Chapter 834: The Golden Dragon Pillar Has an Owner

When the golden light barrier completely enveloped the Golden Dragon Pillar, Li Li Qingfeng's handsome face visibly twisted, his eyes blazing with fury, and the qi fluctuations around him grew wildly chaotic.

Clearly, he was furious.

After all, it was only a matter of less than half a minute—had his attack struck the still-incomplete golden light barrier, the protection would have vanished instantly, giving him ample time to expel Li Luo.

But who could have anticipated that Li Li Jingtao would suddenly appear?

In the past, Li Li Qingfeng had never truly regarded Li Li Jingtao as a threat; though he was the eldest grandson of the Dragon Fang Line and held high status, his past performances showed only mediocre talent, far from exceptional.

His ranking among the Twenty Banners was unremarkable.

Otherwise, the four banners of the Dragon Fang Line would not have allowed Deng Deng Fengxian's Golden Light Banner to become the strongest.

Yet all these prior assumptions shattered the moment Li Li Jingtao moved.

The defense Li Li Jingtao displayed was astonishingly strong.

Li Li Qingfeng's previous punch had been nearly full power, yet even so, it failed to pierce Li Li Jingtao's barrier.

This was no accident.

So although Li Li Qingfeng did not know Li Li Jingtao's offensive strength, at least the defense he revealed was enough to give him serious headaches.

How could the Dragon Fang Line be so strange? First came Li Luo, and now Li Li Jingtao as well?

As Li Li Qingfeng's expression flickered between anger and doubt, Li Li Jingtao smiled warmly and said, "Li Li Qingfeng, the Golden Dragon Pillar already has an owner. Why not go seize one of the remaining Silver Dragon Pillars?"

Seeing Li Li Jingtao's overly amiable smile, Li Li Qingfeng felt a strange sense of frustration—he never imagined that this former subordinate of the Purple Qi Banner, whom he had once dismissed, would one day humiliate him so thoroughly.

"Li Li Jingtao, you hid your abilities well. If we meet again, I'll truly test just how strong your defense really is!" Li Li Qingfeng took a deep breath, his voice cold.

Li Li Jingtao chuckled helplessly. "No need, no need—let's talk things out, no need to fight."

Li Li Qingfeng's face darkened, unwilling to look at Li Li Jingtao's overly sincere expression, for though the man seemed genuine, he sensed mockery beneath it.

But he restrained himself from attacking again; once he could have looked down on Li Li Jingtao, but now he had to treat him as a threat.

With just this extraordinary defensive technique, Li Li Jingtao could easily pin him down in a one-on-one duel, leaving him no chance to seize a Silver Dragon Pillar.

Forget it—for now, avoid Li Li Jingtao. Deal with him later.

Thinking this, Li Li Qingfeng cast one last glance at Li Luo's figure within the Golden Dragon Pillar, forcibly suppressing the resentment in his eyes, then turned and walked away.

Seeing Li Li Qingfeng leave, Li Li Jingtao exhaled in relief; if not necessary, he had no desire to fight Li Li Qingfeng, and had he not wished to prevent Li Luo from failing at the critical moment, he would not have revealed this defensive technique.

After all, turning the famed offensive "Tooth Kill Art" into this kind of defensive style wasn't something he considered worth boasting about.

Li Li Jingtao turned and walked to the outside of the Golden Dragon Pillar, gazing through the golden light barrier at Li Luo, smiling: "Third brother, you alright?"

Li Luo finally snapped back to awareness, staring at Li Li Jingtao in astonishment: "Big brother, so you're the real hidden master among the Four Banners of the Dragon Fang Line?"

Li Li Jingtao shook his head vigorously. "Hidden master? No way—I can just take a few hits, that's all. It's nothing special, and honestly, it's useless inside the Demon Sha Cave—you can't pass the cave just by enduring blows."

Li Luo fell silent. Inside the Demon Sha Cave, one had to defeat the Demon Lord; pure defense meant little. But outside the cave, such supreme defense was extraordinary.

Though Li Li Jingtao himself might lack offensive prowess, with this defense alone, he could stand undefeated against any prodigy.

At the very least, even Li Li Qingfeng could only match him.

"Still, thanks a lot, big brother—if not for you, I might've lost the Golden Dragon Pillar," Li Luo smiled in gratitude.

"Family doesn't need to say thanks," Li Li Jingtao grinned sheepishly.

"But third brother, you've got to help me with something after this," he suddenly added.

"Big brother, just say it," Li Luo replied immediately.

Li Li Jingtao grimaced. "Second sister doesn't know about my technique, but now she must. After the Dragon Pool ends, she'll scold me to pieces—help me when that happens."

Li Luo laughed. Li Li Fengyi had a short temper; she'd always complained that Li Li Jingtao, the Dragon Fang Line's eldest grandson, was useless, forcing her—a girl—to compete with Deng Deng Fengxian. Now that she knew his "uselessness" was an act, she'd probably explode.

Li Luo thought for a moment. "Big brother, aren't you going to compete for a Coiled Dragon Pillar?"

Li Li Jingtao shook his head. "No need. Fighting over them just causes friction—I don't want all this trouble."

Li Luo rubbed his chin. "You didn't compete before, fine. But now that you've shown your skill and still refuse, Second Sister will be even angrier—you'll never hear a kind word from her for months."

Li Li Jingtao frowned, sighing heavily. This was such a nuisance.

"I know you don't like fighting, but since you can't avoid it now, you might as well put in a little effort," Li Luo encouraged.

The Coiled Dragon Pillars were rare opportunities, and highly useful for Li Li Jingtao; Li Luo felt he needed to push him a bit.

"Well… alright."

After hesitating, Li Li Jingtao finally nodded. "I'll try for a Bronze Dragon Pillar then."

Li Luo sighed inwardly—given Li Li Jingtao's terrifying defense, he could easily claim a Silver Dragon Pillar; once he locked it in, no one could dislodge him, no matter how hard they attacked.

But clearly, Li Li Jingtao didn't want to stand out—he chose the less contested Bronze Dragon Pillar instead.

Whatever. Li Li Jingtao's nature was this way; forcing him too hard wouldn't help. Let him be.

After agreeing with Li Luo, Li Li Jingtao turned and walked calmly toward the outermost Bronze Dragon Pillar.

His movement immediately drew the attention of the other Banner Chiefs, who watched him with wary eyes.

After all, he had made Li Li Qingfeng retreat—Li Li Jingtao had clearly become the second dark horse of this Dragon Pool contest.

This Dragon Pool contest had been full of surprises.

Yet what surprised them was that Li Li Jingtao didn't head for the Silver Dragon Pillar—he went straight for the outermost Bronze Dragon Pillar, which made them all breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

In the following time, the various Banner Chiefs clashed, and the remaining Coiled Dragon Pillars gradually found their owners.

Li Li Qingfeng easily claimed one Silver Dragon Pillar; no one dared challenge him.

The second Silver Dragon Pillar was fiercely contested between Lu Lu Qingmei and Li Li Hongli, and as expected, Lu Lu Qingmei emerged victorious.

The final three Bronze Dragon Pillars: Li Li Jingtao took one, and his claim was the most secure—after he chose it, not a single Banner Chief came to challenge him; clearly, his clash with Li Li Qingfeng had made everyone aware of his strength.

That perverted and terrifying defense—they'd exhaust all their energy and still couldn't break through.

Such a thick-skinned, invulnerable shield was simply not worth provoking.

Li Li Hongli also claimed a Bronze Dragon Pillar, but her expression held no joy—only gloom. Her goal had been a Silver Dragon Pillar, but due to Li Li Qingfeng's failure, only one remained, and she had lost to Lu Lu Qingmei.

The last Bronze Dragon Pillar went to Deng Deng Fengxian.

At this point, all six Coiling Dragon Pillars had found their masters.

When people swept their gazes over these six individuals, they could not help but feel a touch of astonishment, for no one had expected that in this Dragon Pool contention, fully half of the six Coiling Dragon Pillars would fall into the hands of the Dragon Fang Branch — a branch that in the past could only just barely hold onto one!

Therefore, in this Dragon Pool contention, the Dragon Fang Branch had undoubtedly emerged as the biggest winner.

(End of this chapter)