Chapter 1696: Meeting the Celestial Wolf Again

In the mountains where Li Hongyou lived, Li Luo encountered the six-tailed celestial wolf he had not seen in six or seven years—no, strictly speaking, it was now an eight-tailed celestial wolf.

Amidst the vast mountain range, the eight-tailed celestial wolf, its body towering like a mountain, battled a crimson dragon; violent energy storms ravaged heaven and earth, shattering peak after peak.

The two colossal beasts clashed, their roars shaking the heavens, and the endless Lin Hai was torn apart by their residual waves.

Li Luo stood atop the mountain peak, watching this dragon-wolf battle; in his perception, both were at the Eighth Rank Marquis Realm, evenly matched.

The crimson dragon's flesh was immensely robust, its scales like black iron, while the current state of the celestial wolf was no less extraordinary—its claws and fangs sharp as divine weapons, capable of effortlessly tearing through solid stone peaks, and faint dragon scales now subtly emerged across its body, enhancing its defense.

Thus, even against true dragonkind, the eight-tailed celestial wolf held its ground, growing fiercer with each strike.

Yet clearly, the two were not truly fighting, but engaging in sparring and training.

After such fierce combat for a long while, the crimson dragon could not overcome the celestial wolf, so it let out a low roar and instantly transformed into crimson light, piercing the sky and fleeing; the eight-tailed celestial wolf then unleashed a howl that shook the mountains.

But just as it basked in triumph, it sensed something—its wolf eyes swept across and saw Li Luo and Li Hongyou atop the distant peak.

Its gaze halted on Li Luo, instantly filled with shock; when it had left with Li Hongyou, Li Luo had once implanted the "Life Bond" within it, granting them a special connection.

Yet the shock lasted only an instant—the eight-tailed celestial wolf twisted its body and crossed the void, its massive form rapidly shrinking until, before Li Luo and Li Hongyou, it stood no more than several zhang tall.

"Master."

The eight-tailed celestial wolf lowered its once-proud wolf head toward Li Luo, speaking in human speech, uttering an unexpected title of respect.

This was not merely due to the constraint of the "Life Bond," but because the eight-tailed celestial wolf could now clearly sense the terrifying pressure emanating from Li Luo's body—it knew that within these mere six or seven years, Li Luo had grown to an exceedingly fearsome realm, and the two were now utterly on different levels.

Back then, in the dark cavern, the eight-tailed celestial wolf had only three tails, while Li Luo had seemed to it as weak as an ant, crushable with a single swipe of its paw; though later, due to Pang Pang Qianyuan's machinations, the wolf had been sealed within the bracelet and forced to become Li Luo's hidden trump card for his protection.

Yet the wolf had always maintained the pride of a powerhouse, never bowing to Li Luo.

It had believed Li Luo lacked the qualifications... but now, everything was different.

Li Luo had fully transformed into a true peak powerhouse of the world, while the wolf, though progressing at an astonishing pace, found the gap between them growing ever more terrifying.

Thus, at this moment, the wolf understood: possessing such a master might be the greatest fortune of its life.

Facing the wolf's bow, Li Luo was slightly stunned, then smiled: "Wolf Brother, no need for this—you and I met in obscurity, and you've saved me from peril countless times; in my heart, you are also my friend."

The eight-tailed celestial wolf swished its tail; Li Luo's words stirred its heart, yet it stubbornly called out: "Master."

Li Luo sighed helplessly.

Beside him, Li Hongyou softly said: "Spirit beasts inherently revere strength and worship the powerful; your power now far exceeds the wolf's understanding—in its heart, it will forever recognize you as its master."

Li Luo gazed at the wolf's hopeful eyes, fell silent for a moment, then ceased refusing: "For this one 'Master,' I'll see to it you ascend to the Wang Realm."

Upon hearing this, the eight-tailed celestial wolf let out a joyous howl; with Li Luo's current strength and status, once he spoke, its ascent to the Wang Realm was assured.

One "Master" for a Wang Realm—if this reached the celestial wolf clans, even the Wang Zu might line up to kowtow.

Li Luo smiled, then turned to Li Hongyou: "Sister Hongyou, do you have any more detailed information on the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Ancestral Blood Sacrifice'?"

Li Hongyou stepped into the stone pavilion atop the peak; the view here was excellent, offering sight of the boundless mountains and seas—during her years among the dragons, she often sat here in quiet contemplation.

Li Luo followed her into the pavilion and sat; Li Hongyou calmly brewed tea, poured it for him, then slowly spoke: "The Ten Thousand Dragons Ancestral Blood Sacrifice is merely an advanced form of the Ten Thousand Dragons Sacrifice—do you recall? When Elder Zhen Fu sent me to the Medicinal Jade Dragon Clan, it was so I might one day preside over the Ten Thousand Dragons Sacrifice."

"But no one anticipated that within just a few years, the world would change drastically; to confront the rampant aberrations and ghostly demons, the dragon clan decided to elevate the triennial Ten Thousand Dragons Sacrifice into the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Ancestral Blood Sacrifice,' to strengthen the clan's power and meet this great upheaval."

"For your current realm, even the second layer of the Ten Thousand Dragons Ancestral Blood Sacrifice would offer little benefit—only the third layer reveals true ancestral blood; if you obtain it, you may fortify your foundation and increase your chance of breaking through to the Li Li Tianwang Realm."

"This is precisely why Clan Leader Zhen Linshuang does not wish you to enter—she does not wish to share the ancestral blood, for she regards it as the greatest opportunity for her own future ascent to Li Li Tianwang."

Li Luo said calmly: "Compared to Elder Zhen Fu, Zhen Linshuang's vision is still too narrow—if I gain the dragon clan's opportunity, with this karmic bond, how could I turn away if the dragon clan ever faces hardship?"

Li Hongyou smiled: "That is likely precisely why Elder Zhen Fu went to great lengths to secure your place and bring you to the dragon clan—but within the clan, though Elder Zhen Fu holds great influence, she cannot dictate everything; behind Zhen Linshuang stands an even older Celestial Dragon Li Li Tianwang, whose lineage and power surpass even Elder Zhen Fu's—this is why Zhen Linshuang dares to defy Elder Zhen Fu's wrath and attempt to block you."

"But now that you've drunk the 'Dragon's Pouring Wine,' becoming a friend of the dragon clan, Zhen Linshuang has no grounds to obstruct you further."

"Yet this does not mean you will obtain the ancestral blood."

Li Luo frowned slightly: "Why?"

"Because to obtain ancestral blood in the third layer of the Ten Thousand Dragons Ancestral Blood Sacrifice, you must meet one condition: you need the assistance of the Dragon Ritual Master presiding over this sacrifice to gather the blood for you; without this step, you will never acquire the ancestral blood," Li Hongyou explained.

"Dragon Ritual Master?" Li Luo looked utterly bewildered—what even was a Dragon Ritual Master? How could he possibly know one?

Seeing Li Luo's confusion, Li Hongyou's coldly beautiful face broke into a mischievous smile: "How coincidental—the one sitting before you is one of the Dragon Ritual Masters presiding over this Ten Thousand Dragons Ancestral Blood Sacrifice."

Li Luo froze, then burst into joy—he nearly wanted to pinch Li Hongyou's cheeks and shout "Precious!"

"Perhaps it's not pure coincidence—Elder Zhen Fu sent me to the Medicinal Jade Dragon Clan, perhaps foreseeing this day," Li Hongyou smiled faintly. "There are three Dragon Ritual Masters presiding over this sacrifice—all Wang Realm experts of the Medicinal Jade Dragon Clan; I am the least experienced among them."

"The other two Dragon Ritual Masters will surely aid Clan Leader Zhen Linshuang, so she will hold many advantages."

Li Luo didn't care: "I only need a share—I never intended to claim all the ancestral blood."

He wasn't as tyrannical as Zhen Linshuang, who wouldn't even grant participation.

Li Hongyou nodded slightly and smiled: "If so, the difficulty will be much reduced—but if you encounter Clan Leader Zhen Linshuang in the third layer, you must still demonstrate sufficient strength; her personality is extremely dominant and ruthless—you must show even greater dominance, or she will not relent."

Having lived among the dragons for so long and interacted often with Zhen Linshuang, she understood her nature well.

"Also, besides Clan Leader Zhen Linshuang, other top dragon clan experts will likely participate and claim a portion of the ancestral blood—such as Elder Ao Yan—but they dare not compete fiercely with the clan leader, so they will instead shift pressure onto you—be cautious then."

Hearing this, Li Luo lifted the tea Li Hongyou had brewed, sipped twice, then nodded.

Deep within the Dragon Domain, in a vast sea, a purple-gold palace stood, radiating ten thousand beams of golden light, dazzling and brilliant.

Splash!

The sea surged into ten-thousand-zhang-high waves; a colossal dragon shadow suddenly burst from the water, transforming into a massive purple-gold celestial dragon, freely pouring forth boundless dragon aura.

Moments later, the purple-gold celestial dragon dissolved into light and descended before the palace, taking the form of a tall, graceful silhouette—Zhen Linshuang.

Her domineering purple-gold eyes fixed on a figure before the hall—it was Elder Ao Yan.

"Clan Leader," Ao Yan bowed.

But received no reply; he slightly raised his head and saw Zhen Linshuang frowning at the spot where he stood—he immediately offered an apologetic smile and stepped back, retreating from the palace steps.

This clan leader's personality was arrogant and domineering; the belief in bloodline supremacy was deeply rooted in her heart; Ao Yan possessed the lowest-tier black dragon bloodline among the dragons; though he had climbed to his current position, earning admiration from many dragon elites, he knew that in Zhen Linshuang's eyes, he was forever merely a black dragon.

And this purple-gold palace was Zhen Linshuang's private domain—she disliked other dragons setting foot within.

"Forgive me, Clan Leader, it was my oversight," Ao Yan apologized.

Zhen Linshuang's expression gradually calmed; she did not care what Ao Yan thought—after all, Celestial Dragons were the supreme of the dragon clan; two of the three Celestial Dragon Li Li Tianwang of the clan hailed from the Celestial Dragon lineage.

"No harm. That Li Luo's Azure Dragon bloodline is extremely pure and ancient, truly unexpected. If only he were of my Azure Dragon clan; I could even unite with him and bear the most perfect Azure Dragon offspring."

However, she immediately shook her head and said, "But alas... judging by his appearance, he is surely here for the Ancestral Blood. When the blood sacrifice occurs, you may hinder him slightly."

Ao Yan responded in a low voice.

Zhen Linshuang glanced at him and said, "I have heard that you have been pursuing Li Hongyou these years?"

Ao Yan felt somewhat embarrassed and nodded.

"You have set your sights on her Alchemist Jade Dragon bloodline, wishing to alter your own bloodline through it, right? Elder Ao Yan's ambition is indeed great." Zhen Linshuang smiled faintly and spoke.

Ao Yan's face seemed to flush red; he responded with a dry laugh.

But Zhen Linshuang said no more. After casually exchanging a few words, she waved her hand, signaling that he could leave early and not remain before her Purple Gold Hall.

Ao Yan bowed respectfully and withdrew. Turning, he left the Purple Gold Hall. Only after flying out of this sea area did he slowly land upon a mountain peak.

His respectful expression gradually twisted, becoming grotesque.

Deep within his eyes, rage flowed.

Every time he spent time with Zhen Linshuang, he could clearly feel that ubiquitous contempt and mockery. How many years had it been? She was always like this... Even though he had already climbed to this height, he still could not change the contempt in her heart for his Black Dragon bloodline.

Hoo.

After a long while, Ao Yan raised his head and exhaled deeply. A scent of destruction permeated his breath.