Demon Fire Remnant Map

After waiting for nearly half an hour, Huo Xuan heard a clear bell chime slowly ring out across the venue. The instant he heard it, the surrounding clamor swept over him like demonic noise drilling into his brain. He fiercely shook his head before finally calming down, then looked up at the dazzling crystal platform, where a white-haired old man was already standing with a smile.

The clear bell chime slowly echoed through the auction hall. As it rang, the deafening uproar within the venue gradually weakened. Countless heated gazes turned toward the crystal platform.

"Hehe, everyone, I imagine you've grown rather impatient waiting. Since that's the case, I won't bore you with any formalities." The white-haired elder in luxurious robes smiled as he looked over the sea of heads below. His gaze then covertly swept over the factions seated in the front rows, and his resonant voice echoed through the hall. As an experienced auctioneer, he knew exactly what the people below wanted to see—and what they did not. Thus, he skipped the meaningless opening speech entirely. Indeed, this move earned him a round of applause. Even the Blood Sect's Young Sect Master, whose expression was as cold as ice, gave a faint nod.

"As this is the annual grand auction, I believe the one hosted by our Eight Gates this year will certainly not disappoint you all." The old man clapped his hands and announced loudly, "I hereby declare the Black Seal City Auction open!"

As the old man's declaration fell, the enormous crystal platform suddenly erupted with blinding light. After a long while, the light gradually faded, revealing a wholly azure longsword on the auction stand before the white-haired elder. Under the illumination, it reflected a chilling gleam. Judging by the energy traces flowing along its blade, it was clearly a Magic Core weapon meticulously forged by a master craftsman.

"This sword is called Cold Edge. Forged from cold iron, it can cut through iron like mud. Furthermore, a third-tier ice-element Magic Core has been perfectly embedded within it. If wielded in battle by someone who cultivates water- or ice-element Dou Qi, its power will surely rise to another level. Divine weapons are essential when traveling outside. If any of you are interested, do not be stingy with your money. Gold may be precious, but only if you live long enough to spend it, hehe." The old man held the azure sword and gave it a shake. A faint chill rose from the blade, forming a barely visible white mist. Turning toward the auction hall, he said with a smile, "The starting price is one hundred thousand. Please begin."

"Trash..." Huo Xuan muttered as he looked at the longsword. What he wanted was still to come.

"Hehe, the next item is somewhat strange. Even we have not figured out what it is used for. However, after repeated examination by our auction house, it appears to be some kind of unknown treasure map." The white-haired auctioneer bent down and took out a silver tray, then carefully lifted the brocade cloth covering it. At once, a tattered piece of ancient cloth appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Finally, I've been waiting for you!" Huo Xuan stared heatedly at the fragment.

"Boo..." After a brief silence at the sight of the tattered cloth, the auction hall immediately erupted into jeers.

Hearing those disdainful jeers, the smile on the white-haired auctioneer's face turned somewhat awkward. According to their research, this ancient piece of cloth should have been part of a map.

Glancing at the ancient cloth, the auctioneer pinched it between two fingers and held it up for everyone to see. Pointing at a certain pattern along its edge, of which only half remained, he said with a smile, "If my judgment is correct, this map should be quite ancient. Although we do not know what it conceals, an object from antiquity cannot be ordinary, can it? Everyone has to take a gamble sometimes. If someone manages to obtain the complete map, and their luck is good, perhaps what it hides may shake the entire continent..."

"Tch..." Most of the crowd scoffed at his words.

Hearing that the response below was still far from enthusiastic, the white-haired auctioneer could only shake his head helplessly. He swallowed to moisten his dry throat and said bitterly, "According to the set price, the starting bid for this piece of cloth is one hundred thousand gold coins. The auction begins now."

"One million!" Huo Xuan called out.

"One million. Any higher bids?" The white-haired elder looked at the suddenly silent hall and spoke with some delight. Seeing that no one raised the price, he brought down the hammer after only a few seconds.

"This item now belongs to the esteemed guest in private room number one. We will now proceed to the next item." The white-haired elder said softly with a smile.

The people from factions such as the Blood Sect, Heavenly Serpent Mansion, and Black Skull Tomb all looked helplessly at the white-haired elder. They had actually been considering whether to bid for the item as well, but before they could make up their minds, the auction had already ended.

However, buying the fragment was one thing. Being able to take it away was another.

Feeling the murderous gazes around him, Huo Xuan helplessly shook his head. In his eyes, these people were already dead.

"Ahem, alright. Next is the final highlight of our auction house." The white-haired elder's expression turned solemn as he spoke seriously.

Everyone gradually recovered from their shock at Huo Xuan's utter disregard for money. Then, they looked at the white-haired elder with slightly excited expressions, for they all understood that the final main event was about to begin. This was what they truly cared about; compared to it, everything else seemed secondary.

"It's finally coming out..." A flush appeared on Fan Ling's pale face. Strange light flickered in the eyes of the Blood Sect's Young Sect Master as he muttered to himself.

The Heavenly Serpent Mansion and Black Skull Tomb on the other side also put away the faint smiles on their faces. Their previously lazy gazes became as sharp as an eagle's.

On the crystal platform, the auctioneer solemnly clapped his hands. As the applause sounded, a series of clacking noises suddenly came from the edge of the platform. Then, a ring of black metal bars slowly rose up, eventually forming a circular enclosure around the platform. Even the space above the crystal platform was tightly sealed by extending metal bars.

"Hehe, please do not be too concerned. These are merely a few measures we use to ensure the safety of the auction item." Seeing the cage-like barrier completed, the auctioneer smiled and explained to the crowd.

"This cage is forged from cold iron. Even a Dou Emperor would find it difficult to break through it in a short time." As he spoke, the auctioneer deliberately swept his gaze over the seats occupied by the Blood Sect, Heavenly Serpent Mansion, and other factions. The implication in his words was obvious.

In response to his pointed remark, the representatives of those factions merely smiled faintly without paying it much mind. It was not as though incidents of people seizing auction items by force had never occurred at previous auctions. Therefore, Eight Gates' caution was only natural. Otherwise, if their goods were forcibly taken from them on their own territory, how could they continue to stand in the Black-Corner Region?

The white-haired elder carefully bent down and removed a half-foot-wide purple-gold tray from the cabinet below. Resting within the tray was a palm-sized small box made of cold jade.

The box was pale white. Though they were far away, the people below could still clearly see the faint white chill emanating from the cold jade box. Only the finest cold jade possessed such preservation properties. Clearly, the item stored within was exceedingly precious.

As the cold jade box appeared, all the factions at the front of the auction hall abruptly straightened in their seats. Unconcealed greed filled their eyes as they stared fixedly at it.

Ignoring the greedy gazes beyond the iron cage, the white-haired auctioneer's hand trembled slightly as he gently placed the purple-gold tray on the auction stand. His dry fingers carefully lifted the lid of the box, and a burst of golden light suddenly shot forth.

The sudden golden light illuminated the entire auction hall. Some people who had been caught off guard even reflexively shut their eyes.

A golden medicinal pill the size of a longan lay quietly inside. Its surface was exceptionally smooth, while two strands of golden airflow endlessly circulated within it. Occasionally, they surged upward. Looking closely, one could see that the golden currents had actually gathered into two tiny golden divine dragons, entwining around each other. Faint dragon roars slowly spread through the vibrations in the air, causing the souls of all who heard them to tremble involuntarily beneath that draconic might.

"Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill!"

The auctioneer then launched into an endless explanation of the pill's effects, making everyone interested in it.

Yet Huo Xuan dismissed the pill with contempt. He possessed the Pill Recipe for the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill himself. If he wanted it, the Flame Clan's resources were more than enough to mass-produce it. Naturally, he had no interest in a single pill.

In the end, after the people from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion auctioned off the pill, the auction came to an end.