Chapter 901: Bì Lóng Xiang

When Li Li Qingfeng failed to surge past three thousand zhang, countless sighs of regret rose, for many had hoped to witness a new legend emerge—after all, ascending three thousand zhang on the Dragon Stair had not been achieved in many years.

Now that Li Li Qingfeng, the most renowned figure of this generation, had been thwarted, it seemed the three-thousand-zhang mark could only be challenged again by some future prodigy among the Twenty Banners.

Amid the chorus of sighs, Lu Lu Qingmei began her ascent.

She did not show fear because of Li Li Qingfeng's failure; instead, her bright eyes blazed with fierce combat intent, and she stepped forward without hesitation.

Nine fire dragons wrapped around her, their terrifying dragon aura descending like mountains.

Under countless watching eyes, Lu Lu Qingmei struggled upward, pushing her own Xiangli to its absolute limit.

A golden deer shadow with a nine-colored halo appeared behind Lu Lu Qingmei—her Void Ninth-Rank Nine-Colored Golden Deer Xiang.

The brilliant Tian Zhu vibrated wildly, humming as it swallowed and exhaled cosmic energy, converting it into Xiangli and pouring it into Lu Lu Qingmei's body.

Lu Lu Qingmei's steps were heavier than Li Li Qingfeng's, likely because although both had entered Tian Zhu Jing, Li Li Qingfeng's foundation was clearly stronger.

Thus, when the crowd saw this, they already knew Lu Lu Qingmei would likely fail to surpass Li Li Qingfeng.

The outcome matched everyone's expectations.

When Lu Lu Qingmei reached two thousand nine hundred and sixty-eight zhang, the Tian Zhu behind her erupted in continuous humming, waves of energy spreading outward—signs of overtaxed operation nearing collapse.

The terrifying dragon aura, like a mountain, crushed the Tian Zhu with immense pressure.

Lu Lu Qingmei's fair face grew pale, even dizziness creeping into her mind; sensing her condition, she sighed with regret.

She had a chance to take two more steps, matching Li Li Qingfeng's height, and challenge the so-called "Nine Dragons United."

But she was disadvantaged by not being of Li Li Tianwang's bloodline, so her body contained less celestial dragon qi than Li Li Qingfeng and others.

This meant each step she took on the Dragon Stair cost her more than it did Li Li Qingfeng.

Thus, reaching this point, among all non-clan members in the history of the Twenty Banners, was already an impressive achievement.

Lu Lu Qingmei shook her head gently and stopped advancing; as her steps halted, the terrifying dragon aura enveloping her body immediately dissipated, and the nine dragons around her vanished into nothingness.

As a faint afterimage lingered in place, Lu Lu Qingmei retreated to the two-thousand-nine-hundred-zhang mark.

Li Li Qingfeng, seeing Lu Lu Qingmei beside him, said: "Lu Lu Qingmei, Grand Banner Chief, it's a pity—if not for your slight deficiency in celestial dragon qi, your result wouldn't be inferior to mine."

Lu Lu Qingmei shrugged: "It's not like I broke past three thousand zhang—whether a little more or less makes no difference."

Li Li Qingfeng sighed: "The three-thousand-zhang challenge is too difficult; Nine Dragons United is beyond the endurance of a First-Star Tian Zhu. It seems our generation of the Twenty Banners has no chance to unlock this achievement."

"Not necessarily—it's not over yet," Lu Lu Qingmei said.

Li Li Qingfeng glanced backward with a faint smile: "You mean Li Luo?"

"His pace has actually slowed compared to before—even Li Li Jingtao is catching up to him."

Far behind, Li Luo climbed slowly, his speed now slower than before—no one knew if the pressure was too great, causing him to struggle to endure.

Slightly behind Li Luo, a figure steadily ascended at a constant pace, gradually closing the gap.

It was Li Li Jingtao.

His appearance at this position surprised nearly everyone.

At this moment, not only Li Li Qingfeng and Lu Lu Qingmei were watching Li Li Jingtao—countless unusual gazes from within and outside the Stone Dragon Space rested on him, all eager to see how much this ordinarily unremarkable man could shock them this time.

Under all those eyes, Li Li Jingtao slowly reached Li Luo's position; he looked at Li Luo, who seemed lost in himself, utterly oblivious to the outside world, and immediately understood Li Luo was using the Stone Dragon's pressure to refine himself, so he did not disturb him.

"Third brother, I'll go ahead and scout the path for you."

Li Li Jingtao murmured softly, then continued climbing; after a while, he too, under the gaze of countless onlookers, reached the two-thousand-nine-hundred-zhang mark.

"Li Li Jingtao, Grand Banner Chief—you've hidden yourself well," Li Li Qingfeng said slowly, watching Li Li Jingtao arrive.

Li Li Jingtao shook his head, grinning sheepishly: "I didn't hide—I just never competed with you guys before, so no one paid attention to me."

"Then why compete now? Revealing your strength won't leave you free anymore—others will naturally direct pressure your way," Li Li Qingfeng said coolly.

Li Li Jingtao's face twisted into a bitter smile: "I didn't expect them to climb so slowly! By the time I realized it, I'd already climbed up here!"

Li Li Qingfeng's lips twitched involuntarily—this guy was truly bizarre.

"No matter how much you've hidden, I won't yield the Dragon Chief position. If we meet during the 'Scale Seizure,' I'd like to test just how strong you really are," Li Li Qingfeng said calmly—he clearly now regarded Li Li Jingtao as a contender for Dragon Chief.

Previously, only Lu Lu Qingmei had held that status.

"I don't want the Dragon Chief position."

Li Li Jingtao waved his hands hastily, smiling warmly: "But my third brother might have a chance—so if we meet during the 'Scale Seizure,' though I don't want to fight, I'll probably have to stall you a bit."

"I fear Li Luo can't live up to your expectations," Li Li Qingfeng replied indifferently.

Li Li Jingtao chuckled, declining to argue, and instead gazed up at the weathered stone stairs, sighing with a troubled expression.

If he could, he truly didn't want to endure the final hundred zhang.

But now that he'd already reached this point under everyone's eyes, if he didn't even try, after the Dragon Chief contest ended, he feared Li Li Fengyi would chase him down and beat him for a month—though his thick skin made him unafraid of the beating, enduring Li Li Fengyi's cold glare for a month was no comfort.

So, in the end, he stepped forward under countless watching eyes.

Instantly, nine dragons wrapped around him.

Hss!

Li Li Jingtao gasped sharply, his slightly chubby face contorting—the power was more than a match stronger than the eight dragons before.

And the terrifying dragon aura could flatten a mountain peak—imagine the pressure on the flesh and bones.

Deep yellow Xiangli flowed within Li Li Jingtao's body, gradually forming a massive beast-shaped shadow behind him.

The beast resembled a giant tortoise but bore a dragon's head, dragon claws, and a black-armored back, radiating an aura of immense, unbreakable weight.

This was Li Li Jingtao's Xiang nature.

Upper Eighth-Rank, Bì Lóng Xiang.

Yet his Upper Eighth-Rank Xiang nature radiated extraordinary spiritual awareness, causing many to stir—this seemed to be a sign of potential evolution into a Void Ninth-Rank.

As this Xiang nature emerged, everyone saw a tiny energy point appear behind Li Li Jingtao, compressed to its limit, then bursting into brilliant light.

This sight was familiar to all.

It was unmistakably the formation of a Tian Zhu.

However, Li Li Jingtao's Tian Zhu Jing was somewhat illusory, not fully solidified.

A Void Pearl!

But regardless, Li Li Jingtao had actually taken that step, touched the Tian Zhu Jing, and become the third person among the Twenty Flags, after Li Li Qingfeng and Lu Lu Qingmei.

Huh!

This scene instantly triggered a huge uproar; Deng Deng Fengxian, Li Li Hongli, and others behind were all shaken in expression. At this moment, they finally understood why Li Li Jingtao could surpass them.

It turned out he had, without making a sound, already placed half a foot into the Tian Zhu Jing!

Li Li Fengyi was also stunned for several breaths, then gritted her teeth hard, saying: "Truly like a tortoise; you won't move unless beaten!"

Amidst those many exclamations, Li Li Jingtao formed seals with both hands; only then did his skin rapidly become mottled, as if forming a layer of shell-like hide flowing with copper light.

However, this was not the end; after the copper light, several more hues successively evolved, layer upon layer, covering Li Li Jingtao's body surface.

With the coverage of the fourth layer of lustrous hide, Li Li Jingtao finally let out a breath, then began climbing upward step by step.

His pace remained slow and steady.

Finally, amidst many Solemn gazes, he arrived at two thousand nine hundred and sixty-nine zhang; this position had already surpassed Lu Lu Qingmei by one zhang.

One more step forward would be the two thousand nine hundred and seventy zhang where Li Li Qingfeng stood, and if one stepped onto this place, one would encounter the strongest trial of Nine Dragons Merging as One.

Li Li Qingfeng's gaze also fixed unblinkingly on Li Li Jingtao's figure at this moment.

Li Li Jingtao seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still took a step, stepping onto two thousand nine hundred and seventy zhang.

Huh!

As Li Li Jingtao stabilized his stance at two thousand nine hundred and seventy zhang, the nine dragons around him immediately merged into one, transforming into a huge fire dragon that looked lifelike and emitted terrifying heat, staring at Li Li Jingtao with predatory intent.

Previously, Li Li Qingfeng had chosen to retreat right here, because he had no confidence in enduring the dark-golden dragon flames formed by the Nine Dragons Merging as One.

Li Li Jingtao also felt a great threat; he couldn't help but feel some hesitation in his heart, because he understood that his ability to surpass Lu Lu Qingmei and catch up to Li Li Qingfeng was actually not because his strength exceeded the two of them, but because the Dragon Ascent favored him somewhat.

What he was best at was defense, and the Dragon Ascent required no attack; one only needed to endure silently, and naturally one could climb up, so his performance was very outstanding.

And if it were truly a situation where the two competed, the only thing he could do might be to rely on his thick skin and tough flesh to end in a draw.

Li Li Jingtao hesitated for several breaths; ultimately, he made a decision.

"The Third Brother must be aiming for the Dragon Head, so I will first test the intensity of this Nine Dragons Merging as One fire for him, so he can be somewhat prepared later; my skin is thick and flesh is tough, it probably won't burn through, right?"

Thinking thus, amidst the countless sounds of gasping, he chose to step forward, facing the huge fire dragon.

Roar!

The huge fire dragon roared, instantly transforming into mysterious dark-golden flames that surged toward Li Li Jingtao.

(End of this chapter)