Turning around, Shun Long saw the determined look in Xingyi's eyes as she spoke, while Liu Mei, Bai Longtian, and Jiang Chen, had also turned their attention towards her at the same time.
From the look on Xingyi's face, it was obvious that this wasn't going to be an easy issue to deal with, but she was still going to see her master right now.
Shaking his head, Shun Long looked at Xingyi and said seriously
''Xingyi, I'll come with you. No matter what, this is my responsibility. We will meet your master together!''
''Long-ge, I will come with you.''
''Brother Shun, you can also count me in!''
''I will come with you as well.''
Just as Shun Long finished speaking, Liu Mei's, Bai Longtian's, and Jiang Chen's voices also sounded in her ears a moment later, as everyone had turned their eyes towards the stunned Xingyi.
Xingyi looked at Shun Long and the others without speaking, but a moment later, a dazzling smile appeared on her face as she nodded her head and said
''Then, let me lead the way.''
Xingyi led Shun Long and the rest out of the private room, as she walked deeper inside the Refinement Hall.
She seemed to be familiar with the interior of the Refinement Hall, and a few minutes later, after walking through a few twists and turns, she arrived in front of a huge black door that seemed to be made from wood, while the scent of medicinal herbs had filled the air around her.
At the same time, Shun Long and the rest all noticed, that the heat coming from the interior of this wooden black door was even more intense than the heat coming from most other rooms, while even Shun Long himself was just a step away from circulating his qi to protect himself.
Stopping right in front of the wooden door, Xingyi took a deep breath, before she took out a golden-colored token from her spatial ring with the word 'Mao' on it and held it in her hand, as she then bowed towards the door and said in a respectful tone
''Master, your disciple wishes to see you.''
A powerful burst of soul sense erupted from behind the door the next moment, as it swept past Xingyi's body for a single second, and after scanning Shun Long's and the rest's bodies, Shun Long heard the calm voice of an old woman coming from behind the door as it said
''Xingyi... come in.''
The black wooden door then opened by itself, revealing the interior of the room behind it.
Shun Long then saw an old woman dressed in white robes, with long white hair that were flowing freely from her shoulders sitting in front of an alchemy cauldron, while her deep black eyes stared at Xingyi with a relaxed look inside them.
In front of the old woman was a cauldron that was a mix of black and white, while complicated silver-colored symbols had filled its surface.
The moment that his eyes landed on the cauldron, Shun Long could feel his heartbeat rising ever-so-slightly, as a single thought appeared in his mind
''A star-rank cauldron!''
His gaze was then focused away from the black and white cauldron, as it landed on the powerful orange flames that were coming from the earth below the cauldron, making his heartbeat even faster than before.
At the same time, Little Black's voice that had hints of excitement sounded inside Shun Long's mind, as the black dragon said
''Earth flame!''
The orange flames below the cauldron were the flames coming directly from the earth flame!
At the same time that the wooden door opened, an even stronger wave of heat assaulted Shun Long and the rest, waking Shun Long up from his reverie and forcing him to start circulating his qi to resist this heat, while Jiang Chen and Bai Longtian had actually activated their unique physiques.
Jiang Chen's body was soon covered with a veil of darkness while Bai Longtian had turned into a gigantic, 10 meter(33ft) tall golden buddha.
At the same time, Xingyi had also activated her unique physique as her body blended into the shadows while Liu Mei summoned a dozen of her undead knights who stood in front of her and Shun Long, blocking the heat that assaulted them directly.
It was only at this moment that Xingyi led everyone inside the room, and as she looked at the white-robed old woman in front of her, she bowed respectfully and said
''Master, these are my friends.''
The white-robed old woman, Xie Xingyi's master, Elder Mao Jing's eyes swept past Liu Mei, Jiang Chen, and Bai Longtian, before her gaze landed on Shun Long's body for a few more moments without speaking.
After staying silent for a while, Elder Mao Jing looked at Xingyi and asked
''Xingyi, what happened? You wouldn't come to meet me without a reason unless something actually happened.''
Xingyi nodded her head seriously and kept bowing as she said
''Master, it has to do with senior brother Ma Ming. Senior brother Ma Ming fought with brother Long because of me, and in the end he was heavily injured.''
''Eh?'' The white-robed old woman, Mao Jing narrowed her eyes as she looked at Shun Long who was no longer hiding his aura at the early rank 7 of the Nascent Soul, allowing her to clearly sense his cultivation.
Seeing Mao Jing narrow her eyes as she looked at Shun Long, a shiver ran through Xie Xingyi's body as she hurriedly added in
''Master, it is not brother Long's fault. If you have to blame someone, then blame me or senior brother Ma!''
However, Mao Jing didn't respond right away, as her gaze didn't move from Shun Long's body , almost as if she was carefully inspecting him, while Shun Long was looking back at her calmly.
Although Shun Long had a calm look in his eyes, he was actually enduring a mountain-like weight pressure that was coming this Mao Jing in front of him, even though the old woman hadn't revealed her cultivation at all.
This was the natural presence that a Dao Emperor had.
''Hmph! That old woman is really arrogant. Master, if she dares to make a move, I will personally end her life! How dare a measly peak rank 6 Dao Emperor use her aura to pressure master like that?''
Little Black's voice sounded inside Shun Long's mind at the same time as he looked at Mao Jing from the foggy space in the 'Stone of Time'. Although Mao Jing hadn't revealed her cultivation, how could she hide it from Little Black's eyes?
Even though no one below the Dao Emperor realm could sense it, Little Black clearly knew that if a Dao Emperor didn't suppress their natural aura, most Nascent Soul stage cultivators wouldn't be able to even stand in front of them and they would be forced to kneel. Even Dao Kings would feel an enormous amount of pressure in front of someone like Mao Jing.
After all, the difference between a Dao King and a Dao Emperor was an insurmountable one.
As for Shun Long, it was clear that he was feeling this pressure as well, while even Liu Mei and the rest seemed to have started to notice it, as they frowned while they looked at the white-robed Dao Emperor in front of them.
It was clear that Mao Jing was intentionally targetting Shun Long.
A hint of surprise also appeared on Mao Jing's eyes in the next moment as she looked at Shun Long, but before Xingyi, Liu Mei or anyone else had a chance to complain, a calm laughter suddenly sounded from the depths of the room, before a powerful suddenly erupted at the same time, completely submerging Mao Jing's aura in the blink of an eye.
Mao Jing's expression immediately changed, but before she had a chance to speak, the voice of an old man sounded from the corner of the room behind her, making her heart suddenly freeze on the spot, while an incredulous expression appeared on her face at the same time
''Hahaha, Mao Jing, is it really proper for a Dao Emperor like you to pressure a Nascent Soul stage outer disciple?''