Chapter 1701: Dragons Pour Wine

The boundless pressure filled the space, leaving no spare quarter. At this moment, Lin Miao, who had walked in alongside Li Luo, let out a muffled groan and his expression turned red, his feet frozen in place.

Li Luo's expression, on the other hand, was solemn. Eight Duke Bergfrieds appeared behind him along with his Auric Halo, illuminating the void. After which, his five resonant palaces and ten resonances began to flow with mysterious light. Only then was he able to deal with the pressure.

The sudden wave of pressure caused a flicker of fury to appear in Li Luo's eyes. The fact that the Dragon Race was treating its guests like this was a show of its tyranny and arrogance.

Li Luo raised his head and looked into the depths of the golden palace. The interior was magnificent to behold—there were tall, gigantic, golden pillars inlaid with all sorts of rare jewels and precious treasures, emanating pure and vast energy undulations.

There were also golden staircases that led upwards. At the top of each staircase stood a grandiose seat, and all of them were occupied by figures emanating immeasurable auras. It was clear that these were the peak King Stage experts of the Dragon Race.

Li Luo's eyes then turned towards the golden seat at the highest point of the palace. A woman was sitting there, her aura akin to the blazing sun. Just looking at her caused one's eyes to hurt. She was tall but slender and well-proportioned, with a well-endowed figure that gave her a mature charm. Her face was exceptionally gorgeous, with fiery red lips and a tall nose that reminded one of a distant mountain. Beneath her sword-shaped eyebrows were violet-gold draconic eyes, giving off a dominating aura.She had a head of long, silver-white hair, and on top of her head were violet-gold horns that flowed with a mystical light.

Li Luo was immediately reminded of Great Ancestor Zhen Fu upon seeing her. Their demeanors were exactly the same. He immediately knew who she was—the Heavenly Dragon Tribe's Zhen Linshuang, the Chieftain of the Dragon Race. Who else would be allowed to sit at the head of the golden palace? Judging by the aura she was emanating, her strength was nothing to scoff at. She was no weaker than the Radiant King or the Torch Dragon Underworld King, Triple Crowned Kings who stood at the very top.

While Li Luo inspected the silver-haired lady, she was also imperiously looking down on him. She completely ignored Lin Miao, only focusing on Li Luo. Her lips moved slightly as her sharp and mighty voice resounded through the palace. "Are you Li Luo of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?"

Her voice was not loud, but it carried the might of a Heavenly Dragon. The entire palace shook and the golden light flourished with a simple sentence from her.

"Is this how the Dragon Race treats its guests? I almost thought I had wandered into a den of thieves and gangsters," Li Luo indifferently retorted.

"How audacious!" one of the Kings roared. They had never expected that Li Luo would say such disrespectful words within the Dragon Race's Sacred Palace.

Zhen Linshuang's eyes narrowed as she said, "As expected of the Ten Resonances King, who possesses the Absolute Resonance Seed. Your courage is indeed much greater than those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li."

After which, her eyes turned to a corner of the palace. Li Luo traced her gaze, and he was surprised to see a somewhat familiar figure sitting there. It was Li Tianji! He had never expected that he would have come as well. Did this mean that Li Tianji was the third candidate from the Divine Continent Federation?

Facing Li Luo's surprised gaze, Li Tianji nodded slightly but did not speak. However, with his keen senses, Li Luo could sense that a layer of powerful pressure was enveloping Li Tianji's body. The source of the pressure was the golden palace, or perhaps more accurately, the Heavenly Dragon's Sacred Mountain.

Li Tianji blinked at Li Luo, only able to communicate by putting on a powerless expression. He was the leader of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, so this sort of treatment was akin to slapping the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li in the face.

Li Luo's expression turned grim as he said, "Chieftain Zhen, what is the meaning of this? Why are you suppressing the Mountain Ruling Chief of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li? Do you think that the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is easily bullied?"

Zhen Linshuang frowned upon hearing Li Luo's discourteous rebuttal. If these words had been spoken by Lin Miao, she would have completely disregarded him and driven him out of the palace. However, Li Luo was not the same.

"Federation Chief Li Luo, do not be angry. Lineage Chief Tianji is not in this situation because of the actions of the Dragon Race. It's because the Chieftain greeted him with our most esteemed ceremony, the Dragons Pour Wine. Unfortunately, Lineage Chief Tianji was unable to handle the pressure of the Sacred Mountain and thus suffered a backlash. As a result, he has temporarily been restrained by the mountain's draconic might. He is not seriously injured," explained Grand Elder Ao Yan with a helpless smile.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Dragons Pour Wine?" Li Luo frowned. Just what sort of crappy ceremony would lead to a backlash of suppression?

At this point, Lin Miao transmitted a message. "Federation Chief Li Luo, Dragons Pour Wine is indeed the most revered ceremony that the Dragon Race can offer to its guests. Simply speaking, so long as one is able to resist the draconic pressure of the Sacred Mountain and ascend the steps, the Heavenly Dragon spirit within the mountain will awaken and pour wine to welcome the guest. Those who are able to ascend become the Dragon Race's most respected guests and gain the recognition of all dragons. However, it is very, very difficult—no one has managed to succeed in thousands of years.

"Perhaps the Dragon Race offered the opportunity to Lineage Chief Tianji for the sake of causing him trouble and forcing him away. They truly do not wish for us to enter the second layer of the blood rites."

Li Luo was expressionless at this point. Dragons Pour Wine sounded grand, but it was effectively just a show of force.

At this point Zhen Linshuang casually spoke with a majestic tone. "Li Luo, the Dragon Race's Ten Thousand Dragons' Ancestral Blood Rites are extremely important. Although you've been granted three slots due to the Divine Continent Federation's negotiations, I don't want you to go past the first layer. Since that is as far as you will go, the Dragon Race will provide you with some other form of compensation."

Her personality was haughty and she had no interest in shirking her responsibility to explain things to Li Luo. Thus, she had stated her position openly. The Ten Thousand Dragons' Ancestral Blood Rites was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would grant her the chance to ascend to the Heavenly Emperor Stage. Thus, she didn't wish for outsiders like Li Luo to defile the ritual.

"What if I don't agree?" Li Luo replied coldly.

Zhen Linshuang stood up from her throne, revealing her tall and well-proportioned body with breathtaking curves. Her violet-gold pupils made her look dominant and oppressive. "If you don't accept my offer, then I have no choice but to invite you to have a cup of Dragons Pour Wine."

She raised her hand, and the entire mountain began to tremble slightly. The roars of ancient dragons could vaguely be heard echoing between the heavens and the earth. A stone platform arose in the middle of the palace, and a golden cup adorned with a dragon was on it.

"Ten Resonances King Li Luo, if you aren't even qualified to drink the wine that I pour for you, then I'd advise you to just go home. The Dragon Race's Ten Thousand Dragons' Ancestral Blood Rites won't welcome you."