Chapter 645

When the somewhat ethereal Black Dragon Flag appeared in Li Luo's hands, all experts present who had reached Tian Zhu Jing simultaneously felt a shock to their spirits, for at that moment, they sensed from the Black Dragon Flag a fluctuation that filled them with dread.

Xu Xu Tianling and Elder Mo Chen both narrowed their pupils sharply.

Yet before they could show any emotion, Li Luo had already swung the Black Dragon Flag in his hand violently toward the empty air before him.

As the Black Dragon Flag swept through, the empty air before them seemed to tear open a black scar; the next instant, the sound of vast waters surging rang out, as black seawater erupted from the tear in space and within moments formed a vast black sea suspended in the sky.

The black seawater surged into towering waves, while a piercing dragon roar echoed through the heavens.

At this moment, countless eyes turned to utter horror.

For they had witnessed with their own eyes how a colossal dragon shadow rose from the black sea, churning up monstrous waves—it was a massive black dragon, its black scales like forged iron, gleaming with a chilling luster under the sunlight.

A mysterious pressure spread like a tide, even warping the very void as if crushed beneath it.

Outside the square, everyone stared in stunned silence at the black dragon emerging from the water; the dragon was so lifelike that at this moment, they nearly believed Li Luo had summoned an actual dragon!

Yet the peculiar fluctuation emanating from the dragon's massive body made them realize this was no true dragon, but a Phase Art.

But what Phase Art could reach such a level?!

The answer flashed through everyone's minds, yet immediately they rejected it.

For how could a Li Luo who had just broken through to Sha Gong Jing possibly cultivate such a level of Phase Art?!

"That is..."

Elder Mo Chen's mouth was dry; he stared blankly at the water-riding dragon, then croaked: "That is... a Marquis Art?!"

Xu Xu Tianling's eyelids twitched uncontrollably; he no longer cared about Mo Chen's loss of composure, for his own heart churned like a storm—what other Phase Art could possess such terrifying power besides a Marquis Art?!

Yet even he had never cultivated such a Phase Art!

What right did this Li Luo have?!

That was a Marquis Art! Only Marquis-level experts could even touch such an Art!

And if even these two Grand Protectors were this shaken, the sect leaders who had pledged allegiance to Manager Pei Hao turned ashen-faced, their bodies trembling under the overwhelming pressure; had they not retained their reason, they would have collapsed from their seats.

This young master is too terrifying!

While those on their side turned pale with fear, Yuan Qing's side was filled with shock and wild joy.

"Marquis Art! This is Marquis Art! The young master has cultivated Marquis Art! What a prodigy! Our Luo Lan Mansion has hope of revival!" Yuan Qing could not help rising to his feet, his voice trembling with excitement.

Lei Zhang and the other sect leaders nodded eagerly; they had all heard the legendary reputation of Marquis Art, and thus understood better than anyone how astonishing it was for Li Luo, at Sha Gong Jing, to have mastered it.

Cai Wei did not understand Marquis Art as deeply, but from Yuan Qing's expressions, she could tell how terrifying the Phase Art Li Luo had just unleashed was; she gently patted her full chest, her tense body relaxing slightly.

"This monster," Yan Yan Lingqing sighed beside him, admiration flickering in her eyes.

Among them, Jiang Jiang Qinge remained the calmest, for she had known beforehand that Li Luo had been secretly cultivating Marquis Art in the academy; when he had not revealed the outcome, she had asked nothing—but now, it was clear he had succeeded.

A faint smile curved her red lips; this guy really was quite formidable.

Li Luo paid no attention to the shock outside; as soon as the black dragon appeared, he lost control of his body—most of the power borrowed from the Three-Tailed Sky Wolf had vanished, entirely consumed by this Marquis Art.

Clearly, while the power of Marquis Art was terrifying, its Phase Force consumption was equally extraordinary.

But all of this was worth it.

Li Luo lifted his head; the golden great sword had already descended, yet his expression showed not the slightest ripple—he moved his stiff fingers slightly.

Roar!

A deafening dragon roar echoed through heaven and earth.

Then, black netherwater raged through the void, and the black dragon, wrapped in rolling netherwater, surged upward, colliding directly with the descending golden great sword.

Hiss!

At the moment of impact, no thunderous explosion rang out—because the instant they touched, the black dragon and netherwater instantly dissolved the golden sword qi; the once boundlessly sharp qi now crumbled like tofu, collapsing at the slightest contact.

In midair, Manager Pei Hao's eyes froze for an instant, then twisted into waves of fury and horror. The black dragon, riding the water, pierced straight to the ninth heavens; within mere seconds, the golden sword shadow, forged from Pei Hao's strongest power, was entirely dissolved into nothingness by the black dragon's netherwater.

The power of Marquis Art was fully revealed at this moment.

And after dissolving the golden sword shadow, the black dragon did not dissipate; its cold, dragon eyes locked onto Pei Hao, as if possessing some special sentience, continuously drawing energy from the heavens to sustain its existence.

This was the strength of Marquis Art.

Thus, as the black dragon swung its tail, the void shattered outright, and it transformed into a streak of black light, piercing through space toward Pei Hao.

Seeing the approaching black dragon, Pei Hao's heart filled with icy dread; he could feel its power was immense—if it drew near, he would have little chance of resisting, so without hesitation, he retreated violently.

Yet as he retreated, Pei Hao thought he saw a flicker of mockery in the black dragon's eyes.

Then he saw the dragon open its mouth, filled with razor-sharp fangs; the next instant, black dragon breath erupted forth.

The dragon breath instantly dissolved space, then transformed into countless threads of black water-light—so fast they could not be dodged; before Pei Hao could even think, he suddenly felt sharp stabs of pain across his body.

At the same time, he heard countless cries of horror rise from around the square.

Slowly and painfully, Pei Hao lowered his gaze—and saw countless black holes piercing his body, holes that ran through vital organs, with black liquid lingering, madly eroding and dissolving his flesh.

Gazing at his own horrific state, Pei Hao's heart seemed to freeze.

He could clearly feel his life force draining at an astonishing rate.

"I... I actually lost?"

Pei Hao's gaze turned toward the tall, slender figure in the arena—the boy was quietly watching him.

"How could this be... I had prepared so much..."

"Compared to him, am I truly this weak?"

"Truly... so unbearable."

Pei Hao's vision gradually darkened, and his body fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the shattered square.

Thud!

The deep sound echoed, and the entire Luo Lan Mansion headquarters fell utterly silent at this moment.