Chapter 821: Shadow Dragon

The moment Li Luo's figure descended into the Profound Yellow Dragon Qi Pool, the surrounding clamor vanished instantly, white mist swelled up, and the space subtly distorted.

Li Luo halted his figure, gazing at the white mist enveloping the surroundings; this Dragon Pool was extremely vast, seemingly unfathomable, and at the end of the dense white mist, no one knew what truly lay there.

However, the position he currently occupied was merely the very top of the Dragon Pool; to see the Coiled Dragon Pillar, he would have to delve deep within.

From the intelligence Li Luo had obtained previously, he already knew that reaching the depth where the Coiled Dragon Pillar resided was not as easy as one might think, for entering the Dragon Pool meant not only facing competition from other Great Banner Leaders but, And Most Important, the Dragon Pool itself possessed an extremely strong threat.

For instance... Shadow Dragons.

Li Luo slowly turned his head, looking toward the clouds and mist on the right; he saw the mist there violently churn at that moment, and the next instant, a shadow of roughly several dozen zhang slowly emerged.

That shadow was a Shadow Dragon, yet this Shadow Dragon appeared somewhat illusory, but that did not hinder the astonishing energy radiating from its body; the intensity of that fluctuation was fully capable of rivaling the Void Marquis Realm.

Such Shadow Dragons were manifestations derived from the power of the Dragon Pool, and they would obstruct all living beings from entering the depths of the Dragon Pool.

The Shadow Dragon was lifelike, with mysterious light patterns seemingly floating upon its body; the moment it appeared, it unleashed a low dragon roar, then opened its dragon mouth, and a torrent of energy directly blasted toward Li Luo.

That energy torrent pierced through the void, scattering all clouds and mist in its path, and the booming sound shook heaven and earth.

If Li Luo had to endure this attack relying solely on his own abilities, he might have been instantly killed on the spot.

But that possibility clearly did not hold, for he was now a "Sealed Marquis Powerhouse."

Li Luo's face remained calm; he raised his palm, and a vast torrent of energy swept over, directly forming a massive hexagonal water shield before him, upon whose surface waves seemed to flow.

The energy torrent struck the hexagonal water shield, which remained motionless, effortlessly dissipating it.

Then, an ancient straight blade flashed into Li Luo's hand; with a single slash, a humming sound resonated throughout heaven and earth, and a brilliant blade wheel of roughly a hundred zhang appeared out of thin air.

The blade wheel flashed past, slicing through the enveloping mist with its sharp blade light; the next instant, the blade wheel swept over the Shadow Dragon's body, directly cleaving it into countless spots of light.

A Shadow Dragon with strength comparable to the Void Marquis Realm was easily crushed by Li Luo.

Yet such a feat did not make Li Luo's expression joyful, for he understood that as he delved deeper into the Dragon Pool, the strength and number of Shadow Dragons would begin to increase.

Of course, And Most Important, he would also face competition from other Great Banner Leaders.

Li Luo frowned in thought; the immediate priority was to delve deep into the Dragon Pool as quickly as possible. It was said that as time passed, the Dragon Pool would form a barrier zone in the area near the Coiled Dragon Pillar; these barriers were condensed from mist and contained extremely terrifying energy that could not be forcibly broken through.

Therefore, once the barrier zone formed, the possibility of approaching the Coiled Dragon Pillar would be basically cut off.

This counted as the first layer of elimination in the Profound Yellow Dragon Qi Pool.

Everyone wishing to obtain the Coiled Dragon Pillar must pass through this obstacle before the barrier zone formed.

Li Luo estimated the time, dared not delay, and struck with his palm; rolling torrents of energy surged forth, directly tearing a long channel through the dense clouds and mist below, and then his figure raced down along the channel.

He currently hoped not to encounter Qin Yi before the barrier zone; if Qin Yi, holding the idea of not wanting the Coiled Dragon Pillar, dragged him down, he truly might have no way to shake her off, and in that case, he would also miss this opportunity.

And while Li Luo was rushing forward, he encountered attacks from Shadow Dragons several more times, but with precautions taken, these Shadow Dragons did not pose too much of a threat to him.

However, as he gradually delved deeper into the Dragon Pool, the strength of the Shadow Dragons also began to increase; the last Shadow Dragon to appear had already approached the strength of the next grade, which did make Li Luo expend a bit of effort.

While delving into the Dragon Pool, Li Luo also sensed some other energy collisions nearby; he surmised they were other Great Banner Leaders fighting Shadow Dragons, but Li Luo did not approach, simply keeping his head down and heading toward the depths of the Dragon Pool.

This rapid movement continued for over ten minutes; Li Luo's figure suddenly halted, and his pupils contracted slightly.

For at that instant, he sensed a faint fluctuation sweep across his body.

That fluctuation was moist and gentle like water, silent and imperceptible, spreading and blooming like ripples on a lake surface.

Li Luo furrowed his brows; this fluctuation must be that Qin Yi!

She was using Te Shu Zhi Fa to sense the surroundings, and Li Luo guessed that what she was sensing and searching for was probably him, Li Luo.

Li Luo's gaze flickered slightly; he was not surprised by this. That Qin Qin Lian had arranged for Qin Yi to enter the Profound Yellow Dragon Qi Pool, and one of her purposes was probably to deal with him.

But Li Luo currently did not want to clash with Qin Yi.

Because Li Luo was very clear on what kind of thorny enemy the other party was; this Qin Yi was probably even stronger than Li Li Qingfeng by a fraction.

If she blocked him here, the opportunity in the Profound Yellow Dragon Qi Pool would probably truly be missed for nothing.

And just as Li Luo was thinking of a countermeasure, he suddenly sensed an extremely intense energy collision erupting not far to his right.

One of the Phasing Force fluctuations within carried a slightly familiar feeling.

Li Luo's mind shifted, and he immediately accelerated, racing toward that direction.

As layers of clouds and mist were broken through, the scene ahead entered Li Luo's sight.

It was a Shadow Dragon of roughly a hundred zhang; its body was massive and already showed some solidified form, and as its dragon claws waved, space was torn apart, with that fluctuation having already reached the level of the next grade.

And the person fighting the Shadow Dragon was a vigorous, graceful figure holding a glazed long staff; that spirited bearing was none other than Lu Lu Qingmei, the Great Banner Leader of the Sacred Scale Banner.

When Li Luo arrived here, Lu Lu Qingmei was displaying her might; after exchanging blows with the Shadow Dragon for some time, the cracked glazed staff in her hand, wrapped in domineering and unparalleled energy, directly pierced through the Shadow Dragon's dragon claw assault and impaled it with a single strike.

Once the Shadow Dragon was destroyed, Lu Lu Qingmei also lifted her smooth, goose-egg-shaped face and looked toward Li Luo's side.

"Clap, clap."

Li Luo clapped his hands, approaching with a smile: "I wondered who it was; turns out it is Great Banner Leader Lu Lu Qingmei, who is invincible here. Impressive; even a next-grade Shadow Dragon cannot hinder you in the slightest."

Lu Lu Qingmei held the glazed staff; her tight trousers accentuated her long legs, making them particularly conspicuous. She brushed aside the green hair by her ear and said to Li Luo: "So it is Great Banner Leader Li Luo."

Generally, within this Profound Yellow Dragon Qi Pool, unless it was a trusted Great Banner Leader from the same lineage, everyone was a competitor, and one had to maintain a degree of caution, but Lu Lu Qingmei glanced at Li Luo's exceptionally handsome face and did not speak up to tell Li Luo to keep his distance.

Although Lu Lu Qingmei usually did not care much about appearance and looks, she had to admit that good-looking people would, after all, make others lower their guard slightly.

"Great Banner Leader Lu Lu Qingmei, I came here specifically because I have urgent matters to seek you out," Li Luo said solemnly.

"What matter?" Lu Lu Qingmei asked.

Li Luo said slowly: "Earlier, when I came over, I sensed that perceptual fluctuation of Qin Yi. I suspect she is attempting to hunt down Great Banner Leaders from our Li Li Tianwang lineage, so that our success in this Profound Yellow Dragon Qi Pool fails. In that case, many guests will feel that the young geniuses of this generation in the Qin Li Tianwang lineage surpass those of our Li Li Tianwang lineage by countless degrees."

Lu Lu Qingmei looked at Li Luo with suspicion and said: "I feel that Qin Yi does not seem to have such a domineering personality."

Li Luo said in a deep voice: "She does not, but her mother does."

Lu Lu Qingmei did not deny this; that Hall Master Qin Qin Lian was indeed a domineering and powerful person. To suppress the face of the Li Li Tianwang lineage, she would do such a thing, and since Qin Yi was her daughter, she presumably dared not disobey her mother's orders.

However, if Qin Yi acted so recklessly, would she not provoke the hostility of everyone?

And just as Lu Lu Qingmei was thinking this, the clouds and mist behind suddenly rippled; the next instant, a wisp of water light, at an unimaginable speed, directly pierced the void, wrapped in vast killing intent, and blasted straight toward Li Luo.

This attack was too sudden, causing Li Luo to seem almost unable to react, but just as that wisp of water light was about to strike Li Luo, a staff shadow flowing with vast Phasing Force swept over, colliding violently with that wisp of water light.

Boom!

A violent energy storm surged outward, blowing away the clouds and mist within several thousand zhang nearby.

Lu Lu Qingmei's willow brows knit slightly as she looked toward where the water-light had come from, and as the mist receded, an incomparably beautiful figure emerged.

That appearance and bearing naturally belonged to Qin Yi.

She gazed at Lu Lu Qingmei, who had suddenly stepped in to block the attack for Li Luo, a trace of surprise in her beautiful eyes—when had the relationship between this Lu Lu Qingmei and Li Luo become so deep?

Qin Yi smiled faintly and said, "Commander Lu, this is a matter of grievance between myself and Commander Li Luo. I ask that you not interfere."

Lu Lu Qingmei glanced at Li Luo, recalling what he had just said—could this Qin Yi really be hunting down the commanders of their Li Li Tianwang lineage everywhere in advance?

If that were truly the case, she couldn't allow Qin Yi to deal with Li Luo freely; otherwise, if too many of their commanders were hunted down by Qin Yi, it would truly be a poor showing, since today was a rather special occasion after all.

So her slender jade hand slowly tightened around the glazed staff covered in cracks, her ear-length short hair fluttering lightly in the wind, her long legs taking a step forward, and at the same time her flat, calm voice spread out through the clouds and mist.

"Miss Qin Yi, the Coiling Dragon Pillar has not yet appeared, so this is not the time for battle. If you truly wish to find someone to spar with, I'd be happy to play with you."

Li Luo, who was standing nearby, was instantly deeply moved upon hearing this, and in his heart gave Lu Lu Qingmei a big thumbs-up.

"Little Lu, righteous! The path just got a lot wider!"