Chapter 1400: The Four Kings Arrive

Above Tianlong City.

Four figures stood suspended in midair, their vast, terrifying pressure surging forth like tides, wave after wave, causing the energy of heaven and earth to resonate with loud roars, as if welcoming the arrival of kings.

At the head of the four was an elderly man draped in a golden dragon-patterned purple robe, his golden hair brilliant and dazzling—he was Li Li Tianji, patriarch of the Dragon Blood Line.

Beside him stood the four patriarchs: Li Li Qingying of the Dragon Scale Line, Li Li Xuanwu of the Dragon Bone Line, and Li Li Jinjiao of the Dragon Horn Line.

The simultaneous arrival of all four kings of the Li Li Tianwang Line shows the gravity with which they view the changes in the Boundary River Region.

At this moment, the four patriarchs led by Li Li Tianji stared blankly at the city's entire expanse of white mourning, their eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

"Where is the Dawn Thunder patriarch?!"

Li Li Tianji's low voice echoed through every corner of Tianlong City.

Yet no one dared to answer.

After several breaths, several figures shot upward; their leader was Li Li Jiluo of the Dragon Blood Line. He arrived before Li Li Tianji and the others, bowed respectfully, then spoke with a sorrowful expression: "My lord, the Dawn Thunder patriarch… he has perished!"

Boom!

A terrifying pressure erupted suddenly from Li Li Tianji's body, causing the void to crack repeatedly, the entire sky resembling a mirror about to shatter.

Under this pressure, Li Li Jiluo felt his breath constrict and his body bend painfully under the strain.

Fortunately, the pressure came and went swiftly; Li Li Tianji quickly suppressed the chaotic energy, but his face turned ashen, and the other three patriarchs wore expressions of shock and fury.

In truth, before arriving at Tianlong City, they had received vague intelligence; upon first reaching the city, they had sensed no trace of Li Li Jingzhe's aura—this had already raised ominous suspicions.

Yet now, as those suspicions became reality, they still sent shockwaves through the hearts of Li Li Tianji and the other three.

"What exactly happened?!" Li Li Tianji's beard and hair bristled with rage, his eyes terrifying. Though he had always harbored some wariness toward Li Li Jingzhe, Li Li Jingzhe was still the patriarch of the Dragon Fang Line—a pillar of the Li Li Tianwang Line!

Any king-level cultivator is the foundation of the Li Tianwang Line; how much more so Li Li Jingzhe, who had already entered the Void Third Crown King Realm!

Li Li Jingzhe's death is a crippling blow to the entire Li Li Tianwang Line.

Li Li Jiluo sorrowfully recounted everything that had transpired in the Boundary River Region.

"The Faceless Nether King? The Guiyi Society!"

"The Three-Eyed Xuantai Great Demon King?!"

"Qin Jiujie?!"

As Li Li Jiluo spoke, Li Li Tianji and the three other patriarchs repeatedly gasped in disbelief, their faces filled with fury and horror—they simply could not imagine that the "Black Rain Ghost Calamity" in the Boundary River Region had taken such a drastic turn.

No wonder Li Li Jingzhe had perished here.

"Qin Jiujie truly deserves to die!" roared Li Li Xuanwu, patriarch of the Dragon Bone Line. As he raged, his body emitted thunderous roars, and countless people within Tianlong City felt their bodies grow scorching hot, as if about to spontaneously combust.

"The Qin Li Tianwang Line must give us an explanation!" snarled Li Li Qingying, patriarch of the Dragon Scale Line.

"That beast has utterly abandoned his identity as part of the Qin Li Tianwang Line and joined the Guiyi Society. The Qin Li Tianwang Line is now in chaos because of it—but this blood feud, the Li Li Tianwang Line will not forget. One day, Qin Jiujie will pay with his life!" Li Li Tianji said coldly.

He then took a deep breath, slightly calming himself, and said: "With the death of the Dawn Thunder patriarch, the Li Li Tianwang Line must give him the highest funeral rites. And the Dragon Fang Line cannot remain leaderless—we must discuss how to handle this matter."

The three patriarchs nodded slightly; such a vast domain as the Dragon Fang Line would surely descend into chaos without a leader.

At this moment, Li Li Jiluo spoke with slight awkwardness: "My lords, the Dragon Fang Line already has a new patriarch—appointed publicly by the Dawn Thunder patriarch before his death."

All four froze. Then Li Li Tianji asked: "Is it Li Li Qingpeng? He is qualified to succeed, but his strength is still slightly lacking—he may not be able to subdue the entire Dragon Fang Line."

Li Li Qingying said: "Though Li Li Qingpeng is only an Eighth-Rank Marquis, if this was the Dawn Thunder patriarch's final decree, we must support him—otherwise we betray the Dawn Thunder patriarch's contributions to our Li Li Tianwang Line."

"Of course we will support him," Li Li Tianji declared.

"It's not Li Li Qingpeng," Li Li Jiluo interrupted quickly. "Before his death, the Dawn Thunder patriarch passed the Dragon Fang patriarch position to Dan Tai Lan!"

"Dan Tai Lan?"

Hearing this unexpected name, all four patriarchs wore expressions of shock.

Li Li Tianji frowned: "She left Outer Shenzhou—how could she appear now? And she is not even of the Li Li Tianwang Line. How could she possibly be worthy of the Dragon Fang patriarch position?"

"This final appointment by the Dawn Thunder patriarch is truly strange."

Li Li Qingying and the other two patriarchs were also deeply surprised; by all rights, Li Li Qingpeng, Li Li Jingzhe's eldest son, should have been the natural successor. Dan Tai Lan, though married to Li Taixuan, was still an outsider.

Was Li Li Jingzhe not afraid this appointment would spark opposition within the Dragon Fang Line?

While he was alive, no one dared oppose his decisions—but now he is dead, his authority fades.

This matter could easily plunge the Dragon Fang Line into internal chaos.

"Where is Dan Tai Lan?" Li Li Tianji asked slowly.

"She is waiting for you four in the Tianlong Pavilion," Li Li Jiluo replied.

Li Li Tianji's expression darkened slightly; Dan Tai Lan was a junior in their presence. Now that they had arrived in Tianlong City, she did not come to greet them—instead, she expected them to go to her.

But Li Li Tianji, as patriarch of the main branch of the Li Li Tianwang Line, possessed immense composure. He quickly suppressed his emotions and asked: "What is Dan Tai Lan's current cultivation level?"

Knowing Li Li Jingzhe as he did, Li Li Tianji knew the man was not the type to make arbitrary appointments. If he did this, there must be a reason.

"She told me not to say," Li Li Jiluo replied awkwardly.

He knew Dan Tai Lan held no fondness for Li Li Tianji—after all, when she and Li Taixuan were being hunted by the Qin Li Tianwang Line, it was Li Li Tianji who made the final decision.

Save Li Taixuan. Abandon Dan Tai Lan.

Now, Dan Tai Lan had achieved the Great Peerless Marquis rank—truly a returning king. With her forceful nature, how could she possibly give Li Li Tianji a good face?

This made Li Li Jiluo sigh inwardly. The Dragon Fang Line and Dragon Blood Line had always clashed; when Li Li Jingzhe was alive, his calm and experienced demeanor often smoothed over tensions. But Dan Tai Lan was utterly unlike Li Li Jingzhe.

With her leading the Dragon Fang Line, disputes between the two lines—so long as they didn't threaten the larger picture—would inevitably intensify.

If you asked her to swallow her pride, she'd likely just strike back with a palm that swept everything aside.

Li Li Tianji frowned slightly, extending his perception to cover the entire Tianlong City. At this moment, every aura within the city was imprinted in his awareness—but after several breaths, he softly uttered a surprised sound.

Because he could not locate Dan Tai Lan's aura at all!

Li Li Qingying, Li Li Xuanwu, and Li Li Jinjiao also wore strange expressions—they had made the same discovery.

This filled them with profound suspicion. How could they, at their level, fail to detect Dan Tai Lan?

Before a king-level cultivator, even a Ninth-Rank Marquis could be crushed with a mere flick of the wrist.

Li Li Tianji swept his sleeve and stepped forward; when his figure reappeared, he stood before the main tower in the center of the Celestial Dragon Pavilion.

The three pulse leaders—Li Li Qingying—also followed behind him.

Before the main tower, high-ranking members of each pulse had already gathered; upon seeing the four of them, they hurriedly bowed in salute.

Li Li Tianji and the others ignored them, walking straight into the main hall; no sooner had they stepped inside than they saw a woman clad in a purple robe seated upon the foremost seat, with two young figures standing behind her—Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge.

The woman in purple was beautiful, radiating an air of dignified nobility; at this moment, she lifted a teacup to her lips and took a light sip, then raised her eyes to gaze at the four figures entering the hall.

A faint voice rang out.

"Pulse Leader Li Tianji, it has been a long time."

Li Li Tianji and the others immediately spotted Dan Tai Lan seated in the primary seat; seeing her so brazenly disregard protocol, they could not help but feel displeased.

But this displeasure lasted only a few breaths, for they saw above Dan Tai Lan's head, the void twisting, as a golden divine throne shimmering with gold and silver light materialized.

A vast, peerless pressure surged through the main tower like a tidal wave.

Under this pressure, the three Crowned Kings—Li Li Qingying, Li Li Xuanwu, and Li Li Jinjiao—shuddered, then stepped back in horror.

Only Li Li Tianji's head suddenly erupted with two layers of royal crowns, from which pure essence qi descended, blocking and resisting the pressure.

Even so, the layers of pure qi were continuously shattered by the impact.

The main hall fell silent for several breaths.

Then Li Li Qingying, Li Li Xuanwu, and Li Li Jinjiao all gasped in shock.

"Grand Peerless Marquis?!"

Li Li Tianji's face also changed dramatically.