Chapter 0826: Qin Zhiming
"Haha, it's my honor to have all you distinguished guests with me at the Dragon's Blood Lineage today. I, Li Tianji, express my thanks to all of you."
After the five Lineage Chiefs of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li made their entrance, the hearty laughter of Li Tianji, the Lineage Chief of the Dragon's Blood Lineage, echoed throughout Dragon Blood Mountain like a deafening thunderclap.
At the same time, the important guests were guided into the gilded palace.
The first individual was an elderly man dressed in black robes. He appeared ordinary at first, but his eyes possessed a mystical gleam to them. One of his pupils seemed to flash with lightning, as if a world of thunder was hidden within it. Meanwhile, the other pupil was raging with flames, as if endless magma was flowing within it.
Lightning and fire flowed under his feet as he walked, causing the void to tremble.
Li Luo's heart trembled as he watched the black-robed, elderly man. Without a doubt, he was a King Stage powerhouse.
Behind him was a beautiful woman in a fiery-red dress. Walking beside her was a familiar face—Qin Yi, who he had seen last night.
At this point, Li Luo's heart skipped a beat.
"Is that the King Stage powerhouse from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing?" he whispered to Li Fengyi.
Li Fengyi nodded and responded in a soft voice, "The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing has a very strong foundation. Their Kings have been around far longer than those in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Their Six Holy Palaces are the foundation of their power. This black-robed elder in front of us is the palace master of the Lightning Flame Holy Palace, named Qin Zhiming.
"Under the Six Holy Palaces are the Twenty-three Halls and their Hall Masters. The lady behind him is..." Li Fengyi paused for a moment and looked at Li Luo at this point.
"She's the Hall Master of the Fire Lotus Hall, Qin Lian. She's also Qin Yi’s mother," Li Fengyi continued.
"The Hall Master of the Fire Lotus Hall, Qin Lian."
Li Luo's heart trembled a little. Although he had kind of guessed it beforehand, he was still mixed with emotions when it was verified by Li Fengyi.
He stared at the beautiful lady in the fiery dress. There were indeed some similarities between her and Qin Yi, but she was much more mature with a strong and fierce look. Evidently, she was not someone that would be easy to get along with.
This was the woman that had caused his parents to leave the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent.
In a certain sense, there was deep enmity between Qin Lian and him.
Li Luo stared with deep eyes before he gradually retracted his gaze.
At present, there was nothing he could do about it. Qin Lian was far too strong and above his level. All he could do now was improve himself.
As all these emotions were surging within him, Li Luo felt a gaze shoot towards him. When he turned around to take a look, he noticed Li Jingzhe, who was seated high up in the gilded palace.
It was a plain and ordinary look, but strangely, Li Luo felt a sense of peace from it. Although Qin Lian was strong, it was not like he had no backing either. His King Stage grandfather over there had managed to keep them in place, so they wouldn’t dare to touch him.
With the arrival of the distinguished guests from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing, Li Tianji from the Dragon's Blood Lineage rose up and greeted him with a smile. "Welcome, Brother Qing. You’ve traveled a long way. Thank you for coming."
"It's the birthday of an old friend, I'll surely be here," Qin Zhiming replied with a laugh.
"Please, take a seat."
Qin Zhiming nodded and then proceeded to take the frontmost seat. Following closely, Qin Lian took a seat behind him.
"Qin Zhiming is Qin Lian’s direct bloodline elder," Li Fengyi explained to Li Luo at this point.
Li Luo nodded. It seemed like Qin Lian had a rather prestigious status in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. However, that was to be expected. If not, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing would not have pushed her out for an arranged marriage with Li Taixuan back then.
After the distinguished guests from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing had taken their seats, the other important guests started to take their seats too. They were all top talents from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent.
Nonetheless, there was only one at the King Stage: Qin Zhiming.
It was not as if there were no other Kings in the other forces. Rather, there was no need for them to personally attend this. They had sent their gifts over to congratulate the elder instead.
As such, it was truly a special occasion for a King like Qin Zhiming to personally attend the party.
"Do you see the guy behind Qin Lian?" Li Fengyi asked.
Hearing this, Li Luo s.h.i.+fted his attention. Behind Qin Lian was the ever charming beauty Qin Yi that s.n.a.t.c.hed the hearts of many around the golden palace with each and every smile. There was also a tall man who stood straight, wreathed in an extraordinary aura.
The man looked dignified with silver and gold bands around his arms and exuded a faint but domineering aura.
"Is that Chu Qing?" Li Luo asked.
Nodding, Li Fengyi replied, "Yes, he is Qin Lian's first disciple and possesses dual resonances. Currently, he is in the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage and is one of the most well-known and regarded as one of the best talents amongst the youths in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent."
"Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage..."
Li Luo sighed when he heard about it. Chu Qing was about the same age as First Princess Gong Luanyu. However, his strength was far superior compared to hers. The First Princess, Gong Shenjun, and the other Seven Astral Pillars from the Astral Sage College were only at the Heavenly Pearl Stage when they graduated. They had not even stepped into the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage. Yet Chu Qing was already at the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage. There was a drastic difference between the inner divine continent and outer divine continent. He had also heard that there was a hall called the Heavenly Star Hall in the Ancient Colleges that existed above the Four Star Hall. Perhaps only the greatest talents from there could be comparable to Chu Qing. As Li Luo was deep in thought, the birthday banquet had begun. Everyone was toasting and chatting with each other. It was a truly lively scene.
Meanwhile, Li Luo was bored and waiting. Based on the schedule, the Mystical Yellow Dragonbreath Pool would not be opened until the banquet reached its climax.
He yawned as he played around with his wine cup.
At this moment, he felt a sharp and cold stare sweep past him.
He turned over to take a look and saw the red dressed Qin Lian watching him closely with her cold eyes.
Under the scrutiny of a Duke, Li Luo felt a little pressured. However, his facial expression did not change at all. Instead, he looked past Qin Lian, towards Qin Yi, and smiled warmly at her.
Qin Yi's beautiful, jade face was cold and indifferent, but she shook her head secretly in her heart. Li Luo was really daring. He knew that Qin Lian was staring at him and he still dared to do this. Based on her mother's temper, she definitely would not take this lying down.
Just as Qin Yi was thinking this, she saw her mother place the wine cup down not too hard nor to lightly. A smug look surfaced on her cheeks.
"I heard that the son of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan has returned to the Dragon's Fang Lineage. May I know which handsome young man he might be?"
All of a sudden, the liveliness in the golden palace quietened down.