Chapter 0723: That Year
Return to the clan of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?
When Li Luo heard these words, he was immediately at a loss. Although the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was simply a titanic clan beyond his wildest expectations, he was born in the Xia Kingdom, so they were no different from strangers to him.
To him, his family was House Luolan, and everyone he knew and loved were here.
Thus, when faced with Li Rouyun's words, Li Luo shook his head. "Aunt Yun, House Luolan is unstable right now and in a critical situation. I cannot simply leave."
Li Luo's rejection did not cause Li Rouyun to become angry. It was an expected response. Li Luo had grown up here and the entire Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was a foreign concept to him. Additionally, it didn't look like Li Taixuan had told him about his background.
Even she was a stranger—Li Luo had only just met her for the first time.
Li Rouyun pondered over the situation before continuing, "I understand where you're coming from, but the Xia Kingdom, no, the entire East Divine Continent is simply too small a pond for you. Your father was a heavenly genius that shocked the entire Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. And your mother..."
When Li Luo's mother was mentioned, a complicated expression surfaced on her face.
"When Tan Tailan roamed the skies of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, she was known to be a peerless and exceptional beauty with both brains and brawn. She might not be from a prominent family, but her actions lent her a radiance that suppressed all of the best amongst the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. With such exceptional parents, I believe you are extraordinary as well. Furthermore, you have the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li running through your veins. Thus, I believe that you can only grow to your fullest potential in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Do you really want something like this to happen again in the future? Where you're simply not strong enough?"
Li Rouyun's words caused Li Luo to fall into silence as he processed her words. The Xia Kingdom had gone through an upheaval and even the Astral Sage College had been destroyed. This would inevitably affect his cultivation, and from a certain point of view, remaining in the desolate Xia Kingdom would restrict his progress.
Resonant power cultivation required both talent and sufficient amounts of resources, something which the inner divine continents definitely possessed in greater amounts compared to the East Divine Continent. No matter what, the inner divine continent was a cultivation holy land.
"Additionally, the Xia Kingdom definitely does not possess any means for you to solve the problem of Jiang Qing'e's burning Heart of Light. Only by entering the inner divine continent can you find a solution." Li Rouyun's following sentence was lightly spoken, but it struck Li Luo's heart like a heavy hammer, triggering violent ripples within.
This problem was his biggest heartache. If there was any hope of resolving it, Li Luo would move the mountains and seas just to do it.
Li Luo sighed deeply before giving his answer. "Aunt Yun, give me a little bit of time to decide. House Luolan needs to settle down, and even though my family's foundation cannot compare to that of the clan, it is still the lifeblood of my parents."
Li Rouyun smiled and nodded. She knew that Li Luo's heart had already been moved. So long as he was logical, he would naturally choose to go back with them.
After a brief conversation, he turned towards Vice Principal Su Xin and Yu Hongxi to exchange a few words. Neither of them overstayed their welcome and they still had to resolve their own complicated situations on their ends. As a result, they turned to leave not long after.
Li Luo sent off the two of them before he planned to find Duze Yan to express his gratitude. However, he realized that that fellow had once again disappeared and he could only record this favor in his heart.
Li Rouyun, on the other hand, had taken the initiative to approach Ox Biaobiao, who seemed to have been trying to evade her gaze.
"Ox Biaobiao, it's been a while," she said as she looked at him. A trace of a smile bloomed on her beautiful face.
Ox Biaobiao dryly coughed. "I didn't think you’d become a sixth-grade Duke so quickly. When we left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent that year, you had just entered the Duke Stage."
Li Rouyun nodded with a smile that was not a smile. "Indeed. I still remember you teasing me with your superior strength."
Embarrassment flooded his face. He and Li Taixuan were the best of friends that year, and when he met Li Rouyun, she had just become a Duke. Thus, whenever he was bored, he'd prank her. Who would have thought that she would reach the sixth-grade just a few years later, not inferior to him in his prime.
"Why have your resonant power fluctuations weakened so much? You were a sixth-grade Duke when you left the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and everyone feared you, the Mad God's Executioner. Your fame resounded throughout the continent..." Li Rouyun frowned.
Ox Biaobiao gave a bitter smile. "I was protecting both Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan as they escaped that year. As a result, my Duke Bergfrieds were shattered. I've just been struggling at death's door for all these years. How could I possibly advance any further?"
Li Rouyun was completely shocked by this revelation before she fell into a gloomy silence. A moment later, she erupted in fury. "Those bastards were too vicious! They were the ones who were acting over aggressively. In the end, it forced Taixuan to leave in shame. Otherwise, with his talent, he would long have suppressed everyone in Heavenly Origin!"
Ox Biaobiao frowned as he unceremoniously replied, "You blithering idiots from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li weren't willing to protect them, so what's the point of speaking about this now?"
"Why are you venting it on me? Do you think I could have made a decision then? The ancestor has not returned to the clan since then, and the Dragon's Blood Lineage has controlled the mountain ever since. Taixuan even left behind a giant mess for us to clean up! Even the Dragon's Fang Lineage was helpless... And it wasn't as if we weren't willing to protect Taixuan, it's just..." Li Rouyun glared at Ox Biaobiao.
Ox Biaobiao glanced at Li Luo, who was standing not too far away and directing the convoy, before he coldly smiled. "Of course. You were only willing to protect Li Taixuan but not Tan Tailan, right?"
Li Rouyun fell silent.
"Hmph! With Li Taixuan's personality, do you think he would be willing to abandon Tan Tailan and escape alone? Did you actually think he would do such a thing? In the end, he was forced to leave the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, all the whilst being chased down by those bastards. Tan Tailan was already pregnant at that point in time!" Ox Biaobiao gloomily said. Thinking back to what happened that year as they escaped, cutting a bloody swathe through their enemies, the three had been left with grievous injuries. Even Tan Tailan's baby had been injured.
Li Rouyun sighed. The situation was complex, and speaking of it now was meaningless.
"The old man has always worried about this. Taixuan was his most doted-on and valued progeny. When you escaped that year, he had a massive quarrel with the Mountain Ruling Council. After that, he ceased all communications with them. I can feel that he still harbors some guilt towards Taixuan... The moment we received news from him, the ancester knew that he had given birth to a child. And even though we couldn't see it on his face, his mood definitely improved significantly. In fact, we already knew of Li Luo's existence a few months ago, but the reason we couldn't come earlier was because he went to the Mountain Ruling Council to throw a temper tantrum. He declared that Li Luo had to be brought back to the clan, and if anyone were to cause any trouble, he would personally go to Tianyuan to seek the ancestor's intervention. Simply put, the situation that year only involved the elder generation. If anyone dared to let this issue spill into the current generation and bullied the young, he declared that he would have to let them have a taste of whether the Dragon's Fang Lineage's Heavenly Dragon Mace still had the power to slaughter Kings." Li Ruoyun finished explaining the situation.
Ox Biaobiao was then reminded of the taciturn old man who was exceptionally stubborn... He was left completely speechless at his determined actions.
Li Rouyun also continued to watch over Li Luo, gently sighing.
"The old man really wants to meet his long-lost grandson after all..."