41: Chapter 41 The Soul-Devouring Carving Knife, an extremely ominous object.

After a series of auctions, Su Chen's actions left Huo Yuhao and the others completely stunned.

The speed at which he spent money was as simple as drinking water.

This was the definition of being inhumanly wealthy.

Huo Yuhao calculated in his mind; the cost of those spirit tools alone probably added up to an astronomical figure.

He stole a glance at Su Chen.

Brother Su Chen's expression remained calm, as if the money he just spent wasn't currency, but a pile of stones.

Just then, the atmosphere of the auction venue changed quietly.

The female auctioneer in purple from before stepped onto the stage once again.

But this time, her expression lacked its previous enthusiasm, replaced by a hint of solemnity.

"Everyone, next is the final item of this auction."

The female auctioneer lowered her voice, speaking with an indescribable gravity.

She didn't introduce what the item was.

Instead, she clapped her hands.

Two burly men struggled to push out a... box.

It was a sealed box made of an unknown black metal, with an ancient design that looked quite old.

The surface of the box was densely covered with complex patterns.

Those patterns looked like some ancient sealing formation, emitting a faint, ghostly glow, as if suppressing something terrifying.

A cold, ferocious aura seeped out faintly from the cracks of the box.

This aura wasn't particularly strong, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"Hmm? What's going on?"

In the front rows of the auction hall, several Spirit Masters with higher cultivation levels frowned almost simultaneously.

Their Soul Power circulated involuntarily to resist that sense of discomfort.

Some even felt a surge of palpitations, as if they were being stared down by some prehistoric beast.

"What is this thing?"

In the private box, He Caitou rubbed his arms, feeling goosebumps all over his body.

"I feel... so uncomfortable." Jiang Nannan's face also turned slightly pale.

Huo Yuhao's reaction was the most intense.

Under the gaze of his Spirit Eyes, a mass of pure, malicious darkness seemed to be coiled inside that black box.

That darkness caused a stinging pain in his Spiritual Sea.

Just then, Su Chen spoke.

His voice was deep, breaking the silence in the box.

"It's here."

Everyone turned to look at him in unison.

They saw that Su Chen had stood up at some point, his body leaning slightly forward, his eyes fixed intently on the black metal box on the screen.

His expression was more serious than ever before.

...

On the other side.

Half of the gazes in the room fell on the black box, while the other half were concentrated on the female auctioneer in purple.

Everyone was waiting for an explanation.

The female auctioneer took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

Her voice spread throughout the hall via the spirit tool amplifier, but this time, it carried no charm, only a heavy sense of oppression.

"This item is called the 'spirit devouring carving knife'."

The spirit devouring carving knife?

Upon hearing this name, many Soul Tool Masters in the audience felt their spirits jolt.

Some of them had seen this name in certain ancient texts.

The female auctioneer did not pause and continued.

"It was born three thousand years ago. Its creator was the Sun Moon Empire's only Class 9 Soul Tool Master at the time, An Li."

"Master An Li was also a Titled Douluo level... Evil Soul Master."

Hiss—

As soon as these words were spoken, the sound of people drawing in cold breaths filled the hall.

Class 9 Soul Tool Master! Titled Douluo! Evil Soul Master!

Any one of these three identities was enough to shake the continent.

Now, these three identities were actually concentrated in one person.

The female auctioneer's voice continued to ring out, as if recounting a piece of sealed, terrifying history.

"Master An Li was exceptionally talented but also possessed a perverse temperament. He once developed a spirit tool self-destruct program that brought a bloodbath to the continent."

"And this spirit devouring carving knife was one of his proudest works."

"In the Ranking of Carving Knives circulated within the continent's Soul Tool Master circles, it is ranked ninety-ninth. Its material is unknown, but according to the Star Luo Imperial Family's appraisal, it is indestructible. For any Soul Tool Master, it is the top-tier carving knife material."

At this point, the atmosphere in the audience warmed up slightly.

Top-tier material!

That value was immeasurable.

However, the female auctioneer's next words were like a bucket of ice water poured over their heads.

Her tone shifted, becoming incredibly serious.

"But, it also has another name."

"—The Ominous Blade."

The female auctioneer's gaze swept across the hall as she spoke each word deliberately.

"According to the Empire's clearly recorded three thousand years of history, this spirit devouring carving knife has had a total of thirty-seven owners."

"These thirty-seven people, without exception, all died tragic deaths."

The entire auction hall fell silent instantly.

"Among them, nine Spirit Masters underwent a drastic change in temperament after using it, falling into the path of Evil Soul Masters, and were eventually hunted down by the continent's powerhouses."

"Eight Spirit Masters were plagued by misfortune throughout their lives, dying in all sorts of bizarre ways—some even choked to death while drinking water."

"As for the remaining twenty Spirit Masters..."

The female auctioneer paused, her voice carrying a hint of pity.

"They brought disaster upon their families, leading to the complete extermination of their entire households."

"This knife exerts an almost irresistible temptation on Soul Tool Masters. The more you come into contact with it, the more you want to use it. But once you use it to engrave a core formation, misfortune will begin to descend."

In the box, Huo Yuhao and the others felt a chill run down their spines.

This wasn't an auction item; this was practically a death warrant!

"Therefore," the female auctioneer on stage warned solemnly, "before you bid, please be absolutely, absolutely, cautious beyond measure."

"In this auction, we are only looking for a fated person for it, or rather, someone who can suppress it."

After she finished speaking, she finally announced the price.

"spirit devouring carving knife, starting price, one hundred thousand gold coins."

One hundred thousand?

For such a legendary carving knife material, this price was practically no different from giving it away for free.

But this time, no one felt like they were getting a bargain.

As the female auctioneer's voice fell.

The previously bustling auction hall instantly became silent as a grave.

Thirty-seven lives.

This number was like an invisible shackle, tightly strangling the desires of everyone present.

Those eyes that had previously flickered with greed were now quickly replaced by deep wariness.

Time passed minute by minute.

The professional smile on the female auctioneer's face on the stage was becoming a bit stiff.

The Soul Tool Master big shots in the front row had long since averted their gazes, for fear of making eye contact with that Ominous Blade and being tainted by something unclean.

Whoever wants this thing can have it; anyway, I don't want it.

In the box.

Xuan Zi's old face, which usually carried a hint of drunkenness, was now also filled with solemnity.

"The spirit devouring carving knife... it's recorded in the academy's forbidden archives; it's this thing." His voice was full of repulsion, "You absolutely cannot touch it; this thing is extremely wicked."

Meanwhile, in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice already carried a hint of a scream.

"Holy crap, Yuhao, quickly withdraw your mental power! The resentment and death energy on this knife can shred an ordinary person's soul! This is a truly ominous object!"