2251

Chapter 2251: Refuse to Accept Huang Xiaolong As Disciple . . .

Since Yang Jingzhi was once again trying to dissuade Huang Xiaolong from signing the life or death agreement and ruining his wonderful plan, Huang Zhouping couldn't restrain himself from chiding, "Chief Hall Master Yang, this is a matter between us Holy Princes. How do you dare to interfere?"

According to the Holy Gate's rules, even a Chief Hall Master couldn't interfere in conflict between Holy Princes. If they dared to interfere, they would be held accountable.

"I dare not." Yang Jingzhi's heart tightened as he answered.

"Dare not? It better be that way!" Huang Zhouping then sneered at Huang Xiaolong and continued goading, "How is it, Huang Xiaolong? Not getting cold feet, are you? Well, I can't blame you, a Holy Prince with rubbish talents like you is bound to lose. Will you dare to accept the challenge? I think calling you Coward Holy Prince suits you well!"

Huang Xiaolong let out an abrupt laugh, sounding a little evil, "Since I've already said I accepted the challenge, then it's accepted. Why are you so nervous?" He dropped a drop of blood and signed his name on the life or death agreement.

Watching Huang Xiaolong drip his blood and sign his name on the agreement, Huang Zhouping breathed in relief inwardly.

"Chief Hall Masters Yang Jingzhi please be a witness for this matter. For the sake of being fair and just, this life or death agreement for battle will be left with you for safekeeping." Huang Zhouping threw the signed life or death agreement to Yang Jingzhi with a 'sincere' expression.

"This!" Yang Jingzhi caught the agreement in his hand. He looked reluctant and hesitant, but he nodded his head in the end, "Alright."

He looked at Huang Xiaolong, inwardly sighing with melancholy.

Huang Xiaolong and Huang Zhouping subsequently fixed the battle deadline to one year later, after Huang Xiaolong and the other new disciples would return from the training.

When everything was determined, Huang Zhouping left whistling to the horizon.

"Your Highness Holy Prince Huang Xiaolong, you shouldn't have agreed to battle Huang Zhouping in the arena." After Huang Zhouping had left, Branch Master Du Gen and the others couldn't stop themselves from saying a few words.

"They are right. Huang Zhouping's complete dao saint godhead is the Mammoth Force Saint Godhead ranked at 3965th place, and both his saint bloodline and saint physique are not far behind as well." Yang Jingzhi went on, "Even if he suppresses his cultivation down to the mid-Ninth Order Sovereign, his battle strength would still be higher than you."

Not to mention, Huang Zhouping entered the Holy Gate more than ten thousand years ago. Huang Zhouping has practiced his holy martial arts successfully.

Zhang Wenyue, and the others also looked worried.

Huang Xiaolong flashed them a nonchalant smile and reassured them, "It'll be fine."

He also added half-jokingly to Yang Jingzhi, "After I kill Huang Zhouping, I will divide half the treasures on his body with Chief Hall Master Yang Jingzhi."

Yang Jingzhi shook his head speechlessly seeing, Huang Xiaolong was still in the mood to joke in this situation.

"Your Highness Holy Prince Huang Xiaolong, should we head to the main hall now?" Yang Jingzhi asked Huang Xiaolong's opinion.

When a new Holy Prince passed the second test, he was required to worship the holy statue in the main palace, then choose an Eminent Elder as teacher.

"Okay, let's head over." Huang Xiaolong nodded.

Huang Xiaolong had Zhang Wenyue and the rest return to the temporary residence to wait for him while he proceeded to the main palace with Yang Jingzhi.

The main palace was far from where they were, so Huang Xiaolong and Yang Jingzhi traveled by flying ship to the main palace.

At this time, inside the Holy Gate's main palace's hall, thirteen old men of various builds, from thin to plump, sat in meditation posture. They were clad in luxurious and vibrant Holy Gate's Eminent Elder brocade robes. These thirteen old men were the renowned Holy Gate's thirteen Eminent Elders.

The Zhuoyuan Holy Gate's all thirteen Eminent Elders had all gathered there.

The appearance of a new Holy Prince was an important matter to the Holy Gate. Thus these Eminent Elders who rarely appeared, were all present at this moment.

"That Huang Xiaolong, he is too impulsive!" The silver-haired old man sitting on the center throne spoke, shaking his head.

This silver-haired old man was the head of the Holy Gate's thirteen Eminent Elders, and he was called Li Wen.

Moments ago, he had received Yang Jingzhi's report.

Two Holy Princes were going to battle in the arena. On top of that, it was a life and death battle, so Yang Jingzhi had to naturally report the matter to Li Wen.

At a time when their Holy Gate Patriarch Wan Zhuoyuan was absent, the majority of the Holy Gate's affairs were handled by Li Wen.

Li Wen took out the message Yang Jingzhi had sent him and showed it to other Eminent Elders. After reading the message in the transmission symbol, all of them frowned, seemingly put off.

"This holy arena life and death battle is clearly a trap laid out by the Holy Alliance."

Chen Shiming, the Eminent Elder sitting further down from Li Wen, questioned coldly, "What does the Holy Alliance want to do? They are being too impudent—they actually want to take the life of a new Holy Prince!"

The Holy Alliance had a great influence in the Holy Gate, and in the last several hundred years, their actions had become increasingly arrogant, arousing many Eminent Elders' displeasure. Eminent Elder Chen Shiming was one of the Eminent Elders who was disgusted by the Holy Alliance.

"Hmph, don't be so harsh. That Huang Xiaolong signed the life or death agreement willingly to battle in the arena. No one forced him at all."

Another Eminent Elder, Xu Jun, chimed in icily, "He's seeking death on his own accord. He can't blame it on others. What has it got to do with the Holy Alliance? In my opinion, a rubbish and foolish Holy Prince like Huang Xiaolong might as well die. It's better than throwing our face, or provoking other Holy Gates, causing catastrophe for our Zhuoyuan Holy Gate!"

Although the Holy Alliance and Jiang Tian were sometimes a little too arrogant in their actions, Jiang Tian was the chief disciple, and he had the best talent amongst all. Jiang Tian was also the one with the highest chance of breaking through to True Saint Realm. Therefore, many among the Eminent Elders were partial towards Jiang Tian.

Xu Jun was one of the Eminent Elders that supported Jiang Tian and the Holy Alliance.

"You can't speak like that. Although Huang Xiaolong's talent is not very high amongst the Holy Princes, each and every Holy Prince is the core of our Holy Gate. They are the hope of our Holy Gate." Another Eminent Elder, Song Yi, shook his head and refuted Xu Jun, "Losing a Holy Prince is a great loss to our Holy Gate."

"Moreover, if Huang Xiaolong dies by Huang Zhouping's hands in the arena, we would be the laughing stock of other holy gates if the matter spreads out." Song Yi was one of two women among the thirteen Eminent Elders. Although she didn't support the Holy Alliance, she also didn't dare to oppose them on the surface, maintaining a neutral stance. Every decision made was made with the benefit of the holy gate in mind.

The Holy Gate's many Eminent Elders were actually divided into three groups, one group supported the Holy Alliance, one group opposed the Holy Alliance, while the last group took a neutral stance.

"Logically speaking, that is the way things should be, but Huang Xiaolong has already signed the life or death agreement. Even we, as Eminent Elders, have no right to change it." Eminent Elder Bai Xuyang said, shaking his head.

Like Song Yi, Bai Xuyang was part of the neutral group.

While the thirteen Eminent Elders were discussing these matters related to Huang Xiaolong, Yang Jingzhi arrived at the main palace with Huang Xiaolong.

When Huang Xiaolong entered the main palace, he could distinctively feel the many different feelings behind the thirteen Eminent Elders' gazes; there was coldness, pity, blame, and indifference.

Yang Jingzhi began introducing the thirteen Eminent Elders to Huang Xiaolong starting from Li Wen. Huang Xiaolong greeted each Eminent Elder following Yang Jingzhi's introduction. Eminent Elders that opposed the Holy Alliance, and the neutral group responded to Huang Xiaolong quite well, as for Xu Jun, and Eminent Elders supporting the Holy Alliance wore a deadpan face, or slightly raised their eyes. Not one of them looked at Huang Xiaolong directly.

Huang Xiaolong didn't mind it at all.

After the round of greeting the Eminent Elders ended, it was the time to worship the holy statue.

The holy statue was made in the image of Wan Zhuoyuan.

Although Wan Zhuoyuan had entered the reincarnation cycle and started from scratch, his facial features still bore a lot of resemblance to his previous lifetime. Looking at the familiar face on the statue, Huang Xiaolong was pondering how to get his hands on the treasures Wan Zhuoyuan had left behind and use them to break through to the Venerable Realm.

After worshipping Wan Zhuoyuan's statue, Huang Xiaolong was to choose one of the Eminent Elders as his teacher.

Huang Xiaolong's first option was Eminent Elder Sun Shangyi because Eminent Elder Sun Shangyi belonged to the Holy Alliance opposition group. On top of that, Sun Shangyi also has a similar dragon-nature godhead.

But Eminent Elder Sun Shangyi had a troubled expression on his face when he heard Huang Xiaolong had chosen him as his teacher, and said, "This matter, Your Highness Holy Prince Huang Xiaolong..., most of the time I am in long periods of seclusion. It has been many years since I last accepted a student, so I do not have time to teach you. How about... you choose another Eminent Elder?"

Huang Xiaolong frowned. These were all clearly lame excuses. It was obvious that Sun Shangyi didn't want to accept him as a student.

After some thinking, Huang Xiaolong immediately understood why Sun Shangyi refused him. It was because of his life or death battle with Huang Zhouping. If he was killed by Huang Zhouping with a slap, Sun Shangyi would be affected and laughed at by others to some degree as Huang Xiaolong's teacher.

A new Holy Prince dying in less than two years after entering the Holy Gate would be a joke.

And that Holy Prince's teacher would also be a fool, to be able to teach such a foolish student.