The night of the auction descended upon The Murk, but the sickly green mist could not penetrate the serene bubble of reality that was The Nexus. The elegant, three-story pavilion stood in silent contrast to the squalor surrounding it, a beacon of impossible order in a sea of chaos. One by one, the invited guests arrived, their identities cloaked by the swamp's ever-present fog until they stepped through the heavy wooden doors.
The interior was even more shocking than the exterior. The chaotic uproar of the city vanished, replaced by a profound, respectful silence. The air was clean, tinged with the scent of an exotic incense that calmed the soul even as it sharpened the senses. Soft light emanated from glowing pearls embedded in the ceiling, illuminating a grand hall filled with a dozen small, separated seating areas, each furnished with exquisitely carved chairs and a small table.
The guests who entered were a gallery of the swamp's most notorious villains. The first to arrive were the Soul-Devouring Brothers. They were identical triplets named Mo, Tu, and Sha, unnervingly gaunt men with sallow skin stretched tight over sharp bones. They wore identical black robes, and their eyes, dark and sunken, seemed to drink the light from the room. They moved in perfect, creepy unison, their heads turning at the same time, their steps falling in the same rhythm. A deep, pulsing red light of negative karma, numbering in the tens of thousands for each, surrounded them like a shroud. They took a seat in a corner, their collective gaze sweeping across the room, making lesser cultivators flinch and look away.
Next came Alchemist Jiao, his clockwork hand clicking nervously as he scurried to a secluded table. He clutched his invitation tightly, his eyes, magnified by their crystal lenses, darting around the room with a mixture of fear and obsessive excitement. He was a predator in his own lab, but out here, he was prey, and he knew it.
Other figures trickled in. A corpulent merchant known as 'Boss Jin,' whose business was the trafficking of rare beasts and stolen clan treasures, his fat fingers covered in gaudy rings. His karmic value was a solid -8,000. A woman in a veil, known only as the 'Silent Shadow,' a legendary assassin whose presence was so faint she was practically invisible, her karmic value a chilling -15,000. Each guest was a powerhouse of evil, a king in their own filthy pond, and the air was thick with their collective animosity and suspicion.
Finally, two more figures slipped in, their faces obscured by simple conical hats and their auras carefully suppressed. It was Bai Xin Yue and Chen Fei. Chen Fei, playing the role of a junior disciple, kept his head bowed, his heart pounding at the sheer density of evil in the room. Every instinct he had screamed at him to draw his sword and attack, but a single, cold glance from Bai Xin Yue kept him rooted in place. Bai Xin Yue herself was on high alert. Her eyes scanned the room, recognizing the Soul-Devouring Brothers from the list provided by The Nexus. Her soul, the soul of the Nether Empress, was a coiled serpent, wary of the other predators in the room but also contemptuous of them. Her true fear was reserved for the establishment itself.
A soft chime echoed through the hall, and a figure gracefully walked onto a raised platform at the front. It was Ao Xian. He was dressed in simple, yet impossibly elegant, white robes, his handsome face holding a warm, welcoming smile. He exuded no pressure, no cultivation, yet his appearance instantly made him the center of the entire room.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to The Nexus," he said, his voice pleasant and clear, reaching every corner of the hall. "I am your host for this evening. We have a few... unique items up for bid tonight. The rules are simple. You may bid with spirit stones, treasures, cultivation arts, or promises of service. The value of your bid will be judged by me. Let us begin."
He started with a few minor, but strange, items to build an atmosphere of mystique. He presented a single, petrified tear. "The 'Tear of a Forgotten God,' shed at the moment of its demise. It has no practical use, but it contains a profound sense of sorrow. A wonderful conversation piece for any discerning collector. The bidding starts at one spirit stone."
The guests scoffed, but Ao Xian's placid smile never wavered. The tear was eventually sold to Boss Jin for a handful of spirit stones, who thought it might look good on a necklace.
Next, Ao Xian presented a beautifully drawn, ancient-looking map. "A treasure map, detailing the location of the lost treasury of the Azure Emperor."
Bai Xin Yue's eyes widened. The Azure Emperor was the fictional ruler from her implanted memories.
"Unfortunately," Ao Xian continued with a cheerful tone, "the treasury was plundered by a rival seven thousand years ago. The map is, however, an exquisite work of art."
A few chuckles rippled through the room. This auctioneer was either a madman or a being of such confidence that he could openly mock his own customers.
The auction continued in this vein for nearly an hour. Ao Xian presented items of genuine, if niche, value. A vial of 'low-level Phoenix Tears,' which could heal any wound but would also inflict the pain of being burned alive. A cursed saber named 'Soul's End,' which devoured a piece of the user's soul with every kill but was otherwise an unparalleled spiritual weapon. A set of seven 'Ghost Needles,' perfect for an assassin, that could pass through any spiritual barrier but would slowly drive the user insane. Each item was a devil's bargain, perfectly suited to the clientele of The Murk, and the bidding was fierce and bloody.
After the fifteenth such item was sold, Ao Xian clapped his hands, and the atmosphere in the room shifted. A single item materialized on the pedestal before him. It was a sphere of rock, no larger than a fist, but it seemed to contain a miniature, swirling galaxy within it. It pulsed with a faint, inner light, radiating an aura of pure, untamed potential.
"And now, our final item of the evening," Ao Xian announced. "The Heart of the Golem. A core forged from the heart of a fallen star, capable of granting true sentience to an artificial creation."
Alchemist Jiao shot to his feet, his one human hand trembling, his clockwork hand clenching and unclenching with a series of sharp clicks. His breath came in ragged gasps. This was it. The culmination of his life's work.
The Soul-Devouring Brothers also leaned forward, their dark eyes glowing with a greedy, unified light. "Such a pure life-source," Mo, the eldest, hissed. "If we devour it, our Soul-Refining Art will reach the next level!"
"The bidding," Ao Xian said with a smile, "will now commence."
"I bid the complete formula for the 'Seven Revolutions Soul-Strengthening Elixir'!" Alchemist Jiao shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.
"A decent start," Ao Xian commented, unimpressed.
"We bid a chest of one thousand high-grade Soul Crystals!" Tu, the second brother, sneered, mocking Jiao's meager offer.
"I... I will pledge one hundred years of service as your personal alchemist!" Jiao countered, his offer a desperate plea.
"A hundred years of service from a half-dead old man?" Sha, the third brother, laughed cruelly. "We bid our clan's ultimate technique, the 'Tri-Soul Devouring Formation'! And another two thousand Soul Crystals!"
The bid was immense. Alchemist Jiao collapsed back into his chair, his face a mask of utter despair. He was outmatched. The prize was slipping through his fingers.
Bai Xin Yue, watching from the shadows, saw her opportunity. The Soul-Devouring Brothers were the next target on her list. If they acquired the Heart of the Golem, their power would skyrocket, making them infinitely more difficult to deal with. She could not allow it.
Just as she was about to act, the eldest brother, Mo, grew impatient with the process. He stood up, his malevolent gaze fixing on Ao Xian. "Enough of this foolish game! Who is this auctioneer to command our respect? Does he not know who we are? His mother must have been a sow to birth such an arrogant pig!"
In the celestial city, Mo Lisha, the Demonic Empress, was observing the auction with mild interest while painting a new star system onto a celestial scroll. She heard the insult, a meaningless vibration from a world countless dimensions below. She paused, her brush hovering over the scroll. A small, almost imperceptible frown touched her perfect lips. "How tiresome," she murmured.
Back in The Nexus, Mo, the Soul-Devouring Brother, suddenly screamed. It was not a sound of pain, but of pure, soul-deep terror. A brilliant, ethereal flame, golden and white, erupted from within his body. It did not burn his robes or his flesh; it burned his very existence. He clawed at his chest, his eyes wide with horror as he watched his own soul being consumed by a fire that was both sacred and utterly unforgiving. Within three seconds, he was reduced to a fine, gray ash that drifted to the floor.
The entire auction hall fell into a deathly silence. The remaining two brothers stared at the pile of ash where their sibling had stood, their faces pale with a terror that transcended greed.
Ao Xian watched the ash settle, then looked at the stunned crowd with a polite, apologetic smile. "My apologies for the interruption. It seems one of our guests had a... pre-existing condition. Shall we continue the bidding?"
His calm, unbothered tone was more terrifying than any threat. The message was clear: the rules of this place were absolute.
The two remaining brothers, now terrified but still unwilling to give up the prize, were about to make a final, desperate bid. But Bai Xin Yue knew she could not wait any longer. This was her chance. With her two primary targets now rattled and weakened, and the entire room off-balance, the time to strike was now.
She rose from her seat, her conical hat falling away to reveal her stunning face and long, white hair. A wave of cold, dark power washed through the hall. "I believe," she said, her voice echoing with the authority of the Nether Empress, "that this auction is over."