When Li Qingfeng demonstrated his Dragon's Blood Judgment Art, the entire audience was shocked.
Li Fengyi's face immediately turned chilly and she gritted her teeth. "When did Li Qingfeng cultivate this Duke Art? I have never seen him use it... ever!" This was the Dragon's Blood Lineage's most famous art for dealing with internal struggles. Li Fengyi knew that Dragon's Blood Judgment Art was created by the Dragon's Blood Lineage first Lineage Chief. It didn't pose much of a threat towards outsiders, but to those who possessed the Heavenly Dragon's blood flowing through their veins like the members of the other lineages, it had a terribly strong suppressive effect.
That being said, there were certain limitations, such as having to obtain a drop of the opponent's blood. Thus, those who fought against people of the Dragon's Blood Lineage had to be careful of this and guard their blood closely. And if they did bleed, they would have to attempt to vaporize it to prevent an unwanted situation from occurring.
However, Li Luo had only spent half a year in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages, so he naturally did not have a good understanding of how those in the Dragon's Blood Lineage fought. Most importantly, Li Qingfeng had kept a tight lid on his capabilities, never utilizing this in the past two years. This resulted in everyone being caught by surprise.
Li Jingtao similarly frowned and sighed helplessly. "That fellow truly knows how to set a trap. It is not easy to cultivate the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art and thus it's unlikely he just learned it. Like he said, he truly spent some time on it. However, in the past, his greatest threat within the Twenty Banners was Lu Qingmei. This art would not be very effective against her."
Li Fengyi smiled coldly. "There's nothing strange about it. For the sake of controlling the other four lineages, those who are talented in the Dragon's Blood Lineage all inevitably learn it. Li Qingfeng may not have learned this for the sake of the Battle of the Dragon's Head, but rather for future battles. His actions might be sinister, but they are not surprising. Little Brother has always been full of surprises. I thought that he had the means to challenge Li Qingfeng openly, but it seems like..." Before she could finish speaking, an extremely dissatisfied look could be seen on her face. If Li Luo lost in an open and direct competition, there would be nothing much to say. However, he might very well be crippled before the battle started due to the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art.
"Li Qingfeng doesn't care about face. He is already stronger in cultivation level compared to Li Luo and yet he still wishes to rely on such means!" Li Qingfeng was clearly stirred up by this as she did not mince her words nor her voice, making it so all of the other Banner Leaders heard her. Nonetheless, some agreed with her.
This sort of outburst was not surprising. If one were to turn their attention towards the audience, they would similarly hear similar outpourings of emotions.
"Hmph! Was there ever a rule that the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art could not be used for the Battle of the Dragon's Head?" Frosty laughter could be heard coming from the side. To no one's surprise, it was Li Hongli who had spoken up.
Li Fengyi glared at her with an inhospitable look. "I feel like the colorful look you had on your face during the Dragon's Ascent was even better to look at."
This sharp retort caused Li Hongli to turn gloomy, and her enthusiasm was clearly dampened.
Listening to Li Fengyi's mocking words, her eyebrows furrowed as she said through clenched teeth, "So what if you have a sharp mouth? The Dragon's Ascent doesn't determine the Dragon's Head."
Li Fengyi was just about to return some pointed words before Li Jingtao hurriedly restrained her. "There's no need to argue. Third Brother has yet to lose, and the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art is a measure of one's blood purity. Although the Dragon's Blood Lineage has an advantage in this regard, who knows how pure his blood truly is? If it is on a similar level to Li Qingfeng, then this art will not be of much use."
These words seemed logical, so Li Fengyi didn't disagree. Although the Dragon's Blood Lineage focused on developing one's bloodline purity as a source of strength, usually surpassing that of the other four lineages, this was not always an absolute advantage. There were geniuses from the other lineages that similarly possessed extremely pure bloodlines, such as Li Taixuan. When he swept through the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages, they had never heard of anyone utilizing the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art on him.
Generally speaking, if the older generation possessed a bloodline of higher purity, it would increase the odds of the younger generation inheriting it, although this was never guaranteed.
Constant discussion enveloped the audience as their gazes were closely affixed to the platform.
On the platform, a blood-red scale stood tall, emanating crimson runes of light. It was at this point that Li Luo could feel a strange trembling within his body.
Something was mysteriously analyzing his body.
Was it testing his blood purity?
The scale had two ends, and it was the one which Li Qingfeng was standing on that hummed first. Everyone could see a pillar of blood-red light shoot up, extending six hundred feet into the sky.
The manifestation of a dragon could be seen swimming within the pillar.
It was a showcase of the purity and density of Li Qingfeng's blood.
The Dragon's Blood Lineage had a way of classifying this. One could potentially have a pillar of light reaching a thousand feet, demonstrating that their bloodline was peerlessly pure. Anything above three hundred feet was considered to be of a superior quality, and Li Qingfeng’s being six hundred feet was definitive evidence that his blood’s purity was extremely high.
Anything below three hundred feet was considered average, and that represented the majority of those in the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
The peerless grade was seldom seen; even the Dragon's Blood Lineage only saw this maybe once in a century. Thus, those who were comparable with Li Qingfeng were considered to be amongst the best, worthy of being a talent.
BOOM!
Faced with the reveal of Li Qingfeng's blood purity, the scale began to tilt until it ultimately stopped at a position extremely close to the ground on Li Qingfeng's side.
Whichever side the scale tilted towards was the one who had triumphed in its judgment.
Li Qingfeng stared at Li Luo as he coolly said, "Banner Leader Li Luo, if you surrender now, you might be able to save yourself some dignity."
"Shouldn't it be my turn now?" Li Luo grinned.
Although he had been caught off guard and forced to compete in the Dragon's Blood Judgment, he did not panic. So long as he had an ounce of fight left within him, he would struggle to the bitter end.
When Li Qingfeng saw this, he gave an indifferent smile, no longer speaking.
At this point in time, Li Luo could finally feel the mysterious force within his body dissipate. It seemed to have completed its analysis. He sucked in a deep breath as he tightly grasped the Onyx-Elephant Blade.
Everyone stared at Li Luo without blinking.
A few seconds later, there was still no reaction.
A few individuals felt a little suspicious at what was happening. Was it even possible for the Dragon's Blood Judgment to have a delayed response?
Li Qingfeng similarly frowned. This wait was a little too long.
However, everyone continued to wait patiently. A few seconds later, Li Luo could feel a boiling heat within his body. It seemed as though something was surging out of him, exiting from the top of his head.
Bang!
Blood-red light explosively shot out, and in a blink, a gigantic pillar of light soared from the top of his head, shooting into the clouds and staining the skies a sanguine red.
As the pillar ascended, it radiated a majestic presence, and a dragon manifestation that was incredibly life-like was within its confines.
The pillar continued to grow, quickly reaching the five hundred foot mark.
However, it didn't stop there.
Six hundred... seven hundred... nine hundred…
One thousand feet!
When the pillar of blood light explosively grew to the maximum height of a thousand feet, it left the audience completely and utterly dumbfounded. They stared at it blankly for a second before shock and horror appeared on their faces.
A thousand-foot blood light!
It had reached the peerless grade!
The Dragon's Blood Lineage's Banner Leaders, especially Li Hongli, became completely pale. They could feel a chill running throughout their bodies from their very toes at this revelation.
"Impossible... this is impossible!" Li Hongli trembled as she screamed, her expression aghast as though she had seen a ghost.
This scene had mentally shocked them. This was even more terrifying than Li Luo vanquishing the Nine Dragons Becoming One.
Who would have thought that Li Luo would possess the purest Heavenly Dragon Bloodline imaginable?
Li Fengyi almost wanted to mock her, but upon glancing at the pillar of light, she opted to stay silent. That Little Brother of hers was a little too impressive.
Lu Qingmei and the other Banner Leaders similarly had a change in expression. They knew that Li Qingfeng had dropped a boulder on his own foot this time.
In the air above, the eyes of the countless elders shrank at this sight as well.
This surprise did not extend just to those who were watching. Li Qingfeng himself had blanked out upon seeing this unbelievable sight, losing all of the calm and confidence he usually exuded.
BOOM!
Just as that happened, the blood-red weighing scale reacted, and the platform on Li Qingfeng's side gradually began to rise into the air. The appearance of the thousand-foot pillar of light was like a heavy mountain being placed on Li Luo's side of the scale, causing it to descend instantly.
Weng!
With a hum, Li Luo's platform shifted to the lowest possible position, whereas Li Qingfeng's end was now dangling in the air.
Roar!
A draconic cry resounded from the depths of the scale.
Judgment had fallen.
Li Qingfeng snapped out of his stupor at this point, and his expression instantly changed. The resonant power within his body surged out as he planned to escape.
Unfortunately, his attempt was futile.
He could clearly feel a terrifying suction force coming from beneath his feet, from the scale he had conjured himself. A moment later, an extremely tragic scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
It was like Li Qingfeng's body had become a sieve, as copious amounts of fresh blood gushed out of every pore. The entire area within a ten meter radius was simply bloody.
The stench of fresh blood wafted through the air.
The grisly scene caused some to shut their eyes.
The judged individual of the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art would have half of their blood extracted.
Everything turned silent, and the weighing scales gradually dissipated.
Li Luo was at a loss as he stared at the visibly withered and pale opponent before him. His body's resonant power had weakened significantly and his gaze was complicated.
Half a moment later, he sighed helplessly.
He simply didn't understand what Li Qingfeng was trying to do.
If Li Qingfeng had truly fought head-on, Li Luo would have had to engage in an epic struggle, and the result would have been uncertain.
However, Li Qingfeng had decided to pull out this magic trick known as the Dragon's Blood Judgment, and the result was before his very eyes.
Li Luo simply stood unmoving, whilst Li Qingfeng was now spurting out blood from every orifice.
If not for how serious the occasion was, he might even have suspected that this was some sort of scam and Li Qingfeng was trying to swindle something out of him...[1]
Regardless, Li Qingfeng was half dead and grievously injured. His strength had decreased immensely, and the Battle of the Dragon's Head was about to come to an end at this rate.
Was this the supposed duel of their fates? The fight that he had eagerly anticipated?
Li Luo felt a little empty inside. If not for the fact that they had clashed numerous times, he might even have suspected that Li Qingfeng was handing him the position of Dragon's Head through an elaborate show.
In the end, only a few words remained in Li Luo's mind.
"Sheesh, I'm going to cry myself to death!"
1. TL Note: This is referring to the sort of scam that used to be seen in China where people would throw themselves in front of a moving car, usually slow moving, and look to claim insurance/compensation off the driver. ☜
When Li Qingfeng demonstrated his Dragon's Blood Judgment Art, the entire audience was shocked.
Li Fengyi's face immediately turned chilly and she gritted her teeth. "When did Li Qingfeng cultivate this Duke Art? I have never seen him use it... ever!" This was the Dragon's Blood Lineage's most famous art for dealing with internal struggles. Li Fengyi knew that Dragon's Blood Judgment Art was created by the Dragon's Blood Lineage first Lineage Chief. It didn't pose much of a threat towards outsiders, but to those who possessed the Heavenly Dragon's blood flowing through their veins like the members of the other lineages, it had a terribly strong suppressive effect.
That being said, there were certain limitations, such as having to obtain a drop of the opponent's blood. Thus, those who fought against people of the Dragon's Blood Lineage had to be careful of this and guard their blood closely. And if they did bleed, they would have to attempt to vaporize it to prevent an unwanted situation from occurring.
However, Li Luo had only spent half a year in the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages, so he naturally did not have a good understanding of how those in the Dragon's Blood Lineage fought. Most importantly, Li Qingfeng had kept a tight lid on his capabilities, never utilizing this in the past two years. This resulted in everyone being caught by surprise.
Li Jingtao similarly frowned and sighed helplessly. "That fellow truly knows how to set a trap. It is not easy to cultivate the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art and thus it's unlikely he just learned it. Like he said, he truly spent some time on it. However, in the past, his greatest threat within the Twenty Banners was Lu Qingmei. This art would not be very effective against her."
Li Fengyi smiled coldly. "There's nothing strange about it. For the sake of controlling the other four lineages, those who are talented in the Dragon's Blood Lineage all inevitably learn it. Li Qingfeng may not have learned this for the sake of the Battle of the Dragon's Head, but rather for future battles. His actions might be sinister, but they are not surprising. Little Brother has always been full of surprises. I thought that he had the means to challenge Li Qingfeng openly, but it seems like..." Before she could finish speaking, an extremely dissatisfied look could be seen on her face. If Li Luo lost in an open and direct competition, there would be nothing much to say. However, he might very well be crippled before the battle started due to the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art.
"Li Qingfeng doesn't care about face. He is already stronger in cultivation level compared to Li Luo and yet he still wishes to rely on such means!" Li Qingfeng was clearly stirred up by this as she did not mince her words nor her voice, making it so all of the other Banner Leaders heard her. Nonetheless, some agreed with her.
This sort of outburst was not surprising. If one were to turn their attention towards the audience, they would similarly hear similar outpourings of emotions.
"Hmph! Was there ever a rule that the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art could not be used for the Battle of the Dragon's Head?" Frosty laughter could be heard coming from the side. To no one's surprise, it was Li Hongli who had spoken up.
Li Fengyi glared at her with an inhospitable look. "I feel like the colorful look you had on your face during the Dragon's Ascent was even better to look at."
This sharp retort caused Li Hongli to turn gloomy, and her enthusiasm was clearly dampened.
Listening to Li Fengyi's mocking words, her eyebrows furrowed as she said through clenched teeth, "So what if you have a sharp mouth? The Dragon's Ascent doesn't determine the Dragon's Head."
Li Fengyi was just about to return some pointed words before Li Jingtao hurriedly restrained her. "There's no need to argue. Third Brother has yet to lose, and the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art is a measure of one's blood purity. Although the Dragon's Blood Lineage has an advantage in this regard, who knows how pure his blood truly is? If it is on a similar level to Li Qingfeng, then this art will not be of much use."
These words seemed logical, so Li Fengyi didn't disagree. Although the Dragon's Blood Lineage focused on developing one's bloodline purity as a source of strength, usually surpassing that of the other four lineages, this was not always an absolute advantage. There were geniuses from the other lineages that similarly possessed extremely pure bloodlines, such as Li Taixuan. When he swept through the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages, they had never heard of anyone utilizing the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art on him.
Generally speaking, if the older generation possessed a bloodline of higher purity, it would increase the odds of the younger generation inheriting it, although this was never guaranteed.
Constant discussion enveloped the audience as their gazes were closely affixed to the platform.
On the platform, a blood-red scale stood tall, emanating crimson runes of light. It was at this point that Li Luo could feel a strange trembling within his body.
Something was mysteriously analyzing his body.
Was it testing his blood purity?
The scale had two ends, and it was the one which Li Qingfeng was standing on that hummed first. Everyone could see a pillar of blood-red light shoot up, extending six hundred feet into the sky.
The manifestation of a dragon could be seen swimming within the pillar.
It was a showcase of the purity and density of Li Qingfeng's blood.
The Dragon's Blood Lineage had a way of classifying this. One could potentially have a pillar of light reaching a thousand feet, demonstrating that their bloodline was peerlessly pure. Anything above three hundred feet was considered to be of a superior quality, and Li Qingfeng’s being six hundred feet was definitive evidence that his blood’s purity was extremely high.
Anything below three hundred feet was considered average, and that represented the majority of those in the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
The peerless grade was seldom seen; even the Dragon's Blood Lineage only saw this maybe once in a century. Thus, those who were comparable with Li Qingfeng were considered to be amongst the best, worthy of being a talent.
BOOM!
Faced with the reveal of Li Qingfeng's blood purity, the scale began to tilt until it ultimately stopped at a position extremely close to the ground on Li Qingfeng's side.
Whichever side the scale tilted towards was the one who had triumphed in its judgment.
Li Qingfeng stared at Li Luo as he coolly said, "Banner Leader Li Luo, if you surrender now, you might be able to save yourself some dignity."
"Shouldn't it be my turn now?" Li Luo grinned.
Although he had been caught off guard and forced to compete in the Dragon's Blood Judgment, he did not panic. So long as he had an ounce of fight left within him, he would struggle to the bitter end.
When Li Qingfeng saw this, he gave an indifferent smile, no longer speaking.
At this point in time, Li Luo could finally feel the mysterious force within his body dissipate. It seemed to have completed its analysis. He sucked in a deep breath as he tightly grasped the Onyx-Elephant Blade.
Everyone stared at Li Luo without blinking.
A few seconds later, there was still no reaction.
A few individuals felt a little suspicious at what was happening. Was it even possible for the Dragon's Blood Judgment to have a delayed response?
Li Qingfeng similarly frowned. This wait was a little too long.
However, everyone continued to wait patiently. A few seconds later, Li Luo could feel a boiling heat within his body. It seemed as though something was surging out of him, exiting from the top of his head.
Bang!
Blood-red light explosively shot out, and in a blink, a gigantic pillar of light soared from the top of his head, shooting into the clouds and staining the skies a sanguine red.
As the pillar ascended, it radiated a majestic presence, and a dragon manifestation that was incredibly life-like was within its confines.
The pillar continued to grow, quickly reaching the five hundred foot mark.
However, it didn't stop there.
Six hundred... seven hundred... nine hundred…
One thousand feet!
When the pillar of blood light explosively grew to the maximum height of a thousand feet, it left the audience completely and utterly dumbfounded. They stared at it blankly for a second before shock and horror appeared on their faces.
A thousand-foot blood light!
It had reached the peerless grade!
The Dragon's Blood Lineage's Banner Leaders, especially Li Hongli, became completely pale. They could feel a chill running throughout their bodies from their very toes at this revelation.
"Impossible... this is impossible!" Li Hongli trembled as she screamed, her expression aghast as though she had seen a ghost.
This scene had mentally shocked them. This was even more terrifying than Li Luo vanquishing the Nine Dragons Becoming One.
Who would have thought that Li Luo would possess the purest Heavenly Dragon Bloodline imaginable?
Li Fengyi almost wanted to mock her, but upon glancing at the pillar of light, she opted to stay silent. That Little Brother of hers was a little too impressive.
Lu Qingmei and the other Banner Leaders similarly had a change in expression. They knew that Li Qingfeng had dropped a boulder on his own foot this time.
In the air above, the eyes of the countless elders shrank at this sight as well.
This surprise did not extend just to those who were watching. Li Qingfeng himself had blanked out upon seeing this unbelievable sight, losing all of the calm and confidence he usually exuded.
BOOM!
Just as that happened, the blood-red weighing scale reacted, and the platform on Li Qingfeng's side gradually began to rise into the air. The appearance of the thousand-foot pillar of light was like a heavy mountain being placed on Li Luo's side of the scale, causing it to descend instantly.
Weng!
With a hum, Li Luo's platform shifted to the lowest possible position, whereas Li Qingfeng's end was now dangling in the air.
Roar!
A draconic cry resounded from the depths of the scale.
Judgment had fallen.
Li Qingfeng snapped out of his stupor at this point, and his expression instantly changed. The resonant power within his body surged out as he planned to escape.
Unfortunately, his attempt was futile.
He could clearly feel a terrifying suction force coming from beneath his feet, from the scale he had conjured himself. A moment later, an extremely tragic scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
It was like Li Qingfeng's body had become a sieve, as copious amounts of fresh blood gushed out of every pore. The entire area within a ten meter radius was simply bloody.
The stench of fresh blood wafted through the air.
The grisly scene caused some to shut their eyes.
The judged individual of the Dragon's Blood Judgment Art would have half of their blood extracted.
Everything turned silent, and the weighing scales gradually dissipated.
Li Luo was at a loss as he stared at the visibly withered and pale opponent before him. His body's resonant power had weakened significantly and his gaze was complicated.
Half a moment later, he sighed helplessly.
He simply didn't understand what Li Qingfeng was trying to do.
If Li Qingfeng had truly fought head-on, Li Luo would have had to engage in an epic struggle, and the result would have been uncertain.
However, Li Qingfeng had decided to pull out this magic trick known as the Dragon's Blood Judgment, and the result was before his very eyes.
Li Luo simply stood unmoving, whilst Li Qingfeng was now spurting out blood from every orifice.
If not for how serious the occasion was, he might even have suspected that this was some sort of scam and Li Qingfeng was trying to swindle something out of him...[1]
Regardless, Li Qingfeng was half dead and grievously injured. His strength had decreased immensely, and the Battle of the Dragon's Head was about to come to an end at this rate.
Was this the supposed duel of their fates? The fight that he had eagerly anticipated?
Li Luo felt a little empty inside. If not for the fact that they had clashed numerous times, he might even have suspected that Li Qingfeng was handing him the position of Dragon's Head through an elaborate show.
In the end, only a few words remained in Li Luo's mind.
"Sheesh, I'm going to cry myself to death!"
1. TL Note: This is referring to the sort of scam that used to be seen in China where people would throw themselves in front of a moving car, usually slow moving, and look to claim insurance/compensation off the driver. ☜
