Leaving the blacksmith's shop, Hu Bayi spoke.
"Boss, this should be the legendary artifact refiner, right?"
Zhang Tian nodded slightly.
"Mm, he should be an artifact refiner, and his level should be quite high. As for Fatty, you can try to ask him for a body-tempering cultivation technique."
"It should be helpful to you."
As Zhang Tian spoke, Fatty's eyes rolled, and he grinned and nodded.
"Boss, when Fatty comes back next time, I'll show you something. I'll do a '狸猫换太子' (a trick to substitute one thing for another), stewed mushrooms with chicken, and conquer the old man."
Fatty said with a sly smile. Zhang Tian guessed that he definitely had no good ideas.
"But, what does a dead person need a Shashi Pill for?"
Hu Bayi pondered aloud.
Zhang Tian was also a bit curious. With the old man's strength, Zhang Tian didn't believe he didn't know he was dead.
Moreover, even the man in black knew, so he should know too.
"He said the Shashi Pill could keep his physical body from decaying for a thousand years. Is it because of this?"
Shirley Yang spoke.
Zhang Tian shook his head slightly. Even so, a dead person couldn't use their corpse to refine a pill.
"This is a spiritual sustenance."
Zhang Qilin spoke from the side.
As his voice came, Zhang Tian's heart trembled. It was highly possible that this old man had pursued this pill his entire life without finding it, and after death, he placed all his hopes on that pill.
Judging by his excited demeanor just now, it was very likely.
"Second Brother, you are truly brilliant."
Fatty gave him a thumbs-up.
"Alright, let's go over there and take a look. It seems the entire palace is unguarded."
Zhang Tian pointed towards the golden castle in the distance.
There were no guards around the golden castle, making it appear even more desolate.
However, it was precisely this that made Zhang Tian's heart sink.
This was a bit too quiet.
"There is a strong sense of resentment in this castle."
Zhang Tian looked at the castle before him. From his eyes, he could see that the entire castle was emitting masses of black aura.
That should be the resentment of the Loulan princess.
The resentment of the Loulan princess had affected the entire city, indicating that she must have suffered some injustice in her life.
"What are you afraid of? As long as there are no snakes, Fatty will go first."
Fatty's courage seemed to grow at this.
He swaggered ahead, with Zhang Tian and the others following behind.
There were no guards around the castle, and upon entering, Zhang Tian felt a chill.
Below the castle, the old man looked at Zhang Tian and his companions. He stroked his beard and sighed softly.
After sighing, the old man returned to his blacksmith shop.
Inside the castle, a layer of dark clouds seemed to hang overhead.
It looked exceptionally eerie.
The black and purple sky was as terrifying as hell.
Fatty had already retreated behind Zhang Tian and the others.
"Oh my god, Boss, have we entered the Underworld again?"
"Fatty should be careful."
Fatty hid behind everyone, his earlier courage seeming like a joke.
"This is all resentment."
Zhang Tian looked at the sky, where dark clouds seemed to be pressing down.
The buildings around the castle were also strange.
Most of them showed signs of cracking.
This was completely different from the scene seen from afar.
After walking for a while, a huge circular building appeared.
Around the circular building, countless people in magnificent robes were kneeling outside the main hall.
In front of everyone was a grand hall with a golden dome, and at the very top stood a blue and white figure.
Zhang Tian and his companions ascended the steps to this plaza. Upon seeing the scene before them, they were somewhat awestruck.
The palace was divided into three stages: the first was the entrance, the second was the platform before them, and the third was the golden-domed golden hall.
"Boss, they don't seem to see us."
Fatty blinked his eyes, looking at the scene.
"No, Brother Hu, Brother Zhang, why are your clothes the same as theirs?"
Suddenly, Shirley Yang looked at Zhang Tian's clothes and found they were the same as those worn by the people kneeling on the ground.
They were red official robes, and those in the front wore golden robes, though very few.
"Are they showing us what happened a thousand years ago?"
Zhang Tian mused. He looked at Fatty, and indeed, not only Fatty but also Zhang Qilin's clothes had changed.
Then, the people prostrate on the ground slowly stood up and, with expressionless faces, walked towards the golden hall at the very top.
"Let's follow them and see."
Zhang Tian said, and the group mingled with the crowd.
Slowly, they ascended towards the top.
"Have you heard? The surrounding small countries are planning to unite against the Jingjue Kingdom."
"Ai, I've heard. The King has been worried sick lately. Envoys from those countries are constantly coming to our Loulan Kingdom, wanting us to unite against the Jingjue Kingdom."
"Ai, the King has always favored peace, and we have cooperation with the Jingjue Kingdom. How could the King possibly agree?"
Around them, some people whispered cautiously.
Their voices were very low, and they spoke with trepidation.
"Boss..."
Hu Bayi was about to speak when Zhang Tian interrupted him with a hand gesture.
Soon, along with the ministers, Zhang Tian and his companions entered the magnificent palace.
Inside the palace, the walls were adorned with many opulent murals, mostly depicting Buddhism, with the Silk Road as a secondary theme.
There were also four pillars in the main hall, upon which were carved four stern-looking Buddhist arhats.
At the very top, on a golden chair, sat a middle-aged man in a golden robe and a veiled head, with a serious expression.
Beside the man stood a graceful girl.
The girl appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, but she was at least 1.78 meters tall.
The girl wore a blue and white battle armor, with a helmet and her hair tied in a ponytail. Perhaps considering the heat of the desert, the armor was designed for coolness, with a jacket-like top and a short skirt-like battle garment below.
Seeing this, Zhang Tian's mind conjured an image of Zhang Qilin.
Hiss, that doesn't seem appropriate.
Indeed, it still needs some refining.
No, I haven't even succeeded yet, and I'm already thinking about stripping people's clothes. That's not right, not right.
I am a gentleman.
However, the Loulan princess before him was indeed beautiful. Her appearance aside, her figure alone was almost flawless.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The ministers bowed in unison.
The atmosphere in the hall was somber.
"Recently, various countries have united to deal with the Jingjue Kingdom. What are your opinions?"
From the stage, the middle-aged man spoke.
"Reply to Your Majesty, your minister believes it is not advisable. We are a benevolent nation; how can we betray our allies?"
A minister spoke.
However, another minister immediately spoke up.
"But, if we do not agree, our country will certainly be considered an enemy by those people."
After he finished speaking, the man seated on the stage took a deep breath.
"I have already sent envoys to explain the reasons to various countries. I believe they will be reasonable. Our Loulan Kingdom has always been benevolent and has even supported so many countries."
"They should remember that we will not participate in this encirclement."
As he spoke, at that moment, a scout-like man rushed in from outside the door.
"Bad news! The allied nations have gone back on their word! They are forcing us to join their plan to deal with the Jingjue Kingdom, or they will attack us!"
The scout knelt on the ground, his face filled with anxiety.
Immediately, another scout rushed in.
"Bad news! The Jingjue Kingdom also doesn't believe us. They think we poisoned their queen and are planning to attack us!"
Another person spoke. At that moment, the middle-aged man trembled and almost fell.