“The Immortal King is here?” Eyebrows shot high when the three thousand and ninety-nine participants of the Dragonling Assembly heard the name. It was one that provoked very polarizing reactions.
Some viewed the king as their idol—a goal to chase and worship for the rest of their lives. Some were immensely disdainful—he was useless for anything that wasn’t supplemental dao. At least, the top one hundred of the Dragonling Ranking didn’t think much of him.
“What did the Runaway King say? That the Champion Duke is the Immortal King?” Qing Di doubted his ears and life itself. He turned around stiltedly to look at Qing Ting and Azureclad.
The Azure Dragon and Coiling Dragon delegations now walked together and occupied the same residence. Qing Ting looked blankly back at him, an imperceptible blush darkening her complexion.
The Runaway King and Immortal King were sworn enemies and Haotian Tower was set up next to the Immortal Pagoda. If they said the Champion Duke was the Immortal King, then there should be no doubt about it.
“The Immortal King? We were robbed by the Immortal King?” The other half step kings didn’t know what to feel when they learned of this truth.
“Immortal King, Immortal King…” Crimsonclad and Qing Ting turned redder and redder until they were bright red. They’d acted completely lovestruck in front of him on more than one occasion!
“Is he really the Immortal King?” Azureclad still couldn’t believe it. “That’s… right. If he wasn’t the Immortal King, why would he have so many Pills of Creation? If he wasn’t the Immortal King, how would he dare rob the cultivators of the Dragonling Assembly…
“Li Zhen absolutely idolizes the Immortal King. If that kid knew that the Champion Duke was the king himself…” Azureclad suddenly thought of the long absent Li Clan member.
“It doesn’t matter whether he is the Immortal King or not,” Crimsonclad smiled ruefully. “All of us have witnessed his performance from the Dragonsea City until now. To me, he’s pretty much the same as the Immortal King.”
“Pretty much the same?” Azureclad glared.
“Hmph,” snorted Crimsonclad when she saw his expression. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you had your sights set on his dao partner.”
Instead of explaining away the misunderstanding, she only wanted to jeer back at him. Azureclad flushed beet red and stammered something unintelligible.
All of Dragonhollow Mountain was thrown off balance by the revelation, particularly the top one hundred of the Dragonling Ranking who’d been unequivocally contemptuous of the Immortal King.
“No, no, this isn’t right. That Champion Duke, or rather, the Immortal King, must’ve used supplemental dao to defeat us,” Zhan Lingge muttered with indignation.
“You weren’t defeated by the Immortal King, Zhan Lingge. You were defeated by Qing Ting of Coiling Dragon City!” A red-haired girl curled her lip. “What a pity I’m a titled king already, or I’d love to challenge the Immortal King as well. Just how strong are the Champion Duke and Qing Ting?”
She’d coalesced four dao rules and every one of them was immensely powerful—she was a peak fourth step king!
“The Immortal King will become a titled king sooner or later, you can challenge him then,” Zhan Lingge scoffed back. He refused to use the Champion Duke name.
……
“Your identity’s been revealed,” a smiling Qing Yu blew softly next to Lu Yun’s ear.
“So what if it has?” Lu Yun spread out his hands. “I‘m participating in the Dragonling Assembly only because I want to get Dragon Butterfly into the mountain. I robbed all those people so everyone’s eyes would be on me and not potentially on her true identity.”
Dragon Butterfly had run off somewhere and Lu Yun didn’t want to pry too much into her affairs.
“That Qing Ting and Crimsonclad Duke are both interested in you, they keep talking about being your concubine.” Curled up in Lu Yun’s arms, Miao tilted her head back.
“Um…” Lu Yun rubbed his nose and coughed awkwardly. “I, uh, there’s no room in my heart for anyone else.”
“I managed to force myself in,” the little fox grumbled with some embarrassment.
“Immortal King!!” came a heaven-shaking roar; the very air trembled in response as well. An elder with white hair at his temples hovered over the residence and looked coldly at the trio. “You are a vaunted supplemental king. Why did you bully my son with your superior strength and rob him of everything he owns?!”
The elder was a seventh step king and his son one of the top one hundred geniuses of the Dragonling Ranking. His son had become highly confident and vain as a peacock after being selected as one of the top one hundred geniuses for the assembly, but had been utterly demoralized by the robbery.
This seventh step king wouldn’t stand for this.
It was very hard for beings to propagate their bloodlines after ascending to titled kinghood. This particular king had tried endless times before siring a son. His child was the apple of his eye and the light of his life! If it wasn’t for Dragonhollow Mountain forcing their participation, he wouldn’t have sent his son here.
Other people also crowded around the residence; they either had a bone to pick or wanted to watch the show.
“Me, bully your son with superior strength?” Lu Yun blinked. “I haven’t ascended to titled kinghood through battle strength, have I? I’m a supplemental king without dao rules or a force field, and just a titled duke half step king if I set aside supplemental dao. My title is the Champion Duke, so where does this accusation of bullying come from?”
He picked himself up from Qing Yu and Miao’s embrace with a certain degree of surprise. His emergence in the yard with one arm around a mysterious girl and the other around the Intrance King confirmed his identity.
Qing Ting, Qing Di, Azureclad and the others were all in attendance; they looked at Lu Yun with complicated expressions. He was still in the guise of the Champion Duke and not the dashing Immortal King.
“Who knows if you used supplemental dao when robbing people? How else would a trashy pill addict like you have the right to be considered one of us??” snarled the elder’s son. He was dressed in a black combat outfit and his golden eyes added a surprising pop of color.
“Trashy pill addict?” Lu Yun was highly taken aback by the unexpected insult.
“After you said that inferior and common realm cultivators were useless, that cultivators can and should start off in the superior realm… Yes, it was after that time that many who don’t know you started calling you a piece of trash created through pills,” Miao murmured.
“But… I’m right. Cultivation in the Hongmeng starts at titled kinghood,” Lu Yun responded matter-of-factly.
“Hooo!!” The elder could no longer contain himself. “Return my son’s treasures with due haste, Immortal King! Otherwise, you will not leave Dragonhollow Mountain alive!”
“I can do the deed, father!” the golden-eyed youth sneered coolly. “The Immortal King never robbed us himself, he merely assembled the other two thousand-some cultivators to coerce us. He’s no match for me if we face off one-on-one!”
That was a very swift reveal. Honestly, it almost feels anti-climatic. What do you guys think?
