Since the ancient devil clan Ancestor Mo Yishi had gone to the Sea of Hell, Huang Xiaolong’s course of action was limited. First came the matter with the Refining Ghost Sect, rescuing his Master, then he would go deal with Mo Yishi at the Sea of Hell.
Huang Xiaolong asked a few more questions related to the Path to Hell’s other first-rank forces before sending Fan Yuxiao and Gao Yuan away.
Late night.
Huang Xiaolong sat cross-legged at the center of the main hall, enshrouded in a radiant light. In front of him was the floating corpse of the Mad Ghost Sect expert.
Subjected to the Archdevil Supreme Godhead’s devouring power, streams of blood essence and godforce flew out from the Mad Ghost Sect expert’s corpse into Huang Xiaolong’s body.
Although this Mad Ghost Sect expert had been dead for a long time, thus a fair amount of blood essence and godforce had dissipated, they were far more powerful and abundant than someone like the Ancient Devil Clan Patriarch Mo Dingtian could possess. There was a seemingly small difference of a single level between late-Tenth Order and peak late-Tenth Order Highgod Realm. However, in truth, the gap between the two was truly great.
As Huang Xiaolong refined the Mad Ghost Sect expert’s blood essence and godforce, gradually, gray-black vapors gathered around him.
This was the frigid coldness expelled from Huang Xiaolong’s body as his Infinite Buddha Supreme Godhead purified the ghost qi contained within the godforce he absorbed.
Thus, he remained in the Spiriting Demon Gates, refining blood essence and godforce as well as the rank eight and nine tribulation grade divine pellets he had found in the Mad Ghost Sect’s treasury.
The days sped by, and soon, one month was gone.
After completely refining the Mad Ghost Sect expert’s corpse and all the tribulation grade divine pellets, Huang Xiaolong’s cultivation had finally reached peak mid-Eighth Order Highgod Realm. Just one small step and he would be able to advance to late-Eighth Order Highgod Realm.
When he finished refining the last rank nine tribulation grade divine pellet, he shook his head wryly.
These rank eight and nine tribulation grade divine pellets would be considered priceless treasure outside, the likes of which peak late-Tenth Order Highgod Realm masters would fight head and fists for. An average Eighth Order Highgod Realm master would have advanced to late Ninth Order, or even peak late-Ninth Order Highgod Realm after refining such a large amount of rank eight and nine tribulation grade divine pellets, yet his own cultivation merely rose to peak mid-Eighth Order Highgod Realm...
The higher his cultivation reached, the more terrifying the amount of energy his three supreme godheads needed became. With every small improvement, the amount of energy he required made his heart palpitate.
Huang Xiaolong had begun to suspect that he wouldn’t be able to break through to Tenth Order Highgod Realm in the lower realm. The amount of energy he would need to breakthrough from peak late-Ninth Order to Tenth Order Highgod Realm would exceed the amount any peak late-Tenth Order Highgod Realm would require to become a Heavenly God by ten thousand fold, it could even reach a hundred thousand fold!
Then, a thought wriggled its way into Huang Xiaolong’s mind. With sparkling eyes, he wondered under his breath, ‘I wonder what kind of treasures are inside the Ghost Refining Sect... A sect that has ruled the Path to Hell for over ten million years should definitely have some good things!’
Other treasures aside, just those top grade Infernal Yin Soul Stones were good stuff that was hard to come by.
The Infernal Yin Stones were a kind of spirit stone naturally formed from the Hell’s cold yin spiritual energy. The formation of a single top grade Infernal Yin Stone took three to four million years.
According to what the Spiriting Demon Gates’ Ancestor told him, all the first-rank forces were required to pay a tribute of one top grade Infernal Yin Soul Stone to the Ghost Refining Sect every ten years.
In other words, in ten thousand years, they would receive one thousand top grade Infernal Yin Soul Stones! There were over a hundred first-rank forces in the Path to Hell, drumming the numbers up to one hundred thousand and more!
The Ghost Refining Sect had lorded over the Path to Hell for more than ten million years. Inside its treasury, the remaining top grade Infernal Yin Soul Stones definitely reached a shocking amount. Even taking into consideration the Ghost Refining Sect’s sizeable consumption, there would still be a lot remaining.
At this moment, Huang Xiaolong decided that he must take a detour to the Ghost Refining Sect’s treasury when going there!
If he could utilize all the resources inside the Ghost Refining Sect’s treasury, he had a feeling he could reach late-Eighth Order, peak late-Eighth Order, maybe even break through to Ninth Order Highgod Realm!
In the next four months, Huang Xiaolong would stay in at night, absorbing the shimmering gray energy. Whereas during the day, he would go out, specifically searching for places where Yin Ghosts gathered, devouring those mid-level and above Highgod Realm Yin Ghosts.
Later on, he became selective, no longer caring about the mid-level Highgod Realm Yin Ghosts, only the high-level ones could enter his eyes.
After four months, Huang Xiaolong’s peak mid-Eighth Order Highgod Realm strength increased by a large margin, but it was still far from advancing to late-Eighth Order.
During these months, under Huang Xiaolong’s heavy investment of sacred grade divine pellets and sacred grade immortal spirit stones, the Spiriting Demon Gates Elders and Grand Elders’ strength rose at rapid speed.
Even the Spiriting Demon Gates Patriarch and Ancestor Gao Yuan’s strength saw visibly enhancement.
On this day, Huang Xiaolong summoned the Spiriting Demon Gates’ Patriarch and Ancestor, instructing the Ancestor to stay behind in the sect. Whereas Huang Xiaolong himself altered his physical appearance into Gao Yuan’s and left with Patriarch Fan Yuxiao to the Blood Rain Valley.
Although the Blood Rain Valley was a great distance away from the Spiriting Demon Gates’ primeval forest, with Huang Xiaolong using consecutive Greater Space Teleportations, the two of them arrived at their destination in a short two hours.
The Blood Rain Valley itself could only be considered a small valley several hundred li in radius. However, it was famous in the Path to Hell due to the blood rain that fell throughout the year here, never-ending.
By the time Huang Xiaolong and Fan Yuxiao arrived, there were already a good number of other first-rank forces’ Ancestors, Chiefs, and Patriarchs waiting.
“Hehe, Spiriting Demon Ancestor, long time no see, I didn’t expect you to still be alive ah. I thought you had already bid farewell to us.” Huang Xiaolong had just arrived when an unpleasant voice sounded.
He looked over to the owner of this voice. The person who had spoken was an old man in a black brocade robe, with a pallid complexion.
‘This old man’s face is more sinister than a dead man’s.’
In the last few months, both the Spiriting Demon Ancestor and Patriarch Fan Yuxiao had informed Huang Xiaolong about the characteristics of other first-rank forces’ Ancestors, Patriarchs, and Chiefs. Therefore, when Huang Xiaolong saw the pallid complexion of the old man, he instantly put a name on that face — Hei Wuchang. Self-styled Ancestor Wuchang from the Wuchang Cult, standing toe to toe in terms of strength with the Spiriting Demon Gates’ Ancestor. Naturally, both sects’ grudges ran quite deep. [1]
Huang Xiaolong sneered in return, scoffing, “Old geezer Wuchang, with that corpse face of yours, those who don’t know better might think you’ve been long dead.”
Ancestor Wuchang was enraged, “You!” Before he even finished his words, his finger stabbed towards Huang Xiaolong. Thick corpse qi surged from this finger, emitting a nauseating stench.
This was Ancestor Wuchang’s Poisonous Corpse Finger!
Watching this, Huang Xiaolong countered with a palm without any changes to his expression.
Because Huang Xiaolong hid his strength, displaying the same level of cultivation as the Spiriting Demon Ancestor, he and Hei Wuchang both staggered several li back from the impact.
The other Ancestors present stood at the sides watching, no one had the intention of pacifying the situation at all.
Thinking that both sides might end up gravely injured in front of this pack of hyenas if they continued fighting, Hei Wuchang issued a cold harrumphed and stopped.
Right at this time, the sounds of whistling wind came from the distance as a middle-aged man wearing a black brocade robe with the crest of a blood-colored ferocious ghost head on his chest flew toward the Blood Rain Valley at rapid speed.
“The Infernal Ghost Messenger!” One of the Ancestors blurted out after getting a good look at the middle-aged man.
The other Ancestors present were just as shocked. They didn’t expect the Ghost Refining Sect cultivator they sent out to pick them would be an Infernal Ghost Messenger!
1. Hei Wuchang also means Black Impermanence, a deity in Chinese folklore that escorts spirits to the underworld after death. Partner: White Impermanence.