Chapter 0822: Beginning and an End

Li Luo's sudden request caused confused looks to surface all around. In the eyes of these youths, being able to do something for Qin Yi was a wondrous blessing that they could never even so much as hope to touch! Li Luo, however, had come up with all sorts of random excuses to reject her goodwill and even asked for money!

In addition, it wasn't a small amount.

Ten million skygold was a massive sum.

In the inner divine continents, this was sufficient to move even a Duke to action. Li Luo was only in the Greater Fiend Palace, so why would he command such a price?

This was just a lion trying to take a bite out of a clearly innocent sheep.

He was clearly just trying to cause trouble!

Even when faced with all of the countless strange stares, Li Luo's gaze remained indifferent. His unreasonable request was a test to see her limit in her attempt to coerce him into action.

Normally speaking, this sort of request would cause an ordinary person to feel absolutely irritated and infuriated at the ridiculousness of the matter. They would simply ignore him and perhaps personally take action, never to raise this idea ever again.

If Qin Yi was willing to cajole Li Luo into action even in such a situation, it would definitely hint at some other problems underneath the surface.

Li Luo's gaze was focused upon Qin Yi, whereas the latter's beautiful face regained a sense of calm as she replied in a sullen tone, "Banner Leader Li Luo, surely you jest... right?"

Upon seeing that Qin Yi now seemed a little angry, Li Qingfeng hurriedly consoled her. "My Lady Qin Yi, do not be quick to anger. Li Luo has just returned from the outer divine continent, so his temperament is naturally a little barbaric."

Li Luo clearly knew her identity, and his refusal to act had to be related to the grievances from the previous generation. There was no goodwill between them.

On the other hand, he was delighted to see this result.

Qin Yi's jade-like countenance had turned frosty. Completely ignoring Li Qingfeng's words, she glared at Li Luo in fury, her chest heaving slightly.

This sight caused her countless admirers to feel a pang of pain in their hearts, creating a sense of dissatisfaction that was directed at Li Luo.

"Since Banner Leader Li Luo wants to make a fool of me, then I'll accompany you to the end. Ten million skygold is no small sum, but since I have some savings, so be it. I'll get you to fight tonight," Qin Yi retorted icily.

This immediately caused an uproar to erupt. Who would have expected Qin Yi to call Li Luo's bluff?

Ten million skygold to get someone at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier to fight? If it was not for the fact that everyone adored Fairy Qin, there might have been uncontrolled outbursts towards Li Luo.

"Fairy Qin, there is no need to get frustrated at Li Luo."

"Indeed, if you wish, just say the word and I will do my very best!"

Numerous individuals took this chance to pipe up. The way they saw it, Qin Yi was clearly aggravated by Li Luo's actions, and this was her way of venting.

Additionally, that bastard was truly not giving her any face.

Anyone in her position would also be angry.

Despite being inundated with advice, Qin Yi lightly shook her head, and her beautiful face turned stern. She raised her hand and flicked, sending a purple crystal card shooting towards Li Luo, who promptly and casually received it. Glancing closer, it was a crystal card emblazoned with the mark of the Golden Dragon Bank.

"This is the Golden Dragon Bank's Golden Dragoncard. It's redeemable for ten million skygold." Her previously soft and gentle voice had turned cold.

When the crowd saw this, they were taken aback and many gave bitter smiles. They had never expected Fairy Qin to act so wilfully.

Li Luo lightly caressed the Golden Dragoncard, his expression calm. However, unbeknownst to the rest, his gaze had trembled momentarily. Qin Yi was more prepared than he had expected.

At this point, he was certain that she was trying to target him.

Spending ten million skygold, a massive sum, just to get him to win the seeds of the Jade Heart Lotus. This was definitely the mark of a magnanimous individual.

His thoughts churned over the possibilities before he slowly strode over before the numerous complicated gazes of the crowd.

"Now that I've taken the payment, I have to take action." Li Luo smiled radiantly.

"Since Lady Qin Yi has so graciously decided to pay me, I have to give this a shot."

Qin Yi's face was now as frigid as ice, no longer bothering to banter with Li Luo. Clearly, she was still annoyed at how the situation had unfolded.

Li Luo remained nonchalant as he casually strolled to the side of the lake before glancing towards Li Qingfeng and Li Hongli. "Is it time to begin?" he asked.

Li Qingfeng's lips twitched slightly. The entire night had been thrown into complete disarray by Li Luo. He had no idea how he ought to reply.

Li Hongli, on the other hand, gave a cold smile. "It looks like your life in the outer divine continent must have been filled with poverty, seeing how you try to extort money from others at every possible opportunity."

"I have to rely on my abilities to make a living. There's nothing shameful about it," Li Luo replied stoically.

Li Hongli could only grit her teeth angrily at Li Luo's thick skin before she turned to Zhao Fengyang. "Fengyang, you better not lose face for the Violet Blood Banner." Within her words lay the implicit meaning not to spare Li Luo any mercy.

Zhao Fengyang nodded before he walked forward and stood beside Li Luo with a smile. "Banner Leader Li Luo, you might have beaten Zhong Ling, but that doesn't mean you have a chance against me."

Li Luo glanced at him and reminded him in a happy tone, "Being a fawning dog doesn't lead to a good end."

This comment immediately infuriated Zhao Fengyang. “Damn it! How can this guy be such a bastard? It’s no wonder even Fairy Qin, who is usually well mannered, would lose her composure as well.”

Zhao Fengyang clenched his teeth as he retorted, "Don't just be all talk. We'll see if there's any gold hidden beneath that dirt you call your face."

Li Luo shook his head sorrowfully. It seemed as though his good intentions had been misconstrued negatively...

Li Qingfeng similarly took a step forward. "Based on the usual rules, once your feet touch the surface of the water, both parties can utilize any means necessary to prevent the other party from reaching the lotus leaf. If anyone falls into the water before that, they are considered disqualified. If both parties reach the lotus leaf at the same time, they will have to fight, and the victor can attain the lotus."

He then picked up a stone and tossed it towards the lake.

"The moment the stone enters the lake, the Battle for the Lotus will begin."

Time seemed to stop, and everyone was focused upon the falling stone. A few seconds later, it plonked into the lake, setting off a pristine plop.

At that moment, explosive waves of resonant power were emitted from both Li Luo and Zhao Fengyang.

Lightning could be seen beneath Li Luo's feet. He directly shot tens of meters forward with the aid of his Thunderbolt Art.

Zhao Fengyang, on the other hand, was like a gust of wind, his body wreathed in a glaze-like radiance, demonstrating that he had reached the Glass Fiend Tier.

The two had accelerated to their peak and left behind two trails in their wake along the surface of the lake.

In terms of impressiveness, Zhao Fengyang held the upper hand. By bringing to bear the strength of his Glass Fiend Body, worldly natural energy continuously surged into him and resonant power burst out like a flood. The undulations he was giving off were even greater than that of Zhong Ling during the Banner Leader selection battle.

This was the advantage of reaching the Glass Fiend Tier.

It set a sturdy foundation that was incomparable to the Gold Fiend Tier.

However, what surprised everyone was that the resonant power undulations coming from Li Luo were equally strong.

The two dashed forward across the vast lake, their figures basking in the glow of the stars and the moon, heading straight towards the massive Jade Heart Lotus in the center.

Everyone's nervous gazes were fixated upon it.

Li Qingfeng was observing the two figures before he turned towards Qin Yi. "Li Luo might only be at the Greater Fiend Palace Tier, but his body possesses triple resonances. With the aid of three resonant palaces, and his ability to wield dual resonance power, his resonant power is extremely dense and is not weaker than that of someone at the Glass Fiend Tier. It is no wonder he managed to surpass Zhong Ling during the Banner Leader selection. He truly possesses top tier talent. It's just a pity that he spent so many years languishing in an outer divine continent and wasted a significant amount of time. If he wishes to catch up, he will have to put in endless amounts of effort."

Shaking his head empathetically, he seemed to be feeling sorry for Li Luo. Qin Yi's beautiful eyes were focused on Li Luo as they flickered briefly. Triple resonances? This was truly rare, and it was no weaker than her own ninth-grade water resonance. Even when placed amongst the geniuses of the inner divine continent, he could be considered to be a genius amongst them.

Li Hongli smiled as she said to Qin Yi, "Li Luo might have borrowed the assistance of his triple resonant palaces to surge with speed, allowing him to temporarily compete against Zhao Fengyang. Unfortunately, his foundation is lacking, so Zhao Fengyang holds a great advantage in an actual battle.

"Lady Qin Yi, it looks like you have squandered your ten million. However, you can rest assured that if Li Luo fails, I will definitely force him to return your money. This is not the Dragon's Fang Lineage, and we won't tolerate his bad behavior."

Qin Yi merely gave a shallow smile in response.

As she was speaking, on the lake, Zhao Fengyang glanced back to see that Li Luo was barely half a step behind him, and a vicious glint surfaced in his eyes.

In the next moment, his figure flashed to the side, directly pouncing on Li Luo like a hunting falcon.

Dense resonant power condensed in his palm, forming something akin to a tornado. When he slammed outwards, space around him seemed to detonate with a piercing boom.

The tornado that was generated was violent and domineering, directly forming a twister of water and wind atop the lake. The fusion of wind and water resonances merged, forming a gigantic handprint that viciously slammed downwards.

"Raging Giant Palm!" Numerous surprised cries erupted from the lakeshore. Zhao Fengyang had decided to strike Li Luo before they arrived at the lotus leaf. His intention was clearly to injure Li Luo and force him into the water, attaining a perfect victory.

The sound of a terrifying boom was transmitted into Li Luo's ears.

He tilted his head slightly, calmly looking back at Zhao Fengyang, almost as though he was taunting him.

Li Luo did not dodge, only letting the frightening attack strike at him.

"You are courting death!" Zhao Fengyang coldly smirked.

An amused expression surfaced on Li Luo's face as he lifted his palm and lightly swatted at his attack.

At the same time, red light flowed through the scarlet bracelet on his wrist. Zhao Fengyang felt that Li Luo's casual swat was a little strange. He had not felt any resonant power undulations coming from him.

However, it was at this point that he suddenly felt uneasy in his heart. He thought he had heard the howl of a wolf, and following Li Luo's nonchalant strike, the thick stench of blood flooded his nose.

At that moment, Zhao Fengyang's gaze shrank, and the scene before his eyes seemed to have changed. A gigantic beast emanating incomprehensible amounts of fiendish energy was rushing towards him.

This malevolent air was terrifying, and it directly caused Zhao Fengyang's mental state to shudder.

It was a vicious creature that he had no chance of stopping!

Horror filled his eyes and boundless fear arose within his heart. Under the impact of the fiendish energy, his own resonant power seemed to have collapsed from within.

“Just what is that?! Is this Li Luo's attack?”

No one else could explain this to him. Just as his resonant power crumbled away, Li Luo's slap lightly descended and he was impolitely smacked in the face.

Pa!

When the crisp sound resounded, an easily recognized, red welt appeared on Zhao Fengyang's face, and he fell from the air like a bird with broken wings, directly plunging into the lake.

This sudden development left everyone speechless.

Everyone was staring at the scene blankly.

What they had seen was that Zhao Fengyang's Raging Giant Palm was just about to reach Li Luo. Yet at the moment before impact, his resonant power crumbled and he was lightly slapped, falling right into the depths of the lake.

Li Hongli was completely aghast and seemed to have lost her soul at this sight.

The Battle for the Lotus had ended in an even quicker and cleaner fashion than anyone had ever expected.

What was supposed to be the beginning to an exciting fight had ended before it even started...