A batch of grade one spirit stones! The three middle-aged men exchanged glances between themselves.
"Sovereign, what do you need so many grade one spirit stones for?" Zhao Shu tried asking.
Huang Xiaolong shook his head, "I have a use for them, just pay attention and have them ready for me."
"Yes Sovereign!" Seeing this, Zhao Shu, Zhang Fu, and Fei Hou dared not inquire into the matter.
Huang Xiaolong further asked for information about Chen Tianqi from the three of them. A short while later, the three figures left Huang Xiaolong's courtyard.
After they had left, Huang Xiaolong entered the Godly Mt. Xumi's temple at the belly of the mountain. Coming to the Xumi Temple's side hall, Huang Xiaolong swallowed a drop of Geocentric Buddha Elixir and entered the center of the Ten Buddha Formation to practice the Godly Xumi Art.
While Huang Xiaolong was practicing the Godly Xumi Art, internally, the Asura Tactics and Body Metamorphose Scripture would start running on their own. All of this happened while Huang Xiaolong's twin dragon martial spirits hovered in the void above him, long bodies coiled, devouring and absorbing three different energies gushing down―the ancient Buddhism energy, true dragon qi, and the netherworld spiritual energy.
Above the space in Huang Xiaolong's Qi Sea, a golden Buddha, a golden dragon, and an Archdemon silhouette brightly glimmered.
The night passed in practice.
Opening his eyes, Huang Xiaolong breathed out foul qi from his mouth, "At this rate, within three months I can advance into the Sixth Order!" Sensing the power coursing inside his body, Huang Xiaolong was secretly delighted.
Xiantian Sixth Order!
No more than three years passed since Huang Xiaolong stepped into the Xiantian realm! Before, this was something Huang Xiaolong himself dared not believe.
Coming out from the Xumi Temple, Huang Xiaolong's sight caught a glimpse of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. A thought suddenly struck him. He already reached Xiantian Fifth Order, so he wondered if he would be able to open the third layer on the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. What would be kept there on the third layer of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda?
Not dawdling, Huang Xiaolong initiated his battle qi and tried to open the third layer of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. A glaring light flashed before Huang Xiaolong's eyes, and after opening them again, he was in a different space.
The four sides of this space were golden walls in four directions, similar to the first and second layer space in the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. Only, this third layer was much bigger. Huang Xiaolong's eyes scanned the space slowly, instantly enthralled by the grand altar in the middle of the space!
An enormous sacrificial altar! All over the sacrificial altar were dense carvings of ancient runes, combining into a large mysterious array. Up on the sacrificial altar were nineteen giant puppets that gave off a crystal-like resplendent radiance.
All nineteen giant puppets exuded whelming pressure.
There was nothing else in the third layer space other than the altar and the nineteen puppets on it.
"These are… puppets?" Huang Xiaolong blanked for a moment looking at the nineteen giant puppets. He had heard about puppets from Zhao Shu. Puppets were something that certain people refined using some secret method, from dead thingsㅡpuppets were undoubtedly loyal! However, there were distinctions between low and high-grade puppets.
Low-grade puppets had no intelligence and wore a sluggish expression, following the orders of their master, but some high-grade puppets were said to possess simple thoughts. Although lacking compared the average living beings, high-grade puppets could have independent thoughts and actions to a certain extent.
Huang Xiaolong's silhouette blurred in a flicker, arriving on the sacrificial altar at the center.
From a close distance, Huang Xiaolong noticed on these giant puppets' foreheads, there were tiny runic patterns, looking like a type of special letters of some ancient tribes.
"How do I control these puppets?" Huang Xiaolong wondered as he flew the perimeter of the sacrificial altar before landing on the left hand corner.
In that corner, there was a string of the same ancient runic patterns that Huang Xiaolong couldn't understand. Wrinkling his brows, Huang Xiaolong assumed these ancient writings explained the methods of controlling these puppets, but he had no idea what most of it was.
"Looks like I need to make a trip to Duanren Institute to investigate these ancient writings." Huang Xiaolong muttered to himself. However, he had a feeling that what these writings explained was not the method of controlling the puppets.
"Hmm, I wonder if my current strength allows me to open the fourth layer as well?" Huang Xiaolong immediately acted on the thought, running his battle qi, trying to open the fourth layer of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. Unfortunately, there was no reaction, even after the second time, everything remained still and calm. Thus, he gave up.
Huang Xiaolong was feeling somewhat depressed at the failure, meaning he would need to break through the high-level Xiantian realm before trying again. Coming out from the Linglong Treasure Pagoda, Huang Xiaolong left the Southern Hill Estate in Duanren Institute's direction.
Just as he arrived at Duanren Institute, he ran into Xie Puti at the front entrance.
Xie Puti was surprised running into Huang Xiaolong in this manner, then a huge smile bloomed on his face as one hand clasped over Huang Xiaolong's shoulder, "I say, this time you were missing for almost two years, a pity for me that I can't even find someone to drink with me. Do you know how much suffering I went through this period?!"
Huang Xiaolong laughed wryly, "Then, shall we head to the wine house now?"
"Do you need to ask, you can't escape today!" Xie Puti exclaimed with glee. Both of them headed straight towards the Sapidity Wine House in the amusement area.
While passing by the red house, Xie Puti grinned sheepishly, "How about it? Shall we spend a night here after drinking?"
Huang Xiaolong was stumped at the idea, smiling bitterly he shook his head: "Forget it."
Xie Puti chuckled, "Ever since Yao Fei fled in shame, Zhao Wuji, that tramp, rarely shows her face in Duanren Institute anymore. This red house is mostly handled by Cui Li, that tramp, now."
"Cui Li…" This piece of news was unexpected for Huang Xiaolong. Inexplicably, he couldn't remember the time during the Imperial City Battle, of Cui Li clinging onto him, the attempts of 'seduction.' Thinking about it, it was close to two years since he hadn't seen Cui Li.
"What? Missing that tramp?" Detecting the myriad of changes flashing passed Huang Xiaolong's face, Xie Puti taunted good-naturedly.
Huang Xiaolong shook his head in silence. A few moments later, both of them walked into the Sapidity Wine House. Like all those times before, like it was a tradition, Huang Xiaolong took all of the remaining jugs of Sapidity Wine for the day. Cups clinked continuously as Huang Xiaolong and Xie Puti enjoyed their wine.
"I heard you were in Blessed Buddha Empire?" Xie Puti asked.
Huang Xiaolong nodded, not denying his whereabouts.
Xie Puti continued, "I heard Blessed Buddha Empire's Holy Buddhism Maiden, Shi Xiaofei is our Snow Wind Continent's number one beauty. So, did you get the chance to meet her when you were there?"
Shi Xiaofei? Snow Wind Continent's number one beauty?
Huang Xiaolong was baffled at the multitude of questions and then laughed wryly. He found this Xie Puti overlapping with Luo Tong Kingdom's Prince Lu Kai with each passing day. Thinking of Lu Kai, he wondered, how was he now? He would probably ascend to the Luo Tong Kingdom's throne in a few years' time.
Huang Xiaolong had no chance to meet that fella ever since he came to Duanren Imperial City, and truth be told, he missed that guy a little.
Huang Xiaolong didn't have many friends, there was one Lu Kai, and now a Xie Puti.
"That Shi Xiaofei is Blessed Buddha Emperor Shi Fantian's daughter." Xie Puti continued his topic, "There were rumors coming from the Blessed Buddha Empire saying that if Shi Fantian leaves the Martial Spirit World to ascend to the Buddha World, this Shi Xiaofei would be the most likely person to take over his position as the Empress of Blessed Buddha Empire."
"Oh!" Huang Xiaolong was surprised.
"Forget it, let's not talk about that Shi Xiaofei." Xie Puti chuckled, "The day after tomorrow is your sister's big wedding day, when's your turn coming? Do you need this brother to introduce a few girls to you?"