Chapter 248: Black Horn and Forbidden realm

Chapter 248: Black Horn and Forbidden realmApollo, undisturbed by the commotion, turned to Serena with a slight nod. For Apollo, the real value of the Broken Sword wasn’t in its price or material—it was in the secrets it held, which he would know soon.

With the shocking bid, the next few bids became a bit bland, as although the items were treasures, not a single one received such a high bid.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now, after so many rare items and treasures. finally, it’s the final item and the main event of this auction, for which many have come from all corners of the galaxy." Auctioneer Haze and her seductive voice echoed through the entire hall, making the guests feel excited as they wanted to know what the final item of this grand auction was.

The air in the auction hall grew charged as Haze’s sultry voice heightened the anticipation. With a flourish, she gestured toward the stage, where the final item remained concealed beneath a shimmering, silken veil.

Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd.

"What could it be?"

"Something worth surpassing all these treasures?"

Haze smiled coyly, savouring the palpable tension in the room. "This artifact is not only rare but also a one-of-a-kind mystery and power. Originating from the depths of the Abyssal Dimensions, it has left countless experts and scholars baffled and intrigued."

With a dramatic pull of the veil, the item was revealed—a pitch-black horn etched with strange markings and radiating a dark, subtle aura of destruction.

"What?"

The moment they saw this quickly, their excitement disappeared, as although it was an item from Abyss, it was just a horn, which might be good material, but it wasn’t worth like Abyssal Demon Hearts or anything else.

It was a good item, but it wasn’t worthy of being the last item in this auction. As most guests were disappointed, VIP guests remained calm, waiting, except the group of three from VIP room 7 from Arcane Keepers, who had visible anger and bloodlust in their eyes like they wanted to pounce onto the central stage and take the Black Horn.

After seeing the disappointed look among the guests, Haze smiled mysteriously and interrupted their thoughts.

"Many might be thinking this Black Horn isn’t worth being the final item, but it isn’t simply the horn of an abyssal demon. Instead, it is many times more valuable than a simple horn, as it is a ’key.’."

The hall fell into stunned silence at Haze’s revelation.

"A key?" murmured voices rippled through the crowd, confusion giving way to renewed curiosity.

On the stage, Haze’s enigmatic smile deepened. "Yes, ladies and gentlemen. This is no ordinary horn—it is the Key of Secret Dimension, rumoured to unlock one of the Forbidden realms within the Abyssal Dimensions."

The weight of her words hung in the air. Forbidden realms? Even those unfamiliar with the depths of the Abyssal Dimensions could sense the gravity of such words.

The regular guests sat frozen, trying to grasp the magnitude of this revelation, but in the VIP rooms, the tension skyrocketed, as unlike others, they weren’t clueless and had heard about it.

Abyssal Dimensions are unbelievably large and have countless hidden realms within them. But finding one isn’t easy, as they are hidden within countless inter-dimensions and can only be found when knowing the exact space coordinates to anchor their travel.

And the black horn here surprisingly is the coordinate or the key for finding such a realm.

But the important thing here isn’t the key, but that it’s the key of the forbidden realm. Not every realm can be called the Forbidden Realm; among the countless realms, only ten are known as the Forbidden Realm of Abyss.

An attendant from the Hundred Alliance auction house discreetly approached Haze, handing her a sealed scroll. She unfurled it with practised grace, her expression becoming notably more serious as she spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to clarify the importance of this item."

Haze continued, her voice steady yet tinged with excitement. "The Abyssal Dimensions are vast, almost infinite in their complexity, with countless hidden realms and interdimensional pockets. Finding even a minor realm within the Abyss is an achievement that could bring riches and power. But this key does not lead to an ordinary realm—it leads to a Forbidden Realm."

At those words, the hall fell into stunned silence. In the VIP rooms, the reactions were far more intense.

"Impossible!" a dignified woman in a VIP room muttered, her expression a mixture of disbelief and greed.

"Are they certain it’s a Forbidden Realm key?" Another voice asked, scepticism warring with desire.

But Haze continued, "Each Forbidden Realm is a place of unimaginable danger and equally unimaginable opportunity. Ancient legends speak of gods, and countless strong beings who fell while exploring these realms, but those who survived emerged with power that defied reason and shocked the entire universe."

" There are countless tales of a weak old man who barely reached half-god and was without hope of any improvement, but after coming out, he became a supreme genius and became an eternal god in a few hundred thousand years."

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the hall. Eternal Gods were beings of legend, their names etched into the annals of history.

"Or some guy who received a major injury cutting his future path emerged fully healed and with better talent carved out a brand new path."

The crowd was spellbound, their emotions ranging from awe to desperation. This wasn’t just about wealth or anything else. It was about the possibility of rewriting one’s destiny, no matter how bleak it seemed.

Haze gestured toward the black horn, her hand lingering around it. "It is my grand luck as I am honoured to auction this legendary item. It is chance that can change anyone’s destiny. So, without saying any more, let the final bidding start."

"But before that, I had to mention it because it is such a rare item, and by the request of the owner, the transaction will be done using Divine Stone, not life essence stone."

"The starting price is one hundred Divine Stones, and each subsequent bid must increase by no less than ten Divine Stones."

The atmosphere in the auction house grew electric, an almost tangible tension crackling in the air. Haze’s declaration that the black horn would be auctioned in Divine Stones, rather than the more common Life Essence Stones, left the regular guests bewildered. For the VIPs, however, this change in currency wasn’t something unexpected.

A single Divine stone can be equal to a million life essence stones, meaning a hundred divine stones equal a hundred million, but in fact, it is more. Nobody will change divine stones to life essence stones as they are not of the same level.

Gasps echoed across the hall. The price was staggering, enough to bankrupt even the wealthiest mortal clans. Yet, among the VIPs, there was only silence—a tense, expectant quiet as the weight of the black horn’s potential loomed over them.

Everyone was excited except the VIP from Arcane Keeper, who could not help but seem to be angry, filled with killing intent.

"Damn it, that fucking thieving bastard auctioned the horn. What should we do? Other forces will also notice this and will quickly know their connection." One of the guys cursed looking at the situation.

They wanted to stop, but nothing could be done; they only had to brace for what came ahead.

"Send the message. What we were afraid of had happened and could not be hidden. Let’s make our move as quickly as possible before others strike us." As he said that, they sent the message and waited silently.

In other VIP rooms, others also have guessed and felt there might be a connection with Arcane Keepers.

Lady Ysera, from the strongest clan in the Zeta galaxy in the VIP room also was a bit surprised, as she, coming from the True God clan, knows the true importance of the Black Horn.

"Those Arcane Keepers are something; now it has become clear they have something to do with the horn and Abyssal demons."

"Indeed, they might have more, as who knows what kind of legacy or treasure they have found? Quickly send someone to the headquarters of Arcane Keepers and let them run away." The young guys beside her quickly said.

She nodded and quickly ordered the old woman who was standing behind the two to disappear immediately. While she continued to bid for the Black Horn here.

Haze glanced around the hall, her gaze lingering on the VIP rooms. "Ladies and gentlemen, the bidding begins now. Who will be the first to seize this extraordinary chance?"

A moment of silence stretched, thick with anticipation. Then, from one of the VIP rooms, a voice rang out confidently.

"One hundred and twenty Divine Stones!"

The bid was met with murmurs of approval and shock. The floodgates had opened.

"One hundred and thirty Divine Stones!"

"One hundred and fifty!"

The bids climbed rapidly, the tension in the room rising with each shout. The regular guests could only watch in awe, their minds struggling to comprehend the sheer value being thrown into the auction.

In the VIP rooms, the real battle had only just begun. As the price soared past five hundred Divine Stones, the weaker contenders began to hesitate, leaving only the most powerful and determined individuals vying for the legendary life-changing chance.