This caught Lu Shuanglu by surprise. She chuckled and said, "That's a really strong opponent, then. It seems like Sister Qing'er may have lost in every aspect. It's no wonder she's always looking so down."
Then she paused for a moment before she said nonchalantly, "That said, I don't think the two of them fit together very well. Zhang Cuicheng is a much more compatible partner for Sister Qing'e."
Zhang Cuicheng was one of the top elites from the Zhang family in Golden Dragon Mountain. He was already a second-grade Duke at a young age and had constructed two nine-pillar Duke Bergfrieds. His battle strength was extraordinary and he had even defeated a third-grade Duke with his second-grade Duke strength. It was said that the Zhang family valued him greatly and was trying to help him forge a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried when he entered the Third Duke Stage!
Zhang Cuicheng was at the World End's River Region at the moment as well, he was just not at the Golden Stone Valley.
"If he knew that Li Luo was here, he'd surely regret not coming," Lu Shuanglu said with a laugh.
Mu Yao's heart wavered. He couldn't help but ask, "Does Master Zhang Cuicheng like Miss Qing'er?"
Lu Shuanglu replied with glee, "Yes, he fell in love with her after meeting her a few times. He even asked his elders to visit our peak for a marriage proposal. Unfortunately, he was rejected by Sister Qing'er directly. He was unwilling to accept it and started investigating why. That's how he found out about Li Luo."
After hearing this, Mu Yao seemed to understand something, so he asked, "In that case, the reason why you and Master Zhang Cuicheng had come to the World End's River Region is to..."
Lu Shuanglu nodded slightly. "He wants to see what Li Luo is capable of. Tsk, the compet.i.tion between men is incomprehensible sometimes."
"Li Luo is only at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. There is a huge gap between him and Master Zhang Cuicheng. After all, there's a few years of difference in their cultivation journeys," Mu Yao said.
"Who cares?"
Lu Shuanglu shrugged nonchalantly.
As they continued to talk about the secrets of Golden Dragon Mountain, the confrontation between the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao was growing fiercer in the sky.
Enormous amounts of energy filled the area as the heavens and earth trembled.
However, just when the atmosphere couldn't get any more tense, more people suddenly flew across the sky towards the scene of the confrontation. Duke Bergfrieds began to appear one after another, and a helpless and aged voice echoed out in the sky.
"Everyone, the Golden Stone Valley has its own rules. Since you're here, please respect them. Rogue cultivators like us do not dare to fight with the Heavenly Emperor lineages. However, we have a temper as well. If you're going to destroy our ricebowl, we have no choice but to fight back."
As the voice resounded in the sky, a resonant power that was not any weaker than Li Jinpan's and Zhao Jiao's surged up. It directly tore the tense atmosphere apart.
The sudden appearance of a third party broke the tense atmosphere in the sky above the Golden Stone Valley. Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao turned their heads towards the numerous people floating in the distant sky.
An elderly man in yellow robes stood in front of the group as their leader. He appeared skinny and short, but a huge bow that struck fear into all who saw it hung on his back. It emanated golden energy that shook the air around it, sending chills up one's spine.
Seven Duke Bergfrieds materialized above his head, continuously devouring worldly natural energy from the surroundings, and a terrifying pressure swept across the field.
There was no doubt about it—this newcomer also had a formidable foundation of his own. His strength was on par with Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao, both seventh-grade Dukes.
"I was just wondering who had spoken up. So it turns out it was the Alliance Master of the Golden Stone Alliance, Guanhu," Zhao Jiao said nonchalantly. He squinted slightly as he looked over at the elderly man.
The so-called Golden Stone Alliance was an alliance formed by the rogue cultivators in the Golden Stone Valley. Although they were largely disorganized, it was necessary that they teamed up to protect their own interests. Many strong Dukes were part of the alliance.
Guanhu, the old man in front of them, was an upper seventh-grade Duke. He was considered one of the stronger and more reputable rogue cultivators in the World's End River Region.
Over the years, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been trying to claim this high grade hunting ground for their own. However, the Golden Stone Alliance had thwarted their plans time and time again. Of course, the mighty Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao wasn't afraid of Guanhu. He was simply an upper seventh-grade Duke, nothing worth mentioning in the eyes of a Heavenly Emperor power. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
However, the Golden Stone Alliance contained many unruly rogue cultivators, and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao did not want things to get too ugly. If these rogue cultivators became their enemies, it would bring a lot of unnecessary trouble for them.
That said, over the last few years, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been slowly encroaching over this territory. However, they did not push too hard for it either.
The old man with the bow took a glance at Li Jinpan and Zhao Jiao. He cupped his fists together and greeted them respectfully. "Greetings. The tide will be rising soon in the Golden Stone Valley. We should avoid creating any unnecessary energy undulations at this moment in case we scare off the Golden Stone Spirit Clams. I believe everyone is here for the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls as well? If we frighten them, they will not dare to appear. This will affect our harvest. I'm sure you don't want that to happen either, right?"
Hearing this, the energy waves coming from Li Jinpan subsided. "Alliance Master Guanhu, the Golden Stone Valley hunting ground doesn't belong to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, does it?"
"The Golden Stone Valley does not belong to anyone," Guanhu replied.
Li Jinpan revealed a smile. "Zhao Jiao has been barking at us like a wild dog guarding his food. For a moment, I thought the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had staked a claim over it."
Zhao Jiao's eyes darkened when he heard this. Truth be told, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao treated the Golden Stone Valley as their private hunting ground. They were simply doing it gradually and not using any extreme methods to chase out all the rogue cultivators. It was not announced explicitly in order to prevent further troubles with other rogue cultivators in the World's End River Region from cropping up.
After all, they were a Heavenly Emperor lineage, and they had to uphold their reputation.
At this point, Guanhu added helplessly, "Sir, the Golden Stone Alliance is just a group that banded together to ensure our survival. You are all from Heavenly Emperor lineages, and the Golden Stone Valley is just an insignificant place in your eyes. However, this is an essential source of cultivation resources for us. It is critical for our survival. Hence, I kindly beseech the two of you to give us, rogue cultivators, a way out. If there is anything you need, we can all sit down and talk about it. There is no need to fight and wreck the harvest."
Li Jinpan nodded. "That's reasonable. We've only visited today to get a share of the harvest."
Guanhu replied, "The Golden Stone Valley belongs to no one. It all depends on everyone's individual capabilities. If the respective lineages are here for a share, we naturally have no objection."
When he finished speaking, his eyes lit up a little. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been slowly pus.h.i.+ng the Golden Stone Alliance out of this area for a few years. They were afraid of the Heavenly Emperor powers and felt very troubled over this change. If the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearls from this valley weren't so valuable, the Golden Stone Alliance might have fallen apart under the pressure and disbanded long ago. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li coming in for a slice of the pie wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for the alliance.
The two great powers would now have to compete for the harvest. This would mean a little more breathing room for the Golden Stone Alliance.
Zhao Jiao shouted, "Li Jinpan, the Golden Stone Valley is closer to the base of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. Are you trying to make a ruckus over here with such a small group? Do you think this is Heavenly Dragon Peak?!"