The howling of the cold mountain-air was punctuated with the sound of relentless clashing and an acrid smell of blood.
Pockets of resonant power erupted throughout the forest, forming gorgeous but deadly fireworks for all that managed to see it. A trace of blood could even be seen with each explosion, adding a visceral beauty to the sight.
Li Luo, on the other hand, was calmly sitting atop a rock, surveying the chaotic rumble. His gaze was merciless and cold. Since these animals wanted to hunt them down, he would ensure that a pound of flesh would be paid in turn.
The hunters had become the hunted. Still, the balance was precarious and could change at any time.
Qin Zhulu walked over. “Aren’t we supposed to escape in the chaos?”
Lu Qing’er glanced over as though in agreement.
Li Luo smiled and shook his head. “There’s no need to do so. The moment we attempt to escape, the entire battlefield will be focused on us. They will definitely set aside their differences to deal with us. Honestly, the moment we revealed that we posses Golden Dragon Qi, our situation turned precarious. With our strength, we are unable to properly protect this, so it is no longer a blessing or a curse! In the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, we can’t take a leading role as a result.”
A trace of helplessness could be heard in his voice. If the Golden Dragon Qi had not been revealed, they could amass massive benefits whilst remaining hidden. The unfortunate bit was that they had been discovered by Ji Sun and friends.
What was even worse was that that damned fellow had spread the news to his fellow teammates from the Polar Wolf Kingdom! That wastrel of a team hadn’t managed to protect the information either! One had told another and now every single clown in the vicinity had gotten wind of this.
“Even if we did manage to escape for the moment, they would inevitably encircle us with their larger numbers. Thus there is no point in engaging in meaningless activities.” Li Luo explained as he focused on the intense battle occurring within the forest. “Since we can’t monopolize the Golden Dragon Qi, getting some valiant knights to assist us is the next best option.”
Lu Qing’er nodded in agreement. This was the most logical and possibly only option. If they remained greedy and tried to keep the benefits all to themselves, an early elimination would be their result.
It was clear that Li Luo had already come up with a contingency plan once this fiasco started.
However, it would be difficult to execute this in reality. The most crucial fact was that their group was too weak. Three Pattern Genesis Tier individuals were no different from ants in the eyes of Evolving Resonance Tier cultivators. Upon meeting them, the likely outcome would be subjugation and not negotiation.
Once they fell into the hands of their opponents, the initiative would be lost.
Against all expectations, Li Luo had stopped Zhao Ziyang’s attack and seemingly demonstrated might no weaker than his. This caused the rest to take a step back and reassess the situation. The final outcome? The battle royale in front of them.
Qin Zhulu sat down next to Li Luo. “It seems that you have improved once again.”
Li Luo had single-handedly blocked Zhao Ziyang’s assault, and this was something he could not match up to. Based on his own private evaluation, he could at most deal with a Fifth Pattern opponent without much trouble. On the contrary, anyone stronger, such as those in the Evolving Resonance Tier, would completely overwhelm him.
Zhao Ziyang was a Second Changing to boot.
Li Luo’s uncanny strength had far surpassed his.
Just half a year ago when he first entered the Astral Sage College, his might far eclipsed Li Luo’s. The Li Luo then had yet to show his keen edge, but with the turning of time, he had demonstrated his radiant presence with his dual resonances and ingenuity.
Li Luo grinned. Qin Zhulu may possess an upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance, but he had a seventh-grade Waterlight resonance and fifth-grade Woodearth resonance. He would not lose out if it came to a contest of resonant power.
So long as he did not meet a ninth-grade resonance, no one else was his match amongst peers of similar tiers.
When it came to surpassing those who were of a higher tier, his ace in the hole would be his dual resonances as they could bring about frighteningly explosive might. But this possessed a fatal drawback: it could not be sustained for long. If he could not obtain the opportunity to eke out an advantage, then he would be placed on the backfoot with the high consumption of resonant power.
The situation before encapsulated this perfectly. If Zhao Ziyang had continued to fight, considering that four of his resonant bubbles had been used up, he would undoubtedly have fallen into a disadvantageous position.
“Sigh. At the end of the day, we are just a little too weak. Otherwise, why would we have to borrow someone else’s strength?” Li Luo sighed with regret. Most of the groups within the Golden Dragon Dao Fields were at the Evolving Resonance Tier, so Pattern Genesis Tiers like them were just begging to be oppressed.
“Hey! If even you are belittling yourself, where does that leave us? Huh? How can we even bear to live anymore!?” Lu Qing’er couldn’t help but to snort in annoyance.
“Most of the groups are in the Two Star Hall in their respective sage colleges. You’re able to skillfully maneuver around their encirclement despite their overwhelming strength. This is already something exceptional that others can’t achieve, even if we throw two more Qin Zhulus into the mix!”
Hearing that comment, Qin Zhulu stared at Lu Qing’er. Just why did she have to use him as a basis for comparison?
With a matter-of-fact tone, Lu Qing’er continued as she glanced briefly at Qin Zhulu. “Well, if there were two more of you, they’d just knuckle down and attempt to force their way through. Even if you had a harder head, the only result would be a bleeding, broken skull if you resorted to brute force.”
Qin Zhulu’s expression turned rigid. He couldn’t deny that that was the case. It was his personality, forthcoming and direct! He wouldn’t bother with any of these fancy, schmancy plans. If they were truly surrounded… Well then, he’d fight to the death!
“What are we going to do when four groups are remaining?” he asked curiously.
Li Luo nodded. “The last four groups will be our future allies and bosom friends. We’d need to make love, not war, figuratively.”
Qin Zhulu spat on the floor in disgust. What the heck did he mean by ‘make love not war?’ If these wolves had the opportunity, what they’d wish most dearly would be to tear Li Luo to shreds! After all, they had been forced to dance in the palm of his hand.
Regardless, these brats were putting up a great show. Kicking back and relaxing whilst watching was pretty good after all.
The trio then made themselves comfortable and proceeded to enjoy the entertainment. The royal rumble lasted for an entire hour, completely devastating the forest.
Countless teams were eliminated mercilessly.
At the end, four groups were victorious, and they made their way to the trio. Zhao Ziyang and Gu Ying’s group were both part of the four.
Each and every one of them exuded a baleful air as they strode out. Quite a few of them were riddled with wounds, each dripping fresh blood. Evidently, they had all paid a heavy price for their final standing.
Divided, the teams were as weak as loose sand, especially when infighting was added to the mix. Otherwise, if everyone banded together, the trio would have no way to resist, and they might have obtained the Golden Dragon Qi with less effort.
Hence, the gazes which Li Luo and his friends were showered with seemed a little ill-intentioned, even ominous.
Yet Li Luo took everything in stride and pretended as though he had seen nothing. Instead, he greeted them with a face full of smiles as he arose from his seat while applauding them. “Congratulations for surviving the ultimate selection! You’re now the last four winners.”
Gu Ying glared at Li Luo, clenching her teeth. “Yu Lang, was it? I’ll remember you well. I hope for your sake that we don’t encounter each other during the Holy Grail Meet; otherwise, there will be hell to pay.”
The other three groups coldly snorted in agreement. Gu Ying had helpfully vented their feelings.
Without skipping a beat, he replied, “I was concerned someone might attempt to game the situation! Hence, I didn’t explain everything fully. Either way, if we do meet again, there is no need to be merciful.”
At the same time, he reached a hand out to the group. “However, so long as we are in the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, I will recognize you as my friends. You can rest assured that we will distribute the spoils from the Golden Dragon Qi fairly.”
At this point, Zhao Ziyang and the rest did not bother with Li Luo’s outstretched gesture, yet their expressions softened a little. If not for the uncountable benefits, these three troublemakers would have already been sent out violently! They were here only for the Golden Dragon Qi and the dao-gold it conferred.
“Friends, we’re all bosom buddies now. We can go forth together, but do keep in mind that we caused a massive disturbance today. I’m afraid to say that other groups will likely attempt to ambush us. When push comes to shove, we will leave it up to you,” Li Luo excitedly explained. He didn’t mind their cold demeanors—he’d make up for the difference with his enthusiasm.
“From this moment forth, you will be the guardians of our Golden Dragon Qi! I hereby proclaim you as the Golden Dragon Qi Protectors!”
With his passionate and fervent words, the frigid facade of this group of unlikely allies finally cracked as emotions could be seen on their faces. In fact, some were even in a slight daze…
Damn it, there was something wrong about this entire situation.
Hadn’t they come here to rob and plunder?
How had they mysteriously turned into the Golden Dragon Qi’s mightiest protectors? Huh?