Sitting on Little Silver's back Shun Long flew out of the cave as he headed deeper inside the 'Elderwood mountain', flying towards the mountain's peak.
Now that he had obtained Huo Wuyi's treasures, he was first planning to take a look around this place before he went to Murong city to sell the iron halberd and the 3 golden scrolls.
At the same time, after obtaining Huo Wuyi's treasures, Shun Long was now certain that Huo Wuyi himself had been a star-rank formation master, and most likely a pretty talented one at that, since he had managed to leave behind a total of 3 peak 1-star weapons and 2 pieces of armor.
For a normal 1-star formation master to produce 5 peak 1-star creations was already hard enough, but after thinking about it for a moment, Shun Long realized that these weren't the only things that Huo Wuyi had left behind.
Back in the 'Dragon Lord's villa', there had also been hundreds of rank 3 gold-grade weapons and even a few dozens of peak rank 3 gold-grade ones that the people from the Shengtian dynasty and the 'Alchemists' Guild' had fought over.
Additionally, after creating the 'Dragon Lord's villa' Huo Wuyi had gone to Murong city to fight Murong Tian to the death. Shun Long didn't believe that Huo Wuyi wouldn't have kept a piece of peak 1-star armor along with a peak 1-star weapon with him and would have chosen to fight his enemy bare-handed.
''No wonder he had no spirit stones left in his spatial ring. Huo Wuyi probably exchanged them all for materials to forge these weapons. If he wanted to convert everything into high-grade spirit stones in the future, just those 2 pieces of armor could easily bring him half a million high-grade spirit stones if not even more.'' Shun Long mumbled to himself as he realized why there were no spirit stones left inside Huo Wuyi's spatial ring.
After all, every creation of a formation master required rare materials that were extremely expensive. It was the same with how alchemists had to purchase rare medicinal herbs to concoct pills.
Even as a talented formation master, Huo Wuyi could only make so many peak 1-star weapons in a short amount of time, before he went to fight Murong Tian.
As he traversed through the 'Elderwood mountain' and slowly flew towards the peak of the mountain, Shun Long met quite a few early and middle rank 6 magic beasts on the way.
Although some of those magic beasts were slightly wary of the black panther's aura, they weren't really afraid of another peak rank 6 magic beast even if that enemy was slightly stronger than them, and since Little Silver had intruded their territory those beasts would naturally go all-out to kill it.
Thus, with neither Little Silver nor those magic beasts cowering back, the base of the 'Elderwood mountain' was soon filled with cries and roars of countless magic beasts.
Half an hour later, just as Shun Long had reached the halfway point, the entire 'Elderwood mountain' suddenly started to tremble and rumble violently, before a furious roar came from the mountain's peak.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!
Little Silver's figure immediately halted when it heard this roar, while its large silver wings started to tremble uncontrollably.
At the same time, inside the foggy space in the 'Stone of Time', Little Black's bright azure eyes snapped open, before Little Black spread out his soul sense and completely enveloped Shun Long's body without holding back, as the black dragon said
''Master, be careful! There is a middle rank 8 magic beast in this place!''
At the same time that Little Black's voice sounded inside Shun Long's mind, Shun Long suddenly caught a glimpse of a yellow-robed figure that descended from the peak of the mountain at a terrifying speed, heading straight towards the foot of the mountain like a meteor.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The 'Elderwood mountain' trembled for the second time the moment that yellow-robed figure landed, as a huge crater opened on the ground.
Shun Long barely had enough time to take a look at the huge crater at the foot of the mountain, when a moment later, he spotted more than a dozen figures flying towards his direction, as they all descended the mountain in a hurry.
Those figures all had terrified looks on their faces, looking like they were fleeing for their lives, but the most surprising thing was, that the aura of each and every one of those figures had already exceeded the Dao King realm.
Seeing more than a dozen Dao Emperors fleeing with looks of terror on their faces, Shun Long didn't hesitate as he told Little Silver to escape as well.
Although there were plenty of peak rank 6 beasts that were more than a match for Little Silver in a fight, in terms of pure speed, Little Silver stood at the peak among other peak rank 6 magic beasts.
In fact, even early-stage Dao Emperors who didn't specialize in Daos like the Dao of Wind or the Dao of Lightning wouldn't necessarily be faster than Little Silver!
In just a few moments, Shun Long had already returned to the foot of the mountain before the figures of the Dao Emperors from behind him started to catch up!
''Damn it! That idiot from the Cai clan really deserves to die! Doesn't he know that it's forbidden to invade the territory of that monster?''
''Shut up and keep flying, or you will end up like him soon enough! As long as we leave the territory of the mountain we will be safe!''
The fleeing Dao Emperors finally caught up with Shun Long as they left the area of the 'Elderwood mountain', returning back to the entrance of the mountain where the groups of Nascent Soul cultivators and those Dao Kings were still waiting.
Clearly, everyone had heard the roar that came from the mountain's peak, as even Murong Feng and Murong Qiang had showed up and were now waiting at the foot of the mountain with grave looks on their faces.
Seeing that the group of Dao Emperors had finally stopped, Murong Feng took a step forward and stared at them seriously, before he asked in a solemn voice
''Wang Feng, Wei Wuying, what happened? One of you really dared to invade the territory of the mountain lord?''
A purple-robed middle-aged man from the group of Dao Emperors looked at the red-robed Murong Feng and gritted his teeth before he said in a furious voice
''It's that idiot from the Cai clan! He knew that he didn't have a chance to win the auction for the earth flame but he didn't want to give up, so he went too deep and ended up waking that monster!''
The look in Murong Feng's eyes was extremely solemn when they heard this.
Although the Murong family claimed themselves to be the rulers of this 'Elderwood mountain', in reality, they knew that even the old ancestor of their family wasn't a match for the monster that lived at the peak of the 'Elderwood mountain'.
''There is nothing else to do here. Even if there are more treasures hidden in this place, now that that monster is awake, there is no point in us staying here any longer. The moment we step foot on the mountain again, all of us will die!''
''Sigh... Let's return back to Murong city.''
Nodding their heads, the surrounding Dao Emperors didn't say anything else as they cupped their hands at Murong Feng before they flew towards the direction of Murong city.
Murong Feng stayed silent for a few moments before he looked at Murong Qiang by his side and said
''Let us go as well. We have to report this to the patriarch.''
Nodding his head, Murong Qiang nodded his head with a grave look on his face, and without even taking a look at the surrounding Dao Kings and the Nascent Soul stage cultivators around the 'Elderwood mountain', the 2 red-robed Dao Emperors of the Murong family flew towards Murong city at full speed.
At the same time, sitting on Little Silver's back, a deep look flashed inside Shun Long's eyes as he stared at the group of Dao Emperors that flew towards Murong city, before he turned his attention towards the 'Elderwood mountain' behind him and mumbled to himself
''So that's wwhy there were so many Dao Emperors gathered in this place....''
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After hearing what the purple-robed Dao Emperor had said to Murong Feng before he left, Shun Long finally understood why those Dao Emperors had all come to the 'Elderwood mountain' this time.
Indeed, only an earth flame or a treasure at a similar level could possibly attract so many high-level experts in this place, to the point that they would even risk entering the territory of a rank 8 magic beast.
''Let's go as well.''
After throwing one last look at the massive mountain behind him, Shun Long patted Little Silver's head, before Little Silver spread its bright silver wings and flew towards Murong city in the distance.
...
Half an hour later, Little Silver's figure descended from the sky, as it flew straight towards the city gates of Murong city.
Taking a look at the hundreds of luxurious carriages that were pulled by numerous powerful magic beasts and were lined up to enter the city, a smile was formed on Shun Long's lips as he queued up to enter the city as well.
A little more than an hour later, after paying the fee of 10 high-grade spirit stones, Shun Long entered the city along with Little Silver.
The moment that he stepped foot inside the city Shun Long quickly noticed, that although this Murong city couldn't compare to a behemoth like the 'Northern Sovereign's city' in terms of size, it was actually much larger than the Holy city itself!
Of course, the moment that he stepped foot into the city, Shun Long attracted quite a bit of attention too, as the cultivators around him all turned their attention towards Little Silver after sensing its aura.
No matter what, within Murong city, peak rank 6 magic beasts were still extremely rare and belonged only to a few Dao Emperors.
At the same time, since Shun Long had completely concealed his aura using his 'Monarch's Hourglass', it was impossible even for Dao Kings around him to see through his real cultivation base, which made them all come to the conclusion that this black-robed person in front of them was a powerful Dao Emperor.
To most people, Dao Emperors were exalted figures that could summon the wind and rain wherever they went in the central region, and even powerful forces like the Murong family would look to rope those experts in if they could.
...
After walking around the busy streets of Murong city for a while, Shun Long soon arrived in front of a massive building that looked like it was made from pure white jade, while the words 'White tiger chamber of commerce' were carved above its entrance.
Seeing the hundreds of cultivators that were coming and going from the building's entrance at all times, Shun Long took a step forward, as he entered the building with Little Silver following by his side a moment later.
Naturally, magic beasts weren't prohibited from entering as long as they didn't go wild and harm others.
Just like the 'White tiger chamber of commerce' back in the Holy city, the moment that he entered inside, Shun Long noticed that the items on the first floor were meant for Qi condensation and earth-grade cultivators.
Shun Long barely threw a look at the items on the first and the second floor, before he headed directly for the third floor.
Seeing that most of the rank 6 medicinal herbs on the third floor were ones that he had already purchased from the 'Myriad pills pavilion' in the Northern Sovereign's city a few days ago, Shun Long shook his head and turned his gaze towards the stairs that led to the fourth floor.
2 guards that were clad in golden armor were blocking the entrance of the fourth floor, preventing anyone who wasn't strong enough from entering the fourth floor.
With just a glance, Shun Long could sense that those guards were both rank 9 Dao Kings, and it was obvious that they could easily defeat other experts at the same level as them.
As soon as someone would try to get close to the staircase that led to the fourth floor, the guards' auras would explode outwards, preventing anyone from getting any closer.
And yet Shun Long's lips simply curved up, as he walked towards the stairs of the fourth floor a moment later.
The 2 guards narrowed their eyes simultaneously when they sensed someone approaching them, before their cultivation burst outwards without any hesitation.
At the same time however, Shun Long didn't even move as Little Silver's aura at the peak of rank 6 exploded as well, suppressing the 2 guards' auras in practically an instant!
The guards' powerful auras were powerless in front of Little Silver, who let out a powerful roar that shook the entire third floor soon after.
This sudden change ended up stunning every single person on the third floor, including the 2 guards themselves.
Although the 2 guards were strong, they hadn't expected that they would have to face a peak rank 6 magic beast today.
Despite their cultivation bases, the 2 guards knew that their chances of winning against a peak rank 6 beast by themselves were practically nonexistent.
Additionally, the person who owned a peak rank 6 magic beast had to be a Dao Emperor!
After a brief moment of hesitation, the guards retracted their auras and cupped their hands at Shun Long, as they allowed him to enter the fourth floor.
After all, their job wasn't to fight to the death, but simply to prevent anyone who wasn't strong enough from entering the fourth floor.
These were the rules of the 'White tiger chamber of commerce'.
Shun Long nodded his head at the 2 guards, as he walked towards the fourth floor with Little Silver next to him.
However, the moment that he stepped foot on the fourth floor, Shun Long was stunned when he noticed how different this floor was compared to the previous three.
The fourth floor didn't have even a single counter in sight.
Instead, it was filled with a number of private rooms that were all guarded by golden-armored guards, similar to the guards in front of the staircase of the fourth floor!
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As he stared at the doors of the private rooms on the fourth floor, Shun Long also noticed that in front of each door, there was also a small sign that indicated what each room was used for.
After throwing a quick glance at the rooms where the star-rank pills and the star-rank weapons were sold, Shun Long eventually walked towards the room that sold medicinal herbs.
Even though he had spent more than 130.000 high-grade spirit stones in the 'Myriad Pills pavilion' in the 'Northern Sovereign's city', Shun Long knew that he only had a handful of rank 7 medicinal herbs inside his herb garden right now, while the chances of obtaining rank 7 medicinal herbs were already limited in the first place.
Of course, Shun Long knew that right now, his spiritual strength wasn't enough to refine any rank 7 pill in the first place, and that he would first have to become a peak rank 3 Dao King before he could do so.
As the 2 golden-armored guards in front of the room sensed someone approaching them, one of them took a step forward and extended his right hand as he blocked the black-robed person in front of him and the silver-winged panther by his side, before he said in a calm voice
''Guest, please halt. You have to wait for the person inside to leave before you can enter the room.''
Shun Long stared at the guard in front of him and nodded his head without saying anything else, as he waited in front of the room with Little Silver.
It was obvious that the rules on the fourth floor were different from the previous 3 floors.
After all, he could also see a handful of Dao Emperors on the fourth floor, waiting in front of the other rooms for their turns as well.
Thankfully, the room that sold medicinal herbs was among the least popular ones and didn't have a long line.
A few minutes later, a green-robed middle-aged woman stepped out of the room before Shun Long's turn came to enter inside.
As soon as he entered the room, Shun Long saw a yellow-robed old man sitting behind the counter where the medicinal herbs were displayed.
This old man had a calm look in his eyes as he stared at Shun Long, not surprised in the least that Shun Long had chosen to hide his identity.
The old man knew that there were plenty of people who would choose to hide their faces when they visited the 'White tiger chamber of commerce', for whatever reason that may be.
After taking a look at the rank 7 medicinal herbs on display, Shun Long eventually spent 60.000 high-grade spirit stones to buy a couple of rank 7 herbs, before he took a look around the rest of the fourth floor.
A few moments later, Shun Long realized that the 'White tiger chamber of commerce' wasn't just a place that sold pills, medicinal herbs, or weapons.
As long as a Dao Emperor had enough money, they could even head to the 'Assassination room' and request the 'White tiger chamber of commerce' to kill someone for them.
Of course, only the Dao Emperors who stepped foot on the fourth floor knew about this.
After he walked around the fourth floor for a while, Shun Long finally stopped as he arrived in front of a room with the words 'Intelligence room' in front of the door.
Since there was no one else inside the room, the 2 guards didn't stop Shun Long and allowed him to enter inside right away.
The moment that he entered the room, Shun Long saw a silver-robed old man sitting comfortably on a luxurious couch, while occasionally sipping some tea that was placed on the jade-white table in front of him.
As soon as Shun Long entered the room the old man raised his head and looked at the person in front of him with a curious look, before he gestured for Shun Long to sit on the couch opposite to him soon after.
Shun Long nodded and sat on the couch without any hesitation, while Little Silver stood by his side, staring vigilantly at the old man in front of Shun Long.
Just like Little SIlver, Shun Long could also sense that this old man in front of him was a Dao Emperor, and from the aura that was cocoming from his body, this old man had most likely exceeded the early stages of the Dao Emperor realm long ago.
A profound look flashed past the old man's eyes as he stared at Shun Long, and after he threw one brief look at Little Silver next to him, the old man suddenly smiled and cupped his hands at Shun Long, as he then said
''Welcome to Murong city, dear guest. This old man is Liao Huo of the 'White tiger chamber of commerce', and I am the person responsible for the 'Intelligence room'. How may I help you?''
Shun Long's eyes flashed with a deep look the moment that he heard Liao Huo's words, and after he stared at him seriously for a few moments, Shun Long asked in a hoarse voice
''Interesting. How do you know that I am not from Murong city?''
The old man's eyes turned into slits as he looked at Shun Long, before he smiled and said laughingly barely a moment later
''Haha, you underestimate me quite a bit dear guest. I am the head of the 'Intelligence department' of the 'White tiger chamber of commerce', and I am already familiar with every single Dao Emperor in Murong city.
Naturally, I know every single person inside the city who has the ability to completely conceal their aura in front of me, and even without seeing your face, I can tell with certainty that I have never met you before.
This can only mean that you are not from Murong city, otherwise, there is no way that I wouldn't have known about it.''
As he finished speaking, Liao Huo stood up and waved his hand, taking out a small empty cup from his spatial ring that he placed on the jade-white table in front of him.
After he filled the cup with tea, he placed it in front of Shun Long, before he continued speaking with that same smile on his face
''Of course, whether our guests are from Murong city or not doesn't matter.
Our 'White tiger chamber of commerce' operates throughout the entire central region, and the only thing that's important is whether you have enough spirit stones or not. As long as there is something you need to know and you can pay the corresponding price, our 'White tiger chamber of commerce' will definitely leave you satisfied.''
An extremely deep look flashed inside Shun Long's eyes as he looked at the silver-robed old man in front of him, and after staying silent for a few moments, Shun Long's lips curved upwards as he looked at the old man in front of him and spoke in the same hoarse voice as before
''Then, Liao Huo.... what can you tell me about the Murong family?''