Clearly, this was an attack specifically targeting the banquet itself, with the aim of disrupting it! But Bai Ling'er naturally wouldn't let that happen. A strong white light emanated from her body, blocking the fireball and detonating it completely in mid-air.
Amidst the raging flames, the perpetrator of the attack revealed its true identity: a colossal, fiery red dragon, much larger than Bai Ling'er, with sharp, angular features that made it appear quite imposing.
" Bakal! What do you mean by doing this?!" Bai Ling'er glared angrily at the Fire Dragon before her. "This is a welcome banquet held by our lord, and you dare to disrupt it? Do you want to make an enemy of the entire Dragon Clan?"
"Hahaha, make an enemy of the entire Dragon Clan? Bai Ling'er, what you're saying is hilarious. As one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings, am I not a member of the Dragon Clan?" Fire Dragon King Bakal laughed, clearly not taking Bai Ling'er's words seriously.
Everyone was bewildered by the sudden turn of events, including Qi Ling, because it was the first time he had ever heard that there were actually Nine Great Dragon Kings in the Dragon Clan.
"Hey, Uncle Lan, what's going on? Aren't there only five Dragon Kings in the Dragon Clan? Where did the other four come from?" Qi Ling asked the Blue Dragon King beside her in confusion.
The Blue Dragon King said helplessly, "Alas, my lord, you only stayed here for half a year, so of course you don't know the situation here. The Dragon Clan does indeed have Nine Great Dragon Kings, but the dragon kings of the other four races have different living philosophies from ours, so they don't live with us. You could say they are members of the same race who have separated from us."
"So this Bakal is one of the remaining four dragon kings? Judging from his appearance, he's probably here to cause me trouble, right?" Qi Ling said.
"That... is indeed possible," the Blue Dragon King said. "Although Bakal led the entire Fire Dragon clan away, he has always believed that he is the most likely successor to the Dragon God and the most deserving of the Godhood."
Meanwhile, in the air, Bai Ling'er and Bakal exchanged blows. Afterward, Bai Ling'er said, " Bakal, the Lord's identity is recognized by my grandfather and by all the Dragon Clan! What exactly do you want here now?"
"Hmph, the reason I returned is not for anything else, but to expose this despicable human! What right does he have to be the god of our Dragon Clan!" Bakal shouted, "I should be the god of the Dragon Clan! Bai Ling'er, even you should belong to me!"
Upon hearing Bakal's words, everyone immediately exchanged knowing glances. It turned out that this was clearly Qi Ling's love rival, who had come to cause trouble!
Qi Ling was also quite helpless about this. "Come on, brother, this is our first time meeting, okay?"
"Hmph, but since someone has come knocking on my door, I can't just sit idly by." Qi Ling said, intending to summon her Divine Dragon Emperor Martial Soul to fight this Bakal. If she remained unmoved after being provoked like this, she might as well not live at all.
Just as Qi Ling was about to Cloud Soaring to the sky and engage in a duel with the Dragon Clan named Bakal, Bai Ling'er suddenly said, " Bakal, you can't do that! The Lord won't accept your challenge! The Dragon Tomb has been opened; any fight now will only be seen as disrespect to the Dragon Clan!"
"What did you say? The Dragon Tomb has been opened?" Bakal exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the news. "How could this be? Bai Ling'er, why did you open the Dragon Tomb? Was it all for this man? Do you really believe he can gain the Dragon God's approval?"
" Bakal, I'll say it again! Show some respect! Our Lord is not just an ordinary human, but the savior of our Dragon Clan and the successor of the Dragon God!" Bai Ling'er said. "If you speak disrespectfully again, I will not forgive you!"
" Bai Ling'er! You have some nerve! This man, this man!" Bakal said, flames even welling up from his mouth, threatening to erupt.
But just as Qi Ling was ready to fight, Bakal suddenly stopped, even swallowing the flames in his mouth.
"Alright, since that's the case, Bai Ling'er, I'll settle accounts with him after he finishes the Dragon God Test!" Bakal said, turning to face Qi Ling.
"Despicable human! I'll spare your life for now! But once you've been rejected by the Dragon God and realized your own incompetence, you won't have the face to stay here anymore! Then, I'll return and deliver the Fatal Strike!"
"Damn it! What the hell are you saying, you brat!? Get down here, get down here!" Qi Ling was furious when she heard Bakal's words.
But after saying these words, Bakal did not linger. He immediately flapped his wings and took off, flying out of the valley.
The Dragon Clan were incredibly fast, and with the cover of night, by the time Qi Ling tried to chase after him, he had already vanished.
"Damn it! Is this kid Fire Dragon or Wind Dragon? How can he run so fast!" Qi Ling said in frustration.
Bai Ling'er, standing nearby, advised Qi Ling, "My lord, we shouldn't concern ourselves with Bakal right now. The most important thing is the matter of the Dragon God Inheritance! Avoiding unnecessary complications is the right thing to do."
Qi Ling felt helpless. Even if she caught up with him, she might not be able to defeat him, because the Fire Dragon King Bakal was over 400,000 years old and extremely powerful. That was why he was so arrogant.
Even Bai Ling'er, if they were to really fight, would probably not be a match for Bakal, which is why he dared to come alone with his dragon.
The banquet ended hastily thanks to Bakal's meddling; after all that had happened, no one was in the mood to continue dancing.
And so, three days later, on this day, the five Dragon Clan leaders led all the Dragon Clan to the deepest part of Dragon Valley, which was the Dragon Tomb mentioned earlier.
The closer they got to the Dragon Tomb, the more solemn and awe-inspiring the atmosphere became, as if they were approaching a sacred place possessing Divine Power.
"Of course," Qi Ling said. " Dragon Tomb, as the name suggests, is the burial ground of the Dragon Clan. All the Dragon Clan who have died are buried here. Therefore, Dragon Tomb is also the most important sacred place for the Dragon Clan, and no one is allowed to desecrate it."
"Isn't it inappropriate for us to come into a place like this?" Ning Rongrong asked. After all, this place was essentially a forbidden area for the Dragon Clan. Was it really alright to let so many humans in?
"It's alright, because you are the main characters today!" Qi Ling said. "The reason I summoned you here is precisely for this purpose. Please prepare to obtain your Soul Ring."