Tomb raiding: It all started with shocking the archaeological team.

In fact, Chen Yibai was also curious.

With such a grand auction, what good items can Jiuding Group actually offer for bidding?

The main issue is that many cultural relics are now prohibited from being auctioned. Usually, the most valuable cultural artifacts are blue and white porcelain and some well-known calligraphy and paintings.

Amidst great anticipation, the staff presented the first item to be auctioned.

Meanwhile, a close-up photo of the auction item appeared on the large screen on the first floor. It was a gold-threaded phoenix crown. The crown was in perfect condition and had four colorful phoenixes coiled around it. It was decorated with various colorful gemstones, all of which were top-quality gemstones. In particular, the huge turquoise in the very center of the crown was like a dazzling star. The craftsmanship was exquisite and unparalleled!

Even if placed in a museum, it would be a masterpiece!

"This is a phoenix crown worn by an empress during the Tang Dynasty, exuding an elegant and regal air..."

"The starting bid for this Empress's Phoenix Crown is... 98 million!"

After the auctioneer's highly professional presentation, switching between Chinese and English, the starting bid was finally announced as 98 million!

The first item in the auction started with a bid of 98 million, just as Jiuding Group had advertised beforehand—the entire event featured top-tier antiques and collectibles!

However, this also made most people in the auction hall feel ashamed. This was a high-end event, and it seemed that they could only watch the excitement.

The starting bid is 98 million; without solid financial backing, you really wouldn't dare to raise your paddle.

However, many big names also attended this auction.

After a fierce bidding war, the phoenix crown was finally sold for 250 million, plus a 10% auction commission, bringing the total to 275 million...

In Chen Yibai's opinion, this phoenix crown was indeed worth its astronomical price.

Meanwhile, Chen Yibai looked at the phoenix crown on the big screen. Although he hadn't seen the actual object in person, judging from the condition of the gemstones on the crown, he vaguely felt that it looked like it had been unearthed!

If it is indeed unearthed, then not only is it prohibited from being traded, but it is also suspected of trafficking in cultural relics!

However, if the item has a clear provenance, it can be auctioned after being reported to the relevant authorities.

On further thought, Yan Tianjiu probably wouldn't risk committing a crime against the wind at this time, would he?

Thinking of this, Chen Yibai subconsciously glanced at Yan Wanlei on the first floor.

Meanwhile, in a private box at the auction venue, another pair of eyes were watching the entire auction.

It was none other than Yan Tianjiu!

Yan Tianjiu was fairly satisfied with the price of 250 million for the phoenix crown.

However, what satisfied him was not the 25 million auction commission he earned, as the phoenix crown was originally Yan Tianjiu's private collection.

Strictly speaking, everything in this entire auction, and everything that will be auctioned next, is Yan Tianjiu's private collection, and it's all stuff that Yan Tianjiu has dug out from the underground ancient tomb over the years.

In fact, the tens of thousands of national treasures that Guan Yunlong mentioned when he was at the tomb of the King of Gu were indeed all in Yan Tianjiu's hands.

This Tang Dynasty gold-threaded phoenix crown is one of the tens of thousands of national treasures mentioned by Guan Yunlong.

As for why Yan Tianjiu dared to risk going against the grain at this time and put these things up for auction.

That's because Yan Tianjiu had already found out through unofficial channels that the relevant investigation team had stopped their secret investigation of him.

In other words, there's a high probability they made it safely ashore.

In addition, all the items put up for auction were carefully selected by Yan Tianjiu to ensure that there were no problems and that they would not be found to be unearthed cultural relics.

Most importantly, all of these things are meant to build up the prestige of the auction, thus paving the way for the grand finale!

"Now let's begin our second item for auction..."

The auction continues.

The main screen switched to a photo of a celadon-glazed Ru ware tripod box with a coiled dragon pattern on the bottom!

"It is said that there are 67 pieces of Ru ware, and this is the 68th piece, a Song Dynasty celadon-glazed Ru ware tripod box with dragon design..."

When the auctioneer introduced this Ru ware piece, his tone became noticeably louder.

The buyers in the room stared wide-eyed with excitement. It was a genuine Ru ware piece, a three-legged Ru ware box with hidden patterns. It seemed like the last time Ru ware appeared at an auction was five or six years ago.

More importantly, this 68th piece of Ru ware has also refreshed the understanding of porcelain and has a very special significance.

Not only at the auction, but also in the live stream, the atmosphere was electric.

At this moment, the live stream showed over 10 viewers. The moment this Ru ware piece appeared, the entire internet went wild.

Wow! Is it really Ru ware? Jiuding Auction truly lives up to its reputation as one of the world's top auction houses; they really have the capability!

[And this Ru ware isn't even the grand finale! Interesting! I must say, you've definitely piqued my interest in watching the entire auction!]

[Looking forward to seeing what incredible antique will be the grand finale!]

[I'm a little skeptical. Is this Ru ware piece real or fake? I'm a professional porcelain appraisal expert, and something seems off about this Ru ware tripod box.]

[With a reputation as prestigious as Jiuding Auction Company, would they dare to put something up for auction without a professional appraisal team to conduct thorough research and verification?]

[Exactly! Even if it's a fake, as long as it has a label and goes through an auction house, it's considered genuine!]

Looking at the questioning discussions in the comments section, Chen Yibai's all-knowing eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile.

The so-called porcelain appraisal expert in the live broadcast room was right. This three-legged box is indeed slightly different from genuine Ru ware pieces on the market, whether in terms of glaze color, crackle, or body.

However, this is indeed an authentic piece. The reason for the slight difference is that this Ru ware piece was also unearthed!

As is well known, Ru ware will continuously develop crackles over time. Due to the air quality in the tomb, the crackles and glaze color will be slightly different from those that have been passed down.

But it's practically impossible for anyone to know this, because this is the 68th piece of Ru ware, and also the first piece of Ru ware unearthed from an ancient tomb.

Chen Yibai was still somewhat uncertain until the appearance of this unearthed Ru ware, which made him more certain.

On the surface, this was a high-class antique auction, but in reality, it was Yan Tianjiu's personal sale of his own private goods!

Yan Tianjiu is incredibly audacious; he actually dares to risk committing crimes against the wind!

"The starting bid for this Song Dynasty Ru ware tripod box is... 150 million!"

The auctioneer announced the starting price.

Buying the 68th piece of Ru ware for 150 million is a reasonable price.

However, this is only the starting price.

Many buyers and private collectors from all corners of the world were so excited by this three-legged box that their eyes were red with excitement.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will undoubtedly be an extremely fierce price bidding war.

It's still unknown how much it will ultimately fetch...