THE REAL PROTEGE-Chapter 506: LING LI’S CHASM

The final round ended not with a duel, but with annihilation. Rival clans lay in ruins, their cheating exposed, their arrogance punished. The Li Clan stood victorious, scarred but unbroken, their legacy immortalized by the revelation of the Twin Dragon Guardians.

The Pavilion trembled with cheers, boos, and awe. The Valley would never forget this day.

LingLi'ss eyes burned with jade fire as she whispered to herself:

"Let them conspire. Let them cheat. In the end, the Li Clan will always persist."

The Aftermath – Fury in the Pavilion

The Pavilion of Celestial Harmony was still trembling from the roar of the Twin Dragon Guardians. The battlefield lay in ruins. Smoke curled from shattered artifacts. Rival disciples lay broken and scattered, their arrogance crushed beneath the wings of the Twin Dragon Guardians. The Blood Seal pulsed ominously at the center like a living heart, glowing brighter as if mocking the defeated.

But instead of silence, the Pavilion erupted in chaos.

Rival Clans' Protests

Humiliated patriarchs and sect leaders rose to their feet, their voices dripping with venom.

Iron Fang Patriarch, his armor cracked, but his pride unbroken, slammed his fist against the dais:

"This is blasphemy! A Disgrace! Infants on the battlefield, wielding dragons? The Li Clan spits on tradition!"

Crimson Lotus Elder sneered, his robes torn, his pride shattered:

"Twin Dragon Guardians or not, this is a violation of the Rite! They cheated as surely as we were accused!

They accuse us of cheating, yet they unleash abominations! Twin Dragon Guardians are not disciples — they are weapons!"

Ling LI "...."

She snorted with amusement, infuriating the Crimson Lotus Elder more.

Moonshade Mystic hissed, his voice trembling with rage:

"You mock the Valley's laws! Children wielding dragons? This is not victory — it is sacrilege!

This is sacrilege! The Valley's laws forbid children in war. Strip them of the Blood Seal!"

The Pavilion shook with their fury. Spectators shouted back, some defending the Li Clan, others echoing the rivals' outrage.

"The rivals cheated first!"

"The twins saved the Valley from corruption!"

Others echoed the rivals' fury:

"But children in war? It is madness!"

"The Li Clan bends the rules to their will!"

Li Clan Elders' Dissatisfaction

Even within the Li Clan, dissent rose. Several elders stood, their faces pale with shame and anger.

One elder spat bitterly:

"Family Head, you humiliated us! You made us a laughingstock before the Valley!"

Another shouted, trembling with fury:

"Our disciples bled and suffered, and you sent babes to fight in their place! This is a betrayal of our honor!"

A third sneered openly, his loyalty cracking:

"You gamble with our legacy. You risked everything for spectacle. You are unfit to lead!"

The Pavilion gasped — Li Clan elders exposing their disloyalty in public, their voices joining the chorus of rival protests.

"Nonsense!" Li Tianyuan slammed his hand.

Ling Li patted his shoulder, "I'll handle this, Great-Grandpa," Ling Li calmly said.

Ling Li's Cold Brilliance

Ling Li rose slowly, her jade-green aura shimmering like a storm contained within flesh. Her eyes burned with fire, her voice cold and sharp as a blade.

"You dare speak of honor? You, who stood silent while rivals poisoned our disciples, pierced our artifacts, and spat on the laws of the Valley? You, who trembled and begged me to intervene while I held my silence, waiting for their arrogance to consume them?"

Her gaze swept across the rival clans, then turned to her own elders, unyielding.

"You call me unfit? Yet it was my decision that revealed their shameless cheats, my patience that exposed their corruption, and my twins who crushed them when all of you faltered. You would rather see us broken than endure humiliation for a moment. That is a weakness. And weakness has no place in the Li Clan."

The malicious Elders fell silent, avoiding Ling Li's gaze.

The Pavilion became quiet, Ling Li's words piercing more sharply than a blade.

While fury raged in the Pavilion, Shi Min moved calmly among the injured disciples. His immortal aura glowed faintly as he pressed his hands to the wounds, stabilizing qi flows and whispering words of comfort.

The Seven Shah assisted him, their stoic presence anchoring the chaos. They carried wounded disciples from the battlefield, their silence a rebuke to the elders who wasted breath on outrage instead of tending to their own.

Shi Min's voice was quiet but resolute as he worked:

"They bleed, yet they persist. This is the true strength of the Li Clan. Not words. Not protests. Endurance."

The Valley Elders' Judgment

At last, the Valley elders rose, their faces grim. Their voices carried the weight of centuries.

One elder spoke, his tone heavy:

The rivals cheated openly. The Li Clan endured. Yet the use of children cannot be ignored."

Rival patriarchs shouted again, their fury renewed:

"We demand the Valley elders strip the Li Clan of victory!"

"The Blood Seal cannot be awarded to cheats!"

"Twin Dragon Guardians are abominations!"

"...."

Li Clan elders joined them, their betrayal complete:

"We demand Ling Li step down as Family Head!"

"The Li Clan must be led by one who respects tradition!"

The Pavilion trembled with fury, insults flying like arrows. It held its breath as the elders debated, fury and awe clashing like storms.

Otako, the head of the Hidden Valley's Imperial Court, finally spoke, his eyes fixed on Ling Li:

"Twin Dragon Guardians are not babies — they are guardians of legacy. The entire Valley has witnessed its power. To strip the Li Clan of victory would be to deny truth itself."

Since Otako had spoken, everyone shut up, afraid of offending him. No one would dare contradict Otako.

Ling Li's Final Word

Ling Li raisedfrom her seat. Her jade aura flared, her voice thunderous:

"You demand my downfall? You demand my shame? Then strike me here, before the Valley.

But know this — without me, without my twins, you would all be ashes beneath the cheats you turned a blind eye to.

You call me unfit, yet it was I who saved you from annihilation. You call me dishonorable, yet it was I who exposed your corruption. You call me desperate, yet it was I who ensured the Li Clan endures."

Her eyes swept across the hall, especially towards the Li Clan elders, cold and merciless.

"Mock me. Hate me. Betray me. But you will never erase me. And you will never erase the Li Clan."

This chasm is something they would never cross in their lifetimes.

The Pavilion fell into stunned silence. Rival clans trembled, Li Clan elders bowed their heads in shame, and the Blood Seal pulsed brighter, as if acknowledging Ling Li's words.