Chapter 1009: Performance
Within the frosty cave.
The moment Lu Qing'er's frost seal unraveled, Mu Yao and the rest were similarly freed. They immediately turned their attention to Li Luo's group.
"People from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Mu Yao focused upon Li Luo as he recognized him with a glance. However, he also noticed that the only ones who had come were from the younger generation. The only one he was wary of, Li Wuyuan, was not present.
This revelation caused him to heave a sigh of relief.
So long as Li Wuyuan was not here, there was no one from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li who could threaten him.
"It seems like Dragon's Head Li Luo has long been acquainted with Young Mistress Qing," Mu Yao said.
"However, Young Mistress Qing, you've gone to such lengths to seal us just to have him brought here? Or perhaps you wanted to borrow his relationship with his lineage to gain a group of reinforcements? The way I see it, Li Wuyuan has been quite astute to separate himself from the Golden Dragon Bank's internal affairs," Mu Yao continued with a smirk on his face.
"Young Mistress Qing, I think it's best for us to give up," Elder Sister Jin said softly.
Lu Qing'er did not reply. Elder Sister Jin continued, "Mu Yao, are you planning to cause trouble for the Lu Family? Or perhaps I should say that your grandfather has made his choice. You should weigh for yourself the consequences of your actions."
Mu Yao fell silent before he gave a wry smile. "Since I've chosen to take action, do you honestly believe I will retreat here?"
He then turned towards Lu Qing'er and said in a sincere tone, "Young Mistress Qing, I'm unwilling to harm you, but the Glacier Godlotus cannot fall into your hands. If you leave now, we will definitely not harm you."
Lu Qing'er's face turned icy like a blizzard as she responded coolly, "Mu Yao, do you think I have no other means to counter you?"
Mu Yao's smile faded and he glared at Li Luo. "You don't mean to say that you wish to rely on the Dragon's Head?"
Li Luo similarly grinned at this point and said attentively, "Well, you can't ignore that possibility either."
"Li Luo, this is an internal conflict of the Golden Dragon Bank. If you have any brains at all, you would leave right now in order to prevent this situation from affecting the relationship between the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Golden Dragon Bank," Mu Yao indifferently replied.
Li Luo smiled in response. "Qing'er is my friend. Her problems are my problems. Additionally... can you really represent the Golden Dragon Bank?"
These words forced Elder Sister Jin to look at Li Luo with newfound appreciation. Although his strength could not change the situation, his relationship with the young mistress was deep and true. He had taken action the moment he heard that she was in trouble, and even now, he stood unfazed against Mu Yao's threats.
The corners of Lu Qing'er's lips curled up slightly, but complicated traces of emotions could be seen welling up within her eyes upon hearing the word "friend." Mu Yao remained emotionless as he nodded lightly.
"In that case... I won't be giving you any more face!" he declared as his gaze turned chilly. Peerlessly mighty energy undulations rolled off his body, then his resonant power transformed into a yellow mountain of earth behind him. Just looking at the mountain gave one a sense of heaviness.
This was Mu Yao's earth resonance.
He had just entered the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier, so his earth resonance had transformed. It was now capable of manifesting as an actual mountain created out of soil.
He then stretched his hand out and clenched his fist viciously in Li Luo's direction.
Bang!
The ground began to shudder and countless streams of sand that glittered with runes shot out of the ground, quickly piercing towards Li Luo.
"Don't even think of harming my Third Brother!" Before Li Luo could take action, Li Jingtao roared and took a step forward with both hands in the shape of a hand seal. Resonant power erupted from his body at the same time.
"Eight Carapaces Art, Six Carapaces!"
As Li Jingtao shouted, his body swelled up, especially his skin, which then quickly turned mottled. It was as if there were layers of mystical armor enveloping his body. It seemed sturdy and possessed shocking defensive strength.
Bang! Bang!
When the sand streams shot over, they struck Li Jingtao's body. Layer after layer of the armor protecting him began to shatter, also forcing him backwards. A few moments later, all of the carapaces were destroyed and his own skin split apart, causing blood to ooze out.
However, what surprised everyone was that Mu Yao's attack had been blocked in its entirety.
Mu Yao's gaze seemed a little unfocused in his shock. Although he had not used all of his strength, he was still at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier. Li Jingtao, on the other hand, was just a two-pearl—the difference between them was massive. In a normal situation, wouldn't he have been killed instantly?
How had he blocked it?
The brat's defenses were a little ridiculous.
Mu Yao's gaze shrunk as he said indifferently, "You have some strength, I'll give you that. Still, your cultivation level is simply too low. Perhaps if you were a seven or eight-pearl, I would have been a little more concerned as you might truly be able to hold me back."
Li Jingtao clenched his teeth. Taking blows from this fellow wasn't the least bit enjoyable. Even with him going all out, his body was still laced with injuries.
When Li Luo saw this, he immediately took out the Blackwood Feather Fan. With a wave, white light fell upon Li Jingtao's body, quickly healing all of his injuries.
Li Jingtao was pleasantly surprised by this. "Wow, Third Brother, your treasures are awesome. With your help, I'll definitely be able to block a few more blows."
Li Luo hurriedly stopped Li Jingtao from trying to block yet another strike. Although he was hardy and possessed an absolute defense, Mu Yao had not attacked with everything he had. It was unlikely that Li Jingtao could handle another one.
"Mu Yao, what's the point of bullying the weak? I'll take care of you myself!" Elder Sister Jin coolly declared. Resonant power surged out of her and a stream of golden light shot out of her robes. Within the light was the silhouette of a sword glinting with a keen edge. The sword roared as it whizzed through the air, directly hacking at Mu Yao.
With Elder Sister Jin's move, the other bodyguards also took action and rushed at their enemies.
"You're not my match, so why bother?" Mu Yao mocked with a smirk. He swiped his hand, and the gigantic mountain of soil behind him began to tremble. After which, a boulder a thousand feet wide rolled off from its peak, gaining significant momentum as it fell from the sky like a meteor, smashing apart the sword beam.
Mu Yao then clenched his fist and punched out violently.
Bang!
A one thousand-feet-wide fist made of earth descended from the void with deafening booms. The icicles in the cave were similarly shattered by the sheer pressure, creating a rain of hail.
Elder Sister Jin's gaze flashed and she clasped her hands together. The golden beam of light containing the sword stabilized at this point, transforming into a golden immortal crane with gorgeous feathers. Each of its feathers was incomparably sharp and emanated a radiance that could not be described.
Bang!
When their attacks collided in the air, the entire cave shuddered uncontrollably and energy was blasted outwards in every direction. The ice within the cave began to show signs of fracturing and cracks emerged.
Both parties were also struck by the aftereffects and were sent retreating backwards.
In the end, Mu Yao held the upper hand in the collision. As the giant fist pressed down, the golden light from Elder Sister Jin began to dim. In the end, a defeated cry was heard and the sword shot back towards her.
Weng!
The long sword trembled as it returned to Elder Sister Jin's side. Its violet-eye mark was visibly dimmer than before.
Elder Sister Jin sighed gloomily as blood trickled out of the corner of her lips.
She was only half a step into the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier, so she was a bit weaker than Mu Yao.
A trace of dissatisfaction could be seen in her eyes as she quickly commanded Li Luo, "Hurry and take the Young Mistress away. I'll block him!"
Li Luo shook his head and responded calmly, "Elder Sister Jin, you can rest. Now that things have reached this point, it's time for me to make my entrance."
"What rubbish are you spouting now? Things have already escalated to a point where we can't joke around!" Elder Sister Jin hurriedly replied. She was furious. Li Luo was just a paltry three-pearl. He was useless in such a situation! How could he possibly “make his entrance?!” If not for the dire issue at hand, she would’ve given this brat a good knock on the head to see if there was anything inside!
Li Luo naturally felt a little resentful at being chastised. The only good thing was that Lu Qing'er seemed to have taken all this in stride and was smiling at his exaggerated response. Her usually frigid expression had transformed into a beaming and beautiful smile.
Lu Qing'er laughed as she explained, "Elder Sister Jin, don't look down on him. The fact that he came here shows he has his own means to deal with this."
"Sigh. As usual, only Qing'er understands me." Li Luo hefted a thumbs up towards her. Then he waved his hand, and the Heavenly Dragon's Sunchaser Bow appeared. Majestic fluctuations of energy spread out in every direction as a result.
"A triple violet-eye treasured artifact?" Elder Sister Jin felt a little taken aback at Li Luo's weapon. However, this was not enough to erase the frown on her face. Such an artifact held indisputable power, but it was not enough to bridge the gap between the two.
Mu Yao was the grandson of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent's Golden Dragon Bank's Grand Elder, so he definitely possessed treasured artifacts that were suitable for his stature.
"Elder Sister Jin, there's no need to worry. He's just a piddly Lesser Heavenly Resonance ant. One arrow is enough." Li Luo grinned.
Elder Sister Jin's eyes were full of doubt, but Lu Qing'er didn't say anything. Thus, she held her tongue, only tightly gripping the latter’s hand as she prepared to escape with her in tow.
Li Luo drew his bow and calmly focused upon Mu Yao, who was not too far away. With a thought, he began to communicate with the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf within the crimson bracelet.
"Little Three, time to wake up. It's time for your show."
The now five-tailed[1] wolf lethargically opened its eyes, showing blood-red pupils that were prepared to reap a life.
1. Translator’s Note: You might have been a little confused over how many tails the wolf actually has. The answer is five tails. BUT the author and Li Luo by extension constantly refer to the wolf as the "Three-tailed wolf", even giving him the nickname “Little Three.” Thus, we will still refer to the wolf as the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, but when it comes to descriptions, it will be described as five-tailed.