Holding the stone bead in his hand, Shi Hao could not calm down for a long time. It was heavy and cold, sending a shiver through him, but it was not the time to examine it closely, so he put it away.
The final highlight of the auction was dazzling, but Shi Hao did not pay attention to it. His thoughts were no longer here; he knew only that the Tianhu (Sky Fox) tribe girl and the masked woman had fought to the end, without even noticing who eventually won.
As soon as the auction ended, he got up to leave. He had gained a lot this time and needed to digest it slowly.
"Please wait a moment, brother." Prince Number Nineteen spoke, still expressing a desire to buy the black figurine in a polite manner, his eyes focused on Shi Hao.
"I'm sorry, but I really can't sell this item. I just want to study it myself," Shi Hao shook his head and refused.
Beside him, the woman with the veil had a faint fragrance about her. Her eyes were misty, enchanting and captivating, as she lightly parted her cherry lips and said, "It's fine, a gentleman does not take what others love."
She smiled. Even through the veil, her brilliance and charm seemed to shine through, her eyes lively and inviting Shi Hao to a gathering.
Initially, Shi Hao had no intention of agreeing, but hearing that it was a gathering of elites and talents from various races, he was a bit tempted and wanted to see what kind of people would be present.
"For so many years, everyone has been learning and cultivating outside, even in the imperial capital, it’s been a period of closed-door training. This is a rare gathering," Prince Number Nineteen added.
Clearly, this gathering was quite special, involving not only royal children but also various outstanding figures, and even some terrifying beings from ancient divine mountains.
"You must come. My sister will be there too. Shall we go together?" A fragrant breeze swept through, and the Tianhu tribe girl appeared. Her eyes were sparkling and seductive, full of allure.
Prince Number Nineteen immediately fell silent. He was extremely wary of the Tianhu tribe girl because he knew how terrifying her organization was; it was like a flood that could inundate the wilderness.
The veiled woman nodded at the fox tribe girl and was about to leave.
"Sister, why do you always hide your face? Do we mere mortals not deserve a glance?" The fox tribe girl smiled. Her appearance was stunning, her skin as smooth as congealed fat, almost too delicate to touch.
A gust of wind blew out, lifting the woman's veil. She stepped forward lightly, trying to remove the veil while using her jade-like hand to create swirling runes.
The masked woman raised her right hand, and the runes shone brightly, like a celestial light, colliding with the other’s hand. It was as if a piece of crystal shattered, sparkling everywhere.
"Sister, so fierce, is it necessary to keep people at a distance? Even just a greeting should be met with such coldness?" The Tianhu tribe girl laughed.
As she spoke, she flicked her fingers, and the runes burst forth like blooming celestial flowers, colorful and dazzling, continually touching the masked woman’s fingers.
There was no earth-shattering explosion or frightening fluctuations, only a kind of Taoist rhythm spreading out, like ripples caused by a stone thrown into a divine lake.
Shi Hao was astonished. These two women were inscrutable. This brief encounter, silent collisions, was even more terrifying; he could see that it was very dangerous, with life and death hanging in the balance.
"Don’t call me sister; I might not be older than you," the masked woman said as she delivered the final strike and floated away, as light and fragrant as petals.
"Really? I think you’re older than me. I’m still quite young," the Tianhu tribe girl said, retracting her hand and drifting away as well.
In the final clash, the collision between the two generated a strong wave, enough to crush treasures. The masked girl’s veil was finally lifted, revealing half of her face, which was white and crystal-clear, astonishingly beautiful, making some young cultivators around her stare in awe.
"She’s truly a fairy," someone sighed.
This formed a stark contrast. One seemed like a bewitching fox spirit, incredibly charming, while the other was as ethereal as a celestial being, out of this world.
"Sister, you’re really boring, so unromantic. We’ll meet again at the gathering. I’ll find you a matchmaker then, hee-hee," the fox spirit retreated gracefully. As she passed by Shi Hao, she glanced at him and said, "Little brother, how about this woman as your wife?"
Shi Hao scratched his head, looking very innocent, then said, "You and she are both quite good. Why fight?"
"You're such a troublemaker. I was introducing a wife to you, not suggesting you have wild ideas about others," the Tianhu tribe girl chuckled lightly and drifted away like a streak of light.
"What did I say? Why twist my words?" Shi Hao muttered, shaking his head as he walked out of the auction hall.
Soon, Prince Number Nineteen was surrounded by people. As a prince who could vie for the title of Emperor, his future was bright and magnificent, and no one dared to ignore him.
However, Prince Number Nineteen was very restrained. He quickly left, escorting the masked woman and inviting her to board the golden war chariot.
"Well, this woman might be from outside the domain. I heard she met with His Majesty in the palace not long ago and talked for a long time."
"The Tianhu tribe girl also has an impressive background, representing a supreme organization. She too had entered the palace to speak with His Majesty and revealed some great secrets."
Some nobles whispered, their expressions serious. They knew that the future would be turbulent and that a significant event was about to occur.
Shi Hao returned to his residence. It was a well-known inn, spacious, with a garden in the deepest part, prepared for guests of high status, offering a quiet place.
Shi Hao’s residence was quite nice, with a private courtyard, small bridges, flowing water, artificial mountains, and fountains. The scenery was very attractive.
After returning, he quietly meditated and adjusted his breathing, carefully sensing the surroundings. There were no movements that night, so he remained vigilant.
However, he was not too worried. At worst, he could summon the small tower and let it exert its power to deal with any threats. The items obtained from the auction were too important to risk losing.
In fact, he was overthinking. The items he had bought were not considered "divine treasures" by the general standard, and they were not the highlight treasures of the auction, which were insignificant in the imperial capital.
"Fortunately, they don’t know about the Immortal Golden Body, nor do they understand the value of this stone bead," Shi Hao said to himself, letting out a sigh of relief.
Since the auction house had also given assurances, and no one dared to make a move in the imperial capital, he felt more at ease. He began to count his gains and prepare for refining.
The white bone fragments were very small and incomplete, definitely not whole. Shi Hao used all his effort but found no text related to the Original Truth within them.
He could not help but consult the small tower, which informed him that this fragment was incomplete and could only reveal its secrets when complete.
"Sigh, I’ll put it away for now. There will be opportunities to uncover the great secrets in the future. It seems the Original Truth is not just one piece," Shi Hao said helplessly.
He then took out the Space-Shrinking Talisman and examined it carefully. The ancient artifact was complete and not missing any parts, and it could be used at least ten times.
"Is the Immortal Golden Body really as mysterious and powerful as the legends say?" He took out the black figurine, which was the size of a fist, and tapped it. The sound was clear and penetrating.
The black figurine was covered with many cracks and was in a poor condition. Upon close inspection, some of the materials were different and appeared to have been repaired later.
Shi Hao began to carefully peel it away. This was an extremely difficult process, and even using a broken sword was hardly effective. The ancient refining techniques were too strong.
In the end, it was the small tower that helped, shaking off the outer layer of the black figurine to reveal its true form.
After the excess material fell away from the black figurine, it appeared even darker and more profound, though it was somewhat damaged, with some parts having come off and it nearly incomplete.
Shi Hao focused his mind and used his spiritual sense to probe the black figurine. With a hum, it immediately began to glow, momentarily suspending in mid-air, emitting a flow of divine energy.
Soon, it resembled a small black sun, radiating treasure-like brilliance and steaming vapor, and then rapidly fused with Shi Hao.
The black figurine expanded, merging with Shi Hao's flesh and blood. It was as if he had donned a layer of black-gold battle armor, making him appear exceptionally powerful and exuding a strong aura.
"This directly surpasses the Spirit Transformation realm. This is terrifying," Shi Hao was astonished. In just an instant, his combat power exceeded his previous realm, rising significantly.
One could say that the Immortal Golden Body was truly extraordinary. After merging with his flesh and blood, it caused his power to skyrocket, breaking through limitations and transforming him from a mortal into a deity.
Under the small tower’s guidance, he did not attempt further enhancement, fearing that continuing might worsen the damage to the Immortal Golden Body.
"Only when I find materials truly matching it and further repair it will I be able to unleash its more terrifying power."
Of course, "repair" here referred to genuine refining, a thorough restoration, rather than the ancient practice of turning it into a battle doll.
Shi Hao, covered in the black-gold battle armor, took up the black broken sword with a clang, appearing incredibly mighty, like a demonic god, radiating a fierce aura.
"This gives me an additional identity, allowing me to perform some different tasks," Shi Hao said to himself. He retracted the light, and the black-gold battle armor vanished, turning back into a black figurine that reappeared in his palm.
This was undoubtedly a powerful trump card. Shi Hao felt that if he needed to engage in combat, this would make him exceptionally formidable.
Next, he took out the stone ball, which had black bloodstains that had solidified and dried up over many years. According to the small tower, this was the blood of a deity or demon.
Shi Hao struck it with the broken sword, producing a clanging sound and sparks. He struggled to chip off piece after piece of debris.
The divine blood’s spiritual essence had long disappeared, and its medicinal value was gone once it had solidified, but it was very hard, astonishing Shi Hao with the sheer terror of divine and demonic beings.
Eventually, as stone fragments flew, the stone ball continued to shrink.
"That was close; it was nearly destroyed," Shi Hao was astonished. Inside the stone bead was a decayed bronze arrowhead, which nearly pierced into the deepest part.
Although the bronze arrowhead looked worn, it had once been a divine weapon, according to the small tower. It did not penetrate the eyeball but was instead dissolved.
"How terrifying," Shi Hao was deeply shocked. A divine artifact was unable to harm the eye of the Heavy-Pupil person and was instead destroyed by it.
However, what exactly happened? In the end, he still lost the eyeball, which was sealed within the stone embryo.
As the stone fragments peeled away, it revealed its true form, approximately the size of a human eye, and quite dull without any luster.
"Heavy-Pupil."
He held it in his hand, carefully examining it. There were two pupils connected and nearly fused, appearing exceptionally deep. At this moment, with the divine blood and stone skin removed, the eerie coldness was gone.
"An ancient Heavy-Pupil, has it lost its vitality? Can it still be of any use?" Shi Hao held it in his palm and activated the runes.
Boom.
Suddenly, as he focused on refining it, the eyeball began to emit light. Waves of golden light shot from the pupil, presenting a pale golden radiance, which was quite astonishing.
Shi Hao gasped in surprise, initially shocked and then overjoyed. The eyeball still had vitality; it was a remnant left by a being who had reached the ultimate state of divinity.
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