Number One Under Heaven

One second passed in the blink of an eye, and Huan Yishu instantly covered the Painting, not willing to spare even an extra millisecond. After covering the Painting, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around only to have the sweat come right back out. ‘My Lord, this is worse than I had imagined…’ He thought.

After witnessing the 9th Painting of Desire, barely anyone was left standing still. A majority of them were on their knees trying to stop the blood from coming out of their nose that stained their clothes crimson red. As for the ones that are still standing were mostly males, of course.

“Huan Yishu, you bastard! You had the audacity to create something like that?! Can you even call yourself a man?!”

“Huan Yishu! If I happen to wake up as a completely different person tomorrow, I’ll make sure to kill you first before killing myself!” Thousands upon thousands of curses came flying at Huan Yishu from the males.

Being cursed at by the males, Huan Yishu sneered, “Pei, who told you to come? I made this for the ladies, not you ugly idiots.”

Many people instantly turned red from anger after being called ugly. “Fuck! After this is all over with, I will personally give you a good beating!”

“I will also---”

“ONE BILLION!” Someone interfered, and it was the voice of a female's.

“Eh?” Many people looked at the one who cried out that number.

“ONE BILLION HEAVENLY JADE! That is my bid!” The voice repeated.

“What?! She’s starting the auction with one billion Heavenly Jade?! Is she crazy?! That is already enough to buy many Minor Worlds!”

“The last auction for the 8th Painting of Desire was sold for nearly one hundred million Heavenly Jade, yet the starting bid for this one is already ten times that amount?!”

Huan Yishu’s eyes widened at the starting bid. ‘Holy shit!’ He screamed inside his mind. Even with his wealth, one billion Heavenly Jade was an astronomical number! He has truly struck gold with this one!

“Hahahaha!” Huan Yishu burst out laughing. “Good, good, good! The starting bid is one billion Heavenly Jade! Does anyone have a higher bid?!”

“One billion and five hundred million Heavenly Jade!” A bid was made almost instantaneous.

“Good, good, good! Does anyone have a higher bid than that young lady over there?!” Huan Yishu was already trembling from excited, and it was only the beginning of a long auction!

“The Yin Family bids two billion!” A young voice shouted.

“Ah, that must be the youngest daughter from the Yin Family… I heard she almost went crazy after seeing his Highness during his first appearance in public.”

“But why the hell is she mentioning her Family? Does she think she's the only big shot here?”

“That’s a habit of almost every powerful Family out there, just leave them be.”

“Two billion and two hundred million!”

“Two billion and five hundred million!”

The auction was going at a very face pace, and the price skyrocketed like never seen before.

“Young Lady Shui Cheng bids three billion Heavenly Jade! Does anyone have a higher bid?!”

“I, Huo Sheng, bids three billion and one hundred million!”

“Hahahaha! Good, good, good! Keep it up! Who has more money to throw?!” Huan Yishu was laughing his heart out every time a bid was made, and he no longer cared about his image, going full crazy.

Somewhere in the crowd, the petite figure with the silver mask’s maid not only has her chest stained with blood, her entire back was also full of sweat. ‘My Mother! Barely ten minutes had passed and it’s already at 3 billion Heavenly Jade?! Are you trying to bankrupt my Master?!’ She glanced at her Young Lady who was oddly standing there silently. ‘Why is she not bidding? I hope she gave up after listening to these prices…’

The girl with the silver mask stood there staring down at the ground. Her previously clean silver mask is now dirtied with a bloody handprint, and at the bottom of the mask, blood continued to slowly drip, dying the ground with a red spot even darker. She continued to stand there like a statue as the price continue to skyrocket.

“Five billion Heavenly Jade!”

“Six billion Heavenly Jade!”

“Seven billion Heavenly Jade!”

“T-T-This…”

“It’s going up by billions now! Where is all this money coming from?!”

“Eight billion Heavenly Jade!”

“Nine billion!”

“TEN BILLION HEAVENLY JADE!!!”

“G-Good lord, with ten billion Heavenly Jade, you can buy an entire set of Top Grade Celestial Armor!”

“Huan Yishu! Do you accept other payments other than Heavenly Jades, such as Cultivation Techniques or Treasures?!” Someone asked.

Huan Yishu looked at the person who asked that question, and it turned out to be Lady Nuo who was the first one to see the painting! “Yes, I do! As long as the minimal amount I can get from it is worth more than the current bid, I will accept anything!” He said.

“Good!” Lady Nuo smiled, yet she did not bid after asking that.

“What? He accepts treasures too? Good! I am not out of this fight yet!” Many who had given up after bidding literally all their Heavenly Jade silently thanked Lady Nuo for giving them more hope.

“Then I bid this, The Sea Dragon King’s Pearl! It has a minimal worth of 15 Billion Heavenly Jade!”

“What?! That’s one of the Shui Family’s Three Divine Treasures! She dares to bid away such a Treasure?!”

“Then I, Huo Sheng, will offer this!” This young girl suddenly takes out a palm-sized jar, and inside it was an Azure colored flame!

“T-That’s the Azure Phoenix God’s Divine Flame! There is only four of them in this Universe, and she dares to take that out for a mere painting?!”

Huo Sheng heard that and turned to look at the young man who said that. “There may be only four of these in the Universe, but there is only one of that painting in this Universe!!!” She said in a proud tone.

“....” The young man was speechless at her logic and could only look at her with his jaw loose.

Young Lady Shui Cheng, the who bid the Sea Dragon King’s Pearl bit her lips when she saw Huo Sheng looking at her direction with a smug smile. ‘T-This bitch! Just because our Family is in bad terms, she always messes with me!’ She curses inside her heart.

“Hahahaha! Good! The Azure Phoenix God’s Divine Flame is worth at least 18 billion Heavenly Jade! Huan Yishu was still laughing. He has been laughing nonstop from the start and has not stopped since then.

“Then on top of my Sea Dragon King’s Peral, I will add six billion Heavenly Jades along with it!” Shui Cheng cried out.

Huo Sheng looked at her and smiled. ‘You think you can out bid me?’ She sneered in her heart. “Then on top of my Azure Phoenix---”

A voice suddenly interrupts Huo Sheng before she could even finish, “30 Billion Heavenly Jade!”

“Eh?” Huo Sheng looks at the bidder, another young girl--- who also looked back at her. “What’s that stupid look on your face? Did you forget where you are? The two of you are not the only bidder here!”

Huo Sheng’s face turned red from vexation, but she did not dare to voice back at the young girl.

“T-That’s the Goddess of War, Goddess Jiutian Xuannu! I haven’t seen or heard a single news of her for a million years, yet I see her here in person so easily?!”

“I heard she’s one of the most cold blooded females out there, but I guess even such a woman cannot resist his Highness--- Hiii!” The person instantly stopped talking once Jiutian Xuannu snapped her attention to him, staring at him with an enormous amount of Killing Intent shooting out of her sharp eyes.

“My, my my, little Jiutian finally came out of her hibernation, huh? 40 billion!” A new voice that has not said a thing appeared since the beginning of the auction appears.

Jiutian Xuannu locked onto that new bidder. “Xi Wangmu! Watch your tone before I fix it for you!”

“Xi Wangmu, Goddess of Jade Lake! The scary ones are finally starting to reveal themselves…”

“T-This is where the chaos truly begins… The early bidders are mostly from small families. Now that the big names are starting to show themselves, the younger ones will not stand a chance.”

“It’s about that time, huh? 50 billion Heavenly Jades!” A new voice enters the fray.

“Ch’ang-O? What the hell are you doing over here, bidding at that? Aren’t you married already?” said Xi Wangmu.

“A married woman has her needs too, you know?” Replied Ch’ang-O.

“Won’t your husband cry if he finds out? 60 billion!” Another newcomer.

“My, my, Xiu Wenyin, you are still alive? I thought you would have died due to your old age! 70 billion!” said Xi Wangmu.

“Coming from someone who should’ve died a million years ago? 80 billion!” said Jiutian Xuannu.

These four newcomers used every chance they had to insult each other--- while bidding.

“H-Heavens… Jiutian Xuannu, Goddess of War. Xi Wangmu, Goddess of Jade Lake. Ch’ang-O Goddess of the Moon. Xiu Wenyin, Goddess of Lightning and Thunder… All four of them can be considered Ancient Goddesses that barely leave their home, and they’re here insulting each other while bidding for a painting of his Highness? It was worth the trouble getting here…”

“.....”

Although many of the females from younger and weaker families were dejected at losing, they still feel blessed just by witnessing the painting--- even if it was just for a second! Such an experience was enough to last a lifetime.

The auction continued with the price skyrocketing at an even faster pace than before as even more big names began revealing themselves!

“Goddess of the Twelve Moons, Zhang Xi bids 133 billion! Is there any higher bids?!” The smile on Huan Yishu was already at its limit and could no longer go wider. His laugh, however, gets louder as the price goes even higher.

“I-It broke the 100 billion mark… If they were allowed, they can easily buy one of the 99 Mortal Worlds!”

“169 Billion Heavenly Jades!”

“H-Heavens, even Goddess Nu Wa is bidding!”

“At this rate, every Goddess in history that is still alive will have had bid at least once here! This is a never seen or heard before auction! This will surely become a Legend in the future!”

“The future? It is already a Legend!”

Lady Nuo who has been silent all this time finally opens her eyes. ‘Looks like it’s finally my turn…'

Haaaa… With a deep breath, she shouts, “OLD MAN! I bid my Divine Technique, one of the Four Heaven Breaking Techniques, ‘Eyes of Heaven’!”

“Hmm?” Huan Yishu finally stops laughing since the beginning of the auction. “You old hag, no wonder why you were able to see through the Heaven Sealing Cloth… Eyes of Heaven… Where did you find it? I thought it has been lost ever since THAT Era...”

“Where I found it is of no importance anymore. Although this Divine Technique is priceless to me, it should easily be able to get you at least 300 billion Heavenly Jades. What do you say, old man?” Lady Nuo smiled.

“HAHAHAHAH! What kind of question is that?! Of course! If I don’t take it, then I would be a real idiot! Good! Lady Nuo bids one of the Four Heaven Breaking Techniques, ‘Eyes of Heaven’! Is there anyone willing to bid something worth more than that?!?!” Huan Yishu began laughing like crazy once again.

*****

“....”

The girl with the silver mask who has been standing there like a statue since the beginning finally begins to move.

She touches the blood on her mask that had dried off long ago. “Ahhh, Father will surely go crazy if he finds out,” she whispers to herself, “but this is all for that idiot's own good. I will buy t-this p-painting to save his image… Y-Yes, this is all for him,” she could feel her blood rushing to her head the moment she recalls the painting.

The girl’s hand that has been touching the mask suddenly strengthens. It was as if she was trying to take the silver mask off.

“Eh?” The girl next to her, the maid, notices and began panicking, “Y-Y-Young Lady, d-don’t tell me you--- I-If you do that, then Master will---” She tries to stop her, but it was too late--- the mask was already off her face and almost touching the floor.

*****

Somewhere else in the crowd there was a figure dressed in a white common looking dress; her face covered by a veil, yet people would sneak glances at her every so often. They did not know what it was, but there was something mysterious and attractive about her. The way she stood was something beyond the term graceful; the aura around her had this mature and warm feeling--- a motherly feeling.

This mysterious figure looks at the direction of the girl who had just taken off her silver mask and sighs. ‘If the painting was not that exaggerated, then I would’ve had let it go and gone home; but now that I’ve seen it for myself…’ She sighs again. ‘This sort of painting is not something that should be seen by the public, so I will have to confiscate it. This is not only for the best, it is also my responsibility to keep his image pure----”

“--- As his Mother.”