A scorching red glow surfaced around Leng Yaozhu's body, a sign that she was preparing to defend herself.
Only then did she finally remember who the man before her resembled.
The Beast God of the Star Dou Great Forest—Di Tian.
Though they had met only once, a Limit Douluo did not have a poor memory.
"What exactly is your relationship with the Beast God Di Tian?" Leng Yaozhu asked coldly.
Yet the blond man remained silent, undoubtedly confirming Leng Yaozhu's suspicion: this man was most likely Di Tian in disguise.
And this was the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, practically the lair of soul beasts' mortal enemies. Di Tian's purpose in coming here was therefore obvious.
Leng Yaozhu quietly stepped back half a pace, preparing to call for reinforcements while doing her best to stall this possible "Di Tian."
At that moment, Long Zijin dismissed his Martial Soul Possession and promptly explained, "He's my bodyguard. His name is Old Di."
As he spoke, he nudged the Holy Dragon King behind him with his elbow and gestured. "Old Di, say hello."
Having received the order, Di Guangming finally spoke, somewhat stiffly. "Hello."
In an instant, the tense atmosphere dissipated, and Leng Yaozhu's expression softened somewhat.
Because as he spoke, his Soul Power fluctuations leaked out with his voice, and an aura of light and holiness entered Leng Yaozhu's range of perception.
The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King cultivated darkness and space, the complete opposite of the man before her. That was why the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo ruled out her suspicion.
Even so, the holiness and light he naturally carried made Leng Yaozhu feel a wave of dislike. It was an aversion originating from her Martial Soul.
Thus, she frowned and said, "With strength like yours, you cannot possibly be an unknown figure."
"Who exactly are you?"
As far as she knew, if the Sun Xu Family had such a supreme expert overseeing it, how could the White Tiger Lineage have squeezed them out?
How could they have been content with merely one seat in the Federal Council? How could they have held only a Spirit Pagoda council seat?
The Holy Dragon King still looked utterly indifferent as he waited for the Dragon Emperor's instruction.
Long Zijin merely sighed. "Forget it."
As the former sovereign of the Divine Dragon Realm, how could he cast aside his pride and take an ordinary mortal as his master?
But if he did not become her disciple, he would have no way to establish a connection with the Spirit Pagoda's vice pagoda master. After all, Leng Yaozhu was not treating him, a nine-year-old child, as an equal at all.
Yet without the convenience offered by the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, finding the Second Deity in the region east of Shrek City would be exceedingly difficult for Long Zijin.
So there was only one way to avoid becoming her disciple while still befriending the Spirit Pagoda's vice pagoda master.
That was...
Long Zijin turned back and said in dragon language, "Old Di, show her what you've got."
"Yes." The Holy Dragon King answered, finally turning his head and looking Leng Yaozhu directly in the face.
In that instant, the sensation of being stared down by the king of dragons quietly surged up from the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's heart!
The terrifying sense of danger made her counterattack instinctively!
One Flowing Fire Phoenix Wing swept forward from behind her, slashing horizontally like a blazing blade.
Di Guangming tensed his five fingers, and his entire hand expanded into a platinum dragon claw that seized the Flowing Fire Phoenix Wing.
Neither of them moved their feet. One extended a claw, the other a wing, as though a True Dragon and a Phoenix were exchanging a handshake.
Yet white polar light and blazing true fire eroded one another at the point where claw and wing met, without producing the slightest violent disturbance.
Ultimate Light and Heavenly Phoenix True Fire were compressed within a contact point no larger than a palm, waves of heart-palpitating aura flickering in and out of existence.
Such control made the Holy Dragon King, Di Guangming, look upon his opponent more highly.
But only slightly.
Leng Yaozhu's expression turned solemn. "An ultimate attribute? I am becoming more and more curious about your identity."
Di Guangming finally spoke of his own accord. "Not bad. You caught fifty percent of my strength."
"What do you mean?" Leng Yaozhu did not quite react in time, or perhaps she simply thought he was boasting.
But in the next moment, a pure golden radiance suddenly lit up at the point where the phoenix wing met the dragon claw.
—Ultimate Holiness!
The Holy Dragon King had used the other half of his power.
"You actually wield two ultimate attributes at once!" Leng Yaozhu's expression abruptly changed.
The next second, there came a soft puff, like the sound of a candle flame being snuffed out.
The platinum dragon claw clenched hard, and the right half of the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's wing shattered on the spot, turning into endless streaming fire that scattered apart before being extinguished barehanded within the Holy Dragon King's claw.
"Mmgh, cough!" Leng Yaozhu coughed dully behind closed lips.
One of her Heavenly Phoenix Martial Soul's wings had been crushed. Though it did not cause much backlash, as its awakened wielder, she certainly did not feel well.
With a flick of the Holy Dragon King's hand, a faint scorch like sunlight searing the air drifted from his dragon claw, signaling that the Heavenly Phoenix True Fire had been completely extinguished.
The platinum dragon claw reverted to a human hand with that flick. Di Guangming took one step back and stood behind Long Zijin's seat once more, as meticulous as ever.
Only then did Leng Yaozhu react. She fixed her serious gaze on Long Zijin and said word by word, "He really... is only your attendant?"
Long Zijin blinked his large golden eyes twice, then casually called over his shoulder, "Old Di."
The Holy Dragon King lowered his head and answered, "Yes."
Leng Yaozhu stood silently in place for several seconds...
Before finally choosing to sit down again.
She seemed to have figured everything out and sighed softly. "I never expected the Federal Old Imperial Family to marry their daughter into such a reclusive family."
"What an extravagant move, sending a Quasi-God-level expert out into the world."
"Still, a family heir with Ultimate Strength truly is worth such protection."
The Heavenly Phoenix Douluo finally turned her gaze back to the purple-haired youth and said calmly, "And since you come from a Dragon Soul Master family, the educational resources behind you certainly won't be lacking. You indeed have no need to take me as your master."
"Then I am very curious. Why have you come to my Spirit Pagoda headquarters?"
Long Zijin answered honestly, "For quite some time to come, I will be cultivating near Shrek City. So for convenience, I plan to bring Old Di and join a major power."
"After weighing our options, we chose the Spirit Pagoda."
"Oh? You came to join our Spirit Pagoda?" Leng Yaozhu's phoenix eyes lit up as she looked at Di Guangming.
Being able to recruit a Quasi-God-level expert would be a great blessing. Naturally, Leng Yaozhu would not drive him away.
"Indeed, compared with Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, the resources controlled by our Spirit Pagoda are more beneficial to your growth."
Leng Yaozhu finally smiled again. "Sorry, I overthought things earlier."
"Then, welcome—welcome to the Spirit Pagoda."
She spread her hands in a welcoming gesture.
Then she raised her final question. "But I am curious. Why did you not seek out our diligent Pagoda Master Qiangu, the Spirit Douluo?"
"Why did you come to me instead, this vice pagoda master who prefers holding the title without doing much work?"
Long Zijin smiled and extended his hand, speaking in a voice that carried a slight childishness. "Because I want to be friends with you."
Leng Yaozhu was stunned at first. Then warmth appeared on her face, and she extended her hand as well. "All right. Then let's be friends."