Chapter 1686: A Fierce Dragon Crossing the River

"The Alliance Head of the Eastern Region Alliance?"

"The Branch Head of Li Li Tianwang's lineage?"

"Ten-Phase King, Li Luo?"

The silence on the ancestral hall square lasted for a dozen or so breaths, and then an irrepressible burst of whispering erupted, with gazes filled with shock and uncertainty turning toward the tall, pine-straight figure in the center of the field — a handsome, elegant youth who carried an inherently imposing bearing.

After a brief exchange, information about Li Luo was quickly recalled by the leaders of some of the powers.

"Could it be that Eastern Region Alliance from the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region?"

"Ten-Phase King Li Luo — I've heard intelligence on him. He's at the peak of the Unparalleled Eighth Grade, possesses ten phase affinities as well as the Ten Thousand Phase Seed, and is a true pinnacle Unparalleled Prodigy. When he emerged from seclusion earlier, he single-handedly took on three Three-Crowned Demon Kings, slaying one on the spot and severely wounding the other two. That feat of arms shook all the major Shenzhous at the time!"

"So he's that Ten-Phase King Li Luo!"

"This one's not only invincible in combat, his background is also terrifying. His mother, Dantai Lan, ascended to Unparalleled Ninth Grade two years ago. Back then, she slaughtered the Three-Crowned peak Demon Kings of Tianyuan Shenzhou until they didn't dare show their faces. Later, the Dark World had no choice but to intensify their offensive on the Wang Hou battlefield to force her out of Tianyuan Shenzhou."

"Besides his mother being Unparalleled Ninth Grade, his paternal grandfather Li Li Jingzhe, the former Branch Head of the Dragon Fang Branch, ascended to Li Tianwang several years ago. Add to that the Old Ancestor of Li Li Tianwang's lineage, and also the Dragon Race's Celestial Dragon Li Tianwang... by that count, he has the equivalent of three Li Tianwang standing behind him!"

"Hiss... no wonder he dares be so overbearing. He's simply a fierce dragon crossing the river. No wonder even Hall Master Zhu Ze treats him so courteously."

"Heh, looks like today, at this Si family's succession ceremony, there's going to be some fun to watch. This fierce dragon, by the look of it, has come with ill intent."

"......"

The various powers exchanged covertly, and in the end, all of them felt a hint of schadenfreude rise up. After all, the Si family had lorded it over this region for years, and now, at last, they had run into trouble.

Amid the field full of whispering, Li Luo glanced at Si Li, whose expression had changed drastically, then shifted his gaze to Zhu Ze, the Hall Master in the grand vermilion-purple robe, and said with a smile, "You are the Hall Master of the Beast Spirit Hall?"

"I am Zhu Ze, Hall Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall of the Beast Spirit Hall." Zhu Ze's expression was solemn as he cupped his hands in reply. Setting aside Li Luo's background, just the fact that the other party had once single-handedly taken on three Three-Crowned Demon Kings with such terrifying battle achievements meant that he, with his strength as a Two-Crowned King, did not dare put on airs before Li Luo, even though the other party was many times younger than him.

Li Luo nodded casually and said, "I've come to the Si family this time to settle some scores. As you've surely heard, this Si Li cannot become Clan Leader today."

Zhu Ze's brow furrowed tightly. Si Li's control of the Si family had been pushed by Great Hall Master Lin Miao, and he was well aware of the scheming involved. After all the difficulty of finally ousting that old fox Si Wenwu, Si Li would have been their puppet in the Beast Spirit Hall, and the resources of the East Sea Realm could have been controlled by the Beast Spirit Hall at a deeper level.

But no one had expected that the smoothly progressing scheme would be disrupted by the sudden appearance of Li Luo.

The two sides were clearly separated by hundreds of millions of miles, minding their own business.

Zhu Ze's gaze shifted to the graceful-figured woman standing at Li Luo's side, and he forced a smile onto his face as he said, "Does this Miss have some grudge with Si Li? If Si Li has offended you in any way, I can have him offer you a sincere apology."

Si Li, standing to the side, had his expression shifting as he said in a low voice, "Hall Master Zhu Ze, she is a member of a branch family. Years ago, she had a marriage arrangement with me, but later she fled the wedding."

The corner of Zhu Ze's eye twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but feel a great headache coming on, because he knew of the conflicts and grudges between the Si family's main branch and its branch families. The main branch treated the branch families as slaves, oppressing them at will. Though they shared the same bloodline, perhaps many branch family members regarded the main branch as mortal enemies.

If the woman before him had truly fled her marriage arrangement with Si Li, then given Si Li's vicious nature, he would surely have taken much revenge on her family. The grudges involved could not be resolved with just a few words.

And Li Luo had no interest in wasting more time wrangling with them. He said indifferently, "Save the nonsense. No matter what, he cannot be the Si family's new Clan Leader today. That Clan Leader seat must be given up."

His words were calm, yet carried an unquestionable, overbearing force.

Anger surged in Si Li's eyes. He hadn't expected Li Luo to be so domineering — to demand he give up the Clan Leader seat with a single sentence.

But the moment he thought of Li Luo's terrifying current strength and background, Si Li didn't dare curse, and could only look toward Hall Master Zhu Ze with eyes seeking help.

Hall Master Zhu Ze sighed helplessly and said, "Alliance Head Li Luo, this is, after all, Xuanling Shenzhou. Please, give the Beast Spirit Hall some face..."

However, before his words had fully left his mouth, Li Luo's gaze, calm as a deep pool, settled on his face, and then Zhu Ze sensed a terrifying pressure slowly enveloping him.

The space around him gradually began to solidify at this moment.

Zhu Ze's expression shifted slightly. Mysterious light flowed atop his head, transforming into two layers of grand King Crowns, while vast Origin power flowed forth to shield his body, resisting the omnipresent pressure.

The pressure the other party brought to bear felt even stronger by a few degrees than Great Hall Master Lin Miao's.

The peak of Unparalleled Eighth Grade is truly terrifying.

"Who do you intend to have Si Li give the Clan Leader seat to?" Zhu Ze said slowly.

"Her." Li Luo tilted his chin slightly toward Si Chan.

A clamor rose again in the field. Many strange gazes looked toward Si Chan's graceful figure. No one had expected that Li Luo, this fierce dragon entrenched in the Outer Shenzhou of the Eastern Region, had traveled countless miles to Xuanling Shenzhou for the sake of this woman's bid for the Clan Leader seat.

What was their relationship?

And the members of the Si family's branch family also widened their eyes, especially Si Chan's parents, who exchanged glances, their expressions appearing especially complex. Their daughter had left home for years, and now upon her return, she actually had such a powerful backer?

"Alliance Head of the Eastern Region Alliance, peak of Unparalleled Eighth Grade, Ten-Phase King Li Luo..." Si Song, this branch family Clan Leader, was also silent for several breaths, then gave a dry cough and said, "Chan'er has always had high standards since she was young. No wonder she couldn't stand the likes of Si Li."

Those clansmen around who had previously been denouncing Si Chan for bringing great disaster upon the branch family instantly reversed their tune, sighing in admiration one after another.

In the field, Zhu Ze's gaze also turned to the silent Si Chan, and he forced a strained smile onto his face as he said, "This matter may still require the old Clan Leader's approval. After all, by the rules, he is the Clan Leader."

He couldn't quite bear the pressure Li Luo brought to bear, so he first tossed the hot potato to Si Wenwu. That old thing was about to die anyway, so it didn't matter whether he offended Li Luo or not.

Si Li also nodded repeatedly, his gaze turning to Si Wenwu, who sat at the head seat with a face full of deathly pallor, and said urgently, "Clan Leader, everything I do is for the Si family's future!"

Countless gazes turned once more to Si Wenwu. The latter's face was now filled with complex emotions. He hadn't expected that the branch family girl who had once fled her marriage arrangement would, after several decades, return carrying such a hard backer.

Even the usually arrogant Hall Master of the Beast Spirit Hall was showing obvious timidity.

Si Wenwu's gaze flickered darkly. His eyes wandered between Li Luo and Si Chan, and he suddenly asked, "Lord Li Luo, is Si Chan your woman?"

At these words, the corner of Li Luo's eye twitched slightly. His gaze flicked to Si Chan. Though a thin veil covered her cheeks, making her expression unreadable, her lily-white earlobes flushed crimson in that instant, and within her clear, watery eyes, a shy annoyance welled up.

Presumably, none of them had expected that Si Wenwu, whose death was approaching, would be so direct.

Li Luo gave a dry cough and said solemnly, "Si Chan is my mentor. When I was weak, it was she who supported and sheltered me, protecting me through the covetous gazes of powerful enemies. So the bond between us runs deeper than the sea."

Si Wenwu's brow furrowed slightly, as if a touch disappointed, then he sighed and said, "Lord Li Luo, according to the Si family's rules, the new Clan Leader must be the strongest within the clan. But Si Chan is currently only a peak Nine-Grade Marquis, far inferior to Si Li. If she were to serve as Clan Leader, it would be hard to win over the masses."

Although Si Wenwu understood Si Li's wolfish ambitions, with Si Chan's current strength, she could not win over the masses, nor could she lead the Si family to grow stronger in the East Sea Realm.

A glint of joy immediately surfaced in Si Li's eyes upon hearing this.

Zhu Ze also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But Li Luo's expression remained impassive. Then he raised his palm and slapped it toward Si Li. The world's energy roared and churned violently, and that palm shadow seemed to press horizontally across the heavens and earth, blocking Si Li's entire field of vision.

"Li Luo, you!" Si Li was horrified, clearly not expecting Li Luo to strike directly. He immediately let out a furious roar as phase power surged explosively from within his body, transforming into a King Crown that stood above his head.

However, as a golden wheel of light descended from Li Luo's palm, Si Li watched in abject terror as the layer of King Crown above his head — which had been forged only after expending countless resources — was actually smashed apart by Li Luo's golden wheel of light. Finally, the golden wheel of light swept down along with his shattered King Crown, forming a golden mark at his brow.

Si Li spat out a mouthful of fresh blood wildly. The One-Crowned King aura that had originally radiated from his body plummeted instantly, and in just a few short breaths, he dropped from a One-Crowned King to a peak Nine-Grade Marquis.

"You — you sealed my King Crown?!" Si Li's face was hideous, nearly going mad.

But Li Luo couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention. He withdrew his palm with an indifferent expression. These fellows — when he spoke to them nicely, they each thought they actually had the qualifications to bargain with him.

What rules? Harder than his fists?

Li Luo raised his head, looked at the dazed Xi Wenwu, and asked, "Where does your Xi family still have a Crown King?"