Chapter 1003: The Changes in Daxia

Inside the Ice Cave Abode, the cold wind was biting, and every gaze was somewhat blankly fixed on the figure pinned to the mountain wall, swaying in the air.

The troops following Mu Yao were all dumbfounded; no one had expected that Mu Yao, whose strength had reached the Xiao Tian Xiang Jing, would be pinned to the mountain wall by a single arrow from Li Luo, who had just advanced to Tian Zhu Jing, in a single exchange.

For a moment, the morale of the squads besieging Lu Qing'er was severely dampened, and they immediately understood that today's matter could not be carried out. Without a word, they withdrew in a flash.

Streaks of disheveled figures shot back in retreat, fleeing in panic toward the outside of the Ice Cave Abode.

Sister Jin and the others did not pursue.

Sister Jin's gaze slowly withdrew, then she looked toward Li Luo with some wariness. At this moment, the latter's appearance was actually not in good shape either; his palm was nearly blown apart into a bloody pulp, with fresh blood continuously dripping down. Clearly, erupting with that level of energy earlier had also caused him considerable injury.

Moreover, that baleful aura swirled around Li Luo's body, casting a reddish tint over his pupils, making him look somewhat fierce and forbidding, unapproachable.

But at this moment, Lu Qing'er paid no heed to any of that. She stepped forward two paces, took hold of Li Luo's bloodied palm, and immediately a wave of frost energy spread out, swiftly stanching the flowing blood. At the same time, that extreme cold energy also caused the redness in Li Luo's pupils to dissipate rapidly.

Li Luo's expression returned to normal. He gave Lu Qing'er a smile, then took out the "Mystic Wood Feather Fan," fanning out streaks of white light that landed on his palm. The gentle restorative power emanated, beginning to repair the flesh and blood.

"Third Brother, you hid your methods far too deeply. A single arrow slew a Xiao Tian Xiang Jing powerhouse?" Li Li Jingtao muttered in shock.

Beside them, Deng Deng Fengxian and Lu Lu Qingmei also stared at Li Luo with complicated expressions. A Tian Zhu Jing cultivator slaying a Xiao Tian Xiang Jing cultivator—such a dazzling feat was simply terrifying.

Li Luo smiled and shook his head, saying: "I only severely wounded him. I didn't slay him."

His gaze turned to the stiff body pinned to the mountain wall. He saw Mu Yao's body suddenly crumble into mud and sand that fell away, though as the mud and sand peeled off, some flesh and blood mixed in and fell, and in the end, Mu Yao's body completely vanished.

"A body-substitution art?" Li Li Fengyi exclaimed in surprise.

Clearly, at that final critical moment, Mu Yao had also activated some kind of life-preserving secret art, which allowed him to save his life from Li Luo's arrow and flee.

Li Luo was not surprised by this. Mu Yao's status was not low, so it was normal for him to have some life-saving tricks up his sleeve. Severely wounding him and forcing his retreat today was already within Li Luo's expectations.

However, the main reason was still the rule suppression of the Spiritual Resonance Cave Heaven, which prevented him from fully unleashing the power of the "Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf." Otherwise, today's Mu Yao might truly not have escaped with his life.

Li Luo lowered his head to glance at the crimson bracelet on his wrist. In truth, by now in Outer Shenzhou, Marquis-level powerhouses were no longer rare. The Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf's strength, strictly speaking, was not outstanding even in Outer Shenzhou. But to this day, Li Luo had not seen similar tricks from any other prodigy.

This was clearly not because the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf was rare... Strictly speaking, it should be that Dean Pang's sealing bracelet was very special. If it weren't for this bracelet sealing the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf and drawing out its power through an extremely ingenious method, Li Luo would not have been able to borrow its strength.

Therefore, what was truly formidable was not the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf, but Dean Pang's bracelet. This item must surely be the heart's-blood creation of a King-level powerhouse.

Lu Qing'er at this moment was also smiling brightly as she looked at Li Luo, then said to Sister Jin beside her: "Sister Jin, wasn't my 'Nine Orifices Refining Gang Pill' a very good deal?"

Sister Jin was speechless. When Lu Qing'er had previously given Li Luo a 'Nine Orifices Refining Gang Pill,' she had told her that this pill would surely be worth its cost. At that time, Sister Jin had only assumed the Young Lady was being stubborn to save face. But looking at it now, she had to admit that Lu Qing'er indeed had excellent judgment, or rather, Lu Qing'er trusted Li Luo very much.

However, the Young Lady's temperament had always been as cold and calm as ice and snow, so these words didn't quite match her usual character. So this was... defending Li Luo out of a sense of injustice?

"The Young Lady's insight is as sharp as a torch. It was I who was shallow, failing to recognize Li Luo Dragon Head's methods." A smile appeared at the corner of Sister Jin's lips, and then she said unhurriedly: "When we return to Golden Dragon Mountain, I will also explain to the Family Head that the Young Lady and Li Luo Dragon Head share a deep bond of friendship, and this time it was entirely thanks to Li Luo Dragon Head's assistance."

Lu Qing'er said with a coquettish scold: "Sister Jin, don't talk nonsense."

Li Luo, who had overheard, had his gaze shift slightly. Golden Dragon Mountain? That was the true central hub of the Golden Dragon Treasure House, its status akin to that of Yashan within the Dragon Fang Lineage. Lu Qing'er's father actually held such a position within Golden Dragon Mountain? No wonder she had come to Outer Shenzhou.

"Qing'er, hurry and take the treasure," Li Luo urged with a smile. Right now, the strong enemies had been temporarily forced back, making it the perfect time to quickly take the treasure and leave, lest Mu Yao cause some trouble again later.

"Come with me," Lu Qing'er said, glancing at the icy high platform.

Li Luo naturally agreed, and then followed Lu Qing'er up the steps formed of ice, step by step heading toward the top.

Stepping on the cold steps, Li Luo felt Lu Qing'er beside him casting glances at him from time to time, and immediately laughed: "When did you leave Daxia?"

Lu Qing'er said softly: "Not long after you left, I also left. Daxia was too chaotic, and the Saintly Mystic Star Academy was destroyed, so my mother sent me back to Golden Dragon Mountain, to my father's side."

Li Luo sighed. He had grown up in Daxia, and all his memories were there, especially Lu Lan Mansion—that was the most important place in his heart. Perhaps the cultivation conditions there were far inferior to those of the Dragon Fang Lineage, but that was truly his home.

"How is the Saintly Mystic Star Academy now? Do you have any news? What about Seeing Yu Lang and the others?" Li Luo asked.

"Our Golden Dragon Treasure House is spread across all the major Shenzhou regions. When it comes to intelligence, we do have an advantage over your Li Li Tianwang lineage," Lu Qing'er said with a faint smile. "So I also know some of the intelligence from Daxia."

"After that great upheaval, Daxia was split in two, ruled separately by the Eldest Princess and the Regent King. The two sides engaged in numerous campaigns, causing continuous warfare across Daxia. Coupled with the ravages of the 'Heterodox Calamity,' today's Daxia can truly be said to be in a bad state."

"Seeing Yu Lang and the others, I hear, have actually made great progress. Although the Saintly Mystic Star Academy was destroyed, it still retains some of its foundation, and is now slowly accumulating strength. I heard that the Saintly Mystic Star Academy is mainly fighting against the ravages of the Heterodox beings, and has paid a rather terrible price for it. As for Seeing Yu Lang, during this year of battling the Heterodox beings, he has shown a tendency to stand out among his peers."

"Seeing Yu Lang and the others, perhaps because of you, the Academy gave them considerable cultivation resources, and he himself seems to have had other fortuitous encounters."

"Bai Bai Mengmeng has also developed quite a few formulas for Spiritual Water and Strange Light. She gave all these formulas to your Lu Lan Mansion. I heard that the Bai family elders had some objections to this, and it even caused some trouble."

"Student Xin Fu returned to 'Lanling Mansion,' and all news of him was lost."

"Lu Lan Mansion, under the leadership of Cai Wei, is doing alright, but with the war in Daxia, everything is quite strained."

"......"

Listening to the gentle voice by his ear, those familiar names also caused Li Luo to feel slightly dazed. He had only been away from Daxia for less than a year, yet the changes within Daxia seemed like the passage of countless ages.

"Seeing Yu Lang, this guy, actually has great resilience. Although his Affinity Rank is slightly lower, if the Academy gives him importance, he won't disappoint."

"Bai Bai Mengmeng looks obedient, but she's actually stubborn. Back then, I tricked her into researching formulas for Xiyang House, and she actually took it seriously..."

"......"

Li Luo sighed softly. Friends of old, now scattered across the world—when they would reunite again was unknown.

"Li Luo." Lu Qing'er looked at Li Luo and asked softly: "Will you still return to Daxia?"

Li Luo heard this and nodded slowly and firmly.

"Of course I will go back."

"When I return to Daxia, not a single one of those who once attacked my Lu Lan Mansion will escape."