The journey passed without a ripple; nothing went awry. Led by Immortal Palace disciples, the group arrived at the grandest and most magnificent palace among the cluster atop the peak.
The main doors stood open. An ear window opened on each side of the great hall, drawing in spiritual qi from all directions. The door panels were emerald green, the window frames gilded and inscribed with demonic patterns. Thirty-two pearl curtains hung from the lofty ceiling, each seven meters long, every pearl as large as a fist. Their quality and texture were superb; each shone with light, glimmering like stars in the night sky and draping the hall in a gorgeous, mysterious atmosphere.
Those pearl curtains alone were peerless treasures. Not only were their materials rare and precious, but their maker's craftsmanship was exquisitely ingenious, turning ordinary pearl curtains into a sight like the sun, moon, and stars at the edge of heaven—a true master's work.
Nor was that all. Many famous calligraphic works and paintings hung on the hall's four walls, some even containing traces of true Martial Dao essence. The hollowed-out walls were lit within by the most precious colored mushroom oil lamps. Even the seemingly ordinary floor was cut from enormous blocks of Jade Stone, its surface smooth as a mirror, heavy in texture, and ruinously expensive.
It was extravagance beyond measure, splendid and resplendent. Once inside, quite a few people were dazzled until their eyes swam, nearly thinking they had entered the residence of royalty or nobility.
Of course, the overwhelming majority possessed steadfast wills and regarded wealth lightly. These precious treasures were merely outward trappings, hardly worth their notice.
Behind two coiling-dragon pillars on the hall's northern side, three adjoining jade platforms had been temporarily erected: one black as ink, one plain white, and one