After entering the auction hall, Huo Yuhao was led by a graceful attendant to a private booth.
Settling into his seat, he leaned back comfortably, resting his left arm on the armrest while propping up his head with his right. Dressed in a black cloak and mask, the entire pose exuded an inexplicable sense of gravitas.
Many high-ranking academy contestants and nobility present at the auction, upon spotting him, couldn't help but feel a tinge of unease. Whoever this masked guest was, he was surely someone formidable—one of those bidders you couldn't outbid, and didn't dare challenge even if you could.
The auction soon began. The theme for tonight's auction was mid- to low-level soul tools.
To the upper class of the Star Luo Empire, these items were like trains and ironclads to a certain outdated empress on Earth—new, foreign, and immensely desirable. The bidding wars were fierce, and the callouts barely paused between items.
The auctioneer, Qing Ya, was naturally thrilled to see such a heated crowd—it meant more commission for her.
But the mysterious guest everyone was wary of—Huo Yuhao—had absolutely no interest in these soul tools.
'Level-3 paralyzing ray... I could make that in my sleep. Not even worth bringing to market.'
'Level-4 milk bottle... Sold for over twenty thousand? What a joke. You could buy the same one for half the price at a random soul tool shop in Mingdu.'
If he wasn't already wealthy and way past caring about petty profits, Huo Yuhao might've actually pulled out some of his leftover inventory to sell on the spot.
Soon enough, the item he had come for finally appeared.
Pushed onto the stage atop a velvet-draped cart by a ceremonial attendant, the object remained hidden beneath a crimson cloth.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, activating his Spiritual Detection to probe beneath the cloth. As expected, a bone-chilling sensation crawled over him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Qing Ya said dramatically, drawing out her words, "you must be wondering what our final item tonight will be. I'll say this—it's not a soul tool, but it's intimately tied to the art of soul tool crafting. And its value? Absolutely worthy of the title 'Mystery Treasure.'"
The cart was now beside her.
"Before I reveal it, let me add this: its worth and rarity could easily place it in our top-tier auctions. Please, feast your eyes!"
With a flourish, the crimson cloth was lifted—but instead of radiant light or dazzling brilliance, what appeared was a dark, unadorned engraving blade. Ancient. Ominous. Its surface was engraved with faint patterns, and it emanated a heavy, primeval aura.
Some attendees immediately began shaking their heads. Most had little understanding of soul tool crafting and didn't recognize the value of what was before them.
Qing Ya, unfazed, smiled and began explaining the blade's true value—and its terrifying drawbacks.
Huo Yuhao smiled. 'There it is.'
At the same time, in his spiritual sea, he could feel Electrolux's sudden urgency. But before the old man could say anything, Huo Yuhao spoke first.
'Don't worry, Elder Yi. That Engraving Knife of Soul Devouring—crafted from Life Gold—I'm absolutely taking it home.'
Electrolux paused in surprise, then chuckled in amazement.
'A child of destiny... A seer of the future... Yuhao, I really didn't misjudge you. You're destined for greatness.'
Huo Yuhao said nothing, simply smiling faintly.
But inside the spiritual sea, Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress were both growing agitated.
'Yuhao, you really want that thing?'
'Why?'
Huo Yuhao sighed. 'Guess I have to explain everything again...'
Thankfully, Electrolux stepped in kindly to explain the nature of Life Gold to the two beasts. After a detailed breakdown, the bug and the scorpion finally nodded in understanding and calmed down.
After Qing Ya finished her introduction, she looked out at the audience with little confidence. It was clear she didn't expect this cursed item to be sold tonight.
"Starting bid: one hundred thousand gold soul coins. Let the auction begin."
"One hundred thousand gold soul coins."
Huo Yuhao's voice sounded the instant she finished her sentence.
Everyone turned toward the booth where the old-sounding voice came from—so this was the brave soul willing to bid on the Soul Devouring Engraving Knife?
No one else placed a bid.
Huo Yuhao nodded with satisfaction.
The auction ended soon after, and both he and Qing Ya were pleased with the quick transaction—payment in one hand, cursed item in the other.
Leaving the auction house, Huo Yuhao clutched the Soul Devouring Engraving Knife and hurried back to his room.
Once there, he removed his cloak and mask, placed the blade reverently in front of him, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
"No time to waste. Elder Yi, let's begin the purification."
Electrolux laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! Good boy. I love working with decisive youngsters like you."
Huo Yuhao gave full control of his body to Electrolux. His deep blue eyes faded to a profound gray. A sacred yet sinister aura wrapped around him like the duality of a fallen angel and a holy one.
Electrolux's spiritual power enveloped the knife. The cursed blade began to tremble violently, emitting piercing, ghostly wails.
In the presence of the Necromancer Saint, all dark spirits had no choice but to kneel.
Soon, the blade's blackened surface began to fade, revealing the brilliant emerald luster of pure Life Gold.
But just as Electrolux, weakened and fatigued, relaxed his grip slightly—
Something changed.
Though the black was still receding and the green was still glowing, a dark portal suddenly opened above Huo Yuhao's head.
A beam of light—deep purple entwined with leafy green—descended silently, engulfing the Soul Devouring Engraving Knife.
"What is this...?"
Electrolux panicked. He tried to resist the beam with his spiritual power, but it was instantly swept away. Control over the knife was forcibly severed.
Realizing the danger, he returned Huo Yuhao's body to him, and Yuhao quickly backed away into a defensive stance.
'What the hell is going on?'
But the mysterious dual-colored light didn't seem hostile—it even appeared to be helping purify the knife.
Electrolux and Huo Yuhao exchanged no further words. The only thing they could do now was stand back and watch.
What shocked them was how, under the influence of that light, the purification that would have taken Electrolux considerable effort completed in an instant. The blade now gleamed with pristine, crystal-clear green—the purest Life Gold form.
Yet the beam didn't stop. In fact, it intensified.
Over the next minute or so, the beam of light and the portal above gradually faded away.
Skydream and the Ice Empress, who had been watching, were both utterly dumbfounded.
Now, the Life Gold blade shimmered with vibrant life energy, radiating a brilliant emerald glow. But something else—something eerie—had emerged.
Within the glowing crystal body of the blade, faint purple wisps swam like tiny tadpoles. One glance at them filled any observer with a deep, soul-wrenching fear.
Huo Yuhao did not approach. He simply asked in his mind,
'Elder Yi, Skydream, Ice Empress—do any of you have a clue?'
The Ice Empress shook her head.
Skydream frowned and stared intently at the transformed blade.
'The life aura... It feels stronger than the Lake of Life at the core of the Great Star Dou Forest. By a lot.'
Electrolux hesitated.
'Those terrifying purple wisps... They feel like death, but... not exactly. No, it's more accurate to say that death is just one facet of whatever that purple energy truly is.'
That hit the nail on the head.
Huo Yuhao, drawing on his memories of the original story, suddenly came to a realization he could barely believe.
'What kind of force... would treat death itself as merely one of its expressions?'
The purple—was Destruction. Death is the end of life; destruction is the end of everything.
And the green—clearly Life. The very essence of the Life Gold blade.
In the original story, purple and green—Destruction and Life—were tied to two legendary figures in the Divine Realm:
The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but mutter, 'Why... Why is this divine power suddenly connected to me?'
---
Divine Realm
At the very moment that black portal vanished from the Douluo Continent, a matching portal disappeared in the Divine Realm.
The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life stood silently at the edge where it had been.
"Xiao Zi, is that enough?" the God of Destruction asked gently.
"Yes, Xiao Lu," the Goddess of Life replied, her voice soft. "Thanks to you, and the resonance formed with that essence of pure Life Gold, we were able to transfer a fragment of our power."
"Child of Fate," murmured the God of Destruction, gazing down toward the lower realm, "Don't let us down..."
(End of Chapter)
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