Chapter 0657: Duke's Clash

With Ox Biaobiao's appearance, Yuan Qing and the rest felt the terrifying suppression on their bodies vanish into thin air. Surprise and joy flooded them as they gazed at the silhouette emitting a fiendish presence, emotions stirring within their desperate hearts.

When the opponent's Duke appeared, one on their side had turned up as well, lifting them from the depths of despair.

"The two House Lords have left behind a helper," Yuan Qing said emotionally. Although he had already guessed it to be true, the feeling of seeing it in reality was completely different from that of speculation.

In the skies of House Luolan, the airborne Zhu Qinghuo rushed towards Ox Biaobiao at the first instance. His expression was grim as he felt the ominous aura coming from the other Duke. This was not some sort of illusionary technique, but one forged from clambering through countless mountains of flesh and blood. Thus, he could guess that the man before him was no stranger to reaping lives like grain.

"I would never have expected that such a distinguished individual like you, one who has gone through so much, would deign to spend so many years undercover as a mere chef," Zhu Qinghuo said indifferently.

Ox Biaobiao brandished the gleaming pig butchering knife before him, his weapon glinting with a cold light. He was a little different compared to the friendly and affable head chef everyone knew. His pupils were scarlet red and a demonic air exuded from him, as though this was a ferocious, berserk spirit beast corrupted by an evil influence.

At the same time, those on Li Luo's side were feeling slightly apprehensive. Unlike Zhu Qinghuo, Ox Biaobiao's appearance could be easily associated with that of a typical villain…

"Since you dare to barge into House Luolan's headquarters, you will naturally pay the price." Ox Biaobiao's voice was insipid. At the same time, the entire atmosphere seemed to be tainted with the smell of blood as his presence expanded.

Zhu Qinghuo remained unfazed. "Your Majesty, you must be an esteemed individual from lands afar. Although I do not know why you have chosen to sequester yourself within House Luolan, Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan are now deep within the depths of the Nobles' Battlefield. It's very likely that they will never have the opportunity to escape. Thus, if you are willing to side with us, kind sir, we will naturally share with you any benefits that we obtain from House Luolan's treasures."

Zhu Qinghuo was clearly a treacherous and sly individual, willing to use any means to deal with Ox Biaobiao.

Yuan Qing and the rest similarly heard those enticing words, only daring to berate Zhu Qinghuo in their hearts. At the same time, the seed of worry was planted within them. They had not interacted with Ox Biaobiao much, and who knew if this Duke who had hidden himself away for so many years would not be tempted by his honeyed tongue.

However, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were completely unaffected. Ox Biaobiao wasn't some stranger they had just met, he was a senior who had taken care of them since they were young. Although they might not know of the history between him and Li Luo's parents, their interactions throughout the years had allowed them to sincerely understand what sort of individual Ox Biaobiao was. Thus, they knew that Zhu Qinghuo's underhanded means were basically meaningless.

"If you are willing to turn and leave now, I will pretend as though you were never here. Otherwise... this knife of mine will cull yet another fourth-grade Duke," Ox Biaobiao grimly replied.

Zhu Qinghuo's eyelids twitched momentarily and laughed callously. "Perhaps you might really be telling the truth... but you must also know that was in the past. You are no longer at your peak. You've spent years cooped up within House Luolan’s headquarters without taking a single step out—isn't it obvious that your strength has declined? Perhaps you might have suffered some sort of grievous wound in the past, hmm?"

Ox Biaobiao similarly smirked at him, revealing rows of pearly-white teeth. "Why don't you give it a try? Then you'll know for yourself."

As the two glared at each other, worldly natural energy was roused violently by both parties, swelling into the skies and clashing formlessly against each other. The result was a thunderous boom that echoed throughout all of Xia City.

Zhu Qinghuo took a step forward, and a world space opened up behind him. One could see four massive Duke Bergfrieds within it. Each one stood forlorn as they rejected and looked down upon the heavens with their existence. They were all engraved with countless runes, each one intricately carved with Zhu Qinghuo's knowledge for all to see. [1]

The moment the four Bergfrieds appeared, the surrounding area seemed to shudder in their very presence.

If dual resonant power was the mark of a Duke's power, the Duke Bergfrieds were manifestations of their foundations.

It was said that to enter the Duke Stage, one would have to condense and compress their resonant power to the extreme. Only then could they construct a Duke Bergfried with it. When this was completed, one's body would once again undergo an unimaginable quantitative change. Duke Bergfrieds did not only demonstrate the depth of their foundation, they were also one of their strongest abilities at their disposal.

The fact that Zhu Qinghuo had revealed his four Bergfrieds right off the bat was testament to how dangerous he felt Ox Biaobiao was.

With that, he raised a finger and gently pointed at Ox Biaobiao.

Boom!

The heavens and the earth rumbled as the four Bergfrieds began to spew out boundless streams of blackfire. If one were to examine them more closely, countless stone fragments could be seen moving within the blackfire, rapidly transforming. As the two fused, they formed a domineering stygian magma instead.

As Zhu Qinghuo possessed a fire resonance and a stone resonance, the combination of the two allowed his offensive abilities to rise by an entire grade.

The stygian magma transformed into tens of thousands of currents that covered the skies, causing the temperature to skyrocket and the void to warp before arcing towards Ox Biaobiao. This frightening attack caused the scalps of all the individuals in the square to turn numb. A Duke's methods were not easily fathomed nor defended against.

As the magma spilled forth from the world space, Ox Biaobiao gave a cold smile. He did not retaliate with his knife, but clenched his empty fist. Two phantasmal manifestations came to life behind him.

One was a massive, four-horned, azure bull.

The other, a blue-eyed golden-furred bear.

Four Horned Godly Bull resonance.

Blue-eyed Golden Bear resonance.

The sight caused Li Luo to grin. Uncle Biao actually possessed two strength based beast resonances! It was the ultimate expression of violence!

Ox Biaobiao responded with a single punch. It seemed ordinary and unassuming, but as it swept past, everyone could see that the void was being smashed apart by a ghastly force, directly colliding against the magma.

Bang!

Upon contact, it was as though a natural disaster had unfolded before their very eyes. The magma was bashed away, dispersed in every direction before eventually being absorbed by House Luolan's defensive ward.

The intimidating punch demonstrated Uncle Biao's unwavering valor. Zhu Qinghuo's face turned chilly. Just the wind from the punch howling past had caused his skin to feel piercing pain. Even he was taken aback by the sheer ferocity of the strike. This boorish and demonic meathead had cultivated his physical body to an alarmingly mighty state.

Was this the physical prowess that two strength-focused beast resonances could attain?

However, despite his shock, stopping Zhu Qinghuo would take much more than one move.

With a thought, the four Duke Bergfrieds behind Zhu Qinghuo started to tremble within the world space. The vibration passed through into the world itself, and suddenly, all four Bergfrieds tore upon the void and descended into the sky above House Luolan's headquarters.

Every single Bergfried was like an indomitable mountain. With four suspended in the skies above, it brought a renewed sense of suppression on everyone below.

Worldly natural energy continued to churn as it was constantly being sucked into the Bergfrieds.

Zhu Qinghuo looked on indifferently as a moment later, all four of his Duke Bergfrieds directly suppressed the space Ox Biaobiao was in.

Once the Bergfrieds were set upon Ox Biaobiao, Zhu Qinghuo's gaze swept past a certain Pei Hao's mangled corpse. His gaze flickered and he cursed in his heart. "Shen Jinxiao... I've done my part and held up Ox Biaobiao. The rest is up to you."

……

At the same time, within a certain secret, dark room...

Shen Jinxiao's eyes narrowed slightly. Everything that had happened within House Luolan's headquarters had been directly transmitted into his mind.

"House Luolan's Headquarters actually had a Duke in hiding. He even possesses quite the ominous aura..."

An apathetic smile formed on his face. The Duke was currently being held back by Zhu Qinghuo, so now it was his time to shine. So long as Li Luo died and he could set his hands upon Jiang Qing'e, all of his plans would be beautifully completed.

Shen Jinxiao's gaze fell upon the quarter of a heart that was beating fainter and fainter with every passing moment. Pei Hao was fatally injured, and he would pass away soon.

A sly grin formed on his face before he started to speak in a devilish voice, one full of enticement. "Pei Hao... you've squandered your last chance. However... if you give me the other half of your heart... I'll accomplish what your heart desires..."

1. TL Note: Did some retroactive tweaking on the Duke Platforms, which are now Duke Bergfrieds. The new term provides a more vivid image of what it should look like, instead of like a flat stage sort of building. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergfried ☜