Chapter 1385: The Fall of a King

"Are you all right?"

Looking at the Dantai Lan before him, more mature than the spirited young woman she had once been, Li Li Jingzhe felt a swirl of emotions; in the end, a thousand words condensed into a single greeting.

A smile surfaced on Dantai Lan's beautiful face as she said, "Father needn't worry, we're all fine. Although we ran into some unexpected changes and I am temporarily separated from Taixuan, there's no great cause for concern."

Li Li Jingzhe nodded lightly and did not press for the details, after all, the Dantai Lan before him was now a Grand Unparalleled Marquis; even at his peak, he might not have been able to beat her by much. The young woman of those days had, twenty years later, already carved out her own achievements.

"Grandfather, is your body all right?" Li Luo hurriedly asked at this moment. There was some unease in his eyes, because Li Li Jingzhe's appearance seemed to be in very bad shape—cracks had appeared all over his skin, and faintly, terrifying chaotic fluctuations emanated from within his body.

Li Li Jingzhe smiled faintly and said, "Little Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge are truly extraordinary, both having now stepped onto the Unparalleled Path. I believe that in the future, the two of you will be even more outstanding than them."

Hearing his words, Li Luo's face changed slightly, and he forced a smile as he said, "Grandfather, without your protection and guidance, your grandson has no confidence of walking the Unparalleled Path."

Li Li Jingzhe sighed softly and said, "Grandfather is afraid he won't live to see that day."

This time, in order to slay the Human Embryo of the Three-Eyed Mysterious Fetus Great Demon King, he had paid the price of sacrificing and burning three layers of his King's Crown—a price so heavy that even he found it hard to bear.

Li Luo's heart trembled at once, and Jiang Qing beside him also instantly reddened around the eyes.

"Mother, please hurry and help Grandfather!" Li Luo grabbed Dantai Lan's arm and said urgently.

Dantai Lan fell silent. Her strength was greater than Li Luo's and the others', so she could naturally sense the rapidly vanishing vitality within Li Li Jingzhe's body at this moment. Burning three layers of the King's Crown—how terrifying was that? At this stage, even she could do nothing to salvage the situation.

Beside them, Li Li Qingpeng and Li Li Jinpan both had reddened eyes, their faces full of grief.

Li Luo was as if struck by lightning, standing there in a daze, only for scalding tears to uncontrollably stream down from the corners of his eyes. He could not accept that the grandfather who had once seemed almost omnipotent in his heart had now come to such an end.

With his strength, there had clearly been many chances to leave the Boundary River Domain.

Even that Human Embryo could not have stopped him.

But Li Li Jingzhe, in order to protect them, had paid no heed to those chances one after another, until in the end he even had to burn three layers of his Crown to win them one last sliver of life and a way out.

If Li Li Jingzhe had not fought so desperately, even with Dantai Lan rushing over, it would have been very hard to reverse the situation.

The weighty protection Li Li Jingzhe had given made Li Luo unable to suppress the surging grief welling up within him any longer.

Jiang Jiang Qinge gripped Li Luo's hand, her beautiful eyes reddening as she offered him a measure of comfort.

"Foolish child, the world has always had its share of regrets; why demand perfection?"

Li Li Jingzhe, however, laughed with an carefree air and said, "Originally I was still a little worried about you all, but now that Little Lan has returned, I can be completely at ease."

He took out a token from his sleeve, upon which was inscribed the ancient script of the Dragon Fang Lineage, and faintly a pressure emanated from it.

It was precisely the identity token of the Dragon Fang Lineage Head.

Li Li Jingzhe handed the Dragon Fang Lineage Head token to Dantai Lan and said, "Little Lan, I know you have no particular feelings for the Li Li Tianwang Lineage, but after I am gone, no one in the Dragon Fang Lineage can shoulder the great responsibility. So please, for the sake of this old man's face, temporarily take on the position of Dragon Fang Lineage Head."

"In the future, if Taixuan returns and you grow weary of the role, just hand it over to him."

Upon hearing this, Dantai Lan hesitated. She truly had no interest in becoming the Dragon Fang Lineage Head, and she would also have to deal with the other lineages.

She truly had not the slightest good feeling toward the other lineages of the Li Li Tianwang Lineage, especially the Dragon Blood Lineage—if not for their obstruction back then, Li Taixuan would not have left in dejection.

However, upon seeing Li Luo's heartbroken appearance, she could only heave a silent sigh, extend both hands, and respectfully accept the Lineage Head token.

Li Li Jingzhe had done far too much for Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge; this debt, Dantai Lan had no way to repay, and could only do her utmost to fulfill the old man's final wish.

"Father, rest assured. With Taixuan and me here, the Dragon Fang Lineage will not fall." She gave her promise softly.

Li Li Jingzhe nodded in satisfaction, then took out a crimson-red light shield—precisely his King-grade treasure, the Nine Dragon Fire Sword Shield.

"This item I leave to you; it should also strengthen your means somewhat." He handed this fire shield to Dantai Lan as well.

Finally, he picked up the bamboo staff resting across his knees. At this moment, the bamboo staff's brilliance was restrained within, as if it had become a golden bamboo, with faint extraordinary aura flowing through it.

"This King-Slaying Staff, I have sealed its origin and transformed it into a top-grade King-grade material. Little Luo has now advanced to Marquis and has no Marquis-grade treasure to use. Please help me fuse it into his Dragon Elephant Blade, and forge for him an indestructible treasure."

A gentle smile rose in Li Li Jingzhe's eyes as he said to Li Luo, "Grandfather can no longer protect your path, so let this King-Slaying Staff accompany you as you continue forward."

Looking at Li Li Jingzhe's gentle, aged face, Li Luo desperately wanted to smile at him, to put his mind at ease, but his eyes stubbornly blurred.

"Grandfather, I'm sorry—it's all your grandson's fault that you've come to this." Li Luo knelt before Li Li Jingzhe, his voice hoarse as he spoke.

Li Li Jingzhe shook his head, extended his cracked, withered hand, and stroked the young man's hair, saying gently, "I told you—the events of those years will not happen a second time."

"This time."

"Even the Heavenly King cannot harm a single hair on you before my eyes."

"For that, even if I give up this Crown, what of it?"

As his words fell, the cracks on the surface of Li Li Jingzhe's body began to grow more pronounced, looking as though he were a porcelain about to shatter.

"Eldest, Second, from now on, all matters of the Dragon Fang Lineage shall be decided by Little Lan. The two of you must spare no effort in sharing her burdens." He looked at Li Li Qingpeng and Li Li Jinpan one last time and spoke.

The two men knelt down with grief-stricken faces, kowtowing forcefully.

Li Li Jiluo and the other powerhouses of the Li Li Tianwang Lineage also wore grim expressions. The fall of a Pseudo Three-Crown King was a matter of utmost grief for the Li Li Tianwang Lineage.

"We respectfully see off Lineage Head Li Jingzhe."

They bowed with the grandest of rites.

Throughout the world, the powerhouses of the other factions all bent at the waist with complex expressions; even Qin Baiyan and the others showed respect in their eyes.

"We respectfully see off Lineage Head Li Jingzhe."

One after another, voices brimming with admiration and gratitude rose up in succession.

Everyone understood that if not for Li Li Jingzhe's sacrifice this time, all of them would have been doomed.

And amid those many reverent voices, Li Li Jingzhe's body burst forth with resplendent light, and then, before all eyes, his body suddenly shattered.

Vast energy surged skyward, directly stirring up an endless tide of energy across the entire Boundary River Domain.

It seemed as if a golden giant dragon soared through the heavens, letting out a mournful cry.

Between heaven and earth, a torrential downpour poured down—but this storm was not black rain; it was spiritual rain imbued with tremendous energy.

When a King falls, his blessing returns to heaven and earth.

And amid that sky-filling spiritual rain, Li Luo let out a cry of agony, a cry carrying bone-deep grief, too painful to witness.

Beside him, Jiang Jiang Qinge gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She did not comfort Li Luo—at this moment, he needed to vent the grief in his heart.

Dantai Lan gripped the token, watching Li Luo weeping in grief-stricken agony in the rain, a pang of heartache surfacing in her eyes.

"Huh?"

But suddenly, her gaze sharpened, for at that moment she saw Li Luo, who was immersed in boundless grief, have purple-gold radiance flowing out from within his body.

Deep within that purple-gold radiance, there seemed to be a mysterious golden wheel slowly turning.

"This is..."

A look of deep astonishment flashed across Dan Tai Lan's eyes.

Boom!

Along with the turning of that mysterious golden wheel, a strange rumbling seemed to sound between heaven and earth.

The spiritual rain whistling across the sky all converged toward Li Luo at this moment, and was finally absorbed by the mysterious golden wheel within his body.

Dan Tai Lan swept her sleeve, silver light flickered, space warped, and shielded the several people nearby within it.

And Li Luo, who at this moment was in extreme grief, also sensed the anomaly. He raised his head somewhat blankly, and the mysterious golden wheel within his body reflected profound light, which wove together before him.

Gradually, it formed a... golden bamboo shoot, roughly an inch or so in length.

Li Luo suddenly widened his reddened eyes, because on this golden bamboo shoot, he faintly sensed a trace of familiar fluctuation.

That was an aura belonging to Li Jing Zhe.

"Grandpa, Grandpa?!"

Li Luo's eyes went blurry and hazy.

"How did you turn into a bamboo shoot?"