The auction ended, but its aftermath did not.
It spread like an invisible storm across the Immortal Realm.
In towering immortal sects suspended above oceans of clouds, emergency assemblies were convened. Ancient bells that had not been rung for tens of thousands of years echoed through forbidden halls. In immortal families whose bloodlines ruled entire regions, sealed ancestors were awakened, their wills descending to observe the matter personally.
All conversations circled around the same subject.
The auction.
And the man who should not exist.
---
In the Heavenly Radiance Immortal Sect, an Immortal Emperor sat with eyes closed as countless jade slips hovered before him, each glowing with investigative formations.
"Nothing," he said slowly.
An elder frowned. "Nothing… as in incomplete?"
"No," the Immortal Emperor replied, opening his eyes. "Nothing as in empty."
The hall fell silent.
