Chapter 103: The Snow Empress's Embryo Appears
Liu Yuan sat comfortably against the plush backing of the VIP box's velvet chair. In his hand rested the Spirit-Devouring Demonic Knife, its blade emitting a faint, eerie greenish light that seemed to swallow the ambient illumination of the room.
To the outside world, this was a cursed weapon, a harbinger of doom that had dragged countless previous owners to gruesome, tragic ends. Yet, under the gaze of Liu Yuan's Double Pupils—eyes that possessed the innate ability of Insight into the Origin—the truth was laid bare. Those sinister dark red lines winding around the blade were nothing more than superficial grime, a foul crust clinging to the surface of a supreme piece of life metal.
Piercing through the veil of evil energy, he could feel the core hidden within. It was a mass of vitality so dense it was nearly tangible, a force capable of breathing life into all things.
"Liu Yuan, you have secured the item. Now, can you tell this old man why you threw away one hundred and sixty million Gold Soul Coins to buy this incredibly evil carving knife?" Du Busi finally broke the silence, his gruff voice laced with genuine bewilderment.
Though he trusted his disciple's judgment implicitly and cared little for the astronomical sum of money, as the Master of the Body Sect, his curiosity was thoroughly piqued. What could possibly make this cursed object so valuable in the eyes of his pragmatic disciple?
Liu Yuan did not answer with words. Instead, he simply extended his hand, offering the Spirit-Devouring Demonic Knife to his master by the hilt.
"Master, do not look with your eyes. Use your soul power to carefully sense the life aura hidden at its deepest core."
Du Busi raised a thick eyebrow. He stretched out a large, calloused hand, gently pressing his fingertips against the freezing, metallic flat of the blade.
Instantly, a slick, bone-chilling aura—the heavily concentrated, negative resentment of an Evil Soul Master—surged forward like a venomous viper, attempting to invade his meridians through his skin. But to a Level 98 Super Douluo, this level of malicious interference was akin to a mayfly attempting to topple a giant tree.
A cold snort escaped Du Busi's lips. His dark golden soul power flared, instantly crushing the external evil energy into submission. With the outer defenses shattered, he condensed his Spiritual Sense into a sharp arrow, piercing straight through the lingering gray mist of resentment and plunging into the very core of the short blade.
In that split second, the casual, slightly arrogant expression on the Super Douluo's face completely froze.
His sharp eyes widened to the size of saucers. Even his breathing, usually as steady as a mountain, stalled in his chest for a fraction of a second.
Through his Spiritual Sense, he realized the interior of this blade was not solid metal at all. It was a vast, liquid ocean of life force, so flawlessly pure that it contained not a single trace of impurities. Its vitality was so vigorous, so overwhelmingly potent, that Du Busi felt his own cells—slightly worn and exhausted from decades of brutal, world-shaking combat—singing in joyous response.
"This... this is the Gold of Life?!" Du Busi exclaimed, his booming voice trembling with an unmatched level of shock.
As the Master of the Body Sect, he had laid eyes upon countless rare treasures and heavenly herbs. Yet, the Gold of Life was something he had only ever read about in the fragmented, ancient texts of the sect's incomplete manuals—a legendary life metal said to possess the power to bring the dead back to life.
"Not only is it the Gold of Life, but it is of the absolute highest quality." Du Busi sensed the core more carefully, his eyes flashing with a predatory intensity. "Those Evil Soul Masters truly are squandering heaven's gifts! To refine a mere carving knife, they actually used such vile, degrading arts to pollute a metal of absolute purity. That is the true source of its so-called curse. For ordinary Soul Masters, touching this aura is a guaranteed death warrant. But for us... as long as we spend some time grinding away the filth, we can completely strip it clean using our Origin soul power."
Liu Yuan nodded, calmly taking the short blade back from his master's trembling hands. "Exactly. Once we completely purge the resentment and evil energy left behind by those Evil Soul Masters, this will revert to a supreme treasure brimming with a massive life aura."
He traced the dull edge of the blade with his thumb. "Whether we use it to permanently enhance our spiritual power or keep it as a trump card to shatter a cultivation bottleneck, spending one hundred and sixty million to secure it means we did not lose out. On the contrary, we made a monumental profit."
Du Busi agreed wholeheartedly. He slapped his thick thigh, bursting into a fit of hearty, booming laughter that rattled the teacups on the table. "Good! A truly brilliant deception! That old dog Elder Xuan is probably sitting in his box right now, smugly thinking we are just a bunch of arrogant fools with too much money to burn. He has no idea he personally tossed away a peerless treasure."
The old man's grin turned wicked. "If that hypocrite knew the truth about this blade, I reckon he would be so furious he would vomit three liters of blood and drop dead on the spot."
The atmosphere inside the VIP box became exceptionally warm and triumphant following the confirmation of this supreme treasure.
Liu Yuan turned his head, his gaze softening as it landed on Vina. The princess of the Heavenly Soul Empire had been sitting quietly by his side, watching him with unwavering support. Just moments ago, she had not even batted an eyelash when bidding the astronomical price of one hundred and sixty million, throwing the full financial weight of her empire behind his decision without a single question.
"Vina, thank you."
Liu Yuan studied her delicate, flawless features. Without overthinking or offering grand declarations, he simply followed the sudden warmth in his chest. He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them, and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss against her soft cheek.
Vina stiffened. She clearly had not expected Liu Yuan—a man who was perpetually composed, fiercely pragmatic, and often carried a chillingly cold demeanor—to suddenly initiate such a tender, intimate gesture in front of others.
A soft gasp escaped her parted lips. Her fair skin flushed crimson at a visible speed, the deep blush spreading rapidly from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her delicate earlobes.
"You... what are you doing?" she stammered, her voice dropping to a flustered whisper. "Everyone is watching."
From the side, Long Aotian, Mu Xue, and the other Body Sect disciples exchanged knowing glances, letting out low, good-natured chuckles. Hearing their teasing laughter, Vina felt too shy to even lift her head. Yet, beneath the embarrassment, a deep sweetness bloomed in her chest. She buried her face slightly into her collar, muttering softly, "Whatever... as long as you are happy."
Just as the harmonious atmosphere settled within the VIP box, the grand auction stage below underwent a dramatic shift.
After auctioning off a few priceless Class 6 and Class 7 stationary soul tools to serve as a transition, the brilliant crystal chandeliers illuminating the massive auction hall suddenly went completely dark.
Immediately after, a heavy, almost suffocating silence enveloped the entire venue. The darkness felt heavy, pressing down on the chests of the thousands of attendees.
"Everyone, please calm your breathing."
The auctioneer's voice echoed through the pitch-black hall. It was no longer smooth and practiced; it had become unusually hoarse, trembling with a barely contained, fanatical zeal. A single, massive spotlight snapped on, cutting through the darkness to illuminate the center of the metal stage. There, resting upon a pedestal, sat a transparent Class 9 soul tool barrier.
Floating quietly inside the absolute confinement of the barrier was a captivating mass of light and shadow, perfectly sealed within a block of pristine, ice-blue crystal.
"What we are about to present to you is the most legendary, the most unfathomably rare treasure of this entire auction. In fact, it may be the greatest treasure to appear on the Douluo Continent in the last thousand years."
The auctioneer pointed a trembling finger at the floating crystal, his face twisting into an expression of absolute madness as he roared into the amplification soul tool. "It is not a Soul Bone! Nor is it a soul tool! Ladies and gentlemen... it is a life!"
"That is an embryo! An embryo formed by a one-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast using extreme, heaven-defying measures to preserve its Divine Sense after failing its Heavenly Tribulation!"
The auctioneer's voice cracked, echoing like thunder. "Do you know what this means?! It means that as long as you can successfully achieve fusion with it, you will not only gain a one-hundred-thousand-year soul ring and a one-hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone... but you may even gain a top-tier Martial Soul possessing an independent consciousness! And perhaps... even the chance for true immortality!"
For three agonizing seconds, the hall was dead silent.
Then, the entire venue erupted. devastating exclamations, frantic shouts, and roars of disbelief tore through the air. Countless Soul Masters and faction leaders, faced with this ultimate, mind-shattering temptation, unconsciously activated their Martial Souls. Brilliant rings of light flared in the darkness, and the scene descended into absolute chaos for a fleeting moment.
Up in the VIP box, Liu Yuan stood perfectly still before the reinforced glass window. A deep, dark purple light swirled within the depths of his Double Pupils.
He did not need to listen to the auctioneer's frantic introduction. Just by feeling the terrifying, absolute chill that managed to seep through the impenetrable Class 9 barrier—a cold so deep it made his very bones ache—he recognized the true identity of that sealed light and shadow at a single glance.
The Dominator of the Far North. The Snow Empress.
"They actually managed to capture her," Liu Yuan murmured, a flash of complex emotion passing through his normally placid eyes.
Through his Insight into the Origin, he could feel it. Deep within that frozen embryo slept a fiercely proud and unyielding soul, constantly, stubbornly resisting the suffocating waves of greedy auras pressing in from all sides.
Vina, standing nearby, immediately noticed the subtle shift in Liu Yuan's demeanor. Although she could not comprehend the specific elemental attributes of the embryo below, she was already deeply accustomed to this particular, razor-focused expression on her fiancé's face.
She stepped up to the glass, her shoulder brushing gently against his. Looking down at the chaotic bidding floor, she asked softly, "Liu Yuan, this thing... it feels even more powerful than that demonic knife from earlier. Since we are already here, should we go ahead and take this one too?"
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]