Chapter 2444: The Battle Challengers When Huang Xiaolong once again stepped out from his courtyard, the Grand Hall Master Wu Ge, several hall masters, and grand elders were already waiting at the main hall. Of course, Li Chen, Xie Yao, Lin Yijia, and a group of core disciples were also present. As Huang Xiaolong came out, Wu Ge and the present hall masters, as well as grand elders went up to him. After the salutations were out of the way, Wu Ge said, “Your Highness, the preparations for the stage battle are ready. Should we head over there now?” “Yes, I’ve troubled Grand Hall Master Wu to make these arrangements.” Huang Xiaolong smiled and nodded his head. Wu Ge waved his hand in a hurry, claiming it was part of his duty. Li Chen smiled and said, “Looking at Junior Brother Huang Xiaolong’s spirited appearance, there must be a hundred percent confidence in winning today’s battle stage trials, ah.” His words contained thinly veiled satire. Huang Xiaolong returned his smile and said, “One needs to have that much confidence. After I’m finished with the stage battles, it will be time for you to lick my toes. Ah no, it’s not right. It should be the bottom of my shoes. You don’t even qualify to lick my toes!” Everyone present was too shocked to react. Li Chen was about to explode in anger. Even if he could restrain his abhorrence towards Huang Xiaolong at any other time, Huang Xiaolong had actually said so in front of so many hall masters, and he had gone beyond testing his limit. Before he could take a breather, Huang Xiaolong had already turned and said to Wu Ge and the rest, “Grand Hall Master Wu Ge, let’s be on our way.” “Sure, Your Highness, please, you first!” Wu Ge reacted and could only comply while smiling bitterly in his heart. Before Huang Xiaolong had joined the Holy Heavens, Li Chen used to literally cover half the sky with his palm as the chief disciple. Within the Holy Heavens, Li Chen’s authority was only below the four Primal Ancestors, standing above hundreds of millions of people. No one dared to disrespect him or violate his orders. No disciple had the guts to speak to him like Huang Xiaolong did. Then again, in Wu Ge’s opinion, this was not a bad thing at all. Wu Ge personally did not agree with some of the things Li Chen did. Therefore, having Huang Xiaolong go tit-for-tat with Li Chen was very much welcomed. However, could Huang Xiaolong be the person who laughs last in this stage battle? Wu Ge sighed inwardly as it was the first day of the stage battles, and he was worried if Huang Xiaolong could survive the first day, much less last for a good six months.... The various forces would no doubt send the most talented candidates amongst their disciples, the ones with the strongest battle power to challenge Huang Xiaolong on the battle stage on the first day. If Huang Xiaolong could survive it, then things might be less difficult for the remaining half a year period. Watching Huang Xiaolong leave in the midst of Wu Ge and various hall masters, Li Chen fixed a deathly stare on Huang Xiaolong’s back. The ferocity in that gaze was for all to see. “Senior Brother Li Chen, that Huang Xiaolong won’t be complacent for long!” Xie Yao whispered to Li Chen, “We just need to wait and see how he’s going to cry on the battle stage in a while!” “How’s he going to cry? Of course crying on knees, begging for his life!” Chen Kaiping scoffed. Li Chen took a long deep breath, then exhaled, “Let’s go to the battle stage!” Huang Xiaolong, let’s wait and see if you have the time to cry on the battle stage! The battle stage’s location was set up a stone’s throw away from the Holy Heavens branch. Hence Huang Xiaolong’s group arrived roughly ten minutes later. When they reached the location of the battle stage, it was already crowded. The Ancient Holy Emperor Duan Xuan, his direct disciple Zhang Yihui, the Beast Tamer Saint Shen Jiewen, the Black Inferno Race’s Patriarch Zhang Zhiyuan together with the Scarlet Flame Holy Gate, and the Blue Whale Race’s experts were all present. It seemed like they had been waiting for long. Other than the Ancient Emperor Holy Ground and Scarlet Flame Holy Gate’s almost forty experts that couldn’t participate in the battle stage, there were also many experts from other holy grounds and ancient races who had come to spectate. They were crowding around the battle stage in such a way that not a fly could enter. Huang Xiaolong didn’t see the Clear Snow Palace’s Tan Juan, Ji Xinyi, or Lin Xiaoying, but he knew the three ladies had already arrived at the location. They were viewing from a more secluded place. Huang Xiaolong could understand the three ladies were taking care of his face. In case he lost miserably on the battle stage later, it wouldn’t look good if they were watching among the crowd. At Huang Xiaolong’s arrival, the Beast Tamer Saint Shen Jiewen asked smilingly, “Huang Xiaolong, according to our agreement, there’s still ten minutes until the stage battle officially begins. You appear at the eleventh hour, I almost believed that you were too scared to come!” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 The Beast Tamer Holy Gate’s disciples erupted in laughter. “I’m in no hurry to enter reincarnation, why would I come so early,” Huang Xiaolong retorted with a smile. Upon hearing that, Shen Jiewen sneered coldly, “I hope you can still smile when you’re on the battle stage.” Huang Xiaolong smirked, “I’ll laugh whenever I feel like it, but I’m worried soon Patriarch Shen Jiewen won’t be able to smile even if you wanted to.” Leaving that sentence behind, Huang Xiaolong leaped onto the battle stage straight away, cutting off any retort Shen Jiewen had. A gloomy light flickered at the bottom of Shen Jiewen’s eyes. On the battle stage, Huang Xiaolong spotted Li Chen, Xie Yao, and the others arriving from the other end. Behind Li Chen was a group of late-Third Tribulation, and peak late-Third Tribulation half-True Saint disciples clad in unusual attire. Upon seeing them, Huang Xiaolong understood in an instant that Li Chen had invited them at a high price to participate in the stage battle. Huang Xiaolong looked around the stage, wearing an indifferent smile as he spoke, “Everyone has waited bitterly for a month long. I believe a lot of people are anxious to have their disciples defeat me as soon as possible and take away that source of grandmist holy spiritual aura. In that case, please send out the disciples for the first round of stage battle, and begin the draw.” According to the agreement between Huang Xiaolong, the Ancient Emperor Holy Ground, Beast Tamer Holy Gate, Black Inferno Race, and the rest of the thirty-nine forces, in every round of the stage battle, each of these force could send out one disciple below Fourth Tribulation half-True Saint, and whoever drew the stick with number one would battle first. If this disciple’s challenge resulted in failure, the disciple with stick number two would go onto the battle stage next, and so on and so forth. If all thirty-nine disciples in the first round lost the challenge, the thirty-nine forces would send another disciple for the second round. The moment Huang Xiaolong finished speaking, the Ancient Holy Emperor Duan Xuan nodded at Fang Xing beside him and said, “Go, remember my words, defeat Huang Xiaolong, and I’ll allow you to cultivate inside the Ancient Emperor Sacred Hall!” “Thank you, Patriarch, please rest assured!” Fang Xing complied respectfully then stepped forward. Shen Jiewen spoke similar words to Sui Yunfeing beside him. Li Chen also sent Gu Xuanxu up to draw a number. The thirty-nine forces all sent the most promising disciple in the first round of challenge, the ones with the strongest battle power. When Fang Xing, Sui Yunfeng, Gu Xuanxu, and the rest all went up and drew a number in turns, Huang Xiaolong suddenly said, “I’m sure everyone here has yet to see that source of grandmist holy spiritual aura, right? Before the battle challenges begin, I will take out the grandmist holy spiritual aura. Let it motivate and cheer you on.” Without caring for the shock his words brought, Huang Xiaolong took out the source of grandmist holy spiritual aura from his Darkness Holy Ring. In an instant, the sky darkened. A golden dragon the length of one million zhang coiled in the air above them. Golden dragon scales glistened as startling might of a grandmist holy dragon covered the whole Mirage Pavilion. The crowd’s senses were jarred to their souls when the massive golden holy dragon condensed from grandmist holy spiritual aura appeared. Whether it was Duan Xuan, Shen Jiewen, Zhan Zhiyuan, Wu Ge, and Li Chen, all of them were staring fixedly at the golden dragon, unwilling and unable to look away. The Ancient Emperor Holy Ground’s chief disciple Zhang Yihui, who had already seen the grandmist holy spiritual aura golden dragon before, was just as impacted. “This, this, Huang Xiaolong’s very big! Too big!” Lin Xiaoying, who was watching from a secluded location exclaimed. Her exclamation jarred Tan Juan and Ji Xinyi, making them blush. Both of them inwardly scolded Lin Xiaoying, what is Huang Xiaolong’s very big? What vulgarity is coming from your mouth?!