Chapter 211: Permutations

In the long black tunnel, there was nothing else but a stretch of endless darkness .

This was, in short, a psychological torment!

Imagine someone trudging forward in a small space that differentiated no day or night for several hours on high vigilance for any unexpected danger that might appear . An average person would have gone insane .

Huang Xiaolong willed himself to move forward .

However, other than the first step he took, there wasn’t a single reaction from the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring, both had been silent ever since .

Roughly a day passed in the black tunnel .

Huang Xiaolong had spent a day walking forward in the darkness yet there was still no signs of an end . Even for someone as strong-willed as Huang Xiaolong, he started to feel an anger rising and irritation .

In the end, Huang Xiaolong simply stopped walking and sat cross-legged on the spot, meditating and adjusting his breathing to eliminate the anger and annoyance he felt inside his heart .

Just like this, time passed unknowingly . Only when he had calmed down did Huang Xiaolong get up and continue onward .

Hours and days went on as such; moving onward in the darkness and stopping to sit down to meditate . This happened in so many intervals that Huang Xiaolong had even lost count of the days .

When he was starting to feel numb, he suddenly caught a glimpse of light up ahead in the endless darkness .

Light, hope!

For the current Huang Xiaolong, the tiniest spark of light represented boundless hope!

Huang Xiaolong leaped forward, no, he sprinted to the source of light with all his might .

However, though that tiny light looked close, it was further than Huang Xiaolong had expected . Even after an hour of flying, he had yet to reach where the light was .

As Huang Xiaolong flew forward persistently, the sand-grain sized ‘hope’ became bigger, reaching the size of a large sphere .

And it became increasingly bigger, gradually enveloping Huang Xiaolong . The scene before him changed in an instant when the light enshrouded his body . He exited the endless black tunnel and came to a mountainous open space .

The grounds surface was littered with white bones everywhere!

There were human, beast, and some unknown creature’s bones .

Heaps upon heaps, mountains piled next to each other .

Some bone mountains peaked as high as a hundred zhang!

These white bones emanated an evil Yin energy that formed a fiendish gale that swirled in the air above like wailing ghost cries .

Looking at this scene, Huang Xiaolong frowned .

What kind of place was this? How could such a place exist within Saint Pavilion? These heaps and mounds of white bones from humans, beasts, and strange creatures shouldn’t exist in Saint Pavilion .

Perhaps… this space was no longer part of Saint Pavilion? A thought suddenly flashed in Huang Xiaolong’s mind .

Huang Xiaolong continued to walk forward as if he had arrived in an underworld of white bones .

In the next moment, the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring in his body trembled violently . Huang Xiaolong’s eyes lit up . Getting a sense of the Absolute Soul Pearl’s location, the Wings of Demon spread out and he shot out in a certain direction .

This time around, the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring did not behave as they had before, stopping after a small reaction . Both shook with increased intensity . In the end, both flew out of Huang Xiaolong’s body!

Hovering in midair, the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring exuded a blinding light before both flew forward of their own accord, whistling through the wind .

Seeing this, Huang Xiaolong quickly chased after them .

Huang Xiaolong had just flown for a short while when the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring issued a long humming sound . Their speed increased even more .

Huang Xiaolong needed to exude all his effort to keep up with the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring .

Just as abruptly some distance ahead, the two heavenly treasures stopped in midair, prompting Huang Xiaolong to search around for clues . Almost immediately, he saw a human fist-sized purple pearl hovering not too far away!

The Absolute Soul Pearl!

No doubt this purple-colored pearl before him was the Absolute Soul Pearl!

But Huang Xiaolong had a grave expression on his face . A dark-gray fog swirled around the surface of the Absolute Soul Pearl . The same thick gray fog Huang Xiaolong came across when he first entered the valley, but it was much more condensed and had a gray liquid-esque appearance .

From time to time, there were dark shadows flickering across the surface, accompanied by echoing shrieks . Those were none other than the strange dark creatures that Huang Xiaolong was powerless against… and a little afraid of .

Under Huang Xiaolong’s observation, the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring flew towards the Absolute Soul Pearl, hovering in circles over the fist-sized purple pearl . Yet when the two heavenly treasures moved too close, the dark-gray fog around the Absolute Soul Pearl’s surface would start to surge, blocking the Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring’s approach .

The strange dark creatures’ cries became more frequent and grew in intensity, almost as if they might escape and burst out from the gray fog at any time .

In midair, the brilliant glow of three heavenly treasures glittered .

The Linglong Treasure Pagoda glistened an ember red, the God Binding Ring illuminated a brilliant golden light, and the Absolute Soul Pearl glowed a deep mesmerizing purple .

Three different colors of light twined and clashed .

As Huang Xiaolong watched, the black and blue dragon martial spirits in his body flew towards the Absolute Soul Pearl .

With the twin dragons joining the fray, the fragile balance and calm between the three heavenly treasures were broken . The Linglong Treasure Pagoda and God Binding Ring’s light soared, while the Absolute Pearl’s deep purple glow gradually diminished .

As the light on the Absolute Soul Pearl grew bleak, the piles of white bones around the spacious mountainㅡthe human, beast, and strange creature bones, moved .

Huang Xiaolong’s face tightened .

These white bones were likely numbered in the millions, at the very least hundreds of thousands . Hundreds of thousands of white bones crashed over Huang Xiaolong like a giant wave . Terrifying evil Yin energy filled the area, transforming into a ferocious fiend and baring its sharp teeth at Huang Xiaolong .

With no place to retreat or dodge, he was drowned in the wave of white bones, overwhelmed by the evil Yin energy . His vision darkened, consciousness sinking into oblivion .

There was a feeling of entering a dream for a very, very long time . In that dream, he was surrounded by countless white bones . When the white bones disappeared, a vast sea of blood manifested . Then a hell of evil fiends with sharp claws and ferocious teeth appeared after that . Scene after scene changed, all depicting the gore and carnage of Hell . Evil spirits, the Chinese myths of Hell’s guardians, Ox-head and Horse-face, headless ghosts, etc .

Images repeated, overlapped, and even intertwined .

Huang Xiaolong was swept away in a river of memories that didn’t belong to him, unable to retract himself as he floated along .

A long time passed before a blinding light flashed in his eyes . Clarity slowly returned and he woke up .

Opening his eyes, there was a face in front of him, a blurred image that slowly became clearer .

Xie Puti!

Huang Xiaolong shook his head in order to clear it more . Trying to get up, he took in the surroundings and asked at the same time, “Where are we?”

Xie Puti looked at Huang Xiaolong with a weird expression when he heard his question .