Huang Xiaolong sneered upon hearing Li Chen's words, and retorted, "At any other time, I wouldn't care to stop you wherever you would want to go, but there is only half an hour left till the end of the battle stage period. Of course, you cannot leave since that is the case. You and I have a bet. If you lose, you have to lick the bottom of my sole in front of everyone!"
Experts, who had recently rushed to the Mirage Pavilion and didn't know about the bet between Huang Xiaolong and Li Chen, widened their eyes in surprise upon hearing what Huang Xiaolong said.
After listening to Huang Xiaolong speak about their bet without leaving any retreat for him, and tearing off the fig leaf on him, Li Chen's face looked extremely ugly.
"Huang Xiaolong, don't go too far." Li Chen spoke through gritted teeth, "My bet with you at that time was spoken in jest, so don't take it for real."
Upon hearing Li Chen say that the bet they had made was merely words of jest, Huang Xiaolong sneered, "What? Do you want to go back on your word? On that day, Grand Hall Master and several Holy Heavens' Hall Masters were present. You even asked them to be your witness, but now that you're going to lose, you want to rescind on the bet?!"
At this time, Hall Master Yuan Shuai, who was in charge of the management of the various branches, stood up, "We were indeed present at that time, but that was merely His Highness Li Chen jesting with Your Highness Huang Xiaolong. As His Highness Li Chen's junior brother, along with being disciples of the Primal Ancestor, you both are brothers. Then, how could His Highness Li Chen agree to such an absurd bet with Your Highness for real?"
Two more hall masters stood out to make excuses for Li Chen.
"In jest?" Huang Xiaolong's mouth curved into a mocking sneer, "I never took the bet made to be in jest."
Wu Ge spoke at this time, "Your Highness Li Chen, since you and His Highness Huang Xiaolong made a bet, then, please fulfill your part."
Wu Ge's stance was proof that such a bet between Huang Xiaolong and Li Chen existed.
Li Chen's face sank and he fixed a deathly stare at Wu Ge, "Grand Hall Master Wu Ge, what benefits did you receive from Huang Xiaolong that you are biased towards him? Are you in cohort with Huang Xiaolong to frame me, so that I would lose my reputation?"
His face was distorted with rage, as he yelled at Huang Xiaolong, "Huang Xiaolong, even if you want to become the next patriarch, do you need to frame me like this? You're so shameless!"
After seeing that Li Chen had the cheek to distort the facts and call Huang Xiaolong shameless, and claim that Wu Ge and Huang Xiaolong had set him up, the Law Enforcement Hall Master Shi Feng could not stand it anymore, "Your Highness Li Chen, many Hall Masters were present on that day when you agreed to make the bet with His Highness Huang Xiaolong with your own mouth. On what basis are you claiming that Grand Hall Master Wu Ge and His Highness Huang Xiaolong are in cohort to frame you?"
The rest of the hall masters all confirmed what had happened as per Shi Feng's explanation.
Li Chen's face could not be any more gloomy at this point.
He fixed his gaze on Yu Ming and the Departing Sword Sage, Chen Zhi, Sun Jiang, Li Huajun, and the other two of Huang Xiaolong's seven True Saint followers, and killing intent overflowed from his body as he spoke, "And if I insist on leaving?"
Deep down, he didn't believe that Wu Ge, Shi Feng, and the Holy Heavens' hall masters would dare to stop him.
As long as Wu Ge and Shi Feng did not take action, merely Huang Xiaolong's seven True Saint subordinates were not enough to stop him from leaving.
Although his reputation could get slightly tarnished, being ridiculed as someone who did not keep his word, it was still better than licking the soles of Huang Xiaolong's shoes.
Just as Li Chen took a step to leave after weighing his options, Wu Ge spoke, "Your Highness Li Chen, if you insist on leaving, I have no choice but to detain you!"
Since all courtesy with Li Chen had already been torn off, Wu Ge chose to fully stand on Huang Xiaolong's side. With his identity, Wu Ge was not afraid of Li Chen complaining about him to Lord Long.
Li Chen's face was extremely ugly as he looked icily at Wu Ge, "Wu Ge, you dare to take action against me?!"
Although Wu Ge was the Holy Heavens' Grand Hall Master, Wu Ge had no authority to manage him, as he was the Holy Heavens' chief disciple and one of the Primal Ancestors' personal disciple.
Wu Ge was unperturbed, "I dare not, but I received Lord Long's message that if Your Highness rescinds on his words then I can detain you."
"What?!" The present Holy Heavens' hall masters, grand elders, and disciples were stupefied.
Lord Long actually gave the Grand Hall Master a decree?
Li Chen shouted hysterically, "Impossible! I don't believe it! I don't believe that Master would give you such a decree!" He couldn't believe that his Master would treat him so well!
Wu Ge took out his transmission symbol and threw it to Li Chen while saying, "This is the message Lord Long sent over. Lord Long also said that Your Highness Li Chen as the chief Holy Prince, should be accountable to your given promise and become a model for the other Holy Heavens' disciples!"
Li Chen caught the transmission symbol in midair, and his face paled when he saw the content within. His hands were tightly clenched, and his eyes were bloodshot like an injured beast. Even my Master does not stand on my side?! My Master wants me to lick the soles of Huang Xiaolong's shoes in public?!
Grief and hatred in Li Chen's heart soared sky-high.
In the end, Li Chen chose to 'yield.'
Half an hour passed, and the battle stage challenge, that had been going on for half a year, came to an end.
Before tens of millions of experts' focused gazes, Li Chen put his tongue out and made a quick pass across the tip of Huang Xiaolong's shoe!
Li Chen heard the mocking sneers coming from the experts all around, and the gloating in their voices did not escape him.
After fulfilling his side of the bet, Li Chen ignored the mocking noises drilling into his ears and glared venomously at Huang Xiaolong. "Huang Xiaolong, I will make you regret your decision today! By the time the Trial of Blood ends, I'll make sure you kneel for a day in front of the Holy Heavens' city gates to pay back the humiliation you've given me today!" He turned and sped away in the air.
Li Chen's figure disappeared from sight almost instantly, and after leaving the battle stage venue, he did not return to the Mirage Pavilion's Holy Heavens branch. He directly left the Mirage Pavilion. As for where he went after that, no one knew.
After watching Li Chen leave in embarrassment, sighing sounds could be heard through the crowd.
The battle stage challenge had truly ended!
Under Wu Ge and several Holy Heavens experts' escort, Huang Xiaolong returned to the Holy Heavens branch.
Back at the branch, Huang Xiaolong had no intention of leaving the Mirage Pavilion immediately. He stayed a few days. Originally, he had planned to use these few days to rest and check his total harvest from the matches he had fought on the battle stage, but there were endless streams of visitors that came to congratulate him, from holy grounds' patriarchs to ancient races' patriarchs. Therefore, Huang Xiaolong could only give up on that plan. After all, he couldn't completely ignore all these people.
In these few days, the Clear Snow Palace's Tan Juan, Ji Xinyi, Lin Xiaoying also visited Huang Xiaolong, and spent more than half a day 'talking' to Huang Xiaolong.
After seeing Huang Xiaolong again, all three beauties were looking at him with a strange and complicated gaze.
Before Lin Xiaoying left, she extended an open invitation to Huang Xiaolong to come to the Clear Snow Palace whenever he was free, and Huang Xiaolong nodded his head as he accepted the invitation.
After several days of entertaining the streams of endless visitors, Huang Xiaolong couldn't stand the 'harassment' anymore. Thus he bid farewell to Wu Ge and other Holy Heavens' experts and took his leave from the Mirage Pavilion. He summoned the Winged Dragon Flying Ship and set off on his way back to the Heavenly Master Holy Grounds.
His feet once again touched Heavenly Master Holy Grounds, and he met with his four masters. The Heavenly Master looked at Huang Xiaolong like he had never known this disciple of him, looking at him from top to bottom, and up again several times.
"Kiddo!" A long time later, Tyrant Chu finally spoke, sighing, "I think that in another several hundred thousand years, even we wouldn't be your opponents."
Lord Long shook his head as he corrected, "I think that even after the four of us join hands, we wouldn't be this kid's opponent."
Neither of them were exaggerating. Once Huang Xiaolong broke through to Primal Ancestor, even fighting four against one, they might not last long against Huang Xiaolong.
Huang Xiaolong grinned and replied humbly, "All that is due to four masters' excellent teachings."
He then took out the grandmist holy spiritual aura.
Though the four Primal Ancestors had learned of the grandmist holy spiritual aura's size from Wu Ge's report, all four were still shocked when they saw it with their own eyes.
Huang Xiaolong traded the grandmist holy spiritual aura for one hundred and twenty Star Transferring Holy Pills with the four Primal Ancestors.
After putting away one hundred and twenty Star Transferring Holy Pills, Huang Xiaolong grinned and said, "May I ask how many more holy pills Masters have on hand? I want to use holy herbs for exchange."