figures stepped forward, eager to compete for this mysterious Stone Ring. They were basically old-timers from various clans, holding high status, including super-powerful experts nearing the end of their Great Power lifespans. With a single opening bid, they quoted figures in the billions, stunning many onlookers.
However, everyone knew that this Stone Ring was most likely an Imperial Ring, a sacred object of an ancient Great Emperor. Such a sacred object was priceless, especially since it was inscribed with several Imperial Characters containing Emperor Dao truths, making its value even higher—absolutely a priceless treasure.
At this moment, the Imperial Son of the Eternal Life Imperial Clan suddenly spoke up, "Fellow Daoist, I hope you can relinquish the Stone Ring. I will definitely offer a price or treasure that satisfies you."
Everyone was startled. Even an Imperial Son actually wanted to obtain this Stone Ring. That spoke volumes.
The Imperial Daughter of the Maha Imperial Clan also suddenly spoke, smiling gracefully like a hundred flowers blooming, with unparalleled beauty, and said softly, "Fellow Daoist, this humble maiden also hopes to obtain this Stone Ring. Please, you must sell it to me."
The Imperial Son of the Life Imperial Clan also spoke, "Fellow Daoist, I also hope to purchase the Stone Ring."
Among those present, except for Hua Chengdao, basically all the other Imperial Sons and Daughters spoke up, even sending voice transmissions, hoping Ye Chen would definitely relinquish this Imperial Ring. They were all willing to pay a sufficient price in exchange.
The Luo Tian Royal Clan, on the other hand, was utterly disgraced. Luo Yingu's face was so gloomy it seemed about to drip water. At this point, they naturally knew Ye Chen had won again.
They simply never expected that he would cut open a Stone Ring suspected to be an Imperial Ring. Even if it wasn't an Imperial Ring, it must be a treasure that accompanied an Emperor. The mere presence of Imperial Characters was enough to overshadow everything.
Gu Jiuhua was immensely impressed with Ye Chen. Not only was his cultivation fearsome, but he also possessed such terrifying stone-appraisal divine skill. Even a master-level figure like Luo Dun Elder had been bested. He truly was a monstrous talent of a generation.
Ye Chen cupped his hands and smiled, "Everyone, please discuss this later. What's more important now is this wager. I wonder who you all think is the winner and who the loser?"
"Of course it's you, young friend."
"Young friend, you've cut out an Imperial Ring. Unless it's Chaos Immortal Gold or some other Great Emperor sacred object, nothing else can compare."
Everyone spoke up one after another, unanimously agreeing that the Stone Ring Ye Chen cut out was of higher value.
Because it was related to an ancient Emperor, even possibly related to a certain supreme Emperor who opened the Ten Heavens Ancient Domain, perhaps even related to the Chaos Sanctuary, and related to Emperor Dao inheritances. Naturally, its value was inestimable. Even the several Imperial Clans were immensely tempted.