Chapter 0656: The Show Begins!

Suddenly, the defensive ward of House Luolan materialized in the sky, directly attracting the attention of everyone within. Yuan Qing and the rest were at a loss for words as they didn't know the specifics about it, but they were able to vaguely guess its function.

With the ward showing changes, they knew that it probably did not herald something positive.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e frowned and focused their attention on it.

On the other hand, Xu Tianling and Mo Cheng revealed looks of joy. Their backers had finally decided to act.

"Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e! It looks like it's not your turn to celebrate just yet!" Xu Tianling coldly sneered with a chilly look in his eye.

At the same time, he glanced at the nervous pavilion masters and troops. "There is no need to worry. This is our plan. The victor of the Housemeet has yet to be decided! If you pledge your loyalty to us, you will obtain whatever your heart desires!"

Listening to Xu Tianling's consoling words at this critical moment reassured some of those on Pei Hao's side.

Qing'e did not bother with this prancing clown. Instead, she quickly moved as quick as a flash to Li Luo's side. His situation wasn't great, and he would require her personal protection.

"It looks like the big boys are coming out to play..." Li Luo dryly commented.

The curtain had been drawn and House Luolan's internal struggle had merely just begun. Some of the pawns had been defeated, but the true hands behind the shadows could no longer hide themselves. They would finally have to take action themselves.

Jiang Qing'e slightly nodded as she turned towards Li Luo, smiling gently. "You can rest now. You're in safe hands. If House Luolan can't be protected, we'll just roam the world instead. Once we reach the Duke Stage, we'll have a clean accounting of things."

Li Luo grinned as well. "These blockheads really do lust for the treasures my old man left behind. However, the way I see it, the true treasure is not that, but you, Sister Qing'e!" His fawning words were greeted with a radiant smile.

As the two continued to chat, the ward protecting House Luolan seemed to ripple with greater intensity. Everyone could distinctly feel that its stalwart protection was weakening with rapid speed.

Suddenly, the disturbance stopped.

The ward itself also seemed to have become much more illusory in nature.

Whoosh!

At this moment, worldly natural energy surged into the sky. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e pupils shrank at what they saw. Descending right from the sky was a massive, black meteor, directly colliding with the defensive ward.

Boom!

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Resonant power swept in every direction as a result of the massive explosion. A deafening bang reverberated around Xia City, drawing fearful glances in its direction.

Crack!

Faced with this horrifying assault, the mysterious ward seemed to have shattered slightly, revealing a gap. At that very moment, black flames poured through the crack, and a figure condensed in mid-air within the black flames.

The figure cackled, and his voice echoed throughout the area. "Hehe. House Luolan's headquarters is truly a pain to enter."

The duo stared at the familiar figure, not at all surprised.

His mane of fiery-red hair reminded one of a furious lion, grandly looking down upon all who dared to stand before the king of beasts.

It was House Jiyan's house lord, Zhu Qinghuo!

With his appearance, a spectacularly intimidating presence exuded from him, instilling raw fear into everyone within the headquarters. They felt as though a mountain was pressing down upon them, and even their resonant power was completely suppressed.

This was the ineffable might of a Duke's prestige!

In fact, countless individuals were trembling in their socks from the pressure.

Even Yuan Qing with his Lesser Heavenly Resonance strength was shivering in complete terror.

Of course, this excluded Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, the two merely staring blankly at him.

"It looks like you're not shocked at all," Zhu Qinghuo commented as he glanced at the duo, a smile forming on his boorish face.

"House Lord Zhu, my parents invited you as a guest to our headquarters when they were still around, but you never accepted!" Li Luo replied.

Zhu Qinghuo smiled. "Of course I wouldn't have dared. The temper of your parents is legendary and well known. Why would I provoke them?"

"Well, sit tight and wait for them to return. I'm afraid you will have a pretty terrible time after that. After all, you understand their temperament." Li Luo smirked.

Zhu Qinghuo nodded. "Well, I have to agree with you on that point... However, that's if they can really get out of the Nobles' Battlefield. Even the mightiest of Dukes have fallen in that desolate location."

At the same time, he shook his head almost pitifully. "Alas, Li Luo, there is no need for such threatening words. Do you think that this scheme that has been in construction for countless years will stop because of a few intimidating words? If I truly was afraid of Li Taixuan and House Luolan, I wouldn't be here right now."

Li Luo lightly sighed. "Then I would like to respectfully wish you a long journey on the road of death, House Lord Zhu."

Zhu Qinghuo sneered. "To be honest, I really do envy Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan. Their son is not of common ilk, and in time, you're bound to exceed them."

When he finished speaking, the look in his eyes changed. They were filled with cruel killing intent now.

How could he not know of Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo's might? If he truly wanted to wreck House Luolan, he would have to get rid of these pests properly. Otherwise, he would no longer be able to rest easy at night.

With a thought, he stretched out his hand.

The temperature in the air explosively soared, and black flames poured forth from the void, directly manifesting a massive, black fist of flames. It was heading straight towards the duo.

Wherever the flaming fist passed through, the void warped and distorted from its sheer might.

The ground itself was melting under the sweltering heat.

Yuan Qing and the rest looked aghast and turned pale at this sight. "Young Lord and Mistress! Hurry! Run!"

The discrepancy between the duo couldn't be greater when pitted against a veteran Duke expert. Any efforts to resist would be like a mantis attempting to stop a horse cart. Thus, desperation bloomed in their hearts upon seeing this.

Conversely, Xu Tianling, Mo Cheng, and the rest had looks of glee and excitement.

If the duo died, House Luolan would inevitably fragment into pieces.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, on the other hand, continued standing where they were, only staring at the distressing fist made of flames which had sealed off the space in front of them with incomparable calmness.

Weng!

The fist roared as it rushed towards them, but when it was a few meters away from the duo, the sound of a blade unsheathing rang out.

It was piercing to hear, and an inexplicable fiendish energy seemed to have flooded the space.

A certain dark-red knife flashed through the void, tearing apart anything in its way and throwing the worldly natural energy into chaos.

The blade was so swift that it left images of light in its trail as it arched past the fist of flames. The fist paused in midair and suddenly began to break down, turning into mere embers of inky flames, eventually fragmenting into nothingness in mere breaths of time. It was as though it had been shattered at the source.

This sudden change caused everyone to stare dumbstruck.

"You damn bastard. I've known that you were stealthily spying on the headquarters of House Luolan for years! Even then, you only dared to reveal a clone. You've finally deigned to show your face in person?" Sarcastic laughter resounded, and the crowd turned to face a figure that had suddenly appeared atop a roof in the courtyard. It was a bald man holding a pig butchering knife in one hand and garbed in the clothes of a chef. At the same time, his pudgy face was glaring at Zhu Qinghuo.

Although he was standing quite a distance away, waves of frightening fiendish energy pulsated from him like a tempest, as though he had waded through countless mountains of blood and flesh to get to where he was today.

Cai Wei, Yan Lingqing, and the rest were so stunned that their jaws were agape.

They had never imagined that the often smiley and genial head chef, the maestro of countless delicacies, would be standing there with such a demonic and grand aura.

At the same time, they finally understood.

This was House Luolan's hidden protector in the dark.