Chapter 1700: Meeting Li Hongyou Again

Li Luo recognized the Pharmacist Jade Dragon, and the latter joyfully cried, "Li Luo!"

The owner of that familiar voice was none other than Li Hongyou. Li Luo curiously sized her up. They hadn't seen each other for six years, and her body had clearly undergone a heaven-shaking metamorphosis in their time apart.

She had not only reached the King Stage, but looking at her current form, the vigorous aura she was emanating, and the medicinal fragrance that followed her, it was clear she had turned into a real dragon. This transformation was similar to the Dragon Blood Atavism Art, which traced one's bloodline to its source and reconstructed one's body, truly transforming them into a dragon. It was clear that Li Hongyou had obtained tremendous opportunities within the Dragon Race.

As Li Luo grinned happily, he appeared before her head and couldn't stop himself from reaching for her jade-like horns. When Lin Miao saw this, he hurriedly attempted to stop him. As a resident of the Mythical Spirit Divine Continent, he was well aware of the habits of the Dragon Race, and the horns were completely off limits. However, before he spoke, the Pharmacist Jade Dragon lowered her head slightly, placing her horn against Li Luo's palm. He then rubbed it affectionately.

"Senior Hongyou, have you truly turned into a Pharmacist Jade Dragon?" Li Luo asked curiously as he felt the icy and hard horns.

"This is the result of a secret art. I've spent a lot of time immersed in the medicinal pools of the Dragon Race, so my bloodline has changed. As a result, I can switch between human form and dragon form at any time. That said, my human form has not reached the King Stage and thus I won't transform into it," Li Hongyou explained.

This exchange had taught Li Luo that she was only a Single Crowned King in her dragon form. If she swapped to her human form, her strength would drop. Regardless, Li Hongyou had experienced a huge increase in strength, and it looked like coming to the Dragon Race was the right choice, so Li Luo was happy for her. The two conversed happily for a bit, catching up on what they had done while they were apart.

However, these happy times did not last forever as some angry roars suddenly erupted. Several dragons shot out of the ancient mountains, shooting furious glares at Li Luo, who was still touching Li Hongyou's horns.

"Human, move your filthy hands away. The horns of the Dragon Race's Priestess are not for you to defile!" one of the experts of the Dragon Race roared.

Li Luo paused for a moment before retracting his hand awkwardly. He seemed to have underestimated Li Hongyou's position. Looking at how violently their experts had reacted, it was clear that simply touching a dragon's horns was a blasphemous crime.

"How pedantic..." Li Luo muttered to himself.

When faced with the accusations of those experts, Li Hongyou let out a thunderous roar as she furiously glared at them with her jadeite eyes. "Begone! Don't you dare be rude to my friend!"

Her furious outburst was unrestrained, completely opposite to the cold and elegant temperament she had always displayed. It seemed that living with the dragons had caused her to change as well. That said, her roar was very effective, and the experts immediately retreated.

"Yes, Priestess!"

It was at this moment that the sound of the void shattering was heard in the depths of the Dragons' Domain. A stream of black light shot out, revealing a gigantic black dragon coiled in the air, emanating a terrifying aura that swept across the world in an overbearing fashion. When the humongous black dragon appeared, a hearty laugh rang out. "Haha! We are honored to host such esteemed guests from afar. We've been rude."

When Li Luo looked at the newcomer more closely, the black dragon filled up literally half the sky, each of their scales flickering with esoteric light, like refined black iron. Their spine was covered in spikes as tall as mountains, giving them an intimidating appearance. Li Hongyou's Pharmacist Jade Dragon form seemed demure and delicate in comparison.

What surprised Li Luo the most was that the energy fluctuations the black dragon was emitting had reached the peak of the Triple Crowned King Stage. That said, they weren't on the level of the Radiant King nor the Torch Dragon Underworld King. But when compared to an ordinary Triple Crowned King like Lin Miao, they were miles apart.

The black dragon's appearance caused the numerous experts of the Dragon Race to lower their heads as they respectfully cried out, "Greetings, Grand Elder!"

Li Hongyou's voice was transmitted to Li Luo's ears. "Li Luo, that is the Dragon Race's Grand Elder, Ao Yan. He is the hand of the Chieftain and possesses an exceptional standing in the Dragon Race. More importantly, Ao Yan comes from the most ordinary Black Dragon bloodline, and yet he managed to break through the shackles of his lineage, continuously evolving and strengthening. In the end, he became an expert only second to the Chieftain. The ordinary dragon races all hold him in reverence."

At the same time, Li Hongyou emitted a mysterious green light and her body shrunk. In just a few moments, she returned to the form that Li Luo was most familiar with, with a cold and beautiful face that resembled the icy moon. At the same time, her energy fluctuations gradually weakened until they were below the King Stage.

Li Luo was a little surprised by what he had just learned. The Dragon Race placed great importance on one's bloodline. Take the Heavenly Dragon bloodline for example, once one reached maturity, they would reach a level of strength that ordinary dragons would find incredibly hard to surpass even after cultivating for a lifetime. Ao Yan, however, had risen above all odds and surpassed the higher tier dragons. If anything, this was proof of how extraordinary he was.

"Greetings, Grand Elder Ao Yan," said Li Luo as cupped his hands towards the gigantic dragon.

Then Ao Yan's body emitted an onyx light and he swiftly shrunk, eventually turning into a heroic figure that was clad in black plate armor. Giving off a sharp and regal air, he said, "Hongyou has told me many times that Federation Chief Li Luo is her good friend."

Even when Ao Yan was in human form, he was extremely burly and large, being tens of feet tall. When he stood next to Li Hongyou, the latter only reached his thigh. Seeing how close Ao Yan had gotten to her, Li Hongyou clearly felt a little uncomfortable and stepped a little closer to Li Luo. Li Luo picked up on this, and he felt like something was a little off.

Ao Yan chortled loudly as he explained, "I'm not afraid to be laughed at by you, Federation Chief Li Luo, but I have been pursuing Hongyou for several years now... Alas, I haven't been successful."

Li Luo's expression turned a little strange. Ao Yan was indeed quite a frank character. However, wasn't he a veteran expert? Who knew how large the age gap between him and Li Hongyou was; wasn't it akin to an old dragon eating tender grass?

"Grand Elder, I've already said this many times: I don't like you. It is never going to happen," Li Hongyou helplessly replied. She had heard countless upfront confessions from Ao Yan. Although the Dragon Race didn't care much about seniority, Li Hongyou couldn't accept it, even though the other party was the Grand Elder of the Dragon Race and was even a peak Triple Crowned King.

"Ah, I know, but I won't give up." Ao Yan didn't seem disappointed nor dismayed at being rejected, instead beaming happily as he focused on Li Hongyou with a pampering gaze.

Li Luo didn't know what to say to her. He would respect Li Hongyou's decision, and if she didn't want it, he wouldn't allow anyone to force themselves onto her, even if the other party was a Grand Elder.

That said, Ao Yan changed the topic and flashed Li Luo and Lin Miao a smile. "My dear guests, the Chieftain is waiting in the main palace. Please come along."

Zhen Linshuang was already waiting? Li Luo and Lin Miao glanced at each other and nodded. Then, with Ao Yan leading the way, they followed suit.

The group traversed across several mountains and seas before finally spotting a towering golden mountain protruding from the sea. It was so immense, it literally filled half their view. The magnificent golden mountain had several golden palaces built atop it. When Li Luo approached, his body cried out in response. Violet-gold light flickered in his eyes and he began to show signs of transforming into a dragon. It was an almost irresistible call.

"The primordial Heavenly Dragon aura here..."

Li Luo thought, utterly shocked. The Heavenly Dragon aura coming from the golden mountain was incredibly ancient and pure. He was almost unable to resist the urge to activate the Dragon Blood Atavism Art and turn into his Heavenly Dragon form. However, he forcefully suppressed the urge and followed Ao Yan up the mountain. In the end, they arrived at the mountain's peak, where they saw a golden palace that exuded a majestic and wild aura. The palace's doors were wide open, revealing an interior overflowing with dazzling light that no would dare to look at it directly.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"My guests, please come in," said Ao Yan, smiling as he walked in.

Li Hongyou naturally followed. She was the Dragon Race's Priestess, so she had every right to enter the Dragon Race's Sacred Palace. However, when she walked past Li Luo, she tilted her head slightly and gave him a warning look.

Li Luo's expression remained unchanged, and he walked in as well. As soon as he entered, he felt a terrifying pressure pour down on him in an overwhelming fashion. Even the void was unable to bear the pressure as it sealed off the heavens and the earth.