The dark moon of the Abyssal Sky hung high above the broken lands of the Eastern Black Jade Continent, illuminating a newly built auction site forged directly from the bones of a slain realm beast. This place, known only to a few as the "Furnace of Bids," had become the center of Li Xuan's new karmic experiment.
Beneath the skeletal arches, an ominous silence reigned. The air shimmered with karmic fog as ancient runes flickered on every surface. This was no ordinary auction.
Li Xuan stood at the highest balcony, his face half-hidden beneath a black veil. His karmic threads spread like a spider's web across the continent, each tied to a powerful cultivator, sect master, or treasure guardian. He no longer needed to speak. The threads whispered, commanded, and extracted obedience.
Today's auction would be unlike any other. No items would be displayed beforehand. All bids would be in karmic debt, and all items were soul-bound. The price for defiance: instant karmic collapse.
From the shadows, the seven generals sat silently, each commanding their own factions now spread across the lower realms and the one million supporting realms. They were his loyal hounds, though even they had not seen his full strength. Only one truth bound them—fear.
The bidding began.
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"First Item," spoke the veiled auctioneer, one of the 49 elites—Yun Xi, whose eyes shimmered with silver. "Soul Furnace Seed. Capable of devouring up to three million souls to forge a single peak Heaven-grade artifact. Starting bid: One Hundred Thousand Karma Threads."
The crowd fell into deadly silence.
Then it exploded.
Sect masters, realm lords, and demi-gods surged forward, their karmic threads slicing through the sky like rivers of fate. Each one offered life, bloodline, or even entire sects to secure the seed.
High above, Li Xuan's eyes remained cold. Every thread tied to the bid now looped back into him. Every deal made added weight to his soul, but also clarity. This was the testbed for his mind technique: the [Voidheart Enlightenment Sutra].
As the bid escalated, a scream echoed—one bidder's karma had exceeded their fate. In an instant, their soul ignited. The crowd did not flinch. Such was the cost.
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"Second Item," Yun Xi intoned. "Heavenly Karma Mirror. Capable of reflecting karmic cause and severing effect. Only usable once. Starting bid: One Million Karma Threads."
This time, none bid immediately.
Li Xuan narrowed his eyes. He allowed a faint pulse of his own karma to descend. The room trembled. Then a single bid came in—from a cloaked figure in the back. One of the ancient realm remnants.
"Accepted," Li Xuan said himself, his voice like a blade.
The deal was struck, but the karma would circle back. That bidder's soul was now partially tied to Li Xuan's auction house. It was no longer about resources. Every item auctioned, every deal sealed—each one fed his cultivation, his understanding.
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As the night wore on, items beyond comprehension were revealed:
A Feather from the Fallen Celestial Phoenix
Blood Ink of the Time-Eating Serpent
A single Tear of the Realm-Destroying Maiden
Each one came with a cost. Each one fed Li Xuan's system, transforming the Furnace of Bids into a karmic altar.
By the time dawn threatened the sky, over five hundred major powers had bled their karma dry. Tens of thousands had perished from overload. But not one dared to speak against the result. Li Xuan's legend had grown yet again.
As the final bid closed, Li Xuan turned from the balcony.
"We proceed to the Upper Realm within three years. Begin the culling. Prepare the next Furnace."
His words were simple.
The consequences would be catastrophic.
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