Chapter 0857: Intel
Western City, Li Clan's ancestral manor
Li Luo and the other three were currently seated in the hall as guests. Li Feng was the host, and on top of being the head of a side branch of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, he had ruled over Western City for many years. The position of City Lord had always been occupied by a member of their clan, and in recent years, they had produced a genius like Li Rouyun, who had entered the Dragon's Fang Lineage directly as the Third Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall. This had caused the Li Clan's reputation to soar by leaps and bounds.
Li Feng thus treated Li Luo with utmost politeness and enthusiasm. At the same time, he had also gotten some of the talented youths of the same generation to interact with them.
The fact that the four of them were able to become Banner Leaders demonstrated their immense talent and strength. There was a high chance that they would become Dukes in the future, as well as foundational pillars in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, capable of wielding immense influence and might.
Of course, this was not enough to make Li Feng bend over backwards. More importantly, Li Luo, Li Fengyi, and Li Jingtao all possessed a unique position.
In mortal terms, if the Dragon's Fang Lineage were a dynasty, then the three were respected princes and a princess with lofty backgrounds.
During this enthusiastic reception, Li Luo swept his gaze over the youths that had come over to greet them. Although he had never met Li Lingjing, he could vaguely feel that she was not within this group.
However, he did not ask further, only turning towards Li Feng. "Patriarch Li Feng, we have come to Western City in order to complete a mission in the Dark Domain. We know that it is a place rife with danger, so might you be able to share any information with us?"
This was his true goal after all. The Western Region's Li Clan had controlled Western City for countless years and had become deeply entrenched and intertwined with the happenings here. Thus, they would naturally have the best intel.
After hearing Li Luo's words, Li Feng smiled. "Banner Leader Li Luo, I suppose your mission is to obtain a Sacred Infant Fruit?"
Li Luo nodded in response.
"The Sacred Infant Fruit is the Western Region's Dark Domain's most precious natural treasure. They are found in the depths of the Dark Domain, and whenever one is birthed, it attracts strife and conflict. It is for this treasure that the fiercest battles between the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao erupt over. Normally speaking, this happens once every three years due to the time needed for one of these treasures to be born in the inner region. The Sacred Infant Fruit there is of the highest quality, and the ones found in the outer regions are a bit lacking in comparison. Your arrival is a little early, as the Sacred Infant Fruits are not yet fully ripe. The inner regions are hard to penetrate and thus only an outer region Sacred Infant Fruit would be obtainable for you. As a result, it should not cause a significant uproar," Li Feng said with much experience.
Li Luo was not surprised by this. Li Jingzhe had already mentioned to him that the quality of the Sacred Infant Fruit was not too important.
Deng Fengxian then piped up. "Greetings, City Lord. I would also like to inquire about the situation of the Others in the Dark Domain."
"The Western Region's Dark Domain can only be considered a smaller sized Dark Domain, so there aren't many True Devil Others," Li Feng replied.
Li Luo had done some research on his own, so he knew that True Devil Others were what they called Catastrophe-class Others back in the Xia Kingdom.
Eroding class, Catastrophe class, Disaster class, and Other Kings were the rankings in terms of ascending strength levels.
The Catastrophe-class Others were capable of contending against Dukes and possessed terrifying strength. As a result, they were known as True Devils in the inner divine continent.
Li Feng waved his hand, and four maids respectfully delivered a scroll to each of the four. When the scrolls were unraveled, one could see an in-depth map of the Western Region's Dark Domain. On the map were several scarlet districts, with some areas having been marked with a blood-red skull, giving them a sense of peril.
"The locations of the True Devil Others are marked on this map. If you wish to enter the areas where Sacred Infant Fruits can be found, it is best to avoid them," Li Feng explained.
The four nodded. These maps would allow them to identify and avoid most of the dangers, and even if they were to encounter the attacks of any True Devil Others, they would be more prepared and aware.
"Additionally, this particular Dark Domain is only suitable for second-grade Dukes and below to enter. If one is stronger than that, they would be blocked from entering," Li Feng told them.
"There is a restriction on one's strength here?" Li Luo asked in surprise.
"Haha. This Dark Domain's seal was established by both the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. The restriction is to prevent extraordinary experts from other powers or rogue cultivators from entering."
Li Luo was a little taken aback. This seal was a collaborative effort between two Heavenly Emperor powers... However, it did make sense. Neither party wanted exceptional experts to intrude upon the Dark Domain and pillage the resources here completely.
They were basically trying to raise a tiger. Alas, Li Luo was extremely clear on how frightening the Others were, and the memory of the devastated Xia City was still fresh in his mind. The peace and tranquility that they once had was now a fleeting memory, and even the environment was being defiled.
Thus, it was likely that only a Heavenly Emperor power would dare to do such a perilous thing.
If something truly did happen, they would also use their full force to suppress and crush any uprising of Others.
At the same time, this seal was beneficial to them. Each of the four had a banner supporting them, and with the aid of Harmony, they were like four first-grade Dukes. This sort of formation should deter anyone from daring to cause trouble with them.
"Normally speaking, rogue cultivators and other powers would not dare to show any sort of bad intentions towards the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. However, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, on the other hand... Our relationship has never been harmonious, but being openly hostile might be a little too much. Still, our two sides have confronted each other numerous times in the Dark Domain over the years for the sake of resources. Both parties have lost countless experts to each other."
Li Feng sighed deeply as he looked towards Li Luo. "Banner Leader Li Luo, you must be wary of this."
"What do you mean?" Li Luo felt taken aback by this sudden warning, and he frowned. "Is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao targeting me?"
Li Feng slowly enunciated, "From the news I have heard, after it was heard that you would receive a mission in the Western Region's Dark Domain, Zhao Jingyu from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao immediately rushed over."
"Zhao Jingyu? Who is that?" Li Luo asked blankly.
"The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao has Twenty Divisions, the equivalent of our Twenty Banners. The Twenty Divisions are named after beasts. Zhao Jingyu is the Tiger Division's leader and a genius of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao's younger generation. Currently, he ranks second," Li Fengyi explained as her face turned into a frown.
She continued coldly, "Zhao Jingyu is extremely domineering and vicious. Does he have nothing better to do, trying to target Li Luo?"
Li Feng's pale, old visage formed a helpless smile. "Youths love to fight. If it means they can leave a positive impression on the woman they like, they would naturally do some hot-blooded acts."
"A female he likes?" Li Luo's face turned blank. Just who the heck was this woman he liked?
When Li Fengyi thought about it, her expression turned a little strange. "Could it be Qin Yi?"
Li Feng nodded. "From what I know, Zhao Jingyu adores Qin Yi immensely. He must have heard about what happened at the Dragon's Blood Lineage and, as a result, set his sights upon Banner Leader Li Luo. He even announced that he wished to gift Li Luo's arm to Qin Yi. However, if you look at things more deeply, it might be that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao is trying to borrow the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing's issues to send a message." As a patriarch of a side branch family, his thoughts ran deep when he considered the possible implications of this challenge.
Li Luo was dumbfounded. He finally understood just what sort of reputation Qin Yi possessed in the younger generation of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. That wench was clearly trying to cause trouble at the dragonbreath pool, and when news of it spread, he had become the common enemy?
The saying that a beautiful woman brought about calamities was not wrong.
However, Zhao Jingyu was truly a tyrant. He actually dared to speak such vicious words like severing his arm off. Li Luo could only helplessly smile as he evaluated that madman in his mind.
“That fellow is truly a wood-brained idiot.”