Chapter 1011: Xia Kingdom's Transformation
The cold wind whistled as it blew through the icy cave. Everyone was taken aback by the figure hanging on the side of the mountain.
Mu Yao's men were full-on panicking. No one had expected the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier Mu Yao to be left in such a state. He had been crucified to death by the Heavenly Pearl Li Luo with a single shot.
At this point in time, the group surrounding Lu Qing'er felt their morale plummet. They understood that their task could no longer be achieved today, so they withdrew soundlessly.
Elder Sister Jin and the rest did not chase them.
She gradually retracted her gaze before turning towards Li Luo with apprehension. To be fair, he wasn't in a good state either, with one of his hands having been blown into a bloody mess and his blood dyeing the icy ground. Clearly, the explosive strength he had demonstrated had consequences that resulted in injuries.
Additionally, the fiendish energy was lingering around him and his pupils remained a bloody crimson. It was like seeing a crazed and violent beast, causing the rest to avoid him.
However, Lu Qing'er didn't seem to mind. She took two steps forward and lightly grasped his bloodied hand. At the same time, she channeled her ice energy into the wound and quickly sealed it up, staunching the bleeding. At the same time, her actions caused the crimson coloration of his eyes to fade.
Li Luo gradually returned to his usual state and flashed Lu Qing'er a smile. He immediately took out the Blackwood Feather Fan once again and used it to quickly regenerate and heal his injuries.
"Third Brother, you've kept this trump card of yours hidden under tight wraps. A single arrow was able to slay a Lesser Heavenly Resonance Realm expert?" Li Jingtao chortled in surprise.
Deng Fengxian and Lu Qingmei were similarly looking at Li Luo with complicated gazes. A Heavenly Pearl killing a Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator was a remarkable achievement.
Li Luo smiled and shook his head. "I've only heavily injured him. He's not dead."
He glanced at the rigid body that was still stuck to the mountain. Suddenly, the body transformed into mud, slid down the wall, and began to escape. Some flesh and blood was left behind, but Mu Yao had completely disappeared.
"A Death Substitution Art?" Li Fengyi asked curiously.
Clearly at the very last moment, Mu Yao had used a life-saving secret art to preserve his life before Li Luo's reaping arrow, managing to escape just in the nick of time.
Li Luo was not too surprised. Mu Yao had quite a background, so he would naturally be in possession of several methods that would preserve his life. Just injuring him severely was within expectations.
At the end of the day, Li Luo had been suppressed by the Spiritual Resonance Cave's rules and was unable to tap upon the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf's full power. Otherwise, Mu Yao would have been unlikely to escape.
Li Luo lowered his head as he glanced at the crimson bracelet. Dukes were fairly uncommon even in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. The Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf's power may not be outstanding, but Li Luo had not seen anyone else with a similar trump card.
This was not because Three-tailed Heavenly Wolves were rare; it was more so that the method Principal Pang had utilized to seal the beast was unique. Without the bracelet's seal and an exquisite method to tap upon its strength, Li Luo could not possibly have been able to summon the wolf’s power at his beck and call. Thus, the most impressive part was the bracelet itself. It might very well have been the culmination of a King's blood and sweat.
Lu Qing'er laughter was like the tinkling of a bell as she watched Li Luo. After which, she turned towards Elder Sister Jin. "See? Don't you think the Nine Orifices Dipper Smelting Pill was a worthwhile investment?"
This left Elder Sister Jin slightly dumbstruck. When Lu Qing'er had gifted the pill to Li Luo, she had told her that it was an investment. Elder Sister Jin had felt that the young mistress was simply trying to come up with some sort of reason to justify the gift, but looking back, her foresight was extremely discerning. Perhaps it would be better to say that Lu Qing'er fully trusted Li Luo.
However, the young mistress had a personality as chilly as ice and snow. Thus, these thoughts seemed almost out of tune. Was she trying to defend Li Luo?
"Young Mistress, you are farsighted and astute. I was shallow and did not understand Dragon's Head Li Luo's strength," Elder Sister Jin said as a smile surfaced on her face. Then she continued much more slowly than before, "When we return to Golden Dragon Mountain, I will inform the Family Head that you and Dragon's Head Li Luo's have a deep relationship, capable of rousing the Dragon for assistance."
Lu Qing'er retorted with displeasure. "There's no need to shoot your mouth off!"
Their brief exchange caused Li Luo's gaze to flicker. “Golden Dragon Mountain? That’s the Golden Dragon Bank's core headquarters. It’s like Dragon's Fang Mountain to the Dragon's Fang Lineage. Just what sort of position does Lu Qing'er's father hold there? It’s no wonder she came to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent.”
Li Luo smiled as he reminded her, "Qing'er, hurry and retrieve the treasure." The enemies' retreat might only be temporary, so it was ideal to quickly accomplish her task during this brief lull. This was to prevent a situation where that Mu Yao would return to cause trouble yet again.
"Come with me, then." Lu Qing'er glanced at the icy platform.
Li Luo naturally agreed and followed her, slowly climbing the frosty steps as they slowly ascended towards the peak.
As they climbed, Li Luo could feel Lu Qing'er occasionally glancing at him, so he took the opportunity to ask, "When did you leave the Xia Kingdom?"
Lu Qing'er replied in a low voice, "Not long after you did. The Xia Kingdom is simply too chaotic, and with the Astral Sage College destroyed, my mother sent me back to Golden Dragon Mountain, where my father was."
Li Luo sighed. He had grown up in the Xia Kingdom and had forged many memories there, especially in House Luolan. That was the most important place in his heart. Even considering all of the cultivation benefits he had received from the Dragon's Fang Lineage, it was his one true home.
"How are things on the Astral Sage College's side? Do you have any news? What about Yu Lang and the rest?" Li Luo asked.
"Well, the Golden Dragon Bank has branches all over the divine continent, so in terms of gathering information, I believe we are a little better than the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." Lu Qing'er grinned.
"Thus, I have been kept informed of the happenings within the Xia Kingdom. There has been a great schism and they have been split into two factions, the First Princess and the Regent. Both have been constantly engaged in battle, leading to the fires of war spreading across the Xia Kingdom. In addition to the Other Disaster that has already wreaked havoc across the lands, the situation seems pretty dire. Yu Lang and the rest have loyally remained with the Astral Sage College. The previous campus may have been destroyed, but their foundation still remains as a result of years of accumulation. It is said that they have mainly focused on defeating the Others, and the college has paid a heavy price to do so.
"Yu Lang has performed outstandingly well against the Others and has stood out amongst his peers.
"Mengmeng has developed countless new methods to manufacture spirit liquids and purifying lights and has given the formulas to House Luolan. The Bai Family elders objected to this, causing some trouble as a result.
"Xin Fu returned to House Lanling and has not been heard of since.
"House Luolan has been well led by Sister Cai Wei. It is only unfortunate that the entire Xia Kingdom has been plunged into chaos and times have been trying."
Hearing the familiar names coming from her soft voice left Li Luo in a slight daze. He had left the Xia Kingdom for merely a year and yet massive changes had engulfed his homeland.
"That brat Yu Lang is actually quite a resilient fellow. Although his resonance is not of a high grade, he has not disappointed anyone. Mengmeng has been quite obedient and also stubborn. When I tricked her into researching formulas for the Suncreek Villa, she actually took it seriously even to the very end..."
Li Luo sighed lightly. All of his old friends had been scattered across the world, and he didn't know when they would ever gather together once again.
"Li Luo..." Lu Qing'er watched Li Luo intently. "Are you planning to return to the Xia Kingdom?"
Li Luo nodded resolutely.
"Of course I will. The day I return is the day that everyone who has ever acted against House Luolan will be running for the hills."