Watching Zhao Chenyuan’s body turn into an ice sculpture shatter as he crashed to the ground, Luo Hua’s heart constricted, despair etched on his face. The slim ray of hope he had been harboring before completely vanished.
He was assured that his strength was higher than Zhao Chenyuan’s but that was only slightly. This slight advantage when facing an Ancient God Realm Green Ice Hail Devil master was non-existent.
Huang Xiaolong stopped a few feet from Zhao Chenyuan’s shattered body, lifting the largest remain. Earlier, he had ordered the Green Ice Hail Devil to control her strength, hence Zhao Chenyuan was still alive, hanging by a breath.
As the feeble Zhao Chenyuan looked at Huang Xiaolong through a layer of green ice, his eyes still bore a great hatred.
Huang Xiaolong sneered at this, his Archdevil Supreme Godhead’s devouring power came to life.
To Zhao Chenyuan’s horror, his body’s blood essence rushed out uncontrollably, as did his godforce, all flowing into Huang Xiaolong’s body.
Zhao Chenyuan’s body shook violently, gradually shrinking in size.
Luo Hua watched everything from a distance, shivering so badly that the Golden Chaos Starlight Stone fell from his palm to the ground.
However, just as his senses recovered slightly, telling him to run as fast as possible, an overbearing force enveloped him, flinging him at Huang Xiaolong’s feet. Adding to his horror, Luo Hua noticed that a strand of cold green qi was entangling his godhead, obstructing him from circulating the slightest amount of godforce.
By now, death had cast a shadow over Luo Hua’s face. His eyes were wide as he stared at Huang Xiaolong swallowing Zhao Chenyuan’s blood essence and godforce until he turned into a dried corpse. Still, Huang Xiaolong did not kill Zhao Chenyuan, leaving one breathe to maintain his life.
After all, once Zhao Chenyuan died, his life token kept within the Elephant Genesis Sect would shatter, alarming the sect. Thus, it was better to let him live for now in order to keep the Elephant Genesis Sect guessing.
Huang Xiaolong threw the comatose Zhao Chenyuan into the Godly Mt. Xumi space, then directed his attention onto Luo Hua.
Luo Hua was already seized by terror. He was shaking his head and wanted to plead, but words wouldn’t come out.
Huang Xiaolong didn’t waste time with pointless conversation, pulling Luo Hua into his hand, then his Archdevil Supreme Godhead started to greedily devour his blood essence and godforce.
A while later, Huang Xiaolong stopped. He kept Luo Hua in the same condition as Zhao Chenyuan and threw him inside the Godly Mt. Xumi’s space; he was unconscious, but alive.
“The Elephant Genesis Sect and Great Whale Sect.” Huang Xiaolong sneered coldly, a cold light gleaming in the depth of his eyes.
Ren Changhai and Zhu Huan were probably waiting with anticipation for Zhao Chenyuan and Luo Hua to return successfully… When those two don’t return, Huang Xiaolong was waiting to see just how many experts these two sects were going to send after him.
If Ren Changhai and Zhu Huan didn't know what’s good for them, Huang Xiaolong didn't mind throwing all of their Grand Elders into the Godly Mt. Xumi space.
After absorbing Zhao Chenyuan and Luo Hua’s blood essence and godforce, Huang Xiaolong felt that his strength had risen significantly and would advance to late-Fourth Order Heavenly God Realm in the coming days.
Huang Xiaolong turned around only to see the little cow walking in circles, studying the female Green Ice Hail Devil up and down.
“You brat, I didn’t expect you to know such a good puppetry technique.” The little cow said out of nowhere.
Huang Xiaolong was slightly taken aback. Neither Zhao Chenyuan nor Luo Hua discovered that the Green Ice Hail Devil Bing Xingying was a puppet, yet Xiaoniū saw through it.
“But your puppetry technique can only be considered average during the Chaos Grandmist Era.” Xiaoniū stated, sounding like a snobbish old man.
Huang Xiaolong rolled his eyes.
The little cow harrumphed with dissatisfied expression at Huang Xiaolong’s insipid reaction. “You’d better believe me, during the Chaos Grandmist Era, some profound puppetry techniques could turn all beings in the universe into their puppets.”
“All beings in the universe?” Huang Xiaolong was shocked.
The little cow nodded, “That’s right, take for example that mountain in front of you. It can also be refined into a puppet. Moreover, during the Chaos Grandmist Era, puppets refined through these profound techniques could give the puppets some of the master’s strength, even enabling them to continuously evolve, becoming stronger and more powerful, no different from a human.”
Huang Xiaolong was shaken as his gaze shifted to the mountain in front.
That mountain could also be refined into a puppet?! It could even have some of the master’s strength? Even continuously evolve, growing stronger!
Wasn’t that going a bit overboard?
But Huang Xiaolong clarified, “My puppet can also grow stronger.” He said pointing at the female Green Ice Hail Devil.
The little cow’s head swayed from side to side, “Can that even be called growth? Advancing one order in a hundred years, maybe even several hundred years, that’s fart of a growth!”
Huang Xiaolong couldn’t help turning red. It was as the little cow said, though the puppets he refined could grow stronger, it would take too long, even longer than the average human disciples’ breakthrough.”
“Then do you know any of the Chaos Grandmist Era’s puppetry techniques?” A thought flashed in Huang Xiaolong’s mind and he asked the question out loud.
The little cow cutely tilted its head to the side as if it was thinking very hard. Ten minutes elapsed before it spoke, “I really do know of one named Grandmist Puppetry Technique, but my memories aren't complete. Then again, even incomplete, it still beats your current puppetry technique by ten miles.”
Subsequently, the little cow began reciting the incantation for the Grandmist Puppetry Technique to Huang Xiaolong, who quickly committed every word to memory. The problem was, this Grandmist Puppetry Technique was too profound and hard to decipher. After a night of comprehension, Huang Xiaolong still couldn’t fully grasp the technique.
Light peeked over the horizon as dawn arrived.
Huang Xiaolong could only stop studying the technique for the moment, leaving it for later.
Despite not managing to fully comprehend the Grandmist Puppetry Technique given by the little cow, he could see how powerful a technique it was. He had to admit, it was indeed ten times better than his Soul Mandate combined with the Ancient Puppetry Art.
All the puppets Huang Xiaolong refined in the past, including the two Green Ice Hail Devils, could only display a third of the strength they had when they were alive, but with this Grandmist Puppetry Technique, the puppets could retain as much as two-thirds of their strength!
Needless to say, for an Ancient God Realm Green Ice Hail Devil like Bing Xingying, a third of her strength was more than enough to squash any peak late-Tenth Order Heavenly God Realm cultivators.
Huang Xiaolong put away the Green Ice Hail Devil puppet and leaped onto the little cow’s back as they continued forth toward the Cao Family.
Half a day later, under the sunny sky, they arrived at Cao Bao City.
The Cao Family’s main residence was located in this Cao Bao City, and the city’s name was taken after the Cao Family Ancestor’s name.
“Cao Bao? Or Caobao ?” Huang Xiaolong mumbled looking at the three ancient characters above the city gates. [1]
The little cow guffawed, “Haha, this Cao Family’s Ancestor is but another straw bag.”
Because Xiaoniū did not lower its voice, the passersby and the Cao Family members guarding the city gates heard what its words.
Everyone turned to look at them with strange gazes.
It didn’t take long for the city guards to surround Huang Xiaolong and the little cow, showing fierce expressions.
“Punk, how dare you mock our Cao Family’s Ancestor, you're seeking death!” A middle-aged man who seemed to be this team’s captain was glaring at Huang Xiaolong. He waved his arm forward, indicating his subordinates to attack.
However, before these Cao Family guards could attack, they were sent flying into the air by Xiaoniū, scaring the captain and causing him to stagger back.
Riding on the little cow, Huang Xiaolong entered Cao Bao City unimpeded.
From the start, Huang Xiaolong had no intention of concealing his presence.
Shortly after he entered the city, Cao Bishi received a report of his arrival from the same captain at the city gates. According to the captain’s report and description, Cao Bishi quickly determined that the intruder was Huang Xiaolong.
“Huang Xiaolong, you dare to show up here in Cao Bao City…” Cao Bishi sneered, “Do you really think I won't dare to make any moves against you?”
1. Caobao- similar intonation, means straw bag
