The Coiling Dragon City procession wove through the land as a vast and magnificent azure dragon, traveling through Azure Dragon Region in an imperious and domineering manner.
A few groups considered ambushing them along the way, but quickly thought better of it when they noted the Dragonfeather King, Mountain King, and another Torch King from the Blazing Phoenix Region among their ranks. These were three nigh invincible sixth step kingsâthey would make short work of anyone unwise enough to try them.
In the flying treasure gliding over the middle of the entourage.
Qing Ting sat right next to Lu Yun, maintaining a stare of death at her brother and a young girl in crimson robes next to him. Discontent shone out of her face.
âQing Ting, do you er⊠like your brother in that way?â Lu Yun looked at her strangely. This brother and sister duo were too weird. Azureclad forbade him from getting too close with Qing Ting, but Qing Ting loved spending time and being physically close to him. Was she using him to irritate her brother?
The more Lu Yun thought about it, the more it seemed to be the case.
He could clearly sense through the Karmic Tree that Qing Ting didnât feel anything beyond platonic about him. He was, at most, a very good friend to her. Lu Yun wouldnât have gifted her all those items if this wasnât the case.
âNo!â Qing Ting turned her unfriendly glare onto Lu Yun. âI just donât like that Crimsonclad Duke! Uh huh, I donât like her!â She ground her teeth.
âDo you two have a feud?â Lu Yun blinked.
âYes! A death feud!â Qing Ting nodded and huffed out, âIâm stronger than her now. If it wasnât for Qing Yan stopping me, I wouldâve beat her up already!â
âHow did you two form a feud?â Lu Yun asked curiously. Though she said it was a death feud, he didnât read any killing intent from her.
âShe said Iâm flat!â Qing Ting snarled.
âHuh?â Lu Yun didnât understand.
âAm I flat?!â Qing Ting puffed her chest out at Lu Yun. âDo you think Iâm flat??â
Leng Che and You Cang looked away. They didnât even dare listen to the conversation, much less look in Qing Tingâs general direction. Though theyâd once harbored certain thoughts about her, that was before she became overwhelmingly stronger than them. Even the Azureclad Duke wasnât a match for her anymore, and the Champion Duke someone they should avoid provoking at all costs.
The two had completely given up on Qing Ting.
âAhem!â Their conversation naturally registered in Azurecladâs ears and he quickly lectured, âNow donât go spouting nonsense, Qing TingâŠâ
âIâm not spouting nonsense!â she snorted. âShe said my chest was flat the first time we met! As long as Iâm here, sheâs not making it through the city doors and marrying into Coiling Dragon! There is no me if sheâs here, and no her if Iâm here!â
Azureclad fell into an awkward silence and Lu Yun also looked away. But he did make a surreptitious comparison and found that Qing Ting really was much flatter than the Crimsonclad Duke.
Crimsonclad airily laughed the girl off. âAnd if I want to enter through your doors?â
âThen Iâll marry into the Immortal Pagoda and be the Immortal Kingâs concubine!â Qing Ting declared ferociously.
Lu Yun almost choked on his spit.
âThat would be a very good thing,â Crimsonclad analyzed. âThe Immortal King is a marvelously talented person and worthy of being hailed the foremost genius of the Hongmeng. His reputation is greater than Hua Fengwenâs, and marrying him would contribute to an alliance between the Immortal Pagoda and Coiling Dragon City, no matter if youâre a concubine or a wife.â
âYou!!â Qing Ting flew into a rage and rolled her sleeves up, ready to throw fists and yank hair.
âQing Ting!â Azureclad quickly stopped her. âLittle Ying is just joking with you.â
Chi Ying was the Crimsonclad Dukeâs real name.
âJust look at them!â Qing Ting stomped back to Lu Yunâs side in a huff and jabbed an accusing finger at her brother and Crimsonclad. She shook and muttered for a while, unable to voice anything intelligible.
âAre you really going to marry the Immortal King if they become dao partners?â Lu Yun asked carefully.
âHmph!â Qing Ting swept a lofty glance over Lu Yun and brought out an image talisman. The talisman flickered, projected a limber young man in a white shirt in front of her.
âHow am I worthy of him? âŠthe Intrance King and he are a match made in heaven,â she said in a lovestruck voice as she looked at the image in front of her. âThere are no men in the Hongmeng who are worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as him!
âHe deployed the order of time to kill a sixth step king when he was in the common realm. He used a small ploy to dismantle the Supplemental Dao Allianceâs carefully plotted Supplemental Convention. He then refined creation and defeated the arrogant peacock Alchemist King in direct battle! He forced the Supplemental Dao Alliance to end their monopoly! Do you think a man like that can be compared to that rotten clod in front of you?!â
She sneered derisively at the Azureclad Duke, highly displeased by his earlier display. He was so girl-crazy that he forgot his own blood relation!
Lu Yun rubbed his nose; he still didnât read any love or attraction from Qing Ting. It was more⊠idol worship? Admiration? Respect?
He actually didnât understand what was going through her mind anymore.
âThereâs more than that!â Crimsonclad suddenly added. âThey say that the Immortal King used supplemental dao to defeat the Alchemist and Wild Formation King in concert outside Multitude City. Thatâs why the Haotian Tower from the Supplemental Dao Alliance doesnât dare do anything to the Immortal Pagoda.â
âHmph!â Qing Ting snorted and ignored the other girlâs addition.
âAnd what happened in Starspace Region! Did you know thatâŠâ Qing Ting and the Crimsonclad Duke fired off stories one after another, retelling Lu Yunâs grand feats in a variety of different fashions.
Azureclad listened with great enjoyment at first, thinking his sister and the object of his affections could resolve their tiny differences. But soon enough, his merriment turned to annoyance.
As the two complimented the Immortal King, they compared him to Azureclad, Leng Che, You Cang, and even the Champion Dukeâdenigrating everyone else as worthless cads in comparison.
Lu Yun didnât mind at all and listened with delight. He hadnât thought that Crimsonclad would be a fan of his as well! You Cang and Leng Che didnât dare protest, whereas Azurecladâs expression turned darker by the second.
âAfter the Dragonling Assembly, I must go to Multitude City to challenge that Immortal King and see just what heâs made of!â Azureclad muttered with annoyance.
âYou?â Qing Ting burst out laughing. âCan you even make it through his emotion formation?â
âIâŠâ Azureclad turned beet red. âSupplemental dao is a means to an end, itâs complementary to cultivation. Iâll use my own strength to beat him, fair and square!â
âSupplemental dao being complementary to cultivation is also a saying from the Immortal King,â sniffed Qing Ting.
âQing Ting! Youâre my sister!" Azureclad yelped.
âSo? You helped an outsider instead of me just now,â she chuckled happily, feeling like sheâd avenged herself for earlier.
Azureclad muttered ominouslyâno one could make out what he was saying, but it was most likely something along the lines of defeating the Immortal King and whatnot.
âEh? Champion Duke, are you not angry?â Crimsonclad asked with surprise. All of the youths present were irritated to a certain degree since sheâd half jokingly used the Immortal King to criticize all of them, but this Champion Duke remained smiling easily without a change in expression.
âMe? Why should I be angry?â Lu Yun paused and continued, âAll of my treasures are from the Immortal King, so why should I be mad?â
âMaybe Li Zhenâs right,â Qing Ting mused suspiciously. âYou really are the Immortal Kingâs son⊠if I marry him, wonât you have to call me mother?â
An enormous explosion sounded in the air and the massive procession jolted, having run into a massive formation.
âA Spacetime Formation!â roared Dragonfeather. âHow dare you, Spacetime King! This is an entourage of Coiling Dragon that youâre stopping!â
âIâm just a lonely old man now. I work for whoever pays me purple crystals, there is no âdareâ about it.â Spacetime King, having fled from Multitude City a long time ago, slowly revealed himself.
He was still a fifth step king, but the power of time on him was denser than before. There was even a hint of the order of time about him.
âDragonfeather King, I know youâre strong. But since youâve entered my Spacetime Formation, you wonât be making it out alive.â He stood in the air and leisurely addressed the group. âBut I can let you go if you turn around now and swear not to participate in the Dragonling Assembly.â
âIn your dreams!â The Dragonfeather, Mountain, and Torch Kings shot into the air. A hundred plus kings beneath them flared with power and formed an azure dragon.
âAi!â Spacetime sighed heavily. âThe Immortal King used a formation of space and time to slaughter more than twenty kings of the Colosseum in Multitude City. Today, I shall imitate him and use a similar formation to massacre more than a hundred kings of Coiling Dragon City!â