Chapter 0774: Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli
While a commotion broke out on the Dragon's Fang Lineage side over the battle among the banners, there was another lively crowd rallying on the side of the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
All four banners of the Dragon's Blood Lineage had gathered under the same sky today. The atmosphere was intense.
However, the Dragon's Blood Lineage members remained composed and smiling, unlike the rowdy crowd over at the Dragon's Fang Lineage. No matter who their opponents were, they showed no signs of panic and simply discussed among themselves or made bets on the results.
And beyond the dark sea of people, on the front-right side of the hall, there was a stone pavilion. Four people were sitting upright inside, sipping their tea and having a casual chat.
There were three gentlemen and one lady.
Amongst the three men, the man in the middle was the most outstanding. He was large and tall with a handsome face, donning a mysterious robe and had a warm smile on his face. Whenever he spoke, his voice was calm like a gentle breeze, giving people an inexplicable sense of security and trust.
There was a sword hanging on each side of his waist, each one exuding an extraordinarily fierce aura that caused the surrounding void to tremble from its presence.
Holding onto his teacup with a gentle smile, there was a distinguished air of dignity surrounding him.
The man was none other than Li Qingfeng, Banner Leader of the Gold Blood Banner from the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
As the descendant of the Dragon's Blood Lineage's Lineage Chief, he had a prominent status and reputation. Coupled with the talent and achievements that he had displayed, he was known as the best amongst the current generation in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages. It was said that even the Dragon's Blood Lineage's Lineage Chief held high expectations and regarded him highly.
In the same stone pavilion, there was a lady beside Li Qingfeng who attracted special attention. She was wearing an exquisite, luxurious, purple dress with a lifelike red carp embroidered on it. Her smooth skin was white as snow and her lively eyes were especially charming, like a red carp gliding gracefully through a clear river stream.
Although she always had a smile on her face, there was a subtle kind of arrogance behind her gaze. Such pride was innate in her. She was like a flower in the high mountains, where ordinary people dared not approach, only to stare wistfully from a distance.
Her name was Li Hongli, Banner Leader of the Violet Blood Banner from the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
It was well known that there were two great goddesses of beauty amongst the Twenty Banners: Lu Qingmei of the Dragon's Scale Lineage and Li Hongli of the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
Lu Qingmei of the Dragon's Scale Lineage was the Banner Leader of the Holy Scale Banner, while Li Hongli of the Dragon's Blood Lineage was none other than the lady right here.
When it came down to appearance, Li Hongli was indeed stunning, and she exuded an air of superiority that put even attractive people to shame.
Lastly, the other two gentlemen in the stone pavilion were the remaining Banner Leaders of the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
Jin Ming, Banner Leader of the Silver Blood Banner.
Li Lu, Banner Leader of the Dark Blood Banner.
Although the four were gathered for tea, Li Qingfeng was clearly more outspoken. Whenever he talked, the other three listened attentively as a sign of respect and obedience towards him.
This included the proud and superior Li Hongli, who smiled sweetly as she gazed at Li Qingfeng's handsome face while listening.
This renowned beauty among the Twenty Banners evidently had some feelings of admiration for Li Qingfeng. "The matchup for the battle has been revealed," Li Qingfeng said with a smile as he lifted his teacup.
However, he did not bother looking at the screen, as it did not matter who the Gold Blood Banner was going to be up against.
"Boss, as long as you're not up against Lu Qingmei of the Holy Scale Banner, there really is not much to see," Jin Ming of the Silver Blood Banner joked.
"So what if they are matched against each other? Lu Qingmei has been suppressed by Brother Qingfeng all this time, I doubt she can come up with anything," Li Hongli chimed in with a teacup grasped tenderly by her slender fingers. At this instant, she gave Jin Ming a stare as if he had mentioned a name that irked her.
Jin Ming laughed in response. Everyone in the Twenty Banners knew that Li Hongli and Lu Qingmei were at loggerheads. Of course, it was mainly coming from Li Hongli, with her cold and arrogant personality. She had a noble background, with parents holding high executive positions in the Dragon's Blood Lineage. As a result, she would listen to no one among her peers in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages except for Li Qingfeng.
On the other hand, Lu Qingmei was not from the direct bloodline even though she came from the Dragon's Scale Lineage. She was actually from an extended bloodline, but her talent was simply amazing. The Holy Scale Banner she led was top tier, second only to the Gold Blood Banner led by Li Qingfeng.
Among the Twenty Banners, the Holy Scale Banner was ranked two.
Meanwhile, the Violet Blood Banner led by Li Hongli was ranked three.
They had fought over the rankings multiple times, but ultimately, Lu Qingmei came out on top. This inevitably made the cold and proud Li Hongli unhappy.
"Lu Qingmei is indeed exceptional. She has already mastered the Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor Art of the Dragon's Scale Lineage. If we really went all out, I would have to work hard to win," Li Qingfeng said with a warm smile.
"Hmph. I have mastered the Dragon Lotus Art of the Dragon's Blood Lineage. Surely that can break her Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor," Li Hongli retorted.
"Haha. Li Hongli, your strength is unquestionable. If it weren't for the big boss here, I'm afraid we would all have to call you ‘big sister’ and take you as our leader," Li Lu of the Dark Blood Banner said.
"So it's my fault for stealing her limelight," Li Qingfeng added with a nod.
Hearing the praises from the two, a smile finally appeared on Li Hongli's delicate and charming cheeks. She first rolled her eyes at Li Lu before commenting, "I am convinced of Brother Qingfeng's strength. In my opinion, his talent is on par with that of Li Taixuan from the Dragon's Fang Lineage back then. In the future, he could very well become the Dragon's Blood Lineage’s Hall Master.
Hearing her mention that name, the expressions of everyone present changed immediately. Li Taixuan was a legendary figure in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages. With him around, the Dragon's Fang Lineage had been well respected. Whether it was leading the Green Nether Banner, the Dragon's Fang Guardians, or later on as the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, he was always considered the best of the best in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages.
Under his magnificent leadership, the Dragon's Blood Lineage was totally overshadowed by the Dragon's Fang Lineage. In fact, some had even said that if he were still around, he might already have broken into the King Stage and the Dragon's Fang Lineage might have overwhelmed the current ruling lineage, the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
"I dare not compare myself to Uncle Taixuan. Don't flatter me like that, Hongli." Li Qingfeng smiled and shook his head.
His eyes moved slightly as he continued, "Speaking of which, Uncle Taixuan's descendant recently returned to the Dragon's Fang Lineage. I heard he has entered the Green Nether Banner."
"Yeah, his name is Li Luo. I heard that he passed the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath trial and obtained the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath Fiend Art on the first day he joined the Green Nether Banner," Jin Ming of the Silver Blood Banner informed.
"Seems to be quite talented." Li Qingfeng nodded.
"Although he is talented, he has zero luck. After spending so many years in an outer divine continent, even the best talent would be wasted," Li Hongli commented with disapproval. She did not have a good impression of Li Taixuan because her parents were repeatedly defeated by him back in the day. When she was young and growing up, she often heard her father cursing about it, and she was naturally influenced by them.
"I heard that he is only at the Lesser Fiend Palace Tier at the moment. With such a level of strength, he was only able to obtain the Sub Leader's position due to his background," Jin Ming and Li Lu nodded in agreement as they mocked him.
The gap in strength between a Lesser Fiend Palace cultivator and them was enormous. It would not be easy for Li Luo to catch up to them.
After all, these extraordinary figures were giants that stood out even within the Twenty Banners, a paradise of talents.
While they were chatting, a banner member came running towards them and whispered to Li Lu, the Banner Leader of the Dark Blood Banner.
A look of surprise surfaced on Li Lu's face, then he waved his hand to dismiss the banner member. After which, he looked at Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli with a baffling smile.
"I just received news that the third division of my banner has been matched against the fifth division of the Green Nether Banner. And Li Luo is the head of the fifth division," Li Lu shared with them.
The three were startled by the news at first, then they each gave a smile.
Li Hongli said jokingly, "Li Lu, Li Taixuan suppressed our Dragon's Blood Lineage for a long time. It looks like we will have to rely on the Dark Blood Banner to restore our lost honor."
Li Lu could not help but laugh after hearing her. Although he knew she was joking, he still nodded approvingly.
"I will instruct the third division to treat our brother from the outer divine continent well," he replied.