Li Jingzhe's Dharma G.o.dbody stood tall as two King's Celestial Crowns shone brightly on his forehead. Every rune on it was overflowing with source origin. There was an indescribably n.o.ble air surrounding it. At this moment, he was like a G.o.dlike figure that everyone averted gazing at directly.
Dual Crowned King!
Whether it was Zhao Zong or the Kings from the various powers that were watching from the shadows, their hearts skipped a beat at this moment.
Who would have thought that Li Jingzhe had silently become a Dual Crowned King!
In the past, Lineage Chief Li Tianji from the Dragon's Blood Lineage was the only Dual Crowned King in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li. Now, Li Jingzhe was the second.
All the Dukes from the various powers were shocked as well. The faces of Zhao Jinwu, Qin Lian, and those who hated the Dragon's Fang Lineage turned green. With Li Jingzhe getting stronger, the influence and standing of the Dragon's Fang Lineage had gained yet another level. This was not good news for them.
"The Respected Elder has hidden his progress so well. When did he break through?!" Li Qingpeng was elated.
On the side, Li Jinpan commented helplessly, "I finally understand where Eldest Brother and that brat Jingtao inherited their personality of keeping a low profile..."
Li Qingpeng was a little embarra.s.sed. "Second Brother, I didn't hide my breakthrough intentionally. You have to understand that if I had revealed it before, the Violet Spirit Hall would've wanted to compete with the Gold Light Hall. It would've definitely caused a huge uproar in the Dragon's Fang Lineage."
Li Jinpan glared at him. "What's so bad about competing with the Gold Light Hall? They've been acting much too arrogantly all these years. Zhao Xuanming literally climbed all over our heads and even took a s.h.i.+t on us!"
Li Qingpeng smiled and replied, "Things aren't that bad. The Respected Elder is still around. No matter how haughty Zhao Xuanming acts, every action he takes only bolsters and adds to the Dragon's Fang Lineage. If you have an open mind, you'll soon realize he's a very diligent and hardworking worker!"
Li Jinpan angrily rebuked, "How simple-minded of you."
However, Li Qingpeng did not mind. He happily looked at the two Celestial Crowns that were perched on Li Jingzhe's head. He knew that this reveal of strength would lead to the Dragon's Fang Lineage ascending in both power and influence. They would finally have the right to stand on equal footing with the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
Li Luo secretly cheered as he listened to the two's conversation and looked at Li Jingzhe's majestic figure in awe. Previously, he was unable to make any comparison amongst the strength of Kings. Now, he could roughly estimate that Pang Qianyuan was very likely a Single Crowned King.
The Respected Elder was stronger by an entire level.
Before all the shocked gazes, Li Jingzhe locked onto Zhao Zong and asked indifferently, "Do you still want to fight?"
Zhao Zong's face was uncertain as his eyes raged with fury. After all, he was a King and was normally respected and revered. However, Li Jingzhe had openly disgraced him in front of so many today. He was unwilling to accept this outcome.
"Li Jingzhe, if you want to fight, then we shall fight! The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao is unafraid of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li!" Zhao Zong roared.
As soon as he said that, the others knew that he was having second thoughts. He was clearly attempting to implicate the two Heavenly Emperor powers behind them into the conflict.
Those words were also a threat, warning Li Jingzhe not to go overboard.
Li Jingzhe's gaze remained deep and profound. The celestial crowns on his head radiated a blinding brilliance, containing the primal elements that shaped the world.
The terrifying and oppressive pressure rolling off him descended like a calamity upon everyone around. As it continued to build up, all the Dukes in the surroundings broke out in cold sweat.
Zhao Zong felt immeasurably frustrated in his heart. Was Li Jingzhe still planning to continue the fight?
However, an aged voice broke the silence and echoed through the air just as Zhao Zong was running out of options to de-escalate the situation. "Congratulations on becoming a Dual Crowned King, Dragon Fang King."
As soon as the words ended, a meteor fell from the sky. When it ripped through the horizon and landed, it transformed into an individual.
He was wearing a starry robe emblazoned with a golden phoenix spreading its wings. His white hair seemed a little messy, and although his features reminded one of a wizened old man, his skin was delicate like a baby's. His eyes were as deep as the abyss, and he was holding a white ruler that was carved with a range of endless mountains and rivers.
When this person appeared, even Li Jingzhe's indomitable gaze wavered slightly.
There were five palaces in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao, and the one in front of them was the leader of them all, the Palace Master of the Divine Phoenix Palace.
Divine Phoenix King Zhao Huaijin. He was a Dual Crowned King that had reached that tier long ago.
"I didn't expect the Divine Phoenix King to show up as well," Li Jingzhe said calmly.
Zhao Huaijin smiled slightly. "Who could have expected this situation? The Dragon Fang King seldom shows up, but when he does, his appearance was thunderous. The moment you revealed your hand, you became the second Dual Crowned King of the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li now has two Dual Crowned Kings, so the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao will have to act a little more humbly now."
His fingers lightly rubbed against the white ruler in his hand as an unfathomable light shone in his eyes.
As soon as the Divine Phoenix King finished speaking, another stream of laughter burst out into the sky. "Divine Phoenix King, there's no need to act humble. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao has a deep and profound foundation—how can the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li compare?"
Golden light pierced through the sky, and another figure made his entrance. Lineage Chief Li Tianji from the Dragon's Blood Lineage had arrived as well.
When the Divine Phoenix King saw Li Tianji, his smile grew even wider and he stopped tapping on the white ruler.
He knew that this sly old man had been secretly watching him whilst staying hidden. As soon as he appeared, Li Tianji took to the field as well.
The Divine Phoenix King thought for a moment and then asked Li Tianji, "Dragon Blood King, let's stop here for today. How does that sound?"
Li Tianji turned and looked towards Li Jingzhe. He smiled and asked, "Lineage Chief Jingzhe, what do you think? If you feel that things aren't resolved satisfactorily, I can help you stop the Divine Phoenix King."
Li Jingzhe's face remained composed. A moment later, his gigantic G.o.dbody began to shrink. Soon, he returned to normal size.
The majestic aura coming from the King's Celestial Crown on his forehead also vanished. He once again looked like an ordinary elderly man.
Clearly, Li Jingzhe was not planning to continue escalating the issue. He understood that if war broke out between the two Heavenly Emperor powers, the repercussions would be too much for both sides to handle.
Besides, he had already accomplished his goal for today. The scar left on the chest of Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong would force all the other Kings that had been watching from the shadows think twice if they wanted to try anything dirty against Li Luo.
After Li Jingzhe's body returned to normal, the gigantic G.o.dbody of Zhao Zong also shrank rapidly. His face was gloomy as he stared at the scar on his chest. He did not say anything more before he turned around and disappeared from the scene.
He was too embarra.s.sed to hang around after getting injured by Li Jingzhe.
The Divine Phoenix King took a look at all the powerful experts from the various powers and said with a smile, "With this, the Spiritual Resonance Cave expedition has reached its conclusion. As for the matter with the Origin Reversion Inst.i.tute, please remain vigilant after you've returned home."
The others nodded in agreement. With the Divine Phoenix King's words, this matter had come to an end. It was now impossible to use interrogation as an excuse to capture Li Luo.
After all, his grandfather was a Dual Crowned King. Who would dare to mess with him with the threat of death looming over?
The other powers knew very well that Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong had simply used Li Luo as an excuse. They did not truly believe that the King from the Origin Reversion Inst.i.tute would sneak into the Spiritual Resonance Cave just for a mere Heavenly Pearl cultivator...
Qin Lian was also clearly unhappy with this ending. However, she understood that her opinions meant nothing in front of the Kings from both sides. Her face was bitterly cold as she turned around and left.
When the experts from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing saw this, they followed suit.
Qin Yi took a look at Li Luo before turning around and leaving with the squads from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qing. Just like this, the various powers left one after another. The frenetic atmosphere of the past few minutes gradually died down.
Li Luo finally heaved a sigh of relief. The people from the inner divine continent were exceptionally frightening. Kings popped out of the woodwork with just a spark, and the scale of the confrontations were many times greater than those of the outer divine continent.
"Thank you, Grandpa." Li Luo smiled with grat.i.tude towards Li Jingzhe.
As Li Jingzhe fondly looked back at Li Luo, a smile appeared on his cold and stern face. "It seems like you've obtained quite a few beneficial opportunities in the Spiritual Resonance Cave."
He could tell with a single look that Li Luo had strengthened significantly both in terms of resonant power and resonance grade from this short trip.
"It's nothing worth mentioning," Li Luo replied humbly.
He thought for a moment and before speaking in a hurry, "Grandpa, I do need your help with one more thing!"
"What is it?"
Li Luo's eyes turned towards something not too far away. That was where Elder Sister Jin was. He leapt through the air and arrived a few moments later.
Elder Sister Jin and the group from the Golden Dragon Bank were still gathered here. The entire group was looking at the ice sculpture in front of them, and Lu Qing'er remained frozen within.
"Grandpa, this is an old friend from the outer divine continent, and we have a really deep relations.h.i.+p. She sealed herself in order to help me out back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Can you help resolve this predicament of hers?" Li Luo asked nervously. Li Jingzhe took a look at the beautiful face in the ice sculpture. The girl had skin as smooth as ice. His eyes turned a little curious and he asked with a laugh, "A friend from the outer divine continent? A deep relations.h.i.+p? Is she the fiance that you've been talking about?"