Liu Xuance entered the Eighth Level with Xu Lou and five Dragon-Slaying Guards.
The space before them suddenly opened up.
This was the Hundred-Zhang Hall, with a vaulted ceiling six zhang high. Luminous Pearls embedded overhead formed the stars of the heavens, slowly revolving. The floor was paved with jade, lustrous as a mirror, reflecting the starlight above.
At the center of the hall, a raised platform rose from the floor, with nineteen steps leading up to it.
Countless rare treasures were arrayed on either side of the steps-
Thousand-year-old reishi mushrooms, purple radiance flowing over their entire surfaces;
Ten-thousand-year-old fleeceflower roots, already shaped like infants;
Dragon Blood Vermilion Fruit, crimson as blood and radiating scorching heat;
And heaps of spirit stones, jade slips, ancient books, pills...
Every single one was a heavenly material or earthly treasure rarely seen in the outside world!
Yet everyone's eyes were drawn to the great banner atop the platform.
Its pitch-black pole was cast from meteoric iron and as thick as a child's arm. A five-clawed true dragon coiled around it, its jaws wide open around a fist-sized Dragon Pearl. The banner itself had a dark ground, black as ink, woven from some unknown material. It was none other than Great Qin's nation-guarding standard, the [Black Dragon Banner]!
An aura of slaughter rushed toward them.
After just a few glances, they seemed to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with battle cries shaking the heavens in their ears.
A young Dragon-Slaying Guard stared blankly at the banner, his eyes filled with fascination, and murmured, "Is this the legendary divine artifact that guarded Great Qin? What a heavy killing aura..."
Xu Lou's expression was grave as he slowly said, "Legend has it that this banner was a supreme treasure forged by Bai Qi,