Zhan Lingge was the only one to be defeated in face-to-face combat out of the top one hundred. Though it hadn’t been Lu Yun who’d defeated him, he’d become the barometer by which other half step kings measured themselves against. That was why Jin Yue asked the question—he wanted to indirectly determine the gap between himself, Qing Ting, and Lu Yun.
He greeted the answer with no skepticism when Lu Yun responded that he was less than Zhan Lingge. He finally had a realistic view of his own strength.
Jin Yue nodded, looked at his father a bit apologetically, and left.
The Level King wordlessly opened and closed his mouth. He raised a cupped fist salute to Lu Yun and left with his son.
Lu Yun hadn’t killed his opponent or broken Jin Yue’s confidence. He’d used his strongest move to defeat his challenger and demonstrate the disparity between the two of them. He could naturally understand their mood after this outcome.
Jin Yue’s departure resulted in the crowd also raising cupped fist salutes and taking their leave. Shenyu’s wish of multiple kings attacking the Immortal King together and forming death feuds failed to materialize. Rather, his big reveal enhanced Lu Yun’s reputation instead.
When the Immortal King ascended to kinghood through supplemental dao and received his title, he slaughtered sixth step kings with a wave of his hand! Now that he is the Champion Duke, he is the greatest half step king in the Hongmeng. Even a genius on the Dragonling Ranking has no chance to deploy a second move when facing him!
“This was… a grave miscalculation. It seems that I stepped into his trap without realizing it.” Shenyu’s expression flickered unpleasantly; there was nothing he could do about the situation now.
Dragonhollow Mountain was unlike any other place in the realm. It almost rivaled the Immortal Region and could dictate various things in the Hongmeng through sheer power alone. They counted among the strongest powerhouses throughout the land.
“If there’s anyone to blame, it’s the Immortal King for having such a good temper. Since he’s strong enough to rob those geniuses, why can’t he be a little more arrogant and overbearing about it?” Shenyu rubbed his head, unable to wrap his mind around it.
Lu Yun’s attitude just now had been a ready willingness to respond to whoever came at him, but he’d been neither supercilious nor obsequious. He’d also refrained from causing additional trouble. The mindset of “everyone here is trash” had been the furthest thing from what he’d displayed.
……
“Champion Duke!” rang a voice forced out through gnashed teeth. “I want to challenge you!”
Qing Ting vaulted through the air and landed in front of Lu Yun. She brandished the Azuresky Sword and aimed its sword light at the young man.
The kings, cultivators, and arcane beasts that’d been dispersing paused with interest, gazing upon the newest standoff. They knew full well of the history between the two. Qing Ting of Coiling Dragon City and the Champion Duke had formed the Robber Couple in Dragonsea City. The two had robbed everyone in the city and continued their exploits throughout Dragonhollow Mountain. Was the Robber Couple finally going to raise swords against each other?
“Challenge me? Sure!” Lu Yun grinned. “But first things first. If you lose, heh, you need to hand over your seed storage and treasures.”
Qing Ting’s furious expression froze slowly. She snuck a peek at the people around her and ran off without another word.
“Uh… what?” The crowd was baffled by the turn of events.
“Pfft, money grubber.” Lu Yun shook his head and returned to his residence with a mighty leap. Multiple layers of formations surrounded his abode in the next second, preventing anyone from spying on him.
Qing Ting was no match for him. Hand over her precious baubles if she lost? She’d never agree to that condition.
“We should give him space, he’s going to dual cultivate with his dao partners now.” Jealous jeering rose from those still in the vicinity.
……
“What, you’re not planning on taking Qing Ting for yourself? She wants to marry you and be a concubine,” the little fox teased again.
“Okay, okay, enough of that.” Lu Yun pressed her head down and thoroughly tousled her long hair.
Miao and Qing Yu fell silent when he closed his eyes; his attention was wholly on his projected self. The Dragonling Assembly wasn’t his goal—the azure dragon’s ancestral blood was.
……
Dragon Butterfly, Long Batian, and Lu Yun had taken a tiny path to enter the hidden eighth floor. According to Dragon Butterfly’s senses, the ancestral blood should be on the ninth floor or higher.
“Who would’ve thought that you’d be the incarnation of the second—third biggest dragon of the Hongmeng!” Dragon Butterfly muttered to the little girl next to her.
“So you’re the big dragon of Redbud Mountain, no wonder you felt a bit familiar.” Long Batian was equally surprised.
Known as the greatest dragon of the realm, Redbud Mountain was listed ahead of the second greatest Myriad Dragon Valley. Controlled by the Immortal Region, the latter’s development was stunted. Its dragon had employed countless methods to carefully win its freedom, ultimately transforming into Long Batian and quietly making her way to Dragonhollow Mountain.
Her goal was also the ancestral blood.
Since Long Batian’s growth had been constrained, she was far weaker than Dragon Butterfly and in much more desperate need of the ancestral blood.
Dragon Butterfly naturally wanted to help someone with the same origins but who was much worse off than her. Thus, she readily agreed to bringing Long Batian with them.
“How do you know all this? How did you find the path to the eighth floor?” Dragon Butterfly looked admiringly at the girl.
“I came here once a long, long time ago…” Uncertainty appeared on her little face. “But I’ve forgotten when or who it was that brought me here…”
“Careful,” Lu Yun suddenly warned. “There’s ninth step kings on the eighth floor. We must avoid revealing ourselves.”
There were Silence and Size Manipulation Talismans stuck to the two dragons; the trio was currently many times smaller than the most minute particle floating in the air. Lu Yun didn’t dare exercise anything less than extreme caution in a place like Dragonhollow Mountain.
The two dragons fell silent and the three followed the map that Long Batian had drawn days ago, slowly drifting toward the path to the ninth floor.
“Dragon Lord!!” came a low roar. Tremendous air currents rocked the void like a storm, throwing the trio off course. However, they didn’t dare adjust their trajectory. “Do you think the two little girls of Redbud Mountain and Myriad Dragon Valley will come?”
The speaker was an enormous scarlet dragon. He was in dragon form and blazing with violent flames. Coiled around a large mountain peak, he roared at the main peak of the eighth floor.
“Perhaps they’re already on the eighth floor and hidden in a corner somewhere, listening to you speak.” The lord of Dragonhollow Mountain was a blue-haired young man. Sitting cross-legged on the main peak, he smiled back at the scarlet dragon.
There were nine major peaks on the eighth floor, each with an enormous dragon curled around it. Including the dragon lord, that made for nine ninth step kings on this floor.
Dragon Butterfly and Long Batian’s hearts skipped a beat when they heard his response. If it wasn’t for Lu Yun’s Silence Talismans completely concealing their presence, these two indeterminably old, yet completely inexperienced girls would’ve been instantly exposed.
“Their goal is the azure dragon’s blood—the fresh blood that the old ancestor left behind when he perished. But the ninth floor’s been sealed off since his death and even I can’t open it. If they can access it, it would be a show of their strength and well deserved if they obtain it,” the dragon lord remarked casually.
Lu Yun’s projected body maintained death grips on the two girls. He was highly concerned that the two would suddenly charge for the ninth floor.
