Chapter 18: The Mysterious Extinct Soul Beast
"This thirty-thousand-year-old spiritual-type head soul bone originates from a soul beast known as the Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly..."
Ling Yun began slowly introducing the specific details of this soul bone.
As soon as the name "Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly" was mentioned, a look of confusion appeared in the eyes of nearly every soul master present.
They all began whispering to each other, their faces full of doubt. Clearly, this soul beast's name was extremely unfamiliar to them.
"Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly? Has such a soul beast ever appeared on the Douluo Continent?"
Elder Xuan was filled with confusion and couldn't help but murmur to himself.
As a powerful Titled Douluo at level 98, he had vast knowledge. Whether from ancient texts or from real-life encounters, he was familiar with nearly every kind of soul beast.
But this Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly—he had never heard of it.
His brow furrowed deeply, a trace of contemplation in his eyes.
"Elder Mu, have you ever heard of this kind of soul beast?"
Elder Xuan turned to ask Elder Mu beside him.
Elder Mu also wore a puzzled expression. He slowly shook his head and said, "Never heard of it. Perhaps it's a soul beast that went extinct many years ago."
Elder Mu's brow was also tightly furrowed; this soul beast was equally unfamiliar to him.
And not just to Elder Mu and Elder Xuan—Xu Jiawei, Xu Tiannan, and Ye Xishui from the Star Luo Empire, as well as many other powerful figures, also found this soul beast utterly unfamiliar.
Their faces showed expressions of deep confusion, as if they were trying hard to recall any information about this creature.
But ultimately, they came up with nothing.
"I believe none of you have heard of this soul beast. The Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly has been extinct on the Douluo Continent for thousands of years."
"Even thousands of years ago, this type of soul beast was extremely rare across the entire continent."
"Of course, its appearance might have been commonly mistaken for an ordinary butterfly-type soul beast, which made it almost completely overlooked by soul masters."
Ling Yun continued explaining.
"As for what kind of soul skill this soul bone might generate, we at the Starry Auction Pavilion are also unsure. The Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly is extremely mysterious, and we obtained this soul bone purely by chance."
Ling Yun's words made the crowd even more curious about this soul bone.
Its mysterious origin and unknown soul skill undoubtedly added to its allure.
"That's all the basic information about this soul bone. The starting bid is five million gold soul coins, with a minimum increment of one million per bid."
After Ling Yun finished speaking, she immediately began striking the auction hammer, officially starting the auction.
Everyone present was visibly shocked to hear that this kind of soul beast had been extinct for thousands of years.
What was even more strange was that not a single record of the Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly could be found in historical texts.
Perhaps, just as the Starry Auction Pavilion had said, its form was too similar to other soul beasts, and its numbers too few, so it never drew the attention of soul masters.
However, they also caught the key point:
The Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly was extremely mysterious, and the soul skill produced by its soul bone remained unknown.
This made them excited, but also hesitant.
After all, to spend such an enormous amount of money on a soul bone with an unknown soul skill truly required a lot of courage.
"This..."
At this moment, Huo Yuhao's feelings were incredibly complex.
Initially, upon hearing it was a thirty-thousand-year-old spiritual-type head soul bone, he was so excited his heart felt like it was on fire.
His Spirit Eyes martial soul was of the spiritual attribute, and on the Douluo Continent, soul beasts with spiritual attributes were exceedingly rare.
Let alone a thirty-thousand-year-old head soul bone.
If he missed this chance, he didn't know when he'd encounter another soul bone of comparable value again.
But after hearing about the soul bone's mysterious origin and its uncertain soul skill, his heart began to waver.
He was worried that the soul skill might turn out to be useless, wasting not only a valuable soul bone slot but also a tremendous amount of money.
This sense of gain and loss trapped him in a difficult decision.
His brow furrowed tightly, his eyes filled with inner conflict.
"Yuhao, no matter the cost, you must obtain that soul bone."
Just then, the voice of the Skydream Iceworm suddenly echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind.
The urgency in the Skydream Iceworm's tone was clear, as if urging him to act immediately.
"What's going on? Brother Tianmeng, do you know something about this soul beast?"
Huo Yuhao had still been immersed in the noisy atmosphere of the auction hall.
But the Skydream Iceworm's voice struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly snapping him out of his chaotic thoughts.
He slightly frowned, thinking to himself—knowing Brother Tianmeng's cautious personality, he wouldn't speak to him in the spiritual sea without good reason.
Since Brother Tianmeng was so anxious, then this soul bone's origin must be far from ordinary.
"Yuhao, truly, you must win this soul bone."
"From a certain perspective, this may very well be the only Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly soul bone that still exists in the human world."
The Ice Empress's voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, carrying an unprecedented gravity.
Huo Yuhao was shocked—Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly?
This was the first time he had ever heard of such a soul beast.
The Ice Empress then slowly said, "The Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly is indeed extremely rare and mysterious. Since the time of my birth, I've seen no more than five of them."
"Several thousand years ago, I encountered a hundred-thousand-year Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly. At the time, I suffered a significant loss under its innate ability. With a gentle flap of its wings, countless illusory lights and shadows surged toward me like a tide, and my spiritual perception instantly fell into chaos."
"Within those illusions were my deepest dreams and my most hidden fears. I couldn't tell what was real and what was false. If Snow Empress hadn't come to my aid, I might never have escaped that endless dream."
"At that time, I had already cultivated for over three hundred thousand years, and yet I was helpless before a mere hundred-thousand-year Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly. That's how terrifying its innate ability is."
Huo Yuhao was equally stunned by the Ice Empress's account.
He knew the Ice Empress's strength very well—she was one of the top existences among soul beasts. And yet, a hundred-thousand-year-old Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly had been able to put her at a disadvantage.
"The Illusory Dream Spirit Butterfly belongs to the spiritual-type soul beasts. Its innate ability allows it to create a dreamscape."
"This dreamscape is nearly identical to the real world, and anyone caught in it can fall into eternal slumber without warning."
The Ice Empress continued.
(END CHAPTER)